"I acknowledge the Hokage's command."
Shikaku Nara was the first to bow and accept the order, his gaze already sharpened with resolve.
"The Hyūga clan will not shirk its duty," Hiashi Hyūga said gravely.
"Our clan stands ready to follow orders," the other clan heads declared in unison.
There was no hesitation.
Unanimous approval.
When it came to safeguarding their clans' foundations, their stance was perfectly aligned with the Hokage's.
Tsunade nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze to the man who had remained silent at her side.
"Jiraiya," she said firmly. "You will personally lead the reorganized ANBU and take command of this purge operation. The clans will provide manpower to support you."
Her eyes hardened.
"Make sure that ROOT is completely eradicated."
"Understood," Jiraiya replied solemnly. There was no trace of his usual levity left on his face.
He turned—and vanished from the office in an instant.
This plan had already been discussed between them.
Over the past three days, ANBU had undergone a brutal loyalty purge. Those with deep ties to the old power structure, or lingering hesitation in their hearts, had already been removed.
What remained were true blades—sharp, disciplined, and loyal solely to the Fifth Hokage.
Now was the moment to wield that freshly tempered weapon—
To sever Konoha's most deeply rooted tumor.
The joint operation between ANBU and the major clans was massive—and neither hidden nor subtle.
Nor did it need to be.
The killing intent in the air, and the constant movement of forces, triggered an immediate and violent reaction.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu nearly stumbled as they stormed—panic-stricken and furious—into Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence.
"Hiruzen! Look at this—look at what Tsunade has done!" Koharu shrieked, no longer bothering to restrain her expression.
"How dare she?! How dare she act so recklessly?! Without consulting anyone, she moves directly against Danzō?! Does she have any respect left for us advisers? For Konoha's rules at all?!"
Homura's face was equally dark. Adjusting his glasses, he spoke in a low, grim tone.
"You stepped down from the Hokage position without consulting us. And now Tsunade runs wild, moving against Danzō—a man who has rendered countless services to Konoha. Are you truly going to sit by and do nothing? You must stop her!"
They were both shocked—and furious.
Shocked by how fast Tsunade had moved, how ruthless and decisive she had been.
Furious that she had completely bypassed them—the so-called elders and advisers—and exercised power without their involvement.
But beneath all that anger lay something deeper.
Fear.
They might not have personally carried out Danzō's darkest deeds, but they had known.
They had acquiesced.
In some cases, they had even quietly supported him.
Danzō had been the sharpest knife wielded by their shared interest group.
If Tsunade could strike him down without mercy today…
Then tomorrow?
Once Danzō fell and those secrets were dragged into the light—
Would the next ones standing before a tribunal be them?
Hiruzen sat by the window, his back hunched, his figure suddenly looking unbearably old.
Listening to the shouting and accusations of his former comrades, only deep exhaustion remained on his face.
Slowly, he turned around. Looking at the two people who had stood beside him for decades, his voice came out hoarse and weak.
"Right now… Tsunade is the Hokage."
The words were difficult to say—
But they were reality.
"So what if she is?!" Koharu nearly screamed. "The Fourth—!"
She cut herself off mid-sentence, then changed course angrily.
"Even a Hokage can't act so arbitrarily, ignoring our opinions!"
"Danzō—his methods may have been extreme, but everything he did was for Konoha! He has merits! How can she just arrest him like this?!"
Homura pressed on sternly.
"Hiruzen, now is not the time for emotion! Tsunade is hotheaded and inexperienced in political balance. We must stop her before she destroys Konoha's foundations!"
"You must speak to her. As the Third Hokage, you must order her to stop!"
They tried to bind Hiruzen with words like tradition, merit, and the village's foundations—hoping he would use his authority as her former teacher and predecessor to suppress Tsunade.
But Hiruzen only shook his head tiredly, staring out the window at the village undergoing violent transformation.
"Order her…?"
He let out a bitter, hollow chuckle.
"Do you really think… she would listen to my 'orders'?"
Hiruzen knew better than anyone.
The moment he chose to step down—
The moment he saw those jōnin's eyes at the council meeting—
His era had already ended.
Tsunade was not him.
She held a completely different philosophy—and an unchallengeable resolve.
She possessed legitimacy, control over a cleansed ANBU, and the open support of the major clans.
At this moment, she was unstoppable.
With what could he stop her?
With the last scraps of personal sentiment?
That would only invite humiliation.
Not only would Tsunade refuse—
Jiraiya would never allow it.
Seeing Hiruzen's complete resignation, Homura and Koharu felt their hearts sink.
They finally understood.
Their greatest shield had already fallen.
And Tsunade's blade was already swinging—
Next time, it might truly be aimed at them.
"So you're just going to watch Danzō be killed?!" Koharu screamed hysterically.
That sharp question was the final straw.
Hiruzen's expression shifted several times before he seemed to lose all remaining strength.
"…I will," he said quietly, "go speak with Tsunade… and plead on his behalf."
The answer clearly fell far short of what Homura and Koharu wanted.
But under Hiruzen's exhausted yet unyielding gaze, they swallowed the rest of their anger and fear, falling silent.
They knew—
Push any further, and even this last sliver of goodwill would be gone.
At the same time, deep beneath Konoha—
Outside ROOT's central underground base.
The air had frozen solid.
Jiraiya personally commanded the operation.
Behind him stood elite ANBU in formation, masks cold and merciless, alongside high-level shinobi dispatched by the major clans.
Several ROOT members loyal to Danzō attempted to break through the perimeter—
They were subdued almost instantly.
Outnumbered, chakra sealed, they were dragged away like dead dogs.
Absolute suppression.
No suspense.
"Jiraiya! What do you think you're doing?!"
An enraged shout echoed from deep within the tunnel.
Danzō Shimura emerged, leaning on his cane, surrounded by his closest subordinates.
His single visible eye fixed on Jiraiya with venom—
Yet inside, his heart churned with shock.
He had never imagined Tsunade would move this fast.
Or this decisively.
Jiraiya's gaze immediately fell—
On Danzō's tightly wrapped right arm
And his concealed right eye.
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