The entrance to the Hokage Building was packed.
"You're drawing quite the crowd," Tsunade muttered, eyeing the throng of villagers, clan representatives, and ninja assembled outside. Uchiha, Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho—practically every major family had sent someone. "This is getting ridiculous."
Hanekawa observed the scene with mild amusement. If we added the Fire Daimyo, we could just skip straight to the succession ceremony.
"What are you grinning about?" Tsunade flicked his forehead without warning.
"Nothing, Teacher." He rubbed the spot, fighting back a smile. She really can't help herself.
They climbed the stairs to the Hokage's office, passing a stream of ninja who practically fell over themselves greeting Tsunade. She kicked the door open without ceremony—apparently she had a personal grudge against that particular piece of furniture.
Lord Third was waiting, unsurprised by the dramatic entrance.
"Tsunade. You've done excellent work." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled warmly. "Eliminating Hanzo removes a significant threat to the village."
"Then you already know everything. No need for a report." Tsunade tossed a scroll onto his desk. "Hanzo's body. Send it to Interrogation."
An ANBU operative appeared and vanished with the scroll.
Hiruzen produced a passbook. "Your reward for the S-rank mission. And I've added an extra ten million ryō as a personal bonus."
Tsunade's eyes gleamed. "Now that's what I call gratitude."
"And the rest of you?" Hiruzen turned to the others. "Ninja tools, jutsu, or money—name it."
"I don't need anything!" Might Guy practically vibrated with excitement. "The village's recognition is all the springtime of youth requires!"
Hiruzen smiled genuinely. "Then from today forward, you're a special jonin. Your dedication to the Will of Fire is admirable."
Kurenai fell silent, clearly weighing her options. Between the water techniques she'd already learned from the Second Hokage and her father's genjutsu expertise, choosing felt impossible.
Hanekawa leaned over and whispered something in her ear.
Her eyes widened. "I want the Dark Walk Technique."
Hiruzen blinked. "That's... an interesting choice. Are you certain?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Smart girl, Hanekawa thought. The Dark Walk was an A-rank genjutsu—powerful enough to counter even Sharingan users. Perfect for someone like Kurenai who wanted to prove ordinary illusion ninjas could still be formidable.
Rin's gaze drifted to Hanekawa, clearly waiting for guidance.
He met her eyes and blinked. Right. My turn to pick.
Rin was talented enough that medical ninjutsu alone would serve her well. But medical ninja needed range, needed safety. Close-quarters combat would get her killed.
"The Spirit Transformation Technique," Hanekawa said quietly.
Rin's eyebrows shot up. "That's—"
"An S-rank forbidden technique," Hiruzen finished, his expression skeptical. "Technically, you haven't earned that level of reward."
"I'll vouch for her." Tsunade's tone made it clear this wasn't a request.
Hiruzen hesitated only briefly before nodding. Smart man. Never argue with Tsunade when she's already in a good mood.
"As for me," Hanekawa said, "I came from an orphanage. I don't need jutsu. I just want to help the director and the orphanage become independent."
Hiruzen's expression softened immediately. "That shows excellent character, Hanekawa. What kind of help?"
"I hope they won't be controlled by anyone anymore," Hanekawa said meaningfully.
The Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly. He understood perfectly. Nonō Yakushi and the orphanage had been under Danzo's thumb for years—a fact he'd tolerated but never approved of.
"I'll speak with Nonō personally," Hiruzen said. "Consider it done."
Relief flooded through Hanekawa. One death prevented. Not bad for a day's work.
"There's one more thing," Tsunade said, her tone shifting. "We found a Root operative in the Land of Rain."
Hanekawa produced another scroll.
Hiruzen's jaw tightened as he took it. "Danzo mentioned something about this. He claimed Hanzo deceived the operative into defecting."
"That's complete nonsense!" Tsunade's fist came down on the desk.
There was a sickening crack.
The desk split cleanly in half. Documents scattered everywhere. Kurenai and Rin exchanged horrified glances.
Hanekawa's expression went carefully blank. Of course she did that.
Among the scattered papers, he spotted two familiar books—novels by the author Rai Kaen. Well. At least the Hokage has taste.
"I didn't say I believed him," Hiruzen said mildly, rescuing documents with obvious heartache. "What do you intend to do about Danzo?"
"That depends on you," Tsunade replied.
Hiruzen stood. "Aoi. Clean this up and summon Danzo."
The ANBU captain appeared with four operatives. Within minutes, the destroyed desk and scattered files were gone, leaving an empty office.
"The rest of you should go," Hiruzen said carefully.
"Hanekawa stays," Tsunade countered.
Hiruzen glanced at her, then nodded. She's building his reputation. Might as well let her.
After Rin and Kurenai left, there was a long silence.
Then Danzo Shimura entered.
He wasn't surprised to see Tsunade. He'd expected this confrontation eventually.
"Do you understand what you've done?" Hiruzen asked quietly.
"I've done nothing wrong," Danzo replied calmly. "If you're referring to the Land of Rain, I explained yesterday—those were unauthorized actions."
"Hanzo's body has been delivered to Interrogation," Hiruzen said flatly.
Danzo's composure cracked. The Yamanaka clan could extract memories from corpses. They would learn everything.
"I worked with Hanzo," Danzo admitted. "But everything I did was for Konoha's protection."
"Hanzo was Konoha's enemy. You aided him. That violates every principle this village stands for." Hiruzen's voice was ice. "Effective immediately, Root is disbanded. You will return home and contemplate your actions."
"No!" Danzo's eye widened. "Hiruzen, you can't—I've bled for this village! I've sacrificed everything!"
"There is no negotiation on this matter."
"You'll regret this!" Danzo's voice shook with rage and fear. "You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Hiruzen stood, and despite his modest height, an aura of absolute authority filled the room. The legendary ninja—the one Danzo had known in his youth—had returned.
Danzo took an involuntary step backward. Whatever he'd been about to say died in his throat. He turned and left without another word.
"This matter ends here," Hiruzen said to Tsunade, his tone gentle again. "Danzo has served the village for many years."
"Fine," Tsunade said. She understood—this was already the maximum punishment Hiruzen could justify. Disbanding Root was a devastating blow to Danzo's power. "Send those jutsu techniques over."
They left the office together.
Behind them, Hiruzen sat heavily in his chair and sighed. If no one had known about this, I could have ignored it. But Tsunade... when she knows, the whole village will know. And I can't have that scandal.
He'd made this decision partly because of Tsunade's pressure, yes. But also because he was genuinely angry. Danzo needed to learn that even he had limits.
"Bring Nonō Yakushi," he said to the empty room.
Within ten minutes, the director of Konoha Hospital arrived, breathless.
"Root has been disbanded," Hiruzen announced without preamble. "From now on, you'll focus entirely on running the hospital. You don't need to worry about Danzo anymore."
Nonō stared at him in shock. Then understanding dawned—the rumors about Hanzo's death, Tsunade and Hanekawa's arrival today...
That boy.
A genuine smile spread across her face. Warmth bloomed in her chest. What a good child.