At night, the streets of Konoha glowed with lantern light. Everywhere, villagers bustled about in festival attire, laughter and cheerful voices filling the air.
There was no official holiday, yet joy painted the face of every passerby.
The reason? The inauguration of the Fifth Hokage—Tsunade.
To the people of Konoha, this day was even more meaningful than the New Year.
After all, while New Year came annually, a Hokage's inauguration had occurred only five times in the entire sixty-year history of the village, including this one.
Such a rare and significant occasion naturally called for celebration from the heart.
The announcement had only come the day before, so merchants hadn't had time to fully prepare, but that didn't stop them. They scrambled overnight to stock supplies and plan festivities.
By the next morning, the village was ready to celebrate the rise of their new Hokage.
There were traditional games like goldfish scooping, lantern riddle guessing, and balloon popping. Meanwhile, the local izakayas were overflowing with customers.
Every seat was taken, and many villagers sat on the floor, drinking and laughing with friends.
At one such bustling pub, a blond-haired man in a green robe and a handsome young man in a blue shirt sat among the crowd, drinking and chatting freely.
These two were none other than Tsunade and Uchiha Hikaru, disguised using the Transformation Jutsu.
Suddenly, Hikaru leaned forward with a mysterious look and gestured for everyone nearby to quiet down.
The villagers turned toward him, curiosity piqued.
"Oi, Bro—what's with the theatrics? Did you forget to pay your tab or something?" someone joked.
Laughter erupted around them.
"Relax, relax!" Hikaru waved his hands with a grin. "Even if I forgot my wallet, I'll cover this round. I own two shops, after all—I'm not short on coin! I just need to find a nice Uchiha girl from a branch family and I'll be set!"
He laughed again, then leaned closer, lowering his voice just enough to seem conspiratorial.
"Let me tell you something interesting... the captain of our team? She used to serve under Orochimaru."
The mention of Orochimaru immediately caused the atmosphere to shift. Whispers died. Some faces stiffened, unsure whether it was safe to speak that name aloud.
Still, a few brave souls pressed him for more.
"Bro, speak freely! I used to be a ninja too. I fought alongside Lord Orochimaru during the war."
"I never believed he'd betray the village! If what you're saying is true—that he was framed—then I'll be the first to speak up!"
The grizzled old man who said it slammed his fist on the table with conviction, drawing even more attention from the room.
"What?! Lord Orochimaru was innocent?!"
"I knew he wouldn't do something like that!"
"Who's the bastard who dared smear Lord Orochimaru's name?!"
One by one, grizzled men in their thirties and forties—old veterans of past wars—rose from their seats. Their hardened faces reflected anger and disbelief.
All eyes were now on Hikaru.
He let out a long sigh, then spoke with deep meaning.
"Our team captain is Mitarashi Anko."
For a moment, the crowd fell silent, the name only vaguely familiar.
"She used to be Orochimaru's disciple."
That triggered a wave of recognition. Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"I remember her! That genius girl from the Academy—graduated just two years after Kakashi!"
"And she made Chunin only a few months behind him!"
"Too bad her reputation faded after Orochimaru defected..."
Hikaru nodded. Anko had indeed fallen into a long slump after that. It wasn't until they were partnered that she began to climb out of it.
"A few days ago, I followed Captain Anko into the Forest of Death. There, we met Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru told us the human experimentation was orchestrated by the former Hokage advisor—Shimura Danzo."
"He claimed Danzo ordered it all under the name of the Third Hokage. Said the test subjects were supposed to be prisoners from Konoha's cells—but in reality, they were villagers and shinobi abducted by Root."
Gasps echoed around the room as villagers processed the revelation. Their disgust shifted from Orochimaru… to Danzo.
At that moment, Tsunade slammed the table with righteous fury.
"I knew Danzo was rotten to the core!"
"Lady Hokage ordered his arrest as soon as she returned to the village!"
"Looks like she saw through that old thief from the start!"
"Danzo probably drove her out of Konoha back then!"
Orochimaru's framing stirred sympathy among retired shinobi.
But Tsunade's exile?
That was like a bomb dropped in the middle of the pub.
"What?! The current Hokage was forced out of the village?!"
"And both she and Orochimaru are members of the Legendary Sannin!"
Some villagers even offered wilder speculation:
"Could Danzo have been behind Jiraiya's departure from the village too?!"
Outrage erupted.
The crowd's scorn for Danzo became a tidal wave.
Meanwhile, Hikaru and Tsunade quietly placed their payment beneath the sake glasses and slipped out without a word.
Beneath the moonlight, the two leapt across rooftops with practiced ease.
Tsunade glanced sideways at him, still skeptical.
"You really think this will be enough to let Orochimaru walk in the sunlight again?"
Hikaru nodded without hesitation.
"Even if the villagers don't fully believe in Orochimaru... there's no way you don't believe in him, Hokage-sama."
"And more importantly—this is the truth."
"You're not fabricating anything. You're just using your name to restore what he lost."
"Didn't you hear them back there? Some of them were even blaming Danzo for why Jiraiya left the village."
Tsunade considered that. It did seem like things were shifting in their favor.
The two finally landed at the door of their home.
Just as they were about to step inside, Hikaru paused.
His expression darkened. Something felt… off.
Danger?
He stopped, immediately activating his sensory perception. Chakra flowed through his body as he scanned the space beyond the door.
Two chakra signatures?
One was faint—silent and stable.
The other—
Hikaru winced.
Shit…
Why is she here…?
Tsunade noticed him freezing and furrowed her brow.
"What's wrong? Let's go in—Shizune's probably waiting for us with dinner."
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