Chapter 60: Tobirama Flips the Table, So She's Joining the Game
The Konoha defense camp was a grim sight, huddled on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
Senju Tobirama had bought them time, covering their retreat with his own body. It was the only reason Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had made it back to the relative safety of the camp at all. Of the six members of the original escort team, only five had returned. Uchiha Kagami had also vanished during the chaotic escape, last seen holding back their pursuers.
Now, the most elite jōnin in the encampment were gathered, their expressions grave as they prepared for a rescue mission. They would either bring Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Kagami back alive or, at the very least, retrieve their bodies.
They discussed countermeasures in hushed, urgent tones. The atmosphere grew even more solemn when a shinobi from the Nara clan reported that someone had seen Senju Stelle's figure flash across the border, heading straight for the Land of Lightning.
Stelle must have received intelligence about their plight. That was the only explanation for why she would rush into enemy territory alone. She had only just recovered from her own grievous injuries; there was no telling if she could survive such a reckless endeavor.
Why would she act so rashly at a time like this? Why hadn't she discussed it with any of them?
A heavy, suffocating weight settled in everyone's hearts.
Just as they finished assembling the jōnin team and were about to depart, a messenger ninja burst into the command tent.
"Report! Lord Tobirama has returned—"
"Sensei is back!"
A wave of pure joy washed over Hiruzen Sarutobi and his comrades. They didn't even wait for the messenger to finish, surging out of the tent in a rush of relief. But when they saw the scene before them, the hopeful smiles froze and then melted from their faces.
Senju Tobirama had indeed returned, but not on his own two feet. He was being carried on Senju Stelle's back, his head bowed so low his face was hidden from view. Only his hands were visible, hanging limp and swaying weakly at his sides with every step she took.
Behind her, Uchiha Kagami staggered along, severely wounded. His face was a deathly pale mask spattered with blood, but his eyes were a terrifying, vivid crimson. The distinct pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly within them as tears of blood streamed down his cheeks.
A Senju clansman saw the state of his leader and rushed forward, carefully taking Tobirama from Stelle's back and laying him gently onto a stretcher. Immediately, several medical-nin swarmed him, their hands glowing with green chakra as they desperately channeled healing techniques into his unmoving body.
As they worked, quiet, choked sobs began to escape their lips.
Had another of their clan heads fallen?
At this point, nothing more needed to be said. The outcome was painfully, brutally clear.
Soon, the sound of weeping echoed throughout the camp.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man who would one day be hailed as a hero of the shinobi world, was now just an impulsive, hot-blooded youth. He collapsed to his knees, the tears he held back finally breaking free as he cried openly on the dusty ground. During the retreat, he had been the one to volunteer to stay behind, to sacrifice himself. But in the end, his sensei had persuaded him to leave. He should have insisted.
If only he had insisted, his sensei wouldn't have died.
Why couldn't he have just insisted a little more?
Stelle had no desire to listen to the sounds of their grief. She turned away, and with a swift, precise chop to the neck, knocked out the struggling Uchiha Kagami before he could exhaust himself. She carried him to a tent and ordered a medical-nin to treat him. She had found him on her way back, surrounded and on the verge of death. She hadn't saved his life just to watch him burn himself out now.
The morale in the camp plummeted, sinking even lower than it had when Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had died. Back then, Senju Tobirama had still been there, a firm hand to take charge and guide the village through the storm.
Now, Tobirama was gone, too.
It felt as if all four of Konoha's top leaders had passed away overnight. The shinobi of the Leaf seemed to have lost their backbone, and a disorienting blend of confusion and sorrow spread through their ranks like a poison.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura barely managed to pull themselves together enough to take command, attempting to comfort everyone, but their words had little effect.
The most urgent task was to return to Konoha and elect a new Hokage to reassure the people. However, the armistice agreement between the Five Great Nations had not yet been signed. Even with Senju Tobirama dead, Konoha still had to send a representative to negotiate with the Kage of the other four great villages and secure the treaty.
If they returned to the village rashly and something went wrong at the border, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Soon, Konoha's new generation, led by Hiruzen, gathered to discuss who would attend the signing. Before, with Tobirama present, they were merely bodyguards. They could follow behind him, and even if they made a small mistake at the conference, it would be a trivial matter. If they had ideas, they could voice them to Tobirama; good ones would be adopted, and bad ones would cause no irreversible damage to Konoha.
