Konoha Village.
At the battlefield not far from the Root headquarters, the internal conflict had finally subsided. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu stood together, their bodies trembling uncontrollably as they stared at the ground littered with the corpses of Root ninja. Their faces were a ghastly pale, alternating with flashes of furious indignation.
On the battlefield, ninja from the Hokage's direct ANBU guard and the Jonin Squad had already begun the grim task of clearing the area.
Thump, thump, thump~
Not far from Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, Nara Shikaku walked steadily towards them.
Seeing Nara Shikaku approach, Mitokado Homura, his face contorted with barely suppressed rage, demanded, "This was a blatant, naked rebellion! Who gave the Military Police Force the authority to wantonly slaughter Root ninja who have made significant contributions to the village? Nara Shikaku, before the Third Hokage departed, he entrusted you with the grave responsibility of safeguarding the village. Is this how you execute that vital task?"
Having drawn near, Nara Shikaku faced Mitokado Homura's furious accusations. He remained silent for several seconds before finally replying, his voice calm but firm, "Elder Homura, in this matter, it was Danzo and Root who first violated Lord Hokage's explicit prohibition order. The Military Police Force was merely assisting me in urgently dealing with Root's rebellion."
Mitokado Homura was practically apoplectic with rage. "Danzo had an official letter of appointment from the Daimyo! They were not in rebellion!"
Nara Shikaku lowered his head slightly, his voice deceptively mild, yet carrying an undeniable edge. "Since when could the position of Konoha's Hokage be directly appointed by the Daimyo?"
Hearing this, Mitokado Homura's furious tirade faltered for a moment. He paused for several seconds, then his anger flared anew. "That was merely an expedient measure taken under special circumstances! They were only acting out of consideration for the village's prestige and stability!"
Nara Shikaku shook his head slowly. "Regardless of the circumstances, without a direct order from Lord Hokage, Danzo and Root should never have left the Root headquarters. Moreover, the village has received absolutely no official word whatsoever regarding Lord Hokage being ambushed and injured. That was merely Danzo's unsubstantiated claim. How could such a claim be used as justification to openly defy Lord Hokage's previously issued orders? Esteemed Elders, the most pressing matter at hand now is for us to quickly convene a high-level meeting to discuss how to handle the aftermath of these events."
"The aftermath?" Mitokado Homura shrieked, his voice cracking with hysteria. "An elder who has rendered distinguished service to the village for decades, and an entire organization that has silently protected Konoha from the shadows for just as long, have been openly slaughtered by you, right before our very eyes! And you still expect me to cooperate with you in handling the 'aftermath'? In your dreams! I will absolutely not let this matter rest! You, the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance, and the Military Police Force—you must all give us a satisfactory explanation!"
Beside him, Utatane Koharu, who had been severely injured by Tatsuya's earlier kick, clutched her wounded side, her head bowed, and remained silent throughout Homura's outburst. In the past, she would undoubtedly have stood firmly by Mitokado Homura's side. But after experiencing the preceding events, particularly her own harrowing encounter with Tatsuya, Utatane Koharu had been… "persuaded" by a rather brutal form of truth. She had come to understand two crucial things with stark clarity: Danzo was unreliable, and Tatsuya Akimichi was absolutely not someone to be trifled with. In the current situation, with the overall outcome already decided, what meaning was there in continuing to stubbornly butt heads with Tatsuya Akimichi, who had clearly and undeniably grown into a formidable power? Not only would she herself likely suffer further grievous harm, but the village would also be further damaged and its strength depleted by such internal strife.
Watching Mitokado Homura's furious, almost unhinged ranting, Nara Shikaku also felt a headache coming on. These old geezers… they were still so damned stubborn! Fortunately, the many elite ninja from various clans who had been observing the confrontation earlier had all since departed; they wouldn't witness this unseemly, embarrassing scene.
"What kind of explanation are you looking for?" Just as Nara Shikaku was grappling with his frustration, a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, calm and indifferent, as if the speaker were standing right next to him.
