"Come here."
Tsunade beckoned to Seiryū, her tone distinctly unfriendly.
Seiryū knew Tsunade far too well. The moment he saw that expression, he knew she wanted to hit someone, so he quickly shook his head.
"Not going."
"..."
Tsunade rubbed her temples, suddenly feeling exhausted.
This brat really knew how to make people angry.
She turned to the Third Hokage and said, "As for the position of Hokage, we can discuss that later."
After a pause, she continued, "Danzō committed a serious taboo as a Hokage Advisor. I think we should..."
Before Tsunade could finish, Seiryū instantly raised his hand and offered his own opinion.
"We should execute him immediately to prevent future trouble."
"And there are still plenty of Root shinobi alive. They were trained by Danzō as suicide troops and only obey his orders, so they can't be spared either."
Danzō was finished.
Even the Hokage could not save him now.
But delays always invited trouble, so it was better to execute him as soon as possible.
What if something happened?
What if the Ōtsutsuki Clan suddenly appeared?
What if Madara showed up in a giant Susanoo and killed everyone?
The chances were extremely low, but they were still not zero.
"..."
Tsunade and Hiruzen both fell silent after hearing that.
Just how much did this kid hate Danzō?
This child really could not be offended. Once someone offended him, he would find every possible way to kill them.
Setsuna and Danzō were both perfect examples.
Root...
Hiruzen muttered inwardly.
What Seiryū said was not entirely unreasonable. Root was different from ordinary departments. It reported directly to Danzō.
Its members would not even obey Hiruzen, the Hokage.
Now that Danzō had been captured, those Root shinobi were indeed a potential danger.
In that case, they had to be brought under control first.
Hiruzen glanced at Minato and several Anbu standing nearby, then gave them a signal.
Whoosh!
After receiving the order, Minato moved at once. His figure flashed, and he vanished silently.
Several Anbu left with him.
"Tsunade-sama. Hokage-sama."
At that moment, Fugaku approached and looked at Tsunade and Hiruzen.
His tone was cold.
"Danzō has committed an unforgivable crime."
"As for his transplanting of my clan's Sharingan and his use of our forbidden jutsu, the Uchiha Clan will pursue this matter to the end."
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Tsunade for a moment, and his heart grew heavy.
Wood Release.
The Wood Release capable of suppressing the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan had appeared again.
And its user was Tsunade, the most legitimate descendant of the Senju Clan.
This was not something the Uchiha Clan wanted to see.
However, now was not the time to think about that.
Danzō's matter was more important.
An outsider had transplanted the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and even mastered Izanagi.
If Konoha did not give the Uchiha Clan a proper explanation, Fugaku would not let the matter rest.
Tsunade frowned slightly.
That bastard Danzō had actually set his sights on the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan too?
Wood Release and Sharingan.
That combination made her involuntarily think of the "Madara" who had once appeared in Kusagakure.
Could there be some connection between those two bloodlines?
Hiruzen took a deep breath and nodded calmly.
"This matter was Danzō's doing alone. He transplanted the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, secretly carried out illegal experiments, and even placed a bounty on a fellow Konoha shinobi through the black market."
"Konoha will not tolerate such crimes. Tsunade will handle this matter, and she will give you, and everyone present, a fair resolution."
After doing all of that, his old comrade had no way out.
No one could save him.
After learning what Danzō had done, even Hiruzen had the urge to strangle him himself.
How had that man dared?
However, since Danzō was going to die and had to die, Hiruzen might as well use this matter to pave the way for Tsunade to become the Fourth Hokage.
This was something he had been planning for a long time.
Now that Tsunade had mastered Sage Art and awakened Wood Release, her strength might already surpass his own. That made her even more qualified to become the Fourth Hokage.
He would take this opportunity to solidify her position.
Even if she wanted to refuse, she would not be able to.
And only Tsunade could somewhat keep that little troublemaker Seiryū under control.
This move could be considered killing three birds with one stone.
As expected of the Hokage.
He really did think things through.
"?"
