Danzo, You Old Thief! Take This Punch

"What?!"

Tsunade froze for a moment. Then her expression turned furious.

"Danzo, you old bastard!"

"And here I was worried I'd be the first to dig up the grave. I never thought he'd beat me to it!"

Orochimaru stood beside her, his golden slit-pupiled eyes narrowing slightly.

He watched Tsunade seethe.

Naturally, he took her anger for outrage over her grandfather's grave being robbed.

His expression darkened too.

He had yet to become the "mad scientist" who treated human lives as worthless and grave robbing as routine.

The First Hokage's grave had been robbed. Anyone would be furious.

"Danzo did this. I'm sure of it!"

Tsunade spoke quietly, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

Orochimaru: "???"

He turned to look at Tsunade.

He couldn't understand why she was so certain.

Danzo had a bad reputation, but he was still one of Konoha's leaders.

The head of Root.

Why would he rob a grave?

And the First Hokage's grave, at that?

Tsunade offered no explanation. She merely shot Orochimaru a look and whispered so only he could hear, "Play along."

Orochimaru was silent for two seconds, then nodded.

He didn't know what Tsunade was planning, but they were "partners" now. They understood each other well enough for this.

The two exchanged a quick glance.

Then Tsunade drew a deep breath, threw back her head, and roared:

"Who did this?!"

Her voice cracked like thunder across the entire Rear Mountain Cemetery!

Then she raised her right foot high.

Chakra surged into it, and she slammed it down!

Boom!

A deafening crash rang out!

Cracks spread from beneath her foot like a spiderweb!

The force shattered the stone slabs around the grave marker.

With that single stomp, she forced the buried coffin up out of the ground.

Standing beside her, Orochimaru couldn't stop the corner of his eye from twitching.

This woman... Has she gotten even stronger?

"What happened?!"

"An enemy?!"

"Protect Lady Tsunade!"

Two figures burst from the edge of the woods almost simultaneously.

They were the ANBU and Root ninja Tsunade had sent away earlier.

Their faces were grim as they immediately stood back-to-back in defensive stances.

They scanned their surroundings, Chakra already at the ready.

"Lady Tsunade! What happened?!" the ANBU ninja asked urgently.

The Root ninja said nothing, but his eyes kept darting toward the coffin beneath Tsunade's foot.

It had already split open.

Tsunade ignored the ANBU ninja.

She flashed in front of the Root ninja, seized his collar, and lifted him clean off the ground!

"Tell me! Where are my grandfather's remains?!"

Her voice was icy, her gaze sharp as a blade.

Veins bulged on her forehead, and Chakra spilled uncontrollably from her body.

An invisible pressure bore down on everyone nearby.

The Root ninja's feet dangled in the air. His face went pale behind his mask.

"I-I don't know, Lady Tsunade! The remains... Aren't they in the coffin?"

He hastily pointed to the split coffin.

"The coffin?"

Tsunade snorted. Chakra gathered in her clenched left fist, and she drove it into the coffin!

Bang!

Wood splinters flew!

Her punch smashed the entire coffin to pieces!

There was nothing inside.

Not a body. Not even a scrap of cloth!

The ANBU ninja's eyes widened. Even his mask couldn't hide his shock.

"It's empty?! How is that possible?!"

The Root ninja looked scared out of his wits and shook his head frantically.

"No! It wasn't me! I don't know! I really don't know!"

Tsunade released his collar and let him fall to the ground, then swept her gaze over both ninja.

"Which of you can tell me what happened here?!"

Her voice was quiet, but the veins on her forehead throbbed, and her Chakra surged more violently by the second.

She looked ready to erupt at any moment.

The ANBU and Root ninja were so frightened their legs nearly gave way.

"Lady Tsunade, we truly had no idea!"

"We guarded the entrance the whole time. We didn't let anyone through!"

"And we never touched the coffin!"

They scrambled to explain, their voices trembling.

Tsunade stared at them for several seconds, then suddenly hauled the Root ninja up again.

"Orochimaru!"

"Yes?"

"Go to the Hokage Building right now and bring that old man, the Third Hokage, here! Tell him someone dug up my grandfather's grave and his remains are gone!"

"Understood."

Orochimaru answered and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

The Root ninja suddenly spoke up, his eyes darting.

"Lady Tsunade, perhaps I should inform Lord Hokage and Lord Danzo about this? After all, we in Root—"

"Inform them?"

Tsunade cut him off, her gaze turning colder.

"Do you want to warn someone, or get your stories straight?"

"I..."

