The scenery around them warped for a few seconds in movement before the three returnees appeared before the sturdy wooden doors to the Hokage's office.
"You brat, I have my own legs damnit!" Though her tone was meant to be harsh, the power in Tsunade's voice wasn't quite there. To be quite fair, everything had been moving too fast for her now that she had returned to the village she once avoided like the plague.
"Yes, yes. How presumptuous of me to think the great Lady Tsunade needs my assistance with movement. Truly, I am ashamed." The exaggerated voice of Sumoku practically announced Tsunade's presence to everyone in the Hokage's office.
"Sumoku-san, I don't think it's wise to provoke Lady Ts-"
"Hmph. Forget it, Shizune." The clouded look in Tsunade's eyes were somewhat less conflicted now, though they shot Sumoku an annoyed glare that practically screamed 'I know what you're doing, brat'.
Without ceremony, Tsunade pushed the doors to the Hokage's office open without care for presentation or finesse. Dust was thrown up into the air by the force of the action, creating what could have been interpreted as intentional special effects for a quality entrance. Sumoku quietly noted all of this and made a mental note to make cool entrance effects of his own; surely it'd strike more awe in his subordinates, right?
"Oi, Minato-brat, you summoned me?" Tsunade entered the room with haughty steps before plopping herself comfortably on the only couch present in the Hokage's Office. A couch that was specifically placed there for her.
"Lady Tsunade! It's nice to have you home." Minato, sitting behind the desk at the back of the room, looked truly happy despite his tired gaze.
"I apologize if my summons was offensive in any way, but when an ANBU patrol unit reported your arrival, I couldn't help myself." Minato scratched the back of his head with a mildly embarrassed look on his face.
"Yeah, Sensei! You can't blame the guy. After all, it's not everyday you get to summon the legendary Lady Tsunade of the Sannin!" Sumoku appeared at Tsunade's side with a mischievous grin.
"So that's it, huh? Minato-brat, you've got guts to dare summon me. Lucky for you, my stinky disciple has already filled me in on the plan. Now let's hear the rest of it." A grin of playful authority on Tsunade's face only meant one thing to those familiar with her. Start. Talking.
"*Gulp* I appreciate your excitement to begin so soon. I had another thing I wanted to address with you first." Shaking off the threat without taking it too seriously, Minato continued. "Have you spoken with Kushina yet?"
"Heh? I haven't had the chance… Especially because someone dragged me here before I could catch my breath." Her frosty smile turned to Sumoku, who looked up at the ceiling with an oblivious expression.
'Man, these ceilings are high. Oops, I see you poking out behind that bookshelf, Elephant. Looks like your training is doubled for the month!'
A bone-deep shiver erupted from a particular ANBU agent hiding in the shadows of the Hokage's office. The reasoning? He could not figure it out for the life of him.
"Well, I think you'd be happy to hear that Kushina and I have had a son. His name is Naruto." A warm, fatherly smile exploded on Minato's face. Its dazzling charm nearly blinded the room.
In response? Pindrop silence.
"Excuse me for a moment, Minato." The perplexingly polite moment only preceded terrible violence as Tsunade jumped at Sumoku with full force, pinning him to the floor completely while shaking his collar with extreme violence.
"YOU USELESS ******** BRAT ********! MY CUTE AND FIERY LITTLE SISTER HAD A KID AND YOU DIDN'T LEAD WITH THAT???!!!" Steam erupted from her nostrils, perfectly complementing the aggressively red tint of her face.
"Sensei, please. Violence has no place in the esteemed Hokage's office. We mustn't tarnish the legacy of your family!" As always, Sumoku was completely deadpan, save for a shred of faux exasperation he never forgot to throw in.
At this point, Suzune had completely given up on interfering in their scuffles. The exhaustion of countless years of traveling around the Land of Fire and its neighbors came crashing down on her as she subconsciously relaxed her body. All she wanted was a long bath and some damn quiet!!