A question mark seemed to appear over Tsunade's head.
What was this?
She had not even decided to become Hokage yet.
Her own teacher had made the decision for her so casually?
Had he even asked for her opinion?
"..."
As someone capable of becoming a clan leader, Fugaku was politically sharp. He immediately realized what Hiruzen was implying and subconsciously glanced at Tsunade.
He also noticed something else.
Danzō alone was responsible.
That statement meant no one else would be implicated.
Had the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, and the other Advisors truly not participated in this matter?
Had they never coveted the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan?
Fugaku did not know.
However, he understood one thing.
Since Hiruzen had said it like that, then unless Fugaku wanted to worsen the already tense relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage faction, he had to accept that premise.
Taking a deep breath, Fugaku nodded.
"In that case, I ask Tsunade-sama to provide a resolution that will satisfy both the Uchiha Clan and everyone else."
"..."
At that moment, Tsunade had been pushed into a corner.
She looked helplessly at her teacher, truly wanting to hit someone.
Even so, she did not embarrass him.
Instead, she said to Uchiha Fugaku in a voice loud enough for everyone present to hear, "Two days from now, Danzō will be publicly tried and executed."
"We will also make public everything he has done. What do you think of this resolution, Clan Leader Fugaku?"
Executing Danzō right here was impossible.
Some things were still unclear.
At the very least, they needed to interrogate him about the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai transplant experiments, the Sharingan and Izanagi, and the black market bounty placed on Seiryū.
They had to determine whether anything had been missed.
"I will leave it to Tsunade-sama."
Hearing that, Fugaku made no further demands and simply nodded.
Since she had already said that much, it would be inappropriate for him to continue pressing.
Finally, after glancing at the three of them, Uchiha Fugaku respectfully said to Tsunade and Hiruzen, "Then, since the matter here has concluded, I will take my leave."
After speaking, Fugaku turned and left.
His mind, however, was already moving.
In the future, the Uchiha Clan might have to face a Hokage from the Senju Clan who had mastered Wood Release.
That was not something the Uchiha Clan could ignore.
Watching Fugaku leave, Tsunade glanced at her teacher.
Seeing his expression, which clearly said he had no intention of taking this matter back, the corner of her mouth twitched.
Damn it.
She had really been pushed into a corner.
No matter how unwilling she was, at this moment, she was the only one who could speak.
It could not be that brat Seiryū, could it?
Tsunade swept her gaze over all the shinobi present and ordered, "Everyone, disperse. Stand down from alert."
She was truly exhausted.
How had this matter fallen onto her shoulders?
It really felt as if her own teacher had set her up.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"
Hearing Tsunade's order, many people present were stunned for a moment.
But they still obeyed and dispersed.
Some of the sharper ones had already begun to speculate.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, was still present, yet Tsunade had been the one to give the order.
That action revealed quite a lot.
Are they choosing Tsunade, who has awakened Wood Release, to become Hokage with war looming? Still, that might be a good thing. Wood Release has a powerful deterrent effect on the other ninja villages.
Shikaku muttered to himself as he walked away.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, intended to step down.
And the candidate for the Fourth Hokage was very likely Tsunade.
In truth, even if she had not mastered Sage Art or awakened Wood Release, Tsunade had still been the undisputed choice for the next Hokage.
Now, the matter was simply being made public.
Walking beside him, Inoichi looked around. Seeing that no one was nearby, he whispered, "It seems Konoha is about to see a transfer of power. Still, if it's Tsunade-sama, there shouldn't be much turmoil."
Shikaku nodded slightly.
"Mm. Perhaps Lord Third Hokage has had this idea for a long time, and he is simply using this incident to reveal it."
Akimichi Chōza, the "Chō" of Ino-Shika-Chō, looked at his two companions in confusion.
"Huh? Transfer of power? What are you two talking about?"
The two of them: "..."
Could he not see something this obvious?
Shikaku explained, "The Fourth Hokage will be Tsunade-sama."
"Tsunade-sama will be the Fourth Hokage?"
