The enormous hole blasted through the Hokage's office by monstrous strength looked like a gaping, mocking mouth. Cold wind poured in, making their clothes flap and dispersing the searing killing intent Tsunade had left behind.
Senju Chen was held tightly in Tsunade's arms, wrapped in a soft blanket that shut out the cold wind outside, but could not shut out his racing adult heart.
He buried his face in the warm hollow of Tsunade's neck, greedily breathing in that reassuring scent, a mixture of faint medicinal fragrance and a woman's natural scent. His body was still "trembling" slightly, and tear tracks lingered at the corners of his eyes in just the right measure, perfectly portraying a child frightened beyond endurance.
It worked.
Senju Chen calmly uttered those words in his heart.
This grand performance, with himself as bait and Konoha High Command as the audience, had drawn to a close. And he, a four-year-old child, was the only winner.
He could clearly feel how tightly his big sister Tsunade held him. It was the cherishing of something lost and regained, a resolve to protect him at any cost. From this day forward, those arms would be his strongest shield.
He could also recall Jiraiya's complicated gaze, which held shock, suspicion, and even a trace of... awe? It seemed this Pervy Sage had already begun filling in the "Child of Prophecy" script on his own. This was good. An "ally" with a mysterious identity and powerful backing would always be more helpful to his growth than a mere elder.
As for Danzo...
Senju Chen could even imagine how twisted and furious the face beneath those bandages must have been. Used as a stepping stone by a four-year-old child and saddled with this enormous blame, the "Shinobi of Darkness" had probably bottled up enough frustration to suffer internal injuries by now.
Senju Chen gave a silent sneer in his heart. Old bastard, you've already lost your chance. I'm a man you'll never have.
With his uninjured little hand, he clutched Tsunade's clothes tightly and let out a dependent murmur in his sleep, his voice tinged with tears. "Big sister..."
That soft call instantly slowed Tsunade's hurried steps. She lowered her head and looked at her pale-faced little brother, his eyes tightly shut in her arms, and all the rage and killing intent filling her heart turned into tenderness and heartache.
"Don't be afraid, Chen. I'm here. I'll never let you suffer any harm again," she said gently, her arms holding him even more steadily.
The Hokage's office.
Deathly silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi silently refilled his pipe and took a deep drag. The smoke rings he exhaled swirled through the wrecked office and dissipated. His wrinkle-covered face looked older than ever before.
He did not look at Danzo, only turned his gaze out the window toward the rock face carved with the likenesses of the First and Second Hokage.
"Danzo."
Only after a long while did he speak, his voice hoarse and weary.
"What happened today ends here."
Veins bulged on Danzo's hand as he gripped his cane. He stood there like a stone statue on the verge of weathering away, the malice in his single eye almost taking tangible form.
"Hiruzen! You believe that brat's one-sided account? Can't you see how strange this whole affair is? A four-year-old child using Wood Release to turn the tables and kill an experienced ninja? That alone is a joke! He isn't a genius. He's a monster!"
His restrained voice sounded like the low growl of a caged beast. He had been played, played by his own subordinate and a brat still wet behind the ears. That humiliated him more than any tangible injury could.
"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi whipped his head around. His usually gentle eyes now blazed with the authority and sharpness of a Hokage. "All I know is that he is my teacher's grandson, Tsunade's little brother, and one of the few remaining blood descendants of the Senju Clan! And your 'Root' appeared somewhere it should never have been and did something it should never have done!"
"He wasn't one of mine!" Danzo retorted sharply.
"Those clothes belonged to your 'Root'!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed a hand on the desk and barked, "The dead cannot testify! Tsunade is convinced it was you! Tell me, how am I supposed to answer to her? How am I supposed to answer to all of Konoha High Command? Do you want to force Tsunade to leave the village for good, or even become Konoha's enemy?"
The barrage of questions struck Danzo's heart like heavy hammers.
He fell silent.
He could disregard Tsunade, and he could disregard the Third, but he could not disregard the attitude of Konoha as a whole.
The Senju Clan was Konoha's symbol and spiritual pillar.
If he forced Tsunade to turn against them, it might not be Tsunade who left, but himself who was forced to leave.
Hiruzen was right. Now that the man was dead and the evidence pointed at him, any defense would seem feeble and powerless.
"What do you want me to do?" Danzo's voice turned cold again. He knew he had to compromise.
"Withdraw all surveillance on Senju Chen. From now on, Tsunade will have full responsibility for everything concerning him. 'Root' is not to interfere for any reason." Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone brooked no argument. "Also, prepare a generous gift and go to the Senju Clan Compound in person to apologize to Tsunade and Senju Chen."
"You want me to bow my head to a little brat?" Fury churned in Danzo's single eye.
"That is an order, Danzo!" Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and looked down at him. "For the stability of the village, you must do this. Those dark methods of yours may be used against enemies, but not against Konoha's heroes and future. And have you truly forgotten how you came to hold your current position?"
After all, Root's first leader had been the Second, Tobirama Senju. After the Second became Hokage, he passed the position to Tsunade's father. In its early days, Root's ninja had originally been the Senju Clan's self-defense force. Roots were the foundation of trees, and also places sunlight could not reach, so Root had always handled the dirty work in Konoha that normally went unseen. Only after Tsunade's father died had the village appointed Danzo as Root's leader to balance power.
Danzo's expression froze at the Third's words. In the end, he squeezed a few words through his teeth. "Fine... I understand."
He turned and, leaning on his cane, walked step by step out of the office where he had suffered such devastating humiliation. As his figure vanished into the shadows, what flashed through his single eye was a venomous hatred colder than a Siberian cold front.
Senju Chen...
He engraved that name in the deepest recesses of his heart.
That afternoon, a piece of news spread at astonishing speed among Konoha High Command and the major clans.
Hokage Advisor Shimura Danzō had personally visited Princess Tsunade to apologize for his "failure to discipline his subordinates" and presented an enormous amount of compensation.
Immediately afterward, an order from the Hokage was relayed to all relevant departments.
-Effective immediately, all surveillance and investigations concerning Senju Chen were to cease. His security level was to be raised to the highest tier, with his safety jointly entrusted to the Anbu directly under the Hokage and Tsunade.
The prying gazes hovering over the Senju residence vanished without a trace overnight. Whether it was the Uchiha Police Force, the Hyuga's Byakugan, or spies from other clans, they all tacitly withdrew their feelers.
What a joke. Even Danzo, the leader of "Root," had suffered a major setback over this. Who would dare invite the same misfortune?
From then on, no one dared openly subject that child to any more "tests."