"*ahem* Tsuna-chan, I'm sorry to interrupt your bonding time with your disciple, but I believe there's much more to discuss before you can settle down properly." The unmistakably old voice of Hiruzen froze Tsunade completely, hands still gripping Sumoku's collar with great force. Sumoku for his part, looked practically unfazed at the whole affair.
"Sensei…" Tsunade couldn't get any other words to escape her mouth. She had been avoiding Hiruzen for the better part of a decade at this point. What she felt towards him was an incredibly complex mix of emotions: guilt, anger, frustration, and even a bit of longing. Longing for days long past, when she was just a fresh Genin practicing water walking alongside her teammates while her reliable and caring Sensei watched from the shade.
Before Tsunade's longing nostalgia could last any longer, another thought arrived to the forefront of her mind. Something Sumoku mentioned.
'Konoha has been a lot brighter recently…'
Her eyes went large as she looked up at her teacher. A question burning at her lips left her mouth before she could even think a second longer.
"Where's Danzo?"
The eyes of Minato, Hiruzen, and the now standing Sumoku went sharp. With a subtle hand gesture, Sumoku ordered the hidden ANBU unit to clear out and activate the sound barrier.
"Tsunade-sensei, allow me to explain." Sumoku's voice was uncharacteristically serious, at least for his public persona that is.
"After the conclusion of the Third Great Ninja War, Kakashi revealed something to me." His voice was cold, emotionless as he continued.
"As I'm sure you gathered on your own over these years… My father's death was not a coincidence. It was planned. I had my suspicions back then, but I never made a direct move. Even in my Chunin days, when every other B-rank mission I took seemed to be outrageously misclassified A- and S-rank nightmares, I didn't force the issue." A cold aura of chakra erupted from his body.
"But then… he turned his sights on my family for a second time. Kakashi told me that Danzo wanted to assassinate Lord Third. By Kakashi's hand. That was his last mistake. Of course, I couldn't just barge into Root's headquarters and start rampaging. I didn't have the authority." Sumoku tapped his temple with a finger. "So I had to play it smart. I managed to plant a spy in his ranks, completely under his nose."
"That can't be true! That wretched curse seal of his makes it damn near impossible to place spies in his forces!" Tsunade protested without realizing it. Her past experiences dealing with Root planted a firm belief in her.
"Almost impossible. Wouldn't you know it, I had the help of two incredibly talented seal experts to help me find a way around that issue." A grin returned to Sumoku's face, contrasting the embarrassed one on Minato's.
"The technical explanation for how it actually works is completely lost on me, but the point is: we had an in. All that needed to follow was picking the best candidate to actually gather intel on the cyclops bastard. That part was easy enough once we knew what we had to do." A chuckle escaped Sumoku's mouth as he remembered the events as if they were yesterday.
"Our inside guy, Yamanaka Inozu, was under cover for three months before we heard anything. What he managed to bring back sealed Danzo's fate. Unauthorized experiments on civilians, storing unrecorded funds in various caches around the Land of Fire for private use, colluding with rogue ninja forces to disrupt stability on our borders, the list goes on." At this point, Hiruzen's demeanor was weary, his body shrinking under a sense of shame as Sumoku spoke more and more.
The memories of the countless sins committed by someone he once called a comrade still haunted Hiruzen to this day. He had allowed the rot to fester for too long. Hiruzen quietly thanked Kami in his heart for the presence and resilience of this new generation. He silently pulled the smoke from his pipe into his lungs, letting out a long breath not too long after.
"To make a long story short – we had every piece of evidence we needed to conveniently forget his 'authority'. On the orders of Lord Third, I led the ANBU to make the arrest. Unfortunately, the cyclops rat bastard didn't take too kindly to our civil service." His tone shifted playfully, dropping some tension as he continued.
