"The Land of Grass!" Tsunade's face was a mask of fury, mixed with compromise and unwillingness, as she bit out the name through clenched teeth.
Before Tsunade stood four elders, the founding figures of Konoha, the village's former wielders of power. Faced with Danzo, who had somehow obtained the information, Tsunade's decision to stall for time was instantly disrupted.
In truth, Tsunade knew they would find out sooner or later. She had intended to wait a bit longer, to see if Kakashi's investigation had made any progress. However, even if there was substantial evidence of Danzo framing Sakura, it wouldn't help the current situation at all. At most, it would only drag Danzo down with her.
The Will of Fire was the ideology of Konoha-first; anyone who dared to harm the village or act against its interests would be eliminated. The moment the First Hokage plunged his blade into Uchiha Madara's heart, the Will of Fire was officially born. This was the will passed down from the First Hokage: for the sake of the village, even brothers could turn their blades on each other.
As Hokage, Tsunade naturally understood this principle. She had understood it on the day she took office. For the safety of the village, Tsunade could not let personal feelings dictate her handling of this matter. Even if Sakura were still in the village, her act of assassinating the Fourth Mizukage, if without a justifiable reason, would warrant severe punishment.
Tsunade no longer wanted to dwell on whether Sakura had actually killed the Fourth Mizukage. Since Kirigakure had already issued the wanted poster, they wouldn't easily retract it. War needed a legitimate reason, even if that reason was false.
If a war started without provocation, that nation would become the target of all others. No one wanted to be neighbors with a mad country. Tsunade was in constant turmoil. In reality, even if the truth about Danzo's evil deeds came to light, it would have no effect on the current situation.
Even if Tsunade could prove that Sakura didn't kill the Fourth Mizukage, it would be futile. Wars between nations have never been preventable by so-called evidence. The only room for maneuver now was that Kirigakure didn't yet know Sakura's true identity.
To avoid war, the only way was to inform Kirigakure of Sakura's identity and jointly apprehend the rogue ninja, Haruno Sakura. But if that happened, Sakura would truly have nowhere to go. Clearly, clearly, the person who framed her disciple was right in front of her, yet she could do nothing.
Seeing what seemed to be a faint smile on Danzo's face, after Tsunade had uttered the words "Land of Grass," her anger could no longer be suppressed. She raised her hand and slammed it on the table. With a loud bang, the table instantly shattered into pieces.
Tsunade lunged forward, swinging her fist at Danzo with the force of a thunderbolt. Judging by Tsunade's momentum, she clearly wasn't holding back. If this punch landed, even if Danzo didn't die, he would lose half his life.
"You mustn't!"
Instantly, the voices of the Third Hokage and the two advisors rang out. The two advisors weren't strong enough to stop Tsunade; only the Third Hokage stepped forward, forming hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A grayish-brown rock wall appeared in front of Danzo. As expected of the Third Hokage, although it was an Earth Release technique, the extreme nature transformation had clearly turned the earth wall into a rock wall, its strength several times greater than an ordinary Earth-Style Wall.
Tsunade's fist struck the grayish-brown rock wall. Instantly, cracks spiderwebbed out from the point of impact on the hard wall, spreading outwards. Then, the wall shattered inch by inch, the debris fanning out.
The two advisors hastily dodged to the side, as did the Third Hokage. The broken stone fragments shot out like cannonballs in all directions. Danzo, directly facing the spread of debris, unhurriedly used his one good arm to deflect the fragments one by one with a kunai.
Although none of them were injured, how could the Hokage Building withstand such a commotion? Instantly, the ceiling of the Hokage's office was riddled with holes from the debris. With a few creaks, it could no longer hold, and then, with a crash, the roof of the Hokage Building collapsed.
Such a huge disturbance naturally alerted the ANBU. With a few whooshing sounds, ANBU operatives appeared amidst the ruins. Seeing no enemy, the ANBU looked at the assembled high-ranking officials in confusion.