Now, everything was different. They would be the ones facing the other four Kage directly. A single wrong word could bring disaster down upon the village. The pressure was immense.
Having grown accustomed to consulting Stelle in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen's first instinct was to seek her counsel.
"Konoha's high-ranking officials have suffered one incident after another, and the impact has been devastating," he began, his voice strained. "When we meet the Kage of the other four nations, they will definitely seize this opportunity to cause trouble and propose unequal demands. What are your thoughts on this, Stelle-san?"
'My thoughts?'Stelle mused internally.'I'll look with my eyes, what else?'Tobirama had already flipped the entire game board. If he wasn't worried, why should she be? He was truly carefree. Whatever he had been investigating, he should have just told her. Instead, he played his guessing games and left this colossal mess for Konoha to clean up. He was so confident that Hiruzen and the others could handle it.'Yes, they can handle it,'she thought with a flicker of irritation.'The original story said so. But why die when you can live? Does he enjoy stabbing me? Does it make him happy?'
She remembered her encounter with Kakuzu. She should have just stabbed herself then and there; then it wouldn't have been Tobirama's turn to do the honors.
Stelle rubbed her temples, not wanting to deal with anyone. She stood and started to walk out of the tent, but someone grabbed her hand. She shook it off without looking back.
'Don't bother me. Right now, I'm a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.'
"Stelle, pull yourself together!" Danzo suddenly roared, slamming his fist on the table. "At this moment, Konoha needs us! You can't remain so dispirited!"
Stelle glanced at him, her expressionless face betraying nothing. She found the scene utterly bizarre.
'Oh, Danzo,'she thought dryly.'Don't you know you're breaking character? This hot-blooded idiot act doesn't suit you at all. You should be aspiring to the title of Hokage, radiating a gloomy demeanor that screams 'villain' at a single glance.'
Right. Hokage.
Stelle's gaze shifted to Hiruzen. He was supposed to take over next, wasn't he? After he took office, facing pressure from the other four nations, he would almost certainly be forced to continue the war. Even if a ceasefire was achieved, Konoha would suffer a huge blow, and the existing system might even be shattered.
She sighed. Not logging off last time was the biggest mistake she had ever made.
'Alright, alright. So this is how we're playing, is it? Fine. Then let's play a big one.'
Tobirama flipped the table. She couldn't be blamed for bringing a new one and joining the game herself. Before, when they were all at the table, she had been content to stand by and watch the show. Now, she would sit down herself. And whether or not the table got flipped again would be her decision. No one would be able to overrule her.
Stelle turned, walked back to her seat, and sat down, her earlier agitation replaced by a chilling calm.
"The most important thing now," she said, her voice cutting through the tension, "is how to sign a favorable agreement with the Four Great Nations while preserving Konoha's strength."
She met their gazes, one by one. "From this moment on, I will temporarily serve as Hokage. All of you will assist me in signing the agreement. If anyone has any objections, you may raise them now."
The others looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them. No one objected. Senju Stelle had practically grown up in the Hokage Building, learning under the tutelage of all four of their greatest leaders. Her abilities were outstanding, far beyond what any of them could hope to match.
Only by entrusting this to her could they feel at ease.
Seeing no dissent, Stelle nodded, satisfied. If anyone had been foolish enough to fight for power at a time like this, she would have killed them on the spot.
"Good. Then it's settled," she declared. "Now, I will trouble you all to escort me to the meeting location."
"What if the other Kage take this opportunity to propose harsh demands?" Hiruzen asked, raising a very reasonable point. "How should we respond? What is our bottom line? If it comes to compensation, how many resources would be appropriate? Shouldn't we discuss this thoroughly to minimize our losses?"
"And if we can't reach an agreement and war breaks out, how can we ensure a safe retreat?" This question came from a now-composed Uchiha Kagami.
Stelle offered them a thin, confident smile.
"Don't worry. I have everything under control. You just need to follow my lead."
'Heh, compensation?'she thought with dark amusement.'Konoha has already gone through three Hokage. How can the founding Kage of the other villages still be sitting so comfortably in their chairs? It's time for all of you to step down.'
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