"A vacuum air bullet flew this way, my senbon flew that way. Hell, the guy even revealed yet another disgusting crime of his when he revealed what he so desperately hid under his bandages. A genuine Mangekyo Sharingan. You wouldn't believe the bs that guy was able to pull off with that damn thing."
"In one exchange, I thought I had clearly turned the guy into a pin cushion, but to my shock, the bastard appeared unharmed in another spot entirely! Luckily, whatever strange jutsu he used clearly drained him extensively. Once that trump card was shown, the rest was a done conclusion." Sumoku's voice had a tone of finality.
"...are you serious…?" Tsunade's voice was a mix of unabashed expectation and barely held back excitement. Her eyes were as big as saucers.
"I can fill you in on more of the details later if you really want, but I can easily tell you this now: As of a year and a bit ago, Konoha has been Root free." The wide smile on Sumoku's face was as ferocious as it was satisfied.
"It's all true, Tsuna. I realized my ignorance when Sumoku approached me that day, with irrefutable proof. I realized that I had been willfully blind to his scheming. And it was then that I made the decision I should have made long ago." Hiruzen was solemn as he placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder.
"I'm so sorry I neglected you back then. It's no true consolation for me to say it now, I know, but I truly mean it. To you. To Jiraiya. To Orochimaru." Hiruzen seemed to find a sort of peace in that moment of release, his crinkled eyes softening to gaze with care on his student.
Tsunade's brain had practically shut off at this point, too busy grappling with too many shocking pieces of information. It took a long time for her to completely process everything, halting the conversation in the meantime.
"When do we get started on the project?" Tsunade's voice calmly rang out in the quiet office, her expression finally settled back into a calm composure.
"We planned to begin in about a month, but seeing that look in your eyes, I figure we should move up the timetable." Sumoku spoke up with a teasing tone.
"Hmph, get ready to start tomorrow, then. While I begrudgingly wait, I suppose I will go visit my new nephew. Minato-brat, escort me over to your house." The quiet reassurance behind Tsunade's attitude uplifted the rest of the room's mood.
Hiruzen didn't seem particularly agitated at being ignored. Ironically, he finally understood that rebuilding this relationship would take a lot more than just words.
Minato, for his part, looked eager to escape the paperwork on his desk. And with such a perfect excuse standing in front of him, why wouldn't he take the opportunity?
"Right away, Tsunade-san! Sumoku, you wouldn't mind handling the rest of the paperwork would you?" Minato flashed a conspiratorially pristine smile. He couldn't wait to finally spend some time with his family.
"Yeah, yeah, just head out already. I'm sure Kush would be over the moon to have you home before sunset."
"Thanks, buddy!" Minato took the answer and ran with it, or rather teleported, as he grabbed the Senju princess and her teenage disciple in a blur before disappearing completely.
Seeing that he and Hiruzen were the only two left in the room, Sumoku turned towards the Third Hokage with a mischievous smile.
"Y'know, Lord Third, I don't think I'm actually in the best shape to do paperwork at the moment. The journey was absolutely exhausting, and if I don't get some sleep, I'll downright collapse! Oh, the tragedy! If only there was an experienced elder that knew their way around this incredibly important and valiant task!" Putting the back of his hand dramatically against his forehead as he leaned back, Sumoku put on the most despairing look he could manage.
"Five tins." Hiruzen's reply was short and to the point.
"Three." Sumoku remained in his dramatic pose even as he negotiated.
"Four, and I get a discount on the next batch I buy. If not, I'm walking away now." The look on his face gave away none of his thoughts.
"*tch* Damn bag of bones…" Sumoku muttered under his breath and relented. He dropped his theatrical pose, digging into his bandolier and pulling out the promised tins.
"Thank you for your business." Hiruzen unhurriedly took the seat at the desk while lighting a fresh pipe with his new earnings.
Without any extra flair, Sumoku directed the ANBU back into the office before vanishing in his own flicker. His destination? Why, ANBU HQ of course!