In late November of Year 44, Konoha was hit by the coldest weather the Land of Fire had seen in years.
"I really wish I could go home and curl up under the kotatsu. School should close for break already."
At lunchtime, Obito eyed Rin Nohara's lunch box while clutching a piece of bread and complaining loudly. Ever since his grades had improved, he'd started slacking off again.
The girl had been working harder and harder in the Medical Corps. Hearing him, she immediately corrected him in earnest:
"We agreed to graduate early together. Obito, don't forget—I'll be keeping an eye on you!"
"Sorry."
Under the girl's gaze, Obito turned his head awkwardly. Seeing Sarutobi Asuma sprawled listlessly over his desk again, he asked curiously:
"What's up with Asuma? He's been like this a lot lately."
"Lord Hokage couldn't come to the last assessment because of work. Asuma took first place, so maybe he was disappointed."
Ebisu, who had quietly sidled over, pushed up his little sunglasses and replied in a low voice. Obito jumped, but after hearing that, he felt an inexplicable pang of sympathy.
"What a ridiculous thing to be troubled by..."
Obito, who longed for a warm family, couldn't relate to Asuma. As far as he was concerned, nobody in their class was more fortunate than that guy!
"Wow! Shizune, your lunch looks amazing!"
"It's so beautifully arranged. It looks especially delicious!"
Shizune had just opened her lunch box. At Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara's exclamations, her face flushed slightly. She hadn't made it herself.
"Shu made lunch for Lady Tsunade, and she packed an extra portion for me..."
There were three kinds of meat, along with plenty of fried food and vegetables, plus some refreshing side dishes. It was an exceptionally nutritious meal.
"That's incredible. I'm completely hopeless at cooking."
Kurenai sighed enviously. Soon, the three girls were whispering together again.
Watching them, Obito held his bread with no appetite left. He put his arms behind his head and grumbled inwardly:
"Neither of them is even at school. Why do they still get to steal the show?"
That afternoon, inside the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly around his pipe. The room was tense, and no one spoke for a long time.
Although Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura understood Hiruzen, they still offered their opinions as advisors:
"The mission failed. A secret outpost on the front line in the Land of Grass was destroyed."
"The supply line was also sabotaged. The transport team and two squads were wiped out. The village has to impose a punishment for such consequences."
Utatane Koharu offered her suggestion, eyes narrowed. Hiruzen remained silent, and Mitokado Homura reminded him gravely:
"Although we don't need to concern ourselves with the daimyo's feelings, we still have to give them an acceptable explanation."
"..."
Hatake Sakumo's failure on this S-rank mission had damaged the village's reputation somewhat. The daimyo's doubts had come back along with the news.
"Iwagakure and Sunagakure were involved, and there were problems with the intelligence."
"As for Sakumo, let him rest for a while. We don't need to concern ourselves with the daimyo. They have no right to interfere in the village's internal affairs."
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly looked up and firmly announced his decision. Then he fixed his gaze on Shimura Danzō, who had made himself nearly invisible, and warned him in a low voice:
"The details of this mission must not spread through the Jonin Division."
"Root crossed the line in this matter."
Danzō, bandages wrapped around his head, finally opened his eyes and spoke expressionlessly. He seemed not to have expected Hiruzen to notice his little ploy so quickly.
"I only wanted to use this opportunity to warn all the jonin. A failed mission must be punished."
"No one can place themselves above the village's interests. This proves once again that Hatake Sakumo lacks the mindset of a Hokage..."
Hiruzen hadn't expected his old friend to still be "making excuses" under the circumstances. He immediately cut him off:
"I'll issue an order to keep this quiet. This matter ends here!"
"Hiruzen, you're growing weak. If war breaks out, and this happens again..."
Before Danzō could finish, Hiruzen interrupted him once more:
"Sakumo knows what to do in wartime. Remember, I am the Hokage!"
"Every action must have my approval. I don't want to hear any more news from Anbu that I don't want to hear."
Root's growing power had drawn Anbu's scrutiny, and Hiruzen had even sent Orochimaru to keep an eye on them. Everyone in the room knew it.
Unable to say, "You'll regret this," Danzō simply rose to his feet, turned, and strode away.
The meeting ended on a sour note. Mitokado Homura also felt that his old friend's punishment was too lenient. He tried to hold Danzō back, turning to persuade him:
"Danzō, we still need to discuss how to respond to the daimyo."
"Should a master have to watch a dog's expression? I have other matters to take care of in Root."
"Bang..."
As the door shut, Danzō narrowed his eyes again. The Hokage faction was accelerating its efforts to recruit talented shinobi, proof that his old friend had grown even more wary of him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued puffing on his pipe. Thinking of the power in Danzō's hands, he felt somewhat dissatisfied with Orochimaru's work as well.
Fortunately, he wasn't that old yet and still had time to deal with the problem. Noticing the expressions on his two old friends' faces, he changed the subject:
"Tsunade has accomplished quite a bit lately. The new medicinal herbs have been cultivated exceptionally well."
"The secret medicine is already in use. It seems Shu's talent far exceeds our expectations. No wonder so many people have recognized him."
"..."
Faced with the Hokage's firm stance, the two advisors stopped arguing. With the Sannin, the major clans, and Anbu supporting him, Sarutobi Hiruzen still held a firm grip on all the power.
By dusk, night had fallen. In the Medical Corps' laboratory, Tsunade stretched lazily in her seat and looked at her diligent student nearby with a grin.
"It's so cold. I really wish I could have a hot drink right now!"
Shizune organized the records on herb cultivation, while Shu Furukawa kept reviewing the feedback on the secret medicine and compiling useful information.
"Sensei, Captain Shikaku recently reminded me about the Three Prohibitions of Shinobi..."
Hearing Shu Furukawa's words, Tsunade pursed her lips, got up, and walked over to them.
"Didn't the Nara boy teach you to balance work and rest?"
"Sensei, I've finished organizing the records!"
Shizune stood and obediently handed her the documents. Tsunade's mood brightened even more. Thinking of how pleasant the past month had been, she decided to answer the question Shu Furukawa had brought up earlier:
"Ordinary shinobi can't accumulate chakra. But outstanding medical-nin have a way to solve that problem."
"You've both been doing well lately and haven't slacked off, so I've decided to teach you the Strength of a Hundred Technique ahead of schedule!"
"This is an ancient technique that's been passed down since the Sage of Six Paths was alive. After I continuously refined it and combined it with other techniques, it became a unique S-rank Medical Ninjutsu!"
"The first stage is accumulating chakra. I'll teach you the basic principles of the technique..."
As Tsunade spoke at length, she noticed the admiration in their eyes and felt even happier. While she continued praising them, Shu Furukawa's thoughts drifted:
I hope this technique can accumulate Senjutsu Chakra and solve the problem of being unable to sense Natural Energy.
"..."