"Let Danzo succeed as the Fifth Hokage!"
This news, enough to shake the entire shinobi world, echoed repeatedly in the ears of Shikaku, Kakashi, and the others.
In name, the Hokage of the Leaf was chosen by the villagers, but in reality, the common people held no voting rights. Furthermore, during times of war or emergency, the Hokage had the authority to directly appoint a successor. This precedent had been set before; in fact, this was exactly how Hiruzen Sarutobi had attained the position himself.
Now that the Leaf had suffered such a massive attack and the current Hokage was mortally wounded and on the brink of death, the candidate designated by Hiruzen before his passing would most likely become the new Hokage.
But why Danzo...
Shikaku had followed Hiruzen Sarutobi for many years and understood the man's character and philosophy deeply. Although the "God of Shinobi" had lost the edge of his youth and become more calculating and conservative over time, his fundamental judgment remained sound.
In Shikaku's view as a seasoned strategist, entrusting the Leaf to a radical like Danzo was definitely not a good omen. By comparison, the Hokage's student—Tsunade, the "Slug Princess" of the Sannin—was the ideal candidate.
As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, she had been groomed as a future leader since childhood. She possessed the natural political standing to unite the various factions of the Leaf. The only drawback was her loose nature and lack of political ambition to become Hokage.
Perhaps that is why Lord Hokage was uneasy about leaving the position to Lady Tsunade?
With this thought, Shikaku and Kakashi both caught a glimpse of Danzo out of the corners of their eyes.
Upon hearing the earth-shattering news, a flash of disbelief crossed Danzo's face. He then gripped the Hokage's hand with excitement and said firmly, "Monkey, rest easy. I will take good care of the Leaf."
Under Danzo's resolute gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
Shortly after, the medical ninjas on the scene confirmed the death of the Third Hokage. An indescribable solemnity fell over the area, making the very air feel heavy.
They were once known as the strongest village in the shinobi world, yet within seven years, they had lost two Hokage within their own borders. One had died at the hands of the Nine-Tails; this one had died at the hands of the Jashin Religion, which had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
To put it bluntly, many of the ninjas present were likely beginning to doubt the actual strength of the Leaf.
Seeing this, Shikaku looked at Hiruzen's body and suddenly had a thought. Despite being the Jonin Commander and Hiruzen's right-hand man, he did not step forward to take charge of the scene. Instead, he pulled a Hyuga ninja aside from the crowd.
"Lord Shikaku, do we really have to do this?"
The Hyuga ninja clearly hesitated, his face full of uncertainty. "Lord Danzo is, after all, the Fifth Hokage personally appointed by the Third. If we are caught, it might not end well."
Shikaku frowned, his voice urgent. "I'll take responsibility for whatever happens. Stop talking and move."
He hadn't expected that as soon as the Third died, this Hyuga ninja would already be worried about pleasing the next master. However, Shikaku had been the Jonin Commander for years and held significant prestige. Seeing him truly angry, the Hyuga ninja could only bite the bullet and agree.
"Are you suspicious of something, Lord Shikaku?"
"I need to confirm something. Hurry."
"Understood."
Following Shikaku's orders, the Hyuga ninja activated his Byakugan and looked toward Danzo. As he observed, the expression on his face turned to one of shock.
"Lord Shikaku... Lord Danzo's arm seems to be covered in Sharingan..."
The Uchiha had just launched their coup tonight. It was obvious that the Sharingan on Danzo's arm couldn't have been obtained tonight; he had been prepared long ago.
If he was prepared, where did those eyes come from? While the Uchiha weren't as obsessive as the Hyuga about controlling their Kekkei Genkai, they certainly wouldn't allow their eyes to be taken casually.
Therefore, there was only one possibility for the source: they were stolen from Uchiha corpses, or worse, Root had been secretly hunting Uchiha to harvest them. Neither scenario was a good sign for the next Hokage.
"Sharingan, huh..."
Shikaku's mind raced. He asked again, "Are they just ordinary Sharingan? Has his chakra changed in any other way? For example, the appearance of cyan-colored chakra?"
As one of the few people who knew Shisui's secret, Shikaku was already suspicious of Danzo. After all, the shadow of Root had always loomed behind Shisui's "suicide."
What if Danzo killed Shisui, took his eye, and used Kotoamatsukami to manipulate the Hokage's final will?
It was only a theory, but it was a terrifying one. To confirm it, he needed to know if Danzo had Shisui's eye. This wasn't difficult to check with the Byakugan, as Shisui's chakra color was a distinct cyan. If the eye was transplanted, the chakra in Danzo's eye socket should be cyan as well.
Unfortunately, under Shikaku's intense gaze, the Hyuga ninja shook his head. "Lord Danzo's eyes are all ordinary Sharingan. Two of them have already lost their vitality."
"Is that so..."
Shikaku sighed. Since he couldn't find any concrete evidence quickly, he had to set his doubts aside for the moment. The Leaf was not yet safe.
In this chaotic situation, an old fox like Danzo would definitely seize the opportunity to consolidate his power and stabilize his position as Hokage.
Shikaku was right. After a brief moment of mourning, Danzo spoke loudly in the manner of the Fifth Hokage. "Now, I, Danzo Shimura, in my capacity as the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, declare that we shall strike back at the Jashin Religion and avenge Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
As soon as he spoke, the ninjas who were grieving the Third's death turned their sorrow into rage. They followed Danzo's lead and roared, "Avenge the Third Hokage!"
Meanwhile, at the largest casino in the capital of the Land of Fire, a pile of chips resembling a small mountain sat in front of Tsunade. The casino owner stood nearby, face pale and hands trembling, watching Tsunade sweep the board. He didn't dare speak, but his heart bled as he looked at that mountain of chips.