Hearing that, Chōza was a little surprised at first, but he quickly accepted it.
"If it's her, then she really is a very good choice. At the very least, in Konoha, no one is more suited to become the Fourth Hokage than her."
No one was more suited to become the Fourth Hokage than Tsunade.
That was the consensus of everyone in Konoha.
Even Sakumo, known as Konoha's White Fang, could not compare to her in that regard.
...
After everyone had left, Tsunade looked helplessly at Hiruzen and smiled bitterly.
"Old Man, you really pushed me into a corner."
"Didn't I already say there are others more suited to be Hokage than me? Why not wait a few more years and let Minato become the Fourth?"
She truly had no desire for the position of Hokage.
But now, she had been forced into this situation.
It left her feeling deeply exhausted.
From here on, it seemed there was only one path left for her.
She would have to sit in the seat she did not want to sit in.
Damn it.
She had been set up.
"This time, you displayed Sage Art and Wood Release. Your strength likely already surpasses mine. Combined with your identity, no one is more suited to become the Fourth Hokage than you."
At some point, Hiruzen had lit his pipe.
He took a deep puff, exhaled the smoke, and spoke slowly.
"If I chose someone else as the Fourth Hokage, many people would probably curse me for being blind."
"And there is another reason. Regarding Danzō, it is not easy for me to handle this matter personally."
While he was the Hokage, he was also Danzō's comrade and old companion.
Given the situation just now, it was indeed difficult for him to personally handle the matter.
It was better to leave it to Tsunade.
It also solidified Tsunade's path toward becoming the Fourth Hokage.
And considering that only Tsunade could restrain that little pervert Seiryū, this move could be said to accomplish three goals at once.
Tsunade naturally understood that.
Otherwise, no matter how unwilling she was, she would not have taken over this matter.
But she still felt like she had fallen into a trap.
Just thinking about sitting in an office every day and dealing with piles of documents made her head hurt.
Wait. Isn't that brat Seiryū pretty sharp?
If I really sit in that position, I'll just hand those matters over to him.
Tsunade glanced at Seiryū from the corner of her eye and began calculating inwardly.
As long as I keep a close eye on him and don't give him a chance to do anything outrageous, it should be fine.
She did not want to handle all those trivial matters.
Wasn't Seiryū right there?
With that kid's brain, handling such things would be more than enough.
The only drawback was that he might do something absurd.
But as long as she watched him closely, it would be fine.
"?"
Seiryū suddenly felt like someone was scheming against him.
His nose itched, and he wanted to sneeze.
Could it be Danzō?
Thinking that, Seiryū controlled a golden chain and poked Danzō.
After confirming that Danzō was still unconscious, he frowned.
"It's not him?"
Seeing Seiryū's action, Tsunade could not help saying, "What are you doing now?"
With her sharp medical eye, she could tell Danzō had lost too much blood. If he was not treated, he would probably die within ten minutes.
And this brat was still poking him like a corpse?
Seiryū answered honestly, "Just now, it felt like someone was plotting against me, so I checked whether this old guy had woken up. If he had, wouldn't I need to be careful?"
Tsunade: "..."
This kid's perception was truly sharp.
Tsunade looked at Danzō, whose face was pale as he remained unconscious, and said to Seiryū, "Don't let him die. There are still many things I need to question him about."
Seiryū muttered, "Why interrogate him? That's so troublesome. What if something goes wrong? What if he escapes? Then I'll have to keep living in fear."
"He has the Four Symbols Seal, the Eight Trigrams Seal, Rikujōkōrō, and your special Adamantine Sealing Chains on him. On top of that, he's seriously injured, unconscious, and has lost too much blood."
Tsunade could not help retorting helplessly.
"Are you seriously telling me he can still escape from your hands?"
With so many seals and restraints on him, even the Nine-Tails would turn into a docile little kitten.
Danzō, meanwhile, was severely injured, unconscious, and bleeding out.
How could he possibly escape in this state?
This brat simply wanted his enemy dead as quickly as possible.
He was far too petty.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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