Third Hokage Mediation, Taking Stock of the Gains

The Third Hokage's gaze moved from Danzō to Nawaki, then from Nawaki to Tsunade.

Tsunade sat on the edge of the roof, her legs swinging. Her right hand braced against her knee while her left wiped the dust from her face.

She looked exhausted, but her smile was bright.

That smile made the Third Hokage's stomach clench.

"Nawaki." The Third Hokage spoke at last, his pipe finally lit. He took a puff. "What happened tonight—"

"What happened tonight?" Nawaki cut him off. "Third Hokage, you need to be clear. Which matter are you talking about? Your good partner bringing seventeen men to tear down my house in the middle of the night? Or him sending people to the Hatake Estate to watch someone commit seppuku?"

All twenty Anbu turned to look at the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage's pipe froze at his lips.

Of course he knew about the Hatake Estate. He also knew Danzō had moved against the Senju Clan Compound. More precisely, both matters had taken place within the bounds of his tacit approval.

But tacit approval and admission were two different things.

"Danzō acted on his own. It has nothing to do with the Hokage Office." The Third Hokage's voice sank. "I have already stripped him of his position. What happened tonight—"

"A misunderstanding?"

Nawaki supplied the word the Third Hokage had left unsaid.

The Third Hokage paused.

"Yes. A misunderstanding."

Nawaki nodded, his expression utterly serious.

"That's good." He turned and glanced at Danzō, who hung in midair. "Lord Danzō, the Third Hokage says it was a misunderstanding. Did you hear that?"

Danzō's face had already turned purple from suffocation. The roots around his neck had not loosened, and he had to force the words out.

"Nawa... ki..."

"Good, you also think it was a misunderstanding." Nawaki turned back to face the Third Hokage. "Third Hokage, since it was a misunderstanding, there should be some explanation for it."

The Third Hokage's eyelid twitched.

Here it came.

This brat wasn't here to settle accounts. He was here to name his price.

"What do you want?" The Third Hokage lowered his pipe. There was no point beating around the bush with this boy.

"I won't dredge up how much blood the Senju Clan has shed for Konoha." Nawaki counted on his fingers. "Tonight, Root surrounded and attacked our compound, and the Four Red Yang Formation was shattered—building a new formation requires materials, doesn't it? My sister's chakra has been drained below thirty percent, so her medical expenses need to be counted too, right? And then there's compensation for emotional distress—being surrounded and attacked in the middle of the night, could you stand it if it were you?"

When he said "compensation for emotional distress," his tone was as earnest as if he were haggling with an old lady at a market stall.

The Third Hokage took a deep breath.

"Name your price."

"I don't want money."

The Third Hokage frowned. No money? Then what did he want?

"Konoha East District. Three commercial streets, from Thunder Gate Street to the Land of Fire Merchant Association." Nawaki traced a line through the air with his finger. "Transfer them to the Senju Clan."

The Anbu captain sucked in a sharp breath.

Three commercial streets in the East District—that was Konoha's most prosperous area, accounting for twenty percent of the village's annual tax revenue. It had originally been the sphere of influence of the Sarutobi Clan and several major merchant associations.

Nawaki wasn't taking a bite out of Danzō. He was biting into the Third Hokage's purse.

"Nawaki, you—"

"Third Hokage." Nawaki's tone changed. It was no longer the tone of a junior bargaining with an elder. It was the tone of an equal. "If tonight's events get out—your partner led people to wipe out a clan in the middle of the night, while the Hokage himself stood by and watched. How long do you think it will take Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud Village's intelligence networks to get the news? A day? Half a day?"

The Third Hokage's pipe no longer trembled, because his hand had already clenched tight around it.

"You understand better than I do how much Konoha's reputation is worth." Nawaki spread his hands. "Three streets isn't much, is it?"

A long silence followed.

The night wind swept across the battlefield, and broken trees creaked.

"Two," the Third Hokage said.

"Three." Nawaki did not even blink.

"Two and a half. Thunder Gate Street is out of the question. That street involves—"

"Three." Nawaki repeated himself, his volume unchanged, his pace unchanged.

The Third Hokage stared at him for five seconds.

Five seconds later, the Third Hokage closed his eyes.

"...Take your people and leave. Let Danzō down. From today onward, the three commercial streets in Konoha East District will fall under the Senju Clan's jurisdiction."

"Thank you, Third Hokage." Nawaki immediately put on a smile and drew both hands back.

The roots loosened.

Danzō dropped from half a meter in the air, landing face-first in the mud. Two Anbu hurried forward and propped him up.

When Danzō was lifted, his body was covered in marks left by the constricting roots. His left eye emerged from the mud caked across his face, glaring fixedly at Nawaki.

Nawaki waved at him.

"Lord Danzō, give me advance notice next time you come visiting, so I can prepare some tea."

Danzō's body twitched. It was impossible to tell whether it was from his injuries or his anger.

The Anbu carried him backward. After they had gone ten steps, Danzō suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse, as though it had been dug out from beneath ruins.

"Nawaki... you think you've won?"

Nawaki did not turn around.

"I haven't." His voice drifted back. "But I'd advise you to move your Number Seven Base as soon as possible."

Danzō's pupil shrank violently.

Before he could say anything, the Anbu had already carried him away into the night.

The Third Hokage gave Nawaki one last look, then turned and left with the Anbu. When he had gone fifty meters, he paused.

