Teizawa walked out of the Hokage's office in a good mood.
Sunlight spilled in through the corridor windows and fell over him, warm and pleasant.
He stretched and was just about to head downstairs when a figure stepped out from around the corner and blocked his path.
Shizune stood there, still holding Tonton in her arms.
Her eyes stared straight at him.
They were filled with conflict and hesitation, along with an emotion that was hard to describe.
"What is it, little Shizune? Need something?"
Teizawa leaned against the wall, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
His gaze swept over her face.
Shizune frowned.
"You're not even older than me. Don't call me that."
Teizawa laughed.
"But there's always something about me that's bigger than yours."
Shizune froze for a moment, then realized what he meant.
Or rather, she thought of something else.
Her cheeks suddenly flushed red.
The blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, then down her neck.
She bit her lip, lowered her head, and cursed in a muffled voice, "Pervert."
"What are you thinking?"
Teizawa looked innocent.
"I meant courage."
He spread his hands.
"I was able to become Kazekage and survive who knows how many dangers along the way. Of course I'm braver than you."
The corner of Shizune's mouth twitched.
She lifted her head and glared at Teizawa.
She wanted to say something, but swallowed it back down.
This man was clearly doing it on purpose.
She took a deep breath and forced down her embarrassment.
"All right, I won't tease you anymore." Teizawa put away his smile. "Tell me. What did you come to me for?"
Shizune's expression became serious.
Her arms tightened slightly around Tonton, and she was silent for a few seconds.
"What exactly happened between you and Tsunade-sama?"
She raised her head and looked directly into Teizawa's eyes.
"Tsunade-sama has been getting stranger and stranger lately."
"Oh?"
Teizawa raised an eyebrow, and a meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"You don't know?"
Shizune froze.
"I know?"
What was she supposed to know?
Her brows furrowed even tighter.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, but each one was like mist, impossible to grasp.
Teizawa looked around, leaned closer to her, and lowered his voice.
"Come find me tonight. I'll tell you the story between us."
Shizune's pupils contracted slightly.
"Can't you say it now?"
Her voice also tightened.
"This concerns Tsunade's lifelong innocence. It concerns the dignity of the Hokage..."
Teizawa lowered his voice even further, until only the two of them could hear him.
"Are you sure you want me to say it here? Careful. Walls have ears."
He straightened, patted her shoulder, and his tone returned to that lazy, unserious drawl.
"If you want to know, come find me tonight."
"I know you're worried about Tsunade, right?"
After saying that, he winked at Shizune, turned, and walked away.
His steps were unhurried, and his dark-gold robe carried a faint sheen beneath the sunlight.
Soon, he vanished at the end of the corridor.
Shizune stood where she was, motionless.
Tonton poked its head out of her arms and gave an oink.
She lowered her head to look at Tonton, her eyes equally lost.
Then she lifted her head and looked in the direction where Teizawa had disappeared, her brows tightly knitted.
Go find him tonight?
Of course she knew what that meant.
When a man told a woman to come find him at night, how could anything good come of it?
But he said it concerned Tsunade-sama's innocence.
The dignity of the Hokage...
Her fingers unconsciously stroked Tonton's back.
Her heart was beating as fast as a drum.
Go. Tsunade-sama really has been getting stranger and stranger lately.
As the person closest to Tsunade-sama, she ought to know the truth.
But what if that Kazekage had bad intentions?
He was the Kazekage, yes, but he was also a man.
Shizune bit her lip and hesitated for a long time.
Sunlight slowly shifted over and fell on her, warm and soft.
She lifted her head, looked at the blue sky outside the window, and took a deep breath.
Fine. She would go. She wanted to see exactly what that Kazekage intended to say.
At worst...
At worst, she would bring Tonton with her.
Tonton would protect her.
Tonton oinked in her arms.
She lowered her head to look at it, then nodded solemnly.
After Teizawa returned to the inn, he did not go out again.
He leaned back in the chair by the window, holding a cup of tea in his hand.
His gaze rested on the stretch of sky outside, dyed red by the setting sun.
Reports were delivered one after another.
Sunagakure's ANBU intelligence network in Konoha was far more efficient than he had imagined.
Those spies in plain clothes moved through Konoha's streets and alleys like ants, gathering everything they saw and heard into written reports, then delivering them to him.
Every member of Konoha's ANBU had been mobilized.
The major clans were moving their shinobi frequently.
Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka... every clan had dispatched elites.
Their target was surprisingly consistent: the Forest of Death.
The Root base that had hidden in the shadows for decades was finally being exposed beneath the sun.
Teizawa put down his teacup and turned to another intelligence report.
Tsunade had gotten into a fierce argument with the two elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, in the Hokage's office.
The exact content was unknown.
But it was said that when the two elders left, their expressions were ashen.
The corner of Teizawa's mouth rose slightly.
He lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Konoha's tolerance of Danzo, in the end, had to be traced back to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
That old man known as the Professor.
His lenience toward his old friend had reached the point of near-cowardice.
He clearly knew Danzo was scheming in the shadows. He clearly knew Danzo coveted the Hokage's position. He clearly knew Danzo's hands were soaked in blood.
Yet he had never acted against him.
It was not that he could not.
It was that he could not bear to.
Koharu and Homura were the same.
They and Danzo belonged to the same generation.
They had gone through war together. They had built Konoha together.
That bond had made them look the other way again and again.
But now, the Third was dead.
Tsunade sat in the Hokage's seat.
She was not the Third. She would not be soft-hearted toward Danzo.
It was just that she had never had enough evidence.
Without evidence, she could not move against Danzo.
The two elders would not agree. The major clans would not support her.
She could not bring down one of Konoha's founding elders based on her anger alone.
So she endured.
She had endured for so long.
But now, she had the evidence.
Teizawa put down his teacup, his gaze falling on the intelligence report lying on the table.
He had dug up Danzo's research into the First Hokage's cells.
That was not merely a matter of harming shinobi from his own village.
It was a desecration of Hashirama Senju.
That man was Tsunade's grandfather. He was the founder of Konoha.
He was the peak no Konoha shinobi dared cross in their hearts.
Danzo using his cells for experiments was no different from digging up his grave.
Could Tsunade endure that?
The curve of Teizawa's mouth deepened.
"Danzo's good days in Konoha are over."
He rose and walked to the window.
The setting sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving only the last trace of dark red at the edge of the sky.
One by one, lights began to glow through Konoha's streets and alleys.
Villagers who had been busy all day started returning home.
Shinobi who had been carrying out missions all day returned to the village one after another.
No one knew that beneath this calm surface, a storm was brewing.
Teizawa tucked both hands into his sleeves.
He looked at the gradually darkening sky, the hint of a smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
"Danzo, Danzo. Don't die too quickly."
He turned and walked back to the table, then poured himself another cup of tea.
He had no intention of joining the excitement tonight.
After all, Konoha had too many important people.
When the result came out, he could go in as the oriole behind the mantis.
As for tonight...
Shizune would probably come, wouldn't she?
That woman was much easier to deceive than Tsunade.
(End of Chapter)
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