Startled, Nara Shikaku whipped his head around and saw Tatsuya standing nonchalantly not far away, an air of casual confidence about him. At Tatsuya's feet, a kunai marked with the special seal formula of the Flying Thunder God Technique was embedded in the ground.
Seeing Tatsuya return, a look of relief spread across Nara Shikaku's face, while Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's expressions changed drastically, their faces paling even further. Mitokado Homura, in particular, saw his earlier furious bluster instantly transform into palpable fear. His gaze darted nervously all over Tatsuya, as if desperately trying to discern if Danzo had somehow, miraculously, managed to escape.
"Brother Shikaku, Danzo has been dealt with. What's the situation with the remaining Root forces?" Ignoring the terrified expressions of Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, Tatsuya glanced at the ANBU and Jonin Squad ninja who were still clearing the battlefield, his tone casual, almost dismissive.
Tatsuya spoke lightly, but his words struck the three listeners—Shikaku, Homura, and Koharu—with the force of a thunderclap, shaking them to their core. Danzo, the man known as the "Darkness of Konoha," was dead? Just like that?
Nara Shikaku, after a moment of stunned silence, quickly recovered his composure. "The situation is under control," he confirmed. "There won't be any further disturbances from them."
Tatsuya nodded upon hearing this, then his gaze swept dismissively over Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu before he continued, his voice cold, "Very good. These cancerous tumors should have been eradicated long ago. Their very existence only hinders Konoha's development and progress."
Hearing Tatsuya's pointed, thinly veiled words, both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's expressions changed yet again, a mixture of fear and indignation warring on their faces. They looked at Tatsuya with wary, terrified eyes. The longer one lived, it often seemed, the smaller one's courage became. These two elders were prime examples of that unfortunate truth.
Nara Shikaku remained silent for several seconds, then said, his voice carefully neutral, "Tatsuya, we still don't know if the news about Lord Hokage being ambushed is true or false. If what Danzo said is true, then we must make preparations as soon as possible." As he spoke, his gaze was fixed intently on Tatsuya. Nara Shikaku was now desperately trying to understand Tatsuya's true motivations. Why had he, leading the Uchiha clansmen of the Military Police Force, launched such a brazen and decisive attack on Root? Did Tatsuya perhaps intend to seize the position of Fifth Hokage for himself? These were all crucial pieces of information that Nara Shikaku needed to understand, as they would have a significant impact on how the aftermath of this entire affair was handled.
Beside him, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, hearing Shikaku's words, also couldn't help but turn their gazes towards Tatsuya, their expressions anxious and uncertain.
Tatsuya naturally understood the hidden meaning behind Nara Shikaku's carefully phrased questions. However, he didn't answer directly. Instead, he shook his head and said, "The news about Lord Hokage being ambushed is true. However, the ones who attacked him were not the Divine Court, but Orochimaru… and Danzo."
"According to information revealed by Danzo before he died," Tatsuya continued, dropping another bombshell, "Lord Hokage's injuries are quite severe. It's unlikely he'll be able to recover in the short term. If Lord Hokage's physical condition truly prevents him from continuing to serve as Hokage, then we already have a suitable candidate. Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin, is currently escorting Lord Hokage back to the village."
As Tatsuya's words fell, the expressions on the faces of Nara Shikaku, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu all became somewhat… strange. Information revealed by Danzo before he died? Knowing Danzo's cunning and secretive nature, Nara Shikaku naturally didn't believe this for a second. Tatsuya definitely had other, more reliable intelligence channels to be so well-informed about the details of the incident. Nara Shikaku even suspected that Tatsuya himself had been involved in this matter in some capacity. He just didn't know what role Tatsuya had played in the whole affair.
As for Tatsuya's proposal that Tsunade succeed as the Fifth Hokage, Nara Shikaku was naturally in favor of it. As Konoha's "Princess," Tsunade possessed both the strength and the prestige, as well as a distinguished record of service, to be more than capable of assuming the position of Hokage.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, however, after hearing Tatsuya directly propose Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage, looked at him with complex, unreadable expressions. He… he actually had no ambition whatsoever to claim the position of Hokage for himself!