"Don't expect me to do this kind of dirty work."
Tsunade stood up, smoothing the wrinkles in her green robe. Her face was etched with a deep-seated loathing for political infighting. "Since I've agreed to be that hospital director or whatever, I'm heading to the hospital now. Saving people is my real job, not killing them. As for that old man..."
She paused, a cold sneer tugging at her lips. Her eyes held the clarity of someone who had long since seen through the ways of the world. "Let him die 'with dignity.' Don't let him stain Konoha's soil."
Without a hint of hesitation, she turned and strode toward the door.
"Hey! Tsunade, wait for me!"
Seeing this, Jiraiya scrambled to stuff the scroll into his vest. He scooped up Gamakon, who had been watching the drama from the table, and scurried after her. "It's late! I can't let you walk home alone in the dark!"
"Piss off! You think I need protection?"
Tsunade's sharp rebukes and Jiraiya's shameless banter echoed down the hallway before eventually fading away.
Minato Namikaze was the only one left in the office.
He stood quietly by the window, listening to the sounds of his teacher and Tsunade playing around until they vanished at the end of the stairs. In his azure eyes, the gentle smile gradually receded, replaced by a coldness as deep as a frozen pool.
"Kakashi."
Minato called out softly.
Masked, Kakashi Hatake knelt on one knee, appearing before the desk in a flicker of movement.
"Hokage-sama."
"Notify the Hokage Guard Platoon who have been on standby, and..." Minato pulled a specially made kunai from his pouch, his fingertips lightly brushing against the cold edge. "Bring those sealing scrolls Kushina prepared. We're going to pay a 'visit' to that elder."
"Yes!"
...
Konoha Hospital, Emergency Hall.
The hospital was not quiet late at night. The smell of disinfectant permeated the corridors, punctuated by the occasional suppressed cough and the crying of infants.
As soon as Tsunade walked into the hall, the doctors and nurses on duty, who were originally a bit sluggish, suddenly straightened their backs like cats whose tails had been stepped on. Their eyes held both awe for the legendary Sannin and relief at seeing a pillar of support.
Jiraiya followed behind with Gamakon perched on his head, looking like a dutiful bodyguard.
"Tsk, this is Konoha's current medical environment?"
Gamakon lay on Jiraiya's forehead, his horizontal pupils scanning the surroundings. "Aging equipment, insufficient staff, and even the triage desk is a mess. It looks like Minato gave you quite a burden, Tsunade."
"Shut up, you dead toad."
Tsunade snorted irritably, but her eyes involuntarily grew sharp as she began to scrutinize everything around her. Professional habit made it difficult for her to ignore these obvious problems.
Just as they were about to head to the director's office, a group of people walked out of the pediatric emergency room.
The middle-aged man leading them wore a deep blue, high-collared robe. The red and white Uchiha crest on his back was particularly striking under the lights.
He had a stern face with deep laugh lines, radiating an aura of natural authority.
Uchiha Fugaku.
Beside him was a gentle, black-haired woman holding a tightly wrapped infant.
And behind them followed a boy about five or six years old.
The boy had eyes as deep as obsidian and noticeable tear troughs. At this moment, he was tightly clutching his mother's hem, his gaze never leaving the infant in the swaddle. His eyes were filled with a maturity and worry beyond his years.
Uchiha Itachi.
"Is that... the Uchiha Clan Leader?"
Jiraiya stopped, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "This late, and the whole family is out?"
Gamakon's gaze immediately locked onto the small figure.
The Itachi.
God Itachi.
Right now, he was still just a little kid with a maxed-out brother-complex.
Fugaku clearly noticed the commotion as well.
When he saw Tsunade and Jiraiya, a flash of surprise crossed his stern face, which he quickly suppressed. He led his family over at a quick pace.
"Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama."
Fugaku bowed slightly, his etiquette impeccable. He was neither fawning nor lacking the dignity of a clan leader. "I didn't expect to meet you two here."
"Fugaku."
Jiraiya laughed it off, his eyes scanning the group before landing on the swaddle. "What's going on? Out in the middle of the night with the whole family?"
"Sasuke accidentally caught a chill and has a bit of a fever."
Mikoto Uchiha explained gently, her eyes full of heartache as she lightly patted the restless infant in her arms. "Fugaku was worried, and Itachi insisted on coming along to see."
"A chill?"
Gamakon curled his lip, thinking to himself: 'Who are you trying to fool?'
The Uchiha Clan had its own medical ninjas. A common chill could be handled within the compound. Why would the clan leader drag his entire family to Konoha Hospital for an emergency?
Moreover, looking at Fugaku's 'facing a formidable foe' expression, it seemed less like he was seeking treatment and more like he was... seeking refuge, or making a statement.