"Was this Root's doing?!"

"No! It wasn't! It definitely wasn't me!"

The Root ninja waved his hands frantically, cold sweat breaking out across his skin.

Orochimaru licked his lips and said nothing more.

His figure flickered, becoming a blur that vanished down the mountain path.

Tsunade remained where she was.

She folded her arms, her expression dark as a storm cloud.

The ANBU and Root ninja stood to one side, hardly daring to breathe.

The minutes crept by.

After about a quarter of an hour, several figures came hurtling through the air.

Orochimaru landed first, followed closely by Hiruzen Sarutobi and... Shimura Danzō.

Danzo came too?

Tsunade frowned.

Had he realized something was wrong?

Or had another Root spy tipped him off?

Well... All the better.

"Tsunade, what happened?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi strode over, his expression grave.

When he saw the empty coffin lying smashed on the ground, his face darkened instantly.

"What happened here?!"

His voice was low, barely containing his anger.

The ANBU ninja dropped to one knee and shook his head vigorously.

"Lord Hokage, I don't know! We guarded the entrance the whole time and never saw anyone come or go!"

Tsunade stepped forward and pointed at the coffin.

"Old man, I came to pay my respects to Grandpa early this morning. When I bowed, the ground sounded hollow."

"So I checked, and sure enough, something was wrong! The coffin was empty! My grandfather's remains are gone!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, his gaze moving between the coffin and Tsunade.

Standing nearby, Danzo's face twitched.

She bowed? Heard an echo?

That's how she found out?

What the hell!

Danzo was so frustrated he wanted to curse.

He really had moved Hashirama Senju's remains.

And he had done it only recently.

He had thought no one would ever know.

Yet she had discovered it already?

And in such an absurd way!

Tsunade gave Danzo little time to think. She turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, her tone forceful.

"This needs a full investigation! Interrogate everyone who's been on cemetery guard duty!"

"If I find out who did this..."

She clenched her fist, her knuckles cracking.

"I'll skin him alive!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was grim. He understood how serious this was.

He was about to order an investigation.

"There's no need."

A hoarse voice rang out.

Danzo stepped forward, his lone eye fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade.

"I did it."

He actually admitted it?

Tsunade was surprised, but she let her face show only furious vindication.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked even grimmer.

"Danzo, you—"

Before he could finish, Tsunade moved!

"Danzo, you old thief!"

"Take this punch!"

She flashed forward, appearing in front of Danzo in an instant.

Without warning, she drove her right fist into his abdomen!

Thud!

The impact rang out, deep and heavy.

Danzo hadn't expected Tsunade to attack so suddenly. He had no time to defend himself and took the punch square in the gut.

"Pfft!"

Blood sprayed from Danzo's mouth!

He doubled over and staggered back several steps, his face turning deathly pale.

"Tsunade! Don't do anything rash!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi hurried forward and stepped between them.

Danzo clutched his stomach, gasping for breath.

His single eye burned with shock, fury, and pain.

He had been caught completely off guard and had taken Tsunade's Monster Strength punch full-on.

It felt as though his organs had shifted and his intestines had tied themselves in knots.

"Danzo, explain yourself!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi fixed Danzo with an icy stare.

"Why did you move the First Hokage's remains without authorization?"

Danzo forced himself upright through the pain and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Hiruzen, I did it for Konoha."

His voice was hoarse as he began making excuses.

"The First Hokage's remains weren't safe here."

"This may be a cemetery, but security is weak. If enemy forces slipped in and stole the remains, the consequences would be unthinkable."

"So I took it upon myself to move the First Hokage's remains somewhere safer."

"I was wrong not to tell you, but I was thinking of Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him, his expression conflicted.

Beside them, Tsunade curled her lip.

For Konoha?

More like for yourself!

She snorted and cut off Danzo's performance:

"For Konoha? I'd say you're the one most interested in my grandfather's remains!"

"You moved a Hokage's remains without authorization and didn't even inform the Hokage. Danzo, you've got some nerve!"

Danzo's single eye widened. "Tsunade, you—"

"Save it!"

Tsunade had no patience for his excuses and waved a hand.

"Take me to my grandfather's remains! Now! This instant!"

"I want to see for myself whether his remains are intact!"

Danzo's face darkened, and hesitation flashed through his single eye.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze turned cold as well.

"Danzo, lead the way."

His tone left no room for argument.

Danzo gritted his teeth, then finally nodded.

"...Follow me."

He set off, heading deeper into the cemetery.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted.

The others immediately followed.