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Kikyō Pass—the site of the most brutal battle from the Third Great Ninja War. For years after the conflict ended, the stench of death lingered on the mountain. Even the new grass that sprouted each spring seemed tainted with blood.
And that very battlefield, Kikyō Pass, was now the new site for Konoha's reconstruction.
After Konoha sought refuge in the Sand Village, the Daimyō of the Land of Fire couldn't eat or sleep. The day the Leaf villagers were recalled, he dispatched his master craftsmen to oversee the project.
Now, the base of the mountain was a sea of tents.
Konoha's shinobi and civilians toiled day and night, aided by the Land of Fire's artisans.
On a watchtower outside the construction perimeter, Neji, on patrol, scanned the surroundings with his Byakugan.
Suddenly, a massive cluster of chakra signatures appeared in the distance. He focused his vision. It was the Sand shinobi who had stayed behind to help, and they were returning!
"They're finally back…"
Just as Neji felt a surge of relief, his eyes locked onto a figure in the crowd. It was unmistakably… Tsunade!
"It's the Hokage!!!"
"What…!? The Hokage!!!"
Kotetsu and Izumo leaped onto the watchtower, scrambling for their telescopes.
"Lord Hokage! It really is Lord Hokage! She's returned safely!!!"
The news spread like wildfire. People dropped their lumber and stone, abandoning their work to gather at the village's edge.
"Lady Tsunade, you've finally returned! We… we all thought something terrible had happened to you!"
Shizune, Ino, and the others had tears in their eyes.
Tsunade stepped forward from the crowd. "Everyone… I've made you worry."
The clan heads present also wore expressions of relief.
The Hokage was Konoha's soul.
A Konoha without its Hokage was just dead leaves on withered branches.
But Tsunade's safe return didn't bring universal joy. It also unleashed a torrent of pent-up resentment and rage.
"You came back at just the right time. There are some things we'd like to ask you… to your face."
A group of veteran Konoha civilians, having organized themselves, stepped out from the throng. Their leader's expression was hostile. "Where were you when the village was attacked?!"
Before Tsunade could answer, Shizune snapped, "Lord Hokage was at the Daimyō's palace on official business! Everyone knows that!"
"Oh? Official business?" The man smirked, as if he'd been waiting for that exact line. "Then let me ask you this: where did that 'official business' come from? Wasn't it because our Hokage here decided to start that stupid shinobi alliance on her own? If it weren't for that, would she have even needed to go to the Daimyō?!"
Shizune shouted, "You're being unreasonable! The alliance and the attack on Konoha are two completely separate matters! How can you confuse them?!"
"Separate?! All I know is, if you had stayed in the village, if your medical ninjutsu had been here as a safeguard, maybe their parents, their lovers, their children, their friends wouldn't have died! It was your dereliction of duty that got them killed! One of them was my child! He was only three…!"
"This is madness! Who could have predicted something like this?!"
"Fine! Then let's not talk about that! Let's talk about choosing that damned Uzumaki Naruto! The attack on the village was his doing, wasn't it?! Ever since you became Hokage, your coddling and protection of that boy have been plain for everyone to see!"
"That's right! Out of respect for the Hokage, we even tried to accept that kid as one of us. And what was the result?!"
"The result was that brat bit the hand that fed him! He betrayed our trust!"
"Thanks to him, many of us have lost our families! Our homes are gone!"
"To all of this! Tsunade, what do you have to say for yourself?!"
Might Guy couldn't listen any longer. He took a step forward.
"I have stated this repeatedly! Naruto was under someone else's control when he attacked the village!"
Someone in the crowd sneered. "Yeah, yeah. And the one controlling him was Madara Uchiha, right?"
"Stop lying to us! A man who's been dead for decades—how could he come back from the grave?!"
"Do you really think we have no common sense? That we'll just believe whatever you shinobi feed us?!"
"We've seen the dead come back before! Just last year, with Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation! That's how the Third died!"
"But that was clearly not the Impure World Reincarnation!"
"Exactly! Do you think we're blind?! There's a limit to passing the buck! Don't try to pin everything on a dead man! It was Uzumaki Naruto! That ungrateful wretch even used the Nine-Tails' power!"
Asuma spoke up, indignant. "You only saw him use the Tailed Beast Bomb! Did you not see him wield Uchiha powers?! If that was really Naruto, how could he be so proficient with the Sharingan's abilities?!"
"Hah, what's so strange about that?! There are people who aren't from the Senju clan but can use Wood Style, aren't there?! Konoha's been doing cell experiments for ages!"
"And let's take a huge step back! Even if Naruto was controlled, so what?! Who put him in a position to BE controlled?! Wasn't it our esteemed Hokage, letting such a dangerous element train far from Konoha's oversight, that led to this disaster?! Hokage, what do you have to say to that?!"
"Hokage! Do you even know who saved us in the final moments, who covered our retreat?! It was the two great elders of Konoha, who opposed your irrational decisions time and again! When everyone else was helpless, they used their aged bodies to forge a path to survival for us! And you, the Hokage with the 'guts' to throw them off a building, where were you?! Lord Hokage… it's become very difficult for us to support you any longer!"
Shizune was livid. "This is preposterous! Blaming everything on Lord Hokage, you people…"
"Enough… Shizune!"
Tsunade's voice cut through Shizune's defense.
Then, under the gaze of everyone present, she stepped forward.
"Yes. The one who indulged and was lenient with Naruto was me. The one who showed Naruto excessive care was me. The one who allowed Naruto to train far from oversight was me."
Her voice was steady, heavy with acceptance. "And that things ended up this way is an undeniable fact. I do not intend to shirk any responsibility. If accusations and curses can help you vent all the pain and anger you've built up… then go ahead. I… have already decided to resign from the position of Hokage. So, nothing you do here today will be held against you."
A long, tense silence followed.
Then—ptooey—a wad of spit landed squarely on Tsunade's cheek.
Shizune gasped. "You…!"
"No one is to interfere…!"
Tsunade closed her eyes. "This is what I deserve."
If this… can lessen the hatred in your hearts for Naruto, I am willing to be drowned in your spit.
Ptooi! Ptooey…!
The Konoha civilians, their resentment with nowhere else to go, surged forward in response… unleashing a storm of spittle.
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