Punishment

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply, his gaze hard as he looked at Shimura Danzō.

How had Danzo known exactly when Ryuuzaki Eiji was going to the Senju Ancestral Home?

Wasn't that confidential information Hiruzen had entrusted to the Anbu to deliver?

Danzo, I really do need to rein you in! Which one of us is the Hokage!?

"I'm innocent! You have no right to accuse me!"

"Just watch me beat you up!"

Tsunade grabbed Danzo by the collar, ready to punch him, but Hiruzen ordered her to stop.

"Enough, Danzo! How long are you going to keep this up!? You went after one of the village's prodigies and even used my name to do it. Who gave you that authority!?"

"Hiruzen, I did it all for Konoha! You'll regret this!"

"I'm the Hokage!"

Danzo turned instinctively to storm out.

"Did I say you could leave!?"

Tsunade caught him by the back of his collar and hauled him back.

Danzo was so furious he could barely breathe, but he didn't dare say a word. Tsunade really would hit him.

"If this isn't dealt with today, I won't let it go! Old man, give me a straight answer! Otherwise, Grandma and I won't let this rest!"

At the mention of Mito Uzumaki, the other three members of the Konoha F4 could no longer sit still.

"Tsunade, that would be bad for the village. If Lady Mito says something to the Daimyo's Palace, what will happen to Konoha's funding!?"

"That's right, Tsunade. You need to put the village first!"

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura urged her in unison. Hiruzen said nothing, but his expression stiffened. He didn't want this to escalate.

"I understand. I'll remove Shimura Danzō from his position as Hokage Advisor. Danzo, return to your Clan Grounds and reflect on what you've done."

"What!? Sarutobi, you wouldn't dare!"

Shimura Danzō stared wide-eyed. He couldn't believe he was being cast aside after taking the blame.

"Of course I would. You've gone too far, and you must be punished!"

In fact, Hiruzen had intended to do just that. If he kept letting Danzo run wild, Konoha would eventually be thrown into chaos. This was a good chance to rein in both him and Root.

"That's not enough. He must surrender control of Root, and Root must be disbanded completely. Otherwise—"

"Tsunade, don't push your luck!"

"So what if I do!?"

Tsunade knew that would never happen. The old man wasn't decisive enough. She just wanted the satisfaction of saying it.

As the two traded barbs, a thunderous boom suddenly came from the forest, cutting off her next insult.

What happened!?

"Something's happened in the village! There's no time for this. Get to the Konoha Forest!"

Hiruzen had no time to keep scolding Shimura Danzō. He'd already handed down his decision, and more shouting would serve no purpose. He needed to see what had happened in the village!

He opened a window and leaped out of the Hokage Office Building, heading straight for the Konoha Forest.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were alarmed too. The noise was too loud to ignore, so they leaped out the window after Hiruzen.

Tsunade shot Danzo a glare before leaving as well, leaving him alone.

Danzo stared toward the Konoha Forest, his eyes dark with murderous intent.

By the time Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other three reached the Konoha Forest, Eiji and the others were long gone. On the way, they encountered a Konoha Anbu operative coming to report what had happened.

After hearing the report, they were stunned.

Ryuuzaki Eiji had developed a terrifying Ninjutsu and blown a massive crater in the Konoha Forest?

A child had developed a Ninjutsu with that kind of destructive power?

"What? That kid developed a Ninjutsu that powerful?"

Tsunade was at a loss for words. She could already call him a master of Ninjutsu. He developed techniques faster than her second granduncle had.

And most importantly, no one else could learn them!

"Ahem, Tsunade, I think we should—"

"No!"

Hiruzen had barely opened his mouth before she cut him off.

Wait, I haven't even said anything yet! How do you know what I'm going to say?

"No means no. You want Eiji to hand over the Ninjutsu, don't you, old man?"

"Tsunade, a Ninjutsu with that much power is important to the village. It shouldn't be held by one person alone. He's still a child."

"Exactly. We should put the village first..."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura's agreement left Hiruzen silent. He did have the same idea, though he thought the village could compensate Eiji with a Ninjutsu of equal value.

"How could that be right? Old man, you know Ryuuzaki Eiji has a precious Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai. It's practically certain he'll establish a Ryūzaki clan of his own someday. This Ninjutsu might become the foundation of that clan. How could you expect him to hand it over? What would the other ninja in the village think if they heard about it?"

The Yamanaka Clan had the Mind Body Switch Secret Technique, the Nara Clan had the Shadow Imitation Technique, and the Akishima Clan had the Multi-Size Technique. Then there were the Inuzuka Clan and Aburame Clan, not to mention the Uchiha and Hyuga Clan. Which of them had handed over their precious clan Ninjutsu?

Even members of those clans had to qualify before they could learn them, let alone outsiders.

And Hiruzen Sarutobi, have you put your clan's Ninjutsu in a Ninja Scroll for everyone? Don't get me started!

Seeing that the matter was settled, Hiruzen said nothing more, and they went their separate ways.

But Ryuuzaki Eiji's name had now made its mark among the Konoha High Command. They could no longer afford to overlook him.

Meanwhile, ninja from the major clans had also seen the crater in the Konoha Forest. Their intelligence networks were no slouches, and they soon dug up every detail of what had happened.

They reached only one conclusion: Ryuuzaki Eiji's Kekkei Genkai was terrifying!

Tsunade returned to the Ancestral Home with plenty on her mind. When she entered, she found Eiji in the front courtyard watching Kushina and Nawaki fiddle with balloons.

She didn't know exactly what they were doing, but she guessed it had something to do with his Ninjutsu.

"Hah. You caused quite a commotion. You're probably famous throughout Konoha now."

Tsunade sounded annoyed. If Eiji hadn't caused such a fuss, she could have given Danzo another earful.

"Uh, I didn't mean for that to happen. But once I'd completed the Ninjutsu, I had to release it. It did make a bit of a racket."

Eiji scratched his head. He admitted he'd been a little careless.

"Never mind. Let me tell you about that bastard Danzo."

Tsunade told him how Danzo had forcibly taken Shimura Shio away and tried to justify it with twisted arguments. Eiji merely rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful.

Seeing that he wasn't angry at all made Tsunade angry.

"Why do you look like you don't care!?"

"I think this outcome is good enough. Someone of Danzo's standing isn't going to fall that easily. Lord Hokage has already done me a considerable favor by going this far."

As for Danzo, Eiji planned to deal with him himself. He would make him pay!