"Danzō… is fine. He escaped."
Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses, a trace of relief in his voice.
"It seems Tsunade still showed some mercy for old ties," Utatane Koharu added quietly, as if reassuring herself. "With Jiraiya leading personally—and elites from all the major clans—if they truly wanted to keep Danzō there, he would never have escaped."
Yet standing beside them, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked anything but relieved.
His expression was unusually grim, darker than before. His clouded eyes brimmed with unease as he murmured softly—half to himself, half to the strange turn of events.
"Was it really… mercy?"
"Why do I have such a… terrible feeling about this…"
It didn't fit Tsunade's character.
The unease coiled in Hiruzen's chest like gathering storm clouds, growing heavier by the moment.
Hokage's Office
Contrary to the outside speculation of "sentimentality," Tsunade was rubbing her temples in irritation, staring at the boy standing in front of her desk—
a black-haired child with defiant posture and cold, piercing eyes: Sasuke Uchiha.
"Tch…" Tsunade clicked her tongue, feeling her headache double.
The Sasuke shown on the celestial screen—calm, powerful, a pillar of Konoha capable of barely standing against a world-destroying Naruto—
and the thorn-covered, hate-filled brat in front of her were practically two different people.
No matter how she looked at him, this troublesome little thing didn't resemble someone who could become the village's backbone ten years from now.
Polishing a stubborn stone into jade?
Just thinking about it felt hopeless.
Would she really have to rely on Orochimaru of all people?
And Sasuke himself was just as irritated.
Ever since the celestial screen revealed the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre—confirming that Konoha's upper leadership were the true culprits—he no longer felt even the slightest affection for this village.
Being summoned to the Hokage's office to face the newly appointed Fifth Hokage filled him with nothing but annoyance and resistance.
"Why did you call me here?" Sasuke asked coldly, not even bothering with basic honorifics.
Seeing his attitude, Tsunade forcefully suppressed the urge to toss him out the window.
"Your Uchiha family mess?" she snapped, running a hand through her blonde hair. "I don't want anything to do with it!"
She was a woman of action—she despised these tangled historical grudges that never seemed to end.
The words were like a spark dropped into a powder keg.
Sasuke snapped his head up, black eyes blazing with fury as he glared straight at her—utterly fearless despite her status as Hokage.
"You—!"
"What are you staring at?!" Tsunade's temper flared instantly.
Before he could say another word, she raised her hand and delivered a perfectly aimed iron-fist strike to the top of his head.
Thunk!
"Ugh—!"
Caught completely off guard, Sasuke's vision went black for a moment. He nearly crouched down clutching his head, tears welling in his eyes.
Was this woman's fist made of iron?!
Is she insane?!
She hits kids?!
"How is that my problem?" Tsunade planted her hands on her hips, glaring down at him. "Did I do anything to the Uchiha? Huh? What good does glaring at me do?"
"…Crazy woman…" Sasuke muttered inwardly, clutching his throbbing head and swallowing the curse that nearly escaped his mouth.
He had learned the Fifth Hokage's "communication style."
Watching the kid stubbornly clench his jaw—clearly in pain yet refusing to show weakness, hatred still burning in his eyes—Tsunade's anger slowly ebbed.
In its place came a tired sigh.
She pulled a chair over and sat down, her tone softening slightly—though it remained blunt, almost cruel.
"Listen carefully, brat."
"The main person responsible for what happened to the Uchiha clan is Danzō Shimura. That bastard planned everything—he drove Shisui to his death and forced your brother into a dead end."
"Of course," she added flatly, "the Third Old Man's inaction and indulgence don't absolve him either."
"Shimura… Danzō…"
The name struck Sasuke like a curse, instantly seizing his entire being.
He jerked his head up, forgetting the pain entirely. Killing intent nearly spilled from his eyes as his teeth ground together.
That's right.
It was him.
He caused Shisui's death.
He stole his eye.
He forced Itachi… to personally destroy their clan.
Seeing the way Sasuke looked as if he wanted to tear Danzō apart with his bare hands, Tsunade felt a pang of discomfort herself.
"I don't expect you to forget your hatred—that would be unrealistic," she said more calmly, with the detachment of someone who had seen too much. "But I do hope you at least aim your revenge at the right target. Don't drag innocent people into it."
Sasuke remained silent, like a block of ice—using silence to express distrust and resistance.
Tsunade didn't care. She continued as if stating an established fact.
"Danzō's Root has already been uprooted. As for the man himself… I let him escape on purpose."
That finally stirred Sasuke. His eyes shifted as he looked up at her.
"And today," Tsunade continued coolly, with a hint of mockery, "I'll officially list him as a Konoha S-rank missing-nin—the same fate he once forced onto your brother, Itachi Uchiha."
An eye for an eye.
The thought brought Sasuke a bitter, painful sense of satisfaction.
"Do you know why I didn't deal with him personally?" Tsunade asked sharply, her gaze piercing straight into Sasuke's soul.
"Because I think… you might prefer to settle this hatred yourself."
She leaned forward slightly and offered a promise that made Sasuke's heart tighten violently.
"When you feel you're ready, come find me. I'll give you his latest intelligence."
Personal… revenge?
Personally… killing Danzō Shimura?
The idea ignited like blazing fire in Sasuke's frozen heart.
Far better than having someone else do it.
Far better for venting all the pain and hatred he had buried for so long.
He still didn't speak, but the tight line of his lips and the flicker in his eyes betrayed the violent turmoil within.
In the end, he said nothing—only nodded stiffly, almost mechanically.
…He understood.
Watching him clearly tempted yet stubbornly pretending indifference, Tsunade's fleeting patience evaporated.
She waved her hand irritably, shooing him like a fly.
"Alright, alright. You get it—now get out. Looking at that gloomy, vengeful face of yours is annoying."
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