What had begun as a political farce had ended with Tsunade being appointed as the acting Hokage.
Though the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had recovered from his wounds, he refrained from reassuming the duties of Hokage amidst the turmoil of war. This opened the path for Tsunade, whose authority might've otherwise been constrained, to take over the position with little resistance.
Power within Konoha returned to the hands of Naruto's lineage—if only temporarily. Tsunade's role was clearly defined as acting Hokage. Once the war concluded, the selection of a permanent Hokage was inevitable. But what that future would look like remained uncertain.
The transition of power had already been relayed to the other hidden villages, and thanks to Hui's swift and decisive intervention, the succession had occurred without delay. The forced abdication of the Third Hokage was completed that same day, with Tsunade assuming office immediately after. By the time the other villages learned of the shift in leadership, it was far too late to interfere or take advantage of the situation.
On Hui's advice, Konoha didn't attempt to suppress the news. Instead, they disseminated it broadly, especially ensuring that the truth reached the shinobi of Konoha to stave off rumors and outside misinformation.
The entirety of Danzo's machinations—his exploitation of Root shinobi, the collusion and cover-ups by the Third Hokage, and ultimately the abdication—were all made public in a concise but comprehensive format. This strategic transparency was aimed at minimizing confusion and preventing enemy propaganda from damaging the morale of the front lines. While there was a slight dip in morale when the news spread, the shinobi forces bore it with fortitude.
Of course, the term "comprehensive" here only applied to the general events. The more damaging details—Danzo's past experiments, the darker parts of Root's history, and the full extent of Hiruzen's protection—were deliberately withheld. The narrative pushed was one of Hiruzen stepping down out of shame, a face-saving move for the sake of the village's image.
This approach, too, came from Hui. Though it would tarnish Hiruzen's legacy, the overall damage to Konoha was minimized.
When evaluated objectively, Konoha had suffered little loss from the incident. The front lines remained unaffected. The real casualty was the Root organization—its structure dismantled, its operatives mostly eliminated by Hui, and its information networks now in Tsunade's hands.
Aside from the temporary dip in morale, the long-term consequences were actually beneficial.
While Root was shrouded in mystery, most of the higher-ranking shinobi knew of its existence. Many feared it. With Root dismantled, these same shinobi were relieved. Their applause was silent but genuine. The impact of the Hokage's abdication was less significant among them. After all, shinobi of their caliber had long learned to steel their emotions.
Among the lower ranks, particularly the standard forces, morale suffered. But among the elite, morale surged. In a strange twist, Konoha's combat strength had even slightly improved.
Ironically, the person most aggrieved by all this was Tsunade herself.
She had only returned to Konoha to support Hui. Now she found herself burdened with the full responsibilities of Hokage.
The job was exhausting.
Even under normal circumstances, the Hokage's role was draining. But Tsunade had assumed office suddenly, with no gradual transition. And because of the redistribution of power, she was now handling matters once delegated to Hiruzen. In fact, her workload had almost doubled.
Her office reflected the chaos. Documents piled high. Stacks of scrolls, requisitions, mission reports—an unending storm of paperwork.
"Boom!"
Her palm struck the desk, reducing it to splinters.
"Damn that Hui! If I get a moment's rest, I'll tear him apart."
The door guards and aides, now experienced in such outbursts, calmly entered, cleaned the wreckage, brought in a new desk, and reorganized the paperwork as if nothing had happened.
They had done this enough times in just half a month to become experts.
"Huh? What are you staring at? Didn't you say you wanted to be Hokage? Start getting used to it!"
Rope Tree, hiding in the corner, flinched. Under Tsunade's fierce glare, he returned to his desk and began reviewing documents.
He was still a chunin—barely a teenager—yet he was carrying administrative burdens far beyond his age.
After half a month of intensive training under Tsunade, Rope Tree had become efficient with the work. Still, the overwhelming volume of it wore on him.
A sigh slipped from him. Did I really want to be Hokage?
The dream he once held now seemed a nightmare. Endless scrolls. Bureaucratic monotony.
He was only twelve.
Suddenly, his eyes caught something in a scroll.
"Sis, look at this," he said, handing the document to Tsunade. "There's intel about Kirigakure."
Tsunade's expression sharpened instantly.
"So, the Hidden Mist moves at last."
During the last war, Kirigakure had remained uninvolved. Internal strife was assumed to be the reason. But now, they were stirring again.
"The Uchiha and Hyuga clans haven't been mobilized yet. Sensei probably intends to deploy them alongside other reserve forces to counter Mist's advance. It's a sound strategy."
Despite the Third Hokage's flaws, he remained a tactician. While his motives in withholding the clans might have included a desire to weaken their influence, the approach was strategically valid.
"Send word to the Uchiha Patriarch and the Hyuga head. I want them here immediately."
A shadow in the corner vanished to relay the order.
"Sis, are we really going to fight the Mist? Can I go too?" Rope Tree asked, eyes gleaming with hope.
He yearned to escape the paperwork and join the front lines.
But Tsunade shook her head.
"No."
She had no intention of letting her little brother be dragged into battle while she remained behind handling village affairs. Her temper flared again at the mere suggestion.
Without thinking, she slugged him.
The guards at the door tensed—then relaxed upon realizing it was just Rope Tree taking the hit.
"Owww!" Rope Tree groaned, clutching his head, tears welling up as he collapsed over the desk.
Half an hour later, the Uchiha and Hyuga leaders arrived in the Hokage office.
"Lady Hokage," they greeted in unison.
Tsunade passed them the scroll containing the Mist intel.
As they read, their expressions darkened.
"So the Mist has finally made their move."
Each patriarch understood why their clans had remained unutilized thus far. Konoha had juggled simultaneous wars with the Cloud and Sand for over a year without calling on them. Now, their time had come.
"You want our clans to take the lead against Kirigakure?" asked Hiashi Hyuga.
Tsunade nodded.
"Konoha's forces are worn out after the campaigns against the Cloud and Sand. The army stationed in the Land of Rivers needs to rest. It's time your clans stepped in. Bring what shinobi you can. The Mist must be repelled."
"You have three days to prepare. Depart after that."
"Yes, Lady Hokage."
They accepted without protest.
Pride swelled within them. As noble clans, they had no fear of Kirigakure.
Though Tsunade had personal misgivings about the Uchiha, they had proven disciplined enough recently to manage. And as a healer, she couldn't let personal bias affect her decisions. She had treated many Uchiha warriors before—they had shown neither arrogance nor shame, only quiet resilience.
In contrast, the Sarutobi clan remained in disarray.
During the confrontation with Hui two weeks ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi had lost...