Meeting Furina's gaze, Mitokado Homura felt the pressure on him suddenly intensify. Now he understood what it felt like for Utatane Koharu to have been the main target earlier—it made it very hard to muster any thoughts of resistance.
"Furina, what Elder Homura said is actually true. The reason we gathered so many people here this time is precisely to discuss Danzo's past crimes. Elder Koharu was just a bit agitated because of her comrade's death."
Seeing that even Mitokado Homura—who was trying to smooth things over—was being put on the spot, Jiraiya had no choice but to step forward and take on the role of mediator, while constantly shooting glances at Tsunade beside him.
"Jiraiya is right. We're gathered here for exactly that purpose. To put it bluntly, Danzo deserved to die. Not only did that guy cause the downfall of the Uchiha clan for his own selfish reasons,
leading to a massive loss of strength for the village, but he even dared to desecrate Grandfather's body for the sake of Wood Release power. Even if the old man were still alive, I'd definitely have to have a serious talk with him about this."
Hearing Tsunade's clear and firm support, Jiraiya could not help but feel a bit surprised. Although he also believed Danzo's actions were very wrong, the man was still an elder of Konoha after all.
Was it really being brushed aside so easily now?
As the current Hokage, with Tsunade voicing such strong support, Danzo's death was essentially set in stone. Not only would there be no charge of attacking an elder, but it could even be framed as ridding Konoha of a scourge.
"As expected, Tsunade-sensei knows right from wrong."
Furina hadn't expected Tsunade to back her so openly. After all, as Hokage of Konoha, even though she had killed Danzo, she hadn't been hunted like Sasuke; at the very least, she expected some lecturing or scolding. She never thought it would turn out like this.
"In that case, it seems I misunderstood the two elders. I'm truly very sorry."
As Furina spoke, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura felt the immense pressure from earlier vanish along with her words. The oppressive atmosphere in the room dissipated just as quickly.
"..."
Although Furina had withdrawn her chakra, both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu wisely chose to remain silent. After all, just because she gave Tsunade face didn't mean she would do the same for them.
"Oh dear, it looks like you've completely surpassed me now, yet I didn't provide much help in the process. I really don't know whether I should feel relieved or disappointed."
"Haha, Hokage-sama, I can fully relate to that feeling of yours. I just didn't expect you'd end up becoming like me so quickly."
With Danzo's matter now settled, the surrounding atmosphere noticeably lightened. Tsunade and Kakashi began chatting casually about Furina, both wearing expressions full of emotion.
"Tsunade-sensei and Kakashi-sensei, you're too kind. You both provided a lot of help during my growth, and hearing you keep saying things like that is making me a little embarrassed."
"Embarrassed? I don't see even a hint of embarrassment on you. No need to play coy in front of us."
...
Noticing that no one was paying attention to them anymore, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura tactfully excused themselves first. After the two left, Tsunade—who had still been bantering—suddenly changed her tone, her expression turning noticeably more serious.
"By the way, Furina, do you want to become Hokage?"