Gamakon's gaze shifted between Fugaku and Itachi.
It seemed that regarding tonight's action against Danzo, although the Uchiha Clan Leader didn't know the full details, he had used his keen political intuition to sense the tremors about to hit the village.
Bringing his family to a public place like the hospital, and perhaps even specifically choosing the timing when Tsunade and Jiraiya returned...
This was a silent declaration of alignment.
He was telling the village high-level: The Uchiha are here tonight, they aren't going anywhere, and they certainly won't take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.
"Children have weak immunity; you have to be careful."
Tsunade didn't expose the thin excuse. She stepped forward and reached out to feel Sasuke's forehead.
In that instant, the alert Itachi suddenly looked up, his black pupils constricting slightly. It seemed as if he might activate his Sharingan to protect his brother at any moment.
But seeing it was Tsunade, he forced his instincts down, though his grip on his mother's clothes tightened.
"It's nothing serious. He'll be fine once the fever breaks,"
Tsunade withdrew her hand and said calmly, "However, Fugaku, since you're already here, why don't you stay a while longer? The wind is strong outside tonight; don't let the child get sick again."
There was a hidden meaning in her words.
Fugaku's body jolted, and he looked up sharply at Tsunade.
He understood.
'The wind is strong outside'—she was referring to tonight's action against Root.
'Stay in the observation room'—this was a command to keep the Uchiha Clan out of it.
"...Yes. Thank you for the reminder, Tsunade-sama."
Fugaku took a deep breath, the last trace of doubt in his eyes vanishing, replaced by a resolute sense of relief. "We will stay here until... dawn."
Watching the Uchiha family walk into the observation room, Gamakon lay on Jiraiya's head and let out a lazy yawn.
"It seems Minato isn't the only smart person around."
Jiraiya rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. "The Uchiha Clan... doesn't seem that difficult to get along with."
"Of course,"
Gamakon rolled his eyes. "As long as you don't treat them like thieves, they're perfectly willing to be good neighbors."
...
Deep beneath Konoha, Root Base.
Clack, clack, clack.
Crisp footsteps echoed in the deathly silent corridor.
Minato Namikaze walked at the very front, followed by the masked Kakashi and four members of the Hokage Guard Platoon.
The journey had been eerily smooth.
The Root ninjas, who usually hid in the shadows like alert vipers, now stood like soulless puppets on either side of the corridor. Their heads were bowed, ignoring the Hokage's intrusion.
"It seems he's already waiting for me."
Minato stopped, looking at the tightly shut black iron door ahead. His voice was so calm that neither joy nor anger could be detected.
"Hokage-sama, be careful of a trap," Kakashi warned in a low voice, his short blade already drawn half an inch.
"It's fine."
Minato shook his head and pushed open the heavy door.
Creeeak—
The heavy iron door let out a piercing screech as it slowly opened.
Behind the door was a massive circular space, the walls covered in dense sealing formulas.
In the center of the hall sat a wide chair.
Danzo Shimura was seated there.
He wasn't wearing his usual combat gear, but had changed into a loose black kimono.
His eyes were closed as he leaned on his cane. He appeared exceptionally peaceful, even projecting an air of... feigned composure.
Hearing the door open, Danzo slowly opened his eyes.
Kakashi was surprised to find no panic in those eyes, only the indifference of someone who had seen their end.
"You've come, Fourth."
Danzo's voice was raspy and old, echoing through the empty hall. "A bit later than I expected."
"I had some trivialities to handle."
Minato led his team into the hall, stopping ten meters away from Danzo.
For the Flying Thunder God Technique, this distance was no different from being face-to-face.
"Trivialities..."
Danzo chewed on the word, a sarcastic curve forming on his lips. "Are you referring to pacifying the Uchiha, or bringing back that crazy woman Tsunade? Minato Namikaze, you always waste your energy on these useless emotional ties."
"That is exactly why you failed, Advisor Danzo."
Minato wasn't provoked. He simply stated the facts calmly. "Because you never believed in anyone, when you fall, there is no one left behind you."
Danzo let out a cold laugh, not bothering to argue.
He propped himself up with his cane and slowly stood up.
As he moved, Kakashi and the Guard Platoon instantly tensed, several kunai locking onto his vitals.
"Don't be nervous."
Danzo waved his hand with a deliberate slowness. "These old bones of mine can't handle any more tossing and turning. Since you've brought your people here, it means that soft fool Hiruzen has already condoned your actions. To the victor go the spoils; I have nothing left to say."
He pulled a scroll from his robes and tossed it toward Minato.
Kakashi flickered forward to catch it, and after checking it for traps, handed it to Minato.
"That is the list of all Root members, as well as part of the formula to release the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."
