Tsunade saw that the One-Tail Jinchuriki had been badly wounded, that Chiyo had also been injured by her, and that many of Sunagakure's jonin had been killed or wounded as Minato Namikaze picked them off. With Tsunade's newly formulated antidote, Konoha's ninja had suffered few losses. She knew Sunagakure had lost this battle and no longer had the strength to launch another counterattack against Konoha.
Tsunade left some ninja behind to clean up the battlefield and led most of them back to camp!
As soon as Tsunade and Minato Namikaze entered the command tent, they saw someone seated beside the war council table. It was Shimura Danzō!
"Minato Namikaze! Why did you defy the Hokage's orders? Instead of returning to the village to report, you came to the Land of Wind battlefield!" Danzo shouted the moment he saw Minato enter.
Minato Namikaze was taken aback as well. He had not expected the Hokage Advisor Council's Danzo to come in person just to take him back to the village.
"Danzo, Minato just defeated Bunpuku, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, on the battlefield and killed or wounded a large number of Sunagakure's chunin and jonin. He's our hero! What is the meaning of this? You start interrogating him the moment he walks in. In wartime, shouldn't a powerful ninja like Minato go wherever he's needed? Do you realize that if Minato hadn't come today, I couldn't have held off Chiyo and Bunpuku together? Konoha would have lost! Is that what you want-to see Konoha defeated?" Before Minato could speak, Tsunade, who had come in with him, began shouting.
Danzo was stunned by Tsunade's shouting. I wasn't even talking about her. And even if you're the princess of the Land of Fire, you're still Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, which makes you my junior. I'm also a Hokage Advisor. How dare you raise your voice at me?
Danzo's face gradually darkened. His exposed eye fixed on Tsunade as he said, "I am a Hokage Advisor. I'm here on the Hokage's behalf to question Minato and take him back to Konoha to explain himself! What? Are you going to defy the Hokage's orders, Tsunade?"
While the two argued, Minato opened the last brocade pouch and read what was written inside.
"Minato, by now you should have defeated Sunagakure and been cornered in the command tent by someone from Konoha. Unless something unexpected happened, it should be that old bastard Danzo. Anyone else would have no chance of taking you away from Tsunade. Look inside this pouch. There's another note. Hand it to Danzo. As long as he doesn't want to die, he'll let you leave. But remember, when you head to the Land of Water Battlefield, don't go to the front lines. The Mist Ninja's Seven Ninja Swordsmen will infiltrate Konoha's territory to cause destruction. Your mission is to kill them!"
Minato Namikaze felt around inside the pouch again. Sure enough, there was another note, which he took out.
Minato stopped Tsunade, who was about to continue arguing with Danzo, and held the note out to him. "Lord Danzo, Lord Ziyan asked me to give you this. Would you like to read it first?"
Danzo looked at Minato and said, "What about Lord Ziyan? Even Lord Ziyan cannot interfere with our Hokage's routine questioning of a ninja!"
Danzo sounded utterly righteous. If he had not respectfully accepted the note as he spoke, Tsunade and Minato might have believed his nonsense.
Danzo took the note and read the words written on it.
"Danzo, stop dreaming. You have no chance of becoming Hokage this time. Minato has already defeated three nations in succession. With the Land of Water last, he'll have defeated all four. Who do you think can still stop him from becoming Hokage? You'd be better off knowing your place and letting him go to the Land of Water. Do him a favor that costs you nothing. Otherwise, you won't just be offending Minato-you'll be disrespecting me as well. Can you bear my wrath?"
Danzo fell silent after reading it. The letter had completely derailed the argument he had prepared. What should I do now?
Danzo stared at the note in his hand without speaking for a long time. Neither Minato nor Tsunade knew what it said, and they waited to hear his response.
"How dare you impersonate Lord Ziyan and write me a threatening letter like this! You had better return to Konoha with me. Otherwise, I will give your letter to Lord Ziyan and have him punish you!" After staring at the letter for a long time, Danzo looked sternly at the two of them, as though he had discovered something suspicious.
Tsunade turned her gaze to Minato, as if asking whether Danzo's claim was true.
Minato was puzzled too. Lord Ziyan had personally handed this to him. It had never left his person all these days, not even while he slept. How could anyone have forged it?
Minato Namikaze shook his head at Tsunade, then turned to Danzo. "Lord Danzo, Lord Ziyan personally gave this to me. How could anyone have forged it?"
Danzo looked at Minato Namikaze and replied sternly, "Minato Namikaze! Stop making excuses. You say Lord Ziyan personally gave this to you. Can you produce any evidence?"
Minato Namikaze said helplessly, "What evidence could I possibly give you? Who would dare impersonate Lord Ziyan?"
Seeing Minato Namikaze's attitude, Danzo felt his suspicions had been confirmed. Otherwise, by his reasoning, Minato would simply have stood his ground and snapped back.
Far away, Hatake Ziyan heard Minato's words and shook his head helplessly as well. Minato knew perfectly well that Danzo could never obtain evidence like that. If it had been Tsunade, she probably would not have bothered listening to Danzo at all. If he dared keep running his mouth, she would have punched him.
Danzo handed the note to Tsunade and said, "You should recognize Lord Ziyan's handwriting. Look at this. How could this possibly be a letter he wrote to me? I think certain people produced it to intimidate me!"
Hearing Danzo's words, Minato Namikaze realized why he was calling it a forgery. Everyone knew how powerful Lord Ziyan was, so they subconsciously assumed his handwriting must be beautiful too. No one knew that his handwriting was actually terrible. At that thought, Minato Namikaze looked at Danzo with pity.
Tsunade took the note, examined its contents and handwriting, and said, "This is definitely Grandpa Ziyan's handwriting!"
"Impossible! You must be taking Minato's side for Jiraiya's sake. Let me remind you, your teacher is the Third Hokage! The Third Hokage is the one recalling Minato. Do you intend to defy the orders of both the Hokage and your teacher?" Danzo demanded, flustered and furious.
Tsunade frowned. "Stop bringing up irrelevant nonsense. Grandpa Ziyan really did write this letter. If you don't believe me, find him and ask him when you return to Konoha!"
"I won't believe a word you say! You just want me to give up on taking Minato Namikaze back to the village. But now I'm certain this letter is a forgery, because..." Danzo was about to say more when Minato Namikaze interrupted him.
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