"Hiruzen, this is the Hokage you recommended!" Danzo said unhurriedly, brushing the dust off his clothes. "If I hadn't received news of this matter, you should understand how much damage her concealment would cause the village!"
"Hmph, I never intended to hide anything," Tsunade said sharply. "Since it has come to this, I am now issuing a warrant for your arrest for the crime of harming and framing a comrade! ANBU, apprehend him!!"
Hearing the Hokage's command, the ANBU didn't move. Instead, they looked at the Third Hokage. One was the current Hokage, the other was the Second Hokage's disciple, the head of the ANBU training program, the former leader of Root. Most of these ANBU had been handed over to Tsunade by the Third Hokage. The Fifth Hokage's command didn't convince them, and the Third Hokage was still present, so they naturally looked to him.
The Third Hokage felt a headache coming on looking at the current situation. So, the conflict has finally erupted. The ANBU's reaction also disappointed the Third somewhat. It seemed that freeing the village completely from his prestige was still a long and arduous task. However, the Third Hokage didn't approve of Tsunade's order either.
"Is this your intention, Hiruzen?" Danzo ignored Tsunade and looked at the Third Hokage. Danzo knew very well that as long as the Third was alive, Tsunade's orders lacked absolute authority. If Danzo wanted to rise to power, he had to strive during this period while Tsunade's foundation was unstable and the Third had stepped down.
When the Fourth Hokage took office, it had also been an opportunity, but Danzo hadn't intended to become Hokage himself at that time. Besides, the Fourth Hokage's wife, Kushina, was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. If anything unexpected happened, it could cause losses to the village.
Danzo narrowed his eyes, watching the Third Hokage sink into reminiscence. When exactly did I start wanting to become Hokage myself? Right, it was in the handling of the Uchiha clan incident. It showed me that the Third Hokage was no longer as decisive as he used to be. If I had been Hokage, perhaps so much time wouldn't have been wasted.
And this time, if it were me, there wouldn't be so many troublesome matters. Hmph, Tsunade, you understand your disciple too little. Do you really think I forced her to leave the village for the position of Hokage? I was eliminating a potential threat to the village!!!
Although his actions against Tsunade during the Hokage transition had failed, when the village's interests were involved, he wouldn't be so shortsighted. But how could those of you who bask in the sunlight understand these things?
"Tsunade, what exactly do you want! Do you intend to betray Hiruzen's teachings?!"
Koharu Utatane's rebuke brought Danzo back to his senses. He turned his gaze to Tsunade and said slowly, "Harming a comrade? Isn't that what the rogue ninja Haruno Sakura did? And it seems you were just doing the same thing a moment ago."
"Hmph, old fool, do you need me to speak about what happened before I took office?!" Tsunade changed the subject. There was no progress on Sakura's framing; continuing on that topic would only put her in the wrong. But that matter wasn't so clean.
"What are you talking about?" Danzo said impassively. "Even the Hokage must provide convincing reasons."
Tsunade's expression faltered. Indeed, she had no conclusive evidence. After all, the ninja who had tried to assassinate her had been silenced. However, the injuries on the autopsy report could be considered evidence, if only she could find a corresponding ninja under Danzo. But there was a lot of room for manipulation in between.
That was a bit impulsive. Tsunade somewhat regretted her earlier actions. Apart from venting, it had achieved nothing substantial.
"That's enough!" the Third Hokage roared, looking at the tense scene. "ANBU, stand down!"
"Yes!" With the Third Hokage's order, the ANBU operatives breathed a sigh of relief and disappeared.
"Hiruzen!" Homura Mitokado shook his head. "Tsunade's current performance is unsuitable for the position of Hokage. So, until the Sixth Hokage is chosen, I'll have to trouble you."
If a Hokage could issue arrest warrants arbitrarily merely based on suspicion, then they were clearly unqualified. Every decision made by the Hokage would affect the village, so the Hokage's decisions had to be made with extreme caution.
