"…Sigh." Koharu Utatane let out a long breath. "Perhaps… you're right."
Homura Mitokado looked at her, complicated emotions stirring in his chest.
Just as things seemed to settle—
"Didn't expect you to be this perceptive."
A hoarse voice suddenly echoed from inside the room behind them.
"Who's there?!"
Both elders' expressions changed instantly.
Near one of the inner pillars—where there had been nothing—the shadows seemed to ripple and come alive. A humanoid figure silently seeped out from the darkness.
A dark gray cloak. Skin rough like bark. A hood concealing his face in heavy shadow.
Who was this?
How had he gotten inside?
When?
What about the ANBU stationed outside?
"You—" Homura opened his mouth, intending to question, to warn, to call for help.
But Tree moved faster—or rather, there was no visible movement at all.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The solid wooden floor split apart without warning. Thick vines burst upward from beneath the boards.
In an instant, they bound the two elders like livestock and hoisted them into the air.
"Ugh—!"
"Hel—!"
They struggled desperately—but to no avail.
Though the disturbance was slight, the ANBU assigned to monitor them were elite.
Almost the very moment the vines erupted, two black-clad figures darted in like phantoms from the courtyard shadows and rooftop, kunai flashing toward Tree's back.
Tree didn't even turn around.
Within a single breath, both ANBU were likewise wrapped tightly in vines and suspended midair beside the elders.
Only then did Tree slowly turn.
"If you must blame someone, blame Danzo," he said flatly. "He spoke out of turn. He assumed the two of you would cooperate with him."
The vines around the elders' necks tightened abruptly.
Crack. Crack.
Two faint, chilling snaps.
"I'll leave you with intact bodies…" Tree murmured, lightly dusting off his bark-covered hands as though brushing away dirt. "I really am… too soft-hearted."
He glanced at the two bound ANBU.
He did not kill them.
With a casual wave, their bodies trembled before falling limp—unconscious, but alive.
When he was finished, Tree stepped backward.
His figure merged into the pillar's shadow once more—
And vanished.
It wasn't long before Kakashi Hatake led a squad of elite ANBU and jōnin into the courtyard at full speed.
The sight before them made everyone draw a sharp breath.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane lay flat on the ground, lifeless.
Nearby, the two ANBU responsible for surveillance were collapsed, breathing steadily but unconscious. No visible external injuries.
"Medical team! Check the advisors! And them!" Kakashi barked, his face grim.
The medical-nin moved swiftly.
Soon, the report came back:
"Lord Kakashi, Advisor Homura Mitokado and Advisor Koharu Utatane are confirmed deceased. Cause of death: instantaneous suffocation and cervical fracture due to extreme constriction of the neck."
"The two ANBU are stable. No life-threatening injuries. They should regain consciousness soon."
Kakashi felt his head buzz.
Two former Hokage advisors—killed inside Konoha, under direct ANBU surveillance.
This wasn't just murder.
It was a blatant humiliation of Konoha's defenses.
He could already imagine the shock and unrest this news would cause within the village—and the speculation it would ignite beyond its borders.
"Damn it!" Kakashi slammed a fist into a wooden pillar.
"Kakashi."
A calm voice interrupted him. Shikaku Nara had arrived quietly and was crouched beside the bodies, studying them closely.
"I think there's a more pressing question."
Kakashi inhaled slowly. "What is it?"
Shikaku stood and gestured toward the unconscious ANBU, then the elders' bodies.
"Why kill only Homura and Koharu—but spare the ANBU? They weren't even eliminated. Just knocked out."
Kakashi stiffened.
Indeed.
Whoever did this had overwhelming power. Silencing two ANBU would have been effortless.
Why leave them alive?
"Silencing witnesses hides tracks," Shikaku said quietly. "Not killing them… might mean the opposite. Perhaps the killer wanted witnesses left behind—even if they saw nothing."
Kakashi felt the back of his neck prickle.
"I can't draw conclusions yet," he said tiredly, rubbing his temple. "We'll question them once they wake."
"And keep this contained. We wait for Lady Tsunade's return before making any announcements."
When Tsunade returned to the village—
"What?!" she exclaimed, stunned. "The killer? Any leads?"
After hearing Kakashi's full report and personally examining the scene and bodies, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen gathered in the Hokage's office.
Silence lingered.
Tsunade rubbed her brow, a headache forming.
Gone for only a few days—and this chaos erupted.
Strangely, she felt little anger or grief. Instead, there was an undeniable sense that two longstanding political burdens had vanished.
Of course, that thought could never be voiced.
Hiruzen, however, reacted very differently.
Having just endured Danzo's death, the news of Homura and Koharu seemed to age him another decade.
In just a few days, the so-called "Konoha F4" had been reduced to one.
He forced himself to focus and read the report carefully.
"There's something off about this," he said hoarsely.
"Oh?" Tsunade asked. "What's off?"
Hiruzen lifted his gaze slowly—thoughtful, probing.
He didn't speak immediately.
But the meaning in his eyes was clear.
Who benefits most from their deaths?
Especially while Tsunade was absent and Konoha's leadership thin?
Tsunade met his gaze, stunned for a split second before understanding the implication.
Her lips twitched uncontrollably.
Unbelievable.
She nearly got herself killed outside dealing with a demon child—and now she might have to shoulder suspicion for this too?
What a joke.
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