Tsunade Returned to the Village

Su Yu spent his first night away from Konoha in an inn in the Land of Waves.

Karin Uzumaki had been settled there by Yakushi Kabuto a few days earlier. When she saw Su Yu, she was delighted.

The two of them even had dinner together.

Su Yu opened the inn window and looked outside.

He had made Danzo take the blame, using that as a reasonable excuse to defect from Konoha.

The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, would surely believe him.

After all, whenever something bad happened, Danzo was always the obvious culprit.

Yakushi Kabuto wouldn't pay attention to Su Yu for the time being. Orochimaru's arms had been sealed, and the most urgent matter was finding a way to heal them.

In reality, there was only one solution: reincarnate as soon as possible.

Orochimaru didn't know that, and searching for Tsunade was the only option he could think of.

Meanwhile, Su Yu had passed on news of what was happening in Konoha through Katsuyu.

If Tsunade didn't become Hokage, Danzo might seize the opportunity to take the position.

During the Konoha Crush,

Danzo's Root had stayed underground and hadn't sent a single person to help. If someone like him became Hokage, Konoha would be ruined in his hands.

Land of Fire.

In an inn in a certain town,

Tsunade drank and gazed out the window.

That morning, she'd won a lot of money, but even then, she'd sensed something was wrong.

Now that she'd heard Katsuyu's report, she knew it was time to return.

If she didn't, Konoha really might fall into Danzo's hands.

"Lady Tsunade, we..."

Shizune couldn't help asking.

"We leave tomorrow morning and return to Konoha." Tsunade glanced at Shizune.

"Yes." Shizune's face brightened.

She and Tsunade had wandered from place to place for so long. It was time to go home.

The next day,

the weather in Konoha was poor. A light rain began early in the morning.

Whether they were Konoha Ninja or ordinary villagers, everyone dressed in black and made their way to the Third Hokage's funeral.

The Third Hokage had been a Hokage worthy of respect, a hero in the hearts of everyone in Konoha.

He had given his life to protect the village. Every person in Konoha felt the weight of his sacrifice.

Kakashi's gaze swept over the people around him and lingered briefly on Uzuki Yugao. It wasn't because he had feelings for her, but because Su Yu was on the missing persons list.

Su Yu and an Anbu member had gone missing.

Very few people knew about it so far.

By the time the funeral ended,

Tsunade had returned to Konoha.

When she came back, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as the Daimyo learned Tsunade had returned, he appointed her Fifth Hokage.

The Hokage faction had no objections to Tsunade's appointment. Everyone approved it.

Danzo had intended to say something.

But...

Tsunade's first act as Hokage was to hold Root accountable.

During the Konoha Crush, every Root member had gone into hiding. Not one of them had lifted a finger to help.

All the members of the Konoha High Command looked toward Danzo, but no one spoke up for him.

The two advisors exchanged glances and remained silent.

This wasn't something that could be explained away as a simple intelligence failure. The whole village had been in an uproar, and every other ninja had taken part.

Only Root had done nothing, as if the crisis had nothing to do with them.

It meant Danzo had wanted to watch the Third Hokage die!

Everyone knew Danzo wanted to become Hokage.

But his blatant inaction made him look downright foolish.

"Danzo, do you have anything to say for yourself?" After a moment of silence, the Daimyo looked at him.

"Root's members are Konoha's elite. They shouldn't be used to defend the village. Besides, so many other ninja had already been deployed..."

"If they're elite, why didn't you send them to protect the Third Hokage?" Tsunade slapped the table, cutting Danzo off.

"At the time, Root's members couldn't get close to the area, so..."

"So you didn't even have the strength to hold Orochimaru back? Or was this something you planned with him?" Tsunade said with a cold laugh.

The moment she said that, everyone's expression changed.

It really was possible.

"Tsunade, whatever else he may be, Danzo is a member of Konoha's High Command. He wouldn't do something like that. Still, he was certainly in the wrong this time. How about we reduce Root's operating budget and personnel as a suitable punishment?" the Daimyo said unhurriedly.

Danzo's expression changed dramatically.

It sounded as though the Daimyo was speaking up for him.

In truth, he was helping Tsunade.

"Out of respect for the Daimyo, we'll cut Root's budget by thirty percent and its manpower by ten percent as punishment. Kakashi will choose the surplus personnel. Any objections, Lord Danzo?" Tsunade said coldly.

"None," Danzo replied calmly, though his fists had clenched.

His original plan had been to wait until the Third Hokage died and Konoha fell into chaos, then step in and take control.

The Third Hokage had died.

But Konoha hadn't fallen into chaos. Otogakure and Sunagakure alone weren't strong enough to cause it.

The ninja of Konoha had united and successfully put an end to the farce.

Instead, Danzo had become a laughingstock.

The other Konoha Ninja might not dare say anything, but Tsunade always spoke her mind.

This punishment served three purposes.

First, it cut Root's funding. Second, it reduced Root's numbers while also giving Kakashi a chance to recruit new members. Third, it humiliated Danzo.

After this, the clans of Konoha would all support the Hokage faction. No one would side with Danzo.

That raised the question:

Whose idea had this really been?

After the meeting in Konoha ended,

the Daimyo was escorted back to the capital of the Land of Fire.

Tsunade went to the Hokage Office.

Kakashi reported the disappearance of Su Yu and the Anbu member.

When Tsunade heard Su Yu's name, she couldn't help but freeze.

She was about to ask him about it when someone knocked.

Tsunade glanced at Kakashi.

Kakashi understood and opened the door.

Uzuki Yugao stood outside, holding a scroll.

"She was Su Yu's team leader," Kakashi explained.

"Lady Tsunade, welcome back. I used to be a member of the Hokage Direct Squad, assigned to protect Lord Hokage. Because Su Yu's parents once saved my life, I asked to become his team leader..." Uzuki Yugao explained her history with Su Yu.

She talked about how quickly he had progressed, but left out the other side of him.

After listening to Uzuki Yugao, Tsunade asked the most important question.

"If this Su Yu is so talented, why did he leave Konoha?"

Uzuki Yugao glanced at Kakashi.

"Don't worry about Kakashi. He's the person I trust most right now," Tsunade assured her.

"Lady Tsunade, this matter is very important. No one but you can know about it." Uzuki Yugao shook her head.

Tsunade fell silent for a few seconds, then looked at Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded and left.

Only then did Uzuki Yugao step forward and hand the scroll to Tsunade.

Tsunade unrolled it.

Her pupils contracted, and she stared at Uzuki Yugao in disbelief.

"Th-this is true?"

Uzuki Yugao nodded.