Unfortunately, the outcome was disappointing. In the following days, Orochimaru only grew colder and more sinister, yet he acted as if nothing had happened.
Kato Dan, aware that this matter involved the Third Hokage, chose to feign ignorance—pretending he knew nothing of the truth.
Perhaps out of anger, or perhaps to help his Hokage-sensei clean up loose ends, Orochimaru quietly disposed of the Konoha ANBU operatives who had been involved in the incident—just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had once done to cover up Danzo Shimura's mess.
After ensuring everything was flawlessly concealed, Orochimaru returned to the Land of Waves to check on Nawaki. By then, Tsunade had already transplanted cloned organs into him, and his condition had finally stabilized, no longer life-threatening.
With her rationality restored, Tsunade began to realize something was amiss—Nawaki's near-death experience couldn't have been a mere accident. Yet Nawaki refused to divulge any details, leading her to suspect someone within Konoha.
Her first thought was that the Uchiha or another clan might have conspired with Iwagakure to eliminate a rival. She considered many possibilities—except for Hiruzen Sarutobi's involvement.
After watching over Nawaki for some time, Tsunade decided to hide him in the Land of Waves for his safety. Using shadow clones and the Flying Thunder God Technique, she staged her return to the frontlines in the Land of Grass, pretending to be grief-stricken over her "dead" brother. Publicly, she announced Nawaki's death, but secretly, she began investigating the truth behind the attack.
Orochimaru, however, was meticulous—Tsunade found no traces of foul play. Every lead pointed squarely to Iwagakure.
When news of Nawaki's death reached Konoha, it caused an uproar. The grandson of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, had been killed by Iwa-nin? The village was in shock.
Naturally, Mito Uzumaki also received the news.
"Summon the sealing team. Bring Kushina Uzumaki to the Senju compound."
As soon as Hiruzen heard, he rushed to the Senju estate with the sealing team and Kushina, ready to transfer the Nine-Tails into her. In his mind, Mito was already on borrowed time, and this tragedy would surely push her over the edge—now was the moment to complete the sealing.
But to his surprise, despite her grief, Mito remained in control of the Nine-Tails. The transfer wasn't yet necessary.
"Hiruzen, my grandson is dead. You will find out who did this."
Mito, still the strongest shinobi alive, fixed him with a piercing gaze.
"We've already confirmed it was Iwagakure," Hiruzen explained. "They feared Nawaki would awaken the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, so they ambushed him. During his retreat, he triggered a hidden explosive tag trap—"
He then added, "The tags were supplied by the Yōgan Village in the Land of Mountains."
Yōgan's explosive tags were notoriously difficult to detect, blending seamlessly into terrain—which explained why Nawaki had missed the trap.
"Hm." Mito's response was ambiguous. Her clouded eyes seemed to see everything—or perhaps nothing at all.
Hiruzen stiffened. "I'll dispatch envoys to Takigakure and rally them to destroy Yōgan Village."
If they couldn't retaliate against Iwa directly, wiping out Yōgan would have to suffice. As for blaming them? Well, they shouldn't have sold those explosive tags.
"You will go personally. I will safeguard Konoha in your absence."
Though the demand was blunt, Hiruzen agreed without hesitation.
"Then go." Mito waved him off, disappointment in her voice. "Kushina, stay with me awhile."
Leaving Kushina behind, Hiruzen and the sealing team departed. Outside the Senju gates, they ran into Jiraiya's student, Minato Namikaze.
"Hokage-sama!"
Minato bowed respectfully.
Hiruzen gave only a curt nod before hurrying away, leaving Minato puzzled.
The Hokage always takes time to encourage me, to teach me the Will of Fire… What's wrong today? He shrugged. Maybe he's just busy.
After lingering outside the compound with no sign of Kushina, Minato assumed she'd stay the night and left for Training Ground 6 to continue his evening drills.
Back at the Hokage's office, Hiruzen briefed the Konoha Council before abruptly leading an elite ANBU squad toward the Land of Grass—moving so swiftly it almost seemed like he was fleeing the village.
Unburdened by supply lines and fueled by soldier pills, they reached the frontlines by dawn.
Nawaki's death had enraged Konoha's forces. For days, they had launched relentless assaults against Iwa's defenses, both sides suffering heavy losses. Only Hiruzen's arrival eased the fighting.
At the ensuing Jonin meeting—attended by the higher-ups of the Sarutobi-led forces—Tsunade made her move.
"I propose assigning one medical-nin to every squad. It will reduce casualties and increase mission success rates."
Konoha's severe lack of medics had cost too many lives. This was her solution.
"Who supports this? Who opposes?"
Hiruzen's expression darkened. The medical corps were already Tsunade's domain—if every squad had a medic, her influence would skyrocket.
Kato Dan was about to voice his approval when Sarutobi's subordinate, Sōsuke Sarutobi, beat him to it.
Tsunade shot Sōsuke a grateful look. To Dan, though, it was more than that—Sōsuke had just earned her favor.
In that moment, Dan finally understood why Danzo had resented the Second Hokage's succession decision so bitterly.
Just a little faster… and her approval would've been mine.
Now, it was too late for regrets.
With Sōsuke's backing, his faction—Hayate, Shun Uchiha, and Raidō Namiashi—all voted in support.
The Sarutobi faction wasn't the strongest, but they had enough Jonin votes to tip the scales.
Dan added his own vote, followed by Orochimaru and Jiraiya's support for their teammate. Combined with the Senju clan's political weight, the proposal passed overwhelmingly.