Back home at the Uchiha estate, the air still seemed to carry the hair-trigger tension from the Hokage Office.
But after the golden chains had bound Danzo into a solid "work of art," that tension had quickly given way to an absurd calm.
Tsunade changed out of the Hokage Advisor attire that symbolized her position and responsibilities and slipped into a loose, comfortable kimono. Her long golden hair fell freely over her shoulders, softening her usual commanding presence with a languid allure.
Carrying two cups of freshly brewed tea, she walked out onto the veranda overlooking the courtyard. Shinichi lay sprawled there with a blade of foxtail grass between his lips, his eyes narrowed in the picture of idle indifference.
"Hey, are you really planning to leave that old bastard Danzo hanging in the Hokage Office?" Tsunade handed Shinichi a cup of tea and sat down beside him, sounding both amused and a little helpless.
Today's little spectacle had gone well beyond anything she had expected.
Shinichi took the cup and sipped. The fragrant tea curled with steam, and he narrowed his eyes in contentment. "Let him hang. Keeps him from running around being an eyesore. Besides, Senior Sarutobi and the others will have to figure out what to do with him, won't they? They can't keep putting the leader of Root on display as 'performance art' forever."
Tsunade laughed and gave him a light punch. "Always a smart remark from you. But Shinichi, after the stunt you pulled today, all of Konoha High Command is probably up in arms."
"Let them boil over. It's not my kitchen." Shinichi waved a hand dismissively, then changed tack. A barely perceptible gleam flashed through his perpetually half-lidded, listless eyes. "Speaking of which, Tsunade, with that old bastard Danzo tied up, I doubt