Chapter 91: It's Actually Him?!
"The strongest, most amazing supernova in the ninja world," Yotsuki Dana, looked at Natsu with a strange expression. Not many people knew about his engagement to the Daimyo's daughter, but the members of the Ashen Bandits, who were currently trying to stifle their laughter, were among them.
This girl, though she was covered in dust and looked a bit disheveled, was actually quite beautiful.
He had been about to let them go. The person on the cliff had really made a mess of things.
"Go and get the one on the mountain," he said to one of his men with a sigh. "And... don't hurt her."
"As you command."
"Momo, run!" Natsu shouted. "They're coming for you! Don't get the village chief! He's useless! Go back to Asuka Castle!"
"But what about you, my lady?!"
"Don't worry about me! Just run!"
But to her despair, Momo was captured in a matter of minutes.
"Didn't I tell you to run?" Natsu said, annoyed.
"I did run," Momo said, aggrieved. "But not very far."
"When I got there," the man who had captured her added, "she had run about seven or eight meters."
Dana bent down and, through his mask, studied Natsu. "What color is the main gate of the banquet hall in Asuka Castle?" he asked.
Before she could answer, Momo blurted out, "I know, I know! It's gold! And the kitchen door is yellow, and the main tower door is blue, and the pillars are black..."
"And what is the title of the one who is engaged to Yotsuki Dana?"
"My lady's title is Princess Natsu! Because she was born in the summer!"
Dana sighed. It was her. He never would have imagined they would meet under such awkward circumstances. He slowly took off his mask, revealing his handsome face.
"I was wondering," he said. "The wedding is approaching, but there's been no word from the Daimyo. I thought he had changed his mind. But it turns out you ran away. How long have you been gone?"
Natsu and Momo stared at him for a long moment.
"...I'm sorry," Natsu said. "Who are you?"
"..."
Land of Fire, Hidden Leaf Village
Though the end of the war brought a brief respite, to be on the losing side was not a pleasant experience.
In the forty-odd years since the establishment of the village system, Konoha had always considered itself the strongest. Even among the five great villages, they believed they were in a league of their own.
But the outcome of the Second Great Ninja War was something they could not accept.
The village was in an uproar. Questions about the defeat, about the tactics, about the leadership, all coalesced into a single voice: a questioning of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The battle in the Land of Rain, in particular, had been a shocking blow. The casualties from the Tailed Beast Balls were immense. A large number of young ninja had been slaughtered without a chance to fight back. Though they were just Chunin and Genin, they were the future of their clans, of their families.
Though Konoha's leadership, after repeated post-mortems, had to admit that against the Cloud, it wouldn't have mattered who was in command. If you couldn't deal with the Jinchuriki, if you couldn't counter the terrifying suppressive power of the Tailed Beast Balls, you couldn't win the war. It wouldn't have mattered who was in charge. Even if they were to grit their teeth and start a second or third war, the outcome would be the same.
But that didn't stop the rank-and-file ninja from being dissatisfied with Hiruzen.
The public outcry was even more intense than he had imagined. When he had returned from the Six Kage Summit, he had known that his position as the Third Hokage was in jeopardy. And after the summit, there was another reason to denounce him: his decision regarding the Hidden Rain and Hanzo, the Amekage, was seen as proof of his incompetence, even though he had voted against it.
No one cared.
And, of course, Danzo Shimura was fanning the flames from behind the scenes.
Konoha, Foundation Headquarters
"The Hyuga clan has not yet given their support," one of his subordinates reported.
Danzo's face darkened.
Of the three elders of Konoha, Danzo had always been the most radical, always treating the great clans as potential enemies. Not just the Uchiha, his old rivals, but all of them. He was always trying to take something from them.
And now, at this golden opportunity, when he was closer than ever to the position of Hokage, he had little support from the clans. The appointment of a Hokage required a vote of confidence from the Jonin, and most of the Jonin in the village were from the clans.
After the war, he had done a complete 180, changing his cold attitude towards the clans and lobbying for their support. But a frozen river doesn't thaw in a day. Very few of them were inclined to support him.
Dammit! Those fools! he thought, a mixture of anger and frustration. But he would never show such emotion in front of his subordinates. He just said, his face a cold mask, "What of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru?"
"They haven't been seen since they returned to the village. It's said their spirits are low."
After being given their humiliating titles by Hanzo and then being captured, Hiruzen's three prized students had lost a great deal of face, which was another reason for his declining popularity.
As Hanzo's ascension to Amekage became the talk of the ninja world, the joke titles of the "Yellow, Gamble, and Poison Three Ninja" had also spread, becoming a source of gossip and a major blow to their pride.
After the war, Hanzo had requested to deal with the three of them himself. Since he had been the one to capture them, the Third Raikage had agreed. A short while ago, Hiruzen had made some secret deal with Hanzo and had gotten them back. But they had been reclusive ever since, and Danzo, busy with his scheming, hadn't paid them much attention.
He was considering whether to use them to launch another wave of public criticism against Hiruzen when an ANBU agent appeared. "Lord Danzo," he said, "the Third Hokage requests your presence at a meeting."
Danzo nodded. No matter how many plots he was hatching in the shadows, on the surface, he was still an elder of Konoha, an advisor to Hiruzen.
He walked through the dark, winding tunnels, from the underground to the surface, and into the meeting room of the Hokage Tower. It was already filled with Konoha's high-ranking leaders.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
His fellow elders, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
The ANBU commander, Sakumo Hatake.
The head of the Interrogation and Torture Force, the head of the Yamanaka clan.
The head of the Intelligence Division, the head of the Nara clan.
The captain of the Military Police Force, the head of the Uchiha clan.
And the heads of the other clans, like the Hyuga, the director of the Konoha Hospital, the Third Hokage's three disciples, and many others. All the leaders of the village were here.
Danzo, who had not been aware of the importance of this meeting, suddenly had a bad feeling, a sense that he was caught in a massive conspiracy.
As his mind was racing, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke.
"I have gathered you all here today for one reason," he said, his voice clear and firm. "In the recent war, due to my own poor command and lack of ability, the village has suffered a great loss. I am responsible, and I will not make excuses. I am no longer fit to lead this village. Therefore, I have called you here today to discuss my resignation, and to nominate and decide upon a new Fourth Hokage."
Danzo's mind reeled. Why do I know nothing about this?! Who can he nominate? His three idiot students? No... could it be...
Just as he was trying to make sense of it, he heard Hiruzen say, "Considering the current situation and the complex state of the ninja world, Konoha is in desperate need of an outstanding Hokage. I propose that the ANBU commander, Sakumo Hatake, be appointed as the Fourth Hokage. I leave it to you all to discuss and decide."
Danzo's head snapped up. He stared at Hiruzen, but Hiruzen did not even look at him.
It's him?! It's actually him?! What a brilliant move!