Homura Mitokado had no desire for power, nor was he interested in it. He only cared about the village. Therefore, his assessment of Tsunade was not subjective in the slightest. As for Danzo having done many dirty deeds, not only did he know, but the Third Hokage also knew.
But everything Danzo did was for the benefit of the village. Homura Mitokado had never doubted this. And in fact, Danzo had been like this for decades. Although his methods weren't very honorable, he had secured many benefits for the village.
For comrades he had known for decades, Tsunade's mere suspicion couldn't shatter their established impressions. Therefore, in Homura's view, besides making rash decisions, Tsunade also couldn't bear the darkness. As a Hokage, you could reject darkness, but you couldn't avoid facing it.
In the competition between nations and villages, darkness was omnipresent. Even the Third Hokage had chosen to compromise, letting Danzo handle these dark matters.
"No." The Third Hokage shook his head upon hearing Homura's words. "I will not serve as Hokage again. You two don't know much about this matter. I can understand her, so give her some more time. She will be a good Hokage."
"Danzo!" The Third's tone changed, becoming stern. "Do not interfere in this matter. I will have ANBU monitor you."
Then he looked at the advisors. "You two have also worked hard today. I will talk to her. Please rest assured."
Hearing the Third's words, Danzo seemed somewhat displeased but said nothing more, turning and disappearing from the ruins of the Hokage Building.
"I hope, Hiruzen, that you will seriously consider this. This matter is of great importance. I don't believe she can handle it properly!" Homura Mitokado said gravely.
"I understand. Please don't worry. Let's leave it at that for today," the Third Hokage said perfunctorily.
Afterward, the two advisors also left. The Third Hokage looked at Tsunade again. Before he could speak, Tsunade snorted coldly and vanished with a Shunshin.
"Sigh!" The Third looked at the ruins, his expression somewhat desolate. As he lifted his foot to leave, his face suddenly flushed, and he covered his mouth, coughing violently.
"Lord Third Hokage." At this moment, an ANBU operative appeared before the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage looked at the ANBU operative. "It's Sasuke, isn't it? What is it?"
The ANBU removed his mask; it was indeed Sasuke. Sasuke looked at the hand the Third Hokage was discreetly holding behind his back, a strange look flashing across his face. Then he asked, "How do you intend to deal with Haruno Sakura?"
"Tsunade is the Hokage. The final decision on this matter rests with her," the Third Hokage said.
"How Lady Fifth Hokage decides will still depend on Lord Third's attitude," Sasuke said calmly.
The Third Hokage was silent for a moment, then said, "Please give me some time, Sasuke."
Sasuke looked at the Third's dejected expression, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I understand."
Then Sasuke left. The Third Hokage shook his head, staring blankly at the bloodstains on his hand. If Danzo did it, then something must have happened with Sakura that prompted him to do so. Having been comrades for decades, the Third understood Danzo's methods very well.
Danzo had often sacrificed individuals to protect the village's interests. The Third knew in his heart that if Danzo had done this, then Sakura must have been involved in something that would harm the village's interests, forcing Danzo to act.
As for Danzo using framing tactics, the Third could roughly guess why. Sakura was Tsunade's disciple, after all, and her strength was not weak. Framing would be a more reliable method.
But what exactly made Danzo judge that Sakura would harm the village's interests? When the incident first occurred, the Third had also been very angry. But as time passed and he calmed down, he realized that things might not be so simple.
Sakura was a promising seedling the Third had watched since she was young. After the incident, he had sent ANBU to investigate, but they hadn't found any intelligence indicating she had done anything to harm the village's interests. He hadn't expected that before this matter was resolved, Sakura would get into trouble again.
Questioning Danzo now was pointless. Even if the truth were revealed, the matter of the Mizukage's assassination still needed to be resolved.
Could it be... at the end of my life, I must become a root buried underground... Lord Second Hokage!