"Orochimaru is still in the central tower?"

"Yes," the Anbu captain answered.

The Third Hokage said nothing more and continued walking.

Senju Clan Compound. Main house.

Tsunade gulped down over half a kettle of cold water, wiped her mouth, and dropped heavily onto the corridor floor.

"Three commercial streets." She looked at Nawaki. "You brat are more ruthless than the shadiest bookmaker I've ever gambled with."

"How else could I be? Our family is poor." Nawaki spread out his system panel—

[Ding! Family Prosperity has increased from C+ Rank to B Rank (Konoha-level control)!]

[Core Member Changes: New Shadow Guard · White Fang (Sakumo Hatake), rated S Rank.]

[Current Core Members: Tsunade (Kage-level / Medical · Finance), Kushina Uzumaki (Nine-Tails Jinchūriki / Bond at Maximum Level), Mikoto Uchiha (Three-Tomoe Sharingan / Assassination Captain), White Fang (Kage-level / Shadow Guard).]

[Overall Rating: Quasi-first-rate faction.]

[B-Rank Prosperity Reward Distribution in Progress—]

[Perfect Wood Release Chakra Refinement Method · Received.]

[Wood Release: Advent of Flowering Trees (Complete Version) · Received.]

Nawaki closed his eyes, feeling the memories of the new ninjutsu pour into his mind like water. Advent of Flowering Trees—Hashirama's large-scale control technique, used to take on a hundred enemies alone during the ninja wars. The incomplete version could only make flowers bloom and induce sleep, but the complete version could directly render every enemy across an entire battlefield unable to move.

Combined with Deep Forest Emergence, his large-scale combat ability was now no weaker than a Kage's.

"Chakra refinement method..." He flexed his fingers. "My recovery speed can double from now on."

Footsteps came from the other end of the corridor. Kushina ran ahead, with Mikoto following behind.

The two had entered from the west gate. They were covered in mud, their hair a complete mess.

The moment Kushina saw Nawaki sitting in the corridor, she threw herself at him. Nawaki caught her, staggering half a step back from the impact.

"You bastard! You said five minutes!"

"It only took three extra minutes."

"Is eight minutes short?!"

Mikoto walked to the edge of the corridor, leaned against a pillar, and let out a long breath. Her eyes swept across the courtyard—root debris, shattered tiles, mud pits. Nawaki had roughly repaired the traces of battle with Wood Release, but it was still clear how intense the fight had been.

"Where's Danzō?"

"They carried him away. Alive."

Mikoto frowned. "You let him go?"

"Killing him now would be letting him off too easily. Besides—" Nawaki patted the back of Kushina's head, making her loosen her hold. "We got three commercial streets. Killing one man couldn't get us that kind of price."

Mikoto considered it, then said nothing more.

A white mask emerged from the shadows by the northern courtyard wall.

There was no sound. Kushina noticed him first—the senses of a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki were exceptionally sharp at close range.

She grabbed Nawaki's sleeve. "That person—"

"One of ours."

The white mask stopped beneath the moonlight. The blade had already been sheathed. The mask was spotless, showing no trace that it had just killed someone.

Nawaki beckoned.

Sakumo came over. Every step was steady, and his feet made no sound when they touched the ground.

He stopped before Nawaki.

Tsunade still sat in the corridor, kettle in hand, watching the mask.

Her senses were stronger than anyone present. She could practically smell the lingering chakra on that short blade.

But she said nothing.

"Codename: White Fang. From today onward, he's the Senju Clan's Shadow Guard." Nawaki's introduction was brief. "This is Kushina, and this is Mikoto."

Sakumo gave a slight nod.

Kushina tilted her head and studied him for a long moment. "You're really strong."

"Thank you."

Mikoto assessed his stance and center of gravity. It was the standard framework of assassination-oriented taijutsu, with his weight always resting on the balls of his feet.

"I look forward to working with you," she said.

Sakumo nodded again.

Nawaki watched the scene.

A Kage-level medical ninja as his sister. A Nine-Tails Jinchūriki as his wife. A Three-Tomoe Sharingan wielder as his assassination captain. A Kage-level White Fang as his shadow.

Half a year ago, he had been nothing more than a D-rank lone heir.

"All right." He stood and clapped his hands. "Go get some sleep. The elimination matches are tomorrow. We'll have plenty to do."

Kushina yawned. "I'm exhausted."

Mikoto turned toward her room, but after taking two steps, she looked back. "Nawaki, the Uchiha Clan people won't let this go tomorrow at the exam grounds."

"They'd better not let it go." Nawaki headed inside. "I've been needing an opportunity to show the entire ninja world what the Senju Clan's name means."

The courtyard fell quiet.

Tsunade was the last to enter. As she passed Sakumo, she paused for a moment.

"I'll send someone to pick up your son tomorrow."

There was silence behind the mask for two seconds.

"...Thank you."

Tsunade said nothing else. She swung the door shut and entered the room.

Moonlight fell across the empty courtyard. The white mask stood there for a while, then retreated into the shadows and vanished.

The next day. Dawn had barely broken.

Konoha Central Arena.

The stands were packed. It was not just Konoha—observation delegations from Hidden Sand, Hidden Cloud Village, and Hidden Mist sat in three separate sections, each carrying their own calculations.

At the entrance passage, Nawaki entered with Kushina and Mikoto.

The noise within the arena dropped several degrees.