Not long after Mei left, a Sand shinobi entered, dropped to one knee, and spoke in a low voice.
"Kazekage-sama, the Four-Tails transport team was attacked again."
He paused.
"Same as before. The attackers killed themselves immediately after being captured. Their tongues were marked with a seal."
"There was nothing on their bodies that could identify them."
Teizawa set down his teacup and narrowed his eyes.
Danzō really refused to give up.
He had sent men once.
Then a second time.
Would there be a third?
The old man was clearly determined to keep the Four-Tails in Konoha.
If he couldn't have it, then no one else would.
Even clay figures had tempers.
Much less him.
"Send the bodies to Tsunade."
Teizawa's voice was calm, as though he were discussing something trivial.
"And give her a message."
He paused.
"Tell her her seat as Hokage doesn't seem very secure. Ask whether she needs me to dispose of Danzō for her."
The Sand shinobi looked up in surprise for a moment, then lowered his head again.
"Yes, sir."
He rose and left the room.
Teizawa leaned back in his chair and let out a cold laugh.
Danzō had stirred up trouble again and again.
Did he really think Teizawa would indulge him the way Konoha did?
This was Konoha, so Teizawa was giving Tsunade face.
That did not mean he owed Danzō the same courtesy.
That old man had hidden in Root's shadows for too long.
Long enough to forget what the outside world looked like.
Did he think that being Konoha's darkness meant he could do as he pleased?
Did he think everyone would tolerate him the way the Third had?
Teizawa rose to his feet, the corner of his mouth flattening.
The setting sun was sinking below the horizon, painting all of Konoha dark red.
Tomorrow, Iwagakure's people were supposed to arrive.
Tomorrow, the Four-Tails would finally reach its conclusion.
Danzō had chosen to act now,
at the very last moment.
His goal was obvious.
He wanted to throw everything into chaos before the end and make sure the Four-Tails never left Konoha.
A cold smile touched Teizawa's lips.
Fine.
Then they would see whose methods were sharper.
…
In the Hokage's office,
Tsunade stared at the corpse in front of her, her face dark.
Its tongue had been pried open.
The mark at the base was clear.
She knew that pattern far too well.
Root.
Shizune stood behind her, barely daring to breathe.
The Sand shinobi delivering the body was still kneeling on the floor.
He repeated Teizawa's words exactly.
"He asked whether you needed him to… dispose of Danzō for you."
Tsunade's hand clenched, loosened, then clenched again.
Her face shifted from iron-gray to pale, then from pale to red.
"That bastard."
She ground the words out through her teeth.
"Who does he think he is? Since when is it his place to meddle in Konoha's affairs?"
The Sand shinobi kept his head lowered and said nothing.
Tsunade took a deep breath. Then another.
Of course she knew why Teizawa had said it.
Danzō had touched something he should not have touched and crossed a line he should not have crossed.
In his own way, Teizawa was telling her:
Your people. Your problem. If you will not handle it, I will.
Of course she could deal with Danzō herself.
She was Hokage. Danzō ultimately answered to her.
But he was also Root's leader, a senior figure in Konoha, and someone even the Third had been reluctant to move against.
If she struck him, Konoha's internal balance would shake.
If she did nothing, Danzō would keep causing trouble.
Teizawa's words were an offered blade.
"Go back and tell your Kazekage this…"
Tsunade's voice was cold as ice.
"Konoha's affairs will be handled by Konoha. He need not concern himself."
The Sand shinobi lifted his head.
"Yes."
He stood and withdrew from the office.
The door closed.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair and shut her eyes.
Her temples throbbed.
Shizune asked cautiously,
"Lady Tsunade… what about Danzō?"
"Leave it."
Tsunade opened her eyes, her expression hard and cold.
"If he dares move again, I'll deal with him myself."
Shizune nodded and did not dare ask more.
Tsunade looked out the window at the sky sinking into darkness.
Silently, she cursed those two bastards eight hundred times over.
Danzō was a bastard.
Teizawa was a bastard too.
One stabbed from the shadows. The other handed her the knife in broad daylight.
And she was stuck in the middle.
But at least…
the bastard handing her the knife was standing on her side.
She sighed and walked to the window.
Far away, the inn's lights were glowing.
She wondered what that bastard was doing now.
…
That same night,
in the inn where Sunagakure was staying, inside Teizawa's room,
Samui pushed herself upright from the bed and drew a deep breath.
Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks flushed.
A thin sheen of sweat glimmered on her forehead.
"I did what you asked."
Her voice was hoarse, with a trace of anger forced down beneath it.
"So are you going to keep your promise?"
Teizawa sat against the headboard, looking entirely innocent.
"I've already agreed to everything I was supposed to."
"I'm talking about the Four-Tails!"
Samui bit out the words, keeping her voice low.
But the anger underneath them still bled through.
"You promised me. Seventy billion, and in exchange the Four-Tails would go to Kumogakure."
Teizawa answered lazily,
"A deal is a deal. I already gave my word to Iwagakure. Now I'm waiting for their money."
"You…"
Samui's chest rose sharply.
"You promised me that for seventy billion, you'd hand the Four-Tails to us."
"Then why did you agree to Kitsuchi's offer if he only bid the same amount?"
Teizawa looked at her and smiled slightly.
"Because I know," he said unhurriedly, "that his seventy billion won't arrive in time."
Samui froze.
"What do you mean?"
Teizawa countered, "Hasn't Kumogakure been trying to stop the Iwa shinobi from bringing the money back to Konoha these past few days?"
Samui frowned and was silent for a moment.
"Yes."
She admitted it.
"But we failed. They sent too many strong escorts. We…"
"Of course you failed."
Teizawa cut her off, sounding certain.
"Kitsuchi isn't stupid. The people he sent are Iwagakure's best escort unit."
"How many shinobi does Kumogakure even have in Konoha right now? There was no way you were stopping them."
Samui fell silent.
He was right.
They had not stopped them.
Tomorrow was the fifth day.
The money would most likely arrive.
And if it did, the Four-Tails would still go to Iwagakure.
Everything she had done would have been for nothing.
Teizawa watched the frustration on her face and then smiled.
"There is still one way."
Samui looked up sharply.
Teizawa's tone stayed calm.
"If you want Kumogakure to win this, then stop waiting for luck and act before the money arrives."
Samui stared at him.
"You mean attack the convoy?"
"That," Teizawa said, "or anything else that keeps the transfer from going through."
He held her gaze.
"If the seventy billion never reaches Konoha, then Iwagakure's bid is void. The auction opens again. And the Four-Tails remains in play."
Samui's mind raced.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Teizawa was giving her a path.
Not an easy one. Not a clean one.
But a real one.
"You're asking me to gamble everything on one last move."
"I'm telling you the truth."
He watched her steadily.
"Tomorrow is the deadline. If you want the Four-Tails, this is your final chance."
Samui lowered her head and gripped the edge of the blanket, knuckles pale.
Teizawa did not rush her.
He simply watched.
After a long silence, she looked up again.
"Let me think."
Her voice was very soft.
Teizawa nodded.
"Give me your answer before noon tomorrow."
Samui said nothing more.
She got dressed, and when she reached the door, she paused and looked back at him.
"You really are a terrible person."
Her voice was rough.
Teizawa smiled.
"I know."
The door closed behind her.
Teizawa leaned back against the headboard and looked at it for a while, the smile on his lips gradually deepening.
Tomorrow would be decisive.
One way or another, the Four-Tails would have an owner by the end of it.
(End of Chapter)
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