Danzo sat back down, his hands folded over the dragon head of his cane. He tilted his chin up, adopting the posture of a negotiator. "I am willing to proactively release the curse marks on them and hand over full control of Root to you. In exchange..."
He paused, his single eye glinting. "I will resign from all positions and retire to the Shimura compound, never to interfere in village affairs again. What do you say?"
A brief, deathly silence filled the hall.
Kakashi looked at Danzo in shock.
The 'Darkness of Shinobi,' known for his iron-fisted stubbornness, was actually surrendering? He was even willing to hand over the core seals that controlled Root?
This was like the sun rising from the west.
If the Third Hokage were here, perhaps he would have considered old friendship, or perhaps he would have agreed to the terms to avoid a desperate struggle and save the lives of Root ninjas, giving his old friend one last shred of dignity.
But the man standing before him was Minato Namikaze.
Minato looked down at the scroll in his hand, then at Danzo's 'for the greater good' expression.
Suddenly, he shook his head lightly.
"What? Fourth, are you really intent on hunting me down to the last man?"
Danzo's gaze turned cold. "I may have lost, but Root still exists. If I do not release the curse marks, these ninjas will be my final burial sacrifices. To kill one old man and lose so many of Konoha's elites in the process—that doesn't fit your Way of the Hokage, does it?"
Minato ignored Danzo's threat.
He simply looked at the struggling old man, and Gamakon's mocking expression from earlier flashed through his mind.
If Mr. Gamakon were here to see this, he would probably laugh without mercy.
'Tsk tsk, Minato, look at this old fossil. He still thinks he's doing this for the village, that he still has chips on the table.'
'He's not repentant; he just knows he's about to die.'
'His so-called concessions are just a way to trade "survival" for a chance at a comeback. As long as he lives, Root will always belong to Shimura, not Konoha.'
A cold sneer, identical to the one Gamakon would have worn, crept onto Minato's lips.
It was a ruthlessness that tore through all pretenses to stare directly at the essence of the matter.
"Danzo."
Minato tossed the scroll onto the ground with a soft thud. "You seem to have misunderstood one thing."
"I didn't come here to negotiate with you."
"And I never needed your so-called 'release formula.'"
Danzo's pupils constricted violently. "What did you say? No one except me can release the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal! Not even Tsunade—"
"The technique is indeed exquisite,"
Minato interrupted, pulling a red scroll from his own vest.
It was a sealing scroll of the Uzumaki Clan.
"But don't forget, my wife is a princess of the Uzumaki Clan. In the realm of sealing arts, the Uzumaki are second to none."
Minato slowly unfurled the scroll. Among the dense characters was a reverse-sealing array specifically designed for curse marks.
"I began researching your curse marks quite some time ago. Now, Kushina has already cracked the core logic."
Minato looked up, his gaze as sharp as a blade, piercing through Danzo's final psychological defense. "You don't need to put on an act. After tonight, I will personally release the seals on everyone in Root and re-incorporate them into the Anbu."
"Your bargaining chips are worthless."
Danzo's face finally changed.
That feigned composure and elegance collapsed completely in an instant.
Danzo's face suddenly aged; it twisted, filled with fear and resentment.
He gripped his cane so hard his knuckles turned white, his body trembling slightly.
The methods he prided himself on, the trump cards he relied on for survival—before this young successor, they were utterly powerless.
The other party didn't even care that killing the caster would normally be the only way to break the seal!
"Minato Namikaze..."
Danzo gritted his teeth. "You can't kill me... I am the Root of Konoha! Without me, fools like you who only know how to smile in the sunshine could never protect this village!"
"Perhaps."
Minato's figure blurred, vanishing instantly.
The next second, he appeared at Danzo's side, his kunai already pressed against the man's throat.
The cold touch made the hair on Danzo's body stand on end.
Too fast.
He was so fast that Danzo didn't even have time to form a seal or mold chakra.
This was the Yellow Flash.
"In the past, maybe,"
Minato's voice whispered in Danzo's ear, as light as a sigh. "But starting tonight, I will bear Konoha's darkness."
"Since you still hold onto such naive thoughts, believing the village can't survive without you..."
Minato applied slight pressure to the kunai, breaking the skin. A bead of blood slid down the blade.
"Then, for the future of the village, I must ask you to 'voluntarily' retire."
"Or rather..."
Minato's eyes were icy, without a hint of emotion.
"Please die for the sake of Konoha."
Danzo's eyes bulged as he stared blankly at a point in the void.
In this moment, he finally understood that the youth who always wore a gentle smile was actually more cold-blooded than anyone.
Because his cold-bloodedness did not stem from personal desire, but from absolute rationality and responsibility.
That was the resolve that a true Kage possessed.
'Hiruzen...'
Danzo let out one last desperate cry in his heart.
'You certainly picked a fine successor...'