In the shinobi world, everyone knew that Princess Tsunade of the Leaf was a "Legendary Sucker." She was the ultimate "big fat sheep" who lost wherever she went, without exception.
Consequently, when Tsunade had first walked into the casino, the owner had been beaming with joy. In the gambling world, meeting Princess Tsunade was like meeting the God of Wealth! This legendary Sannin and granddaughter of Hashirama Senju lost almost every time she gambled. Moreover, the more she lost, the more she played, leaving a trail of debt at every casino she visited.
Tsunade often lacked the money to pay her debts, but the owners didn't mind. They could turn that debt into favors. Tsunade was recognized as the best medical ninja in the world; if she couldn't pay in cash, she could heal people to settle the score.
In this world, the ones most afraid of death were always the rich and powerful. The owners could use their connection with Tsunade to have her treat influential figures in exchange for massive profits—far more valuable than simple gambling winnings.
So, in their eyes, Tsunade was a walking treasure. However, to the owner's surprise, Tsunade was redeeming herself tonight. Her luck was explosive! She was currently on a sixty-six-game winning streak.
As she continued to win, her bets grew larger. This time, she pushed her entire pile of chips forward in one go. A bright smile lit up her face as she casually rolled up her sleeves and propped a leg up on the gambling table. Her crimson lips were incredibly seductive under the lights, and her ample chest shifted as she leaned forward.
Yet, no one present was paying attention to the view. All eyes were fixed on the dice cup on the table.
"One hundred million Ryo, all in on Big!"
Tsunade was confident and decisive. The sixty-six wins had completely gone to her head as she downed bottle after bottle of sake. This was the deciding round. Whether she would truly break her streak of bad luck depended on this!
Tsunade, the owner, and all the other gamblers held their breath. As the dice cup was lifted, the owner collapsed to the floor.
"Big!"
"I won! Hahaha!"
Tsunade slammed her foot down with such force that the entire gambling table collapsed. she drained the rest of her bottle in one go; she had never felt a victory this satisfying!
But before she could start celebrating, two masked figures appeared beside her. Seeing the masks of the Leaf Anbu, Tsunade's expression immediately turned annoyed.
"Is the old man trying to call me back again? I've said it so many times—I'm not going back!"
"I'm in a good mood right now and I don't want to hit you, so get lost!"
Tsunade tossed her chips like coins, looking quite pleased. The two Anbu exchanged a look before pulling out a scroll marked "Emergency."
The moment she saw those words, Tsunade's drunkenness vanished instantly. She grabbed both Anbu and charged out of the casino.
"What happened?" she asked as she snatched the emergency scroll.
One of the Anbu spoke quickly. "According to news from the village, the Uchiha Clan has launched a coup. Furthermore, the Jashin Religion hidden within the village has attacked. The seal on the Nine-Tails was broken, and the village is in a massive crisis. Lord Hokage demands your immediate return!"
Tsunade scanned the intel in seconds, her teeth gritted. "Have you contacted Jiraiya? Is the Reverse Summoning formula ready?"
The Anbu shook his head. "We aren't sure about Lord Jiraiya, but the Reverse Summoning formula you left in the Leaf is ready!"
To deal with potential village emergencies, both Tsunade and Jiraiya had left permanent summoning beasts within the village to allow them to return via Reverse Summoning at any time.
However, as a space-time ninjutsu, the Reverse Summoning Jutsu had its drawbacks. The further the distance, the more chakra it consumed and the more preparation it required. Therefore, as soon as the Nine-Tails situation arose, the Third had ordered their recall and begun the preparations.
The problem was that one was traveling the world looking for the "Child of Prophecy," while the other was addicted to gambling and wandering through bars. Finding them in time was no easy feat, which was why it had taken this long. If the Leaf hadn't happened to have an intelligence post in the capital of the Land of Fire, they might still be unable to reach her.
Tsunade didn't hesitate. She immediately summoned Katsuyu to explain the situation and had the clone Katsuyu left in the Leaf perform the Reverse Summoning.
"I understand, Lady Tsunade."
Katsuyu's voice was soft and sweet, sounding like a young girl. In the next second, the prepared Katsuyu activated the jutsu. Tsunade vanished in a puff of smoke and instantly reappeared atop the Hokage Building.
"This is..."
Upon returning to the Leaf, Tsunade was met with a scene of devastation. Smoke rose from countless destroyed buildings. A large area had been reduced to rubble, and a massive scar stretched all the way outside the village. Above the Uchiha compound, a terrifying mass of Yin chakra was gathering.
"What on earth is going on?"
Tsunade clenched her fists, a bad premonition rising in her heart. As a ninja nearby prepared to explain, Jiraiya appeared. He was uncharacteristically solemn as he patted her shoulder.
"Tsunade, I need to tell you something. I hope you can stay strong."
Looking at such a serious Jiraiya, Tsunade felt her heart sink. "What is it?"
Jiraiya withdrew his hand and clenched it into a fist. "Sensei has died in battle."
Those words struck Tsunade's mind like a bolt of lightning. The powerful "God of Shinobi," the Third Hokage, was dead?
Jiraiya nodded. "Yes, I just received the report myself." At this moment, he seemed to have cast aside all emotion, speaking as coldly as a machine. "Sensei took down one member of the Jashin Religion before he died. There is still another at the Uchiha compound. We must provide support immediately. There is no time for grief."
Tsunade was a woman, but she was first a ninja—a powerful one who had survived multiple Great Shinobi World Wars. She understood Jiraiya's meaning instantly. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she said coldly, "I understand."