"Tsunade, why are you here?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was surprised when Genma Shiranui and Raido Namiashi brought Tsunade over via Flying Thunder God.
Tsunade had come to the front lines—what about the village?
"Old man, don't worry about the village. I've promoted a few assistants to handle affairs. If I didn't have a solid plan, I wouldn't have left."
Before Hiruzen could speak, Tsunade cut him off, anticipating his concerns.
"Don't forget, I'm Hokage now. I know where my responsibilities lie."
Yamato, Kimimaro, Shizune, Kimura, Kakashi, and several other neutral clans had been promoted by Tsunade to important positions, filling the gaps left by Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke had taken the ANBU to fight Sand at Kikyo Castle, Danzo was under house arrest, tightly watched by Kimimaro.
Tsunade and Kimimaro could also communicate remotely. If anything happened in Konoha, she'd be the first to know.
Hiruzen sighed, "As long as you're clear about it. After all, you're Hokage now."
Tsunade snorted lightly, "You're worried about your old teammates, aren't you? As long as they don't cause trouble, I won't waste time dealing with them. But if they try to stir things up while I'm away, old man, don't blame me later."
Everything Hiruzen was thinking had been guessed by Tsunade. He silently lit his pipe—an old habit he couldn't kick, even on the battlefield.
Nara Shikaku stepped forward after the two Hokage finished speaking. "Lady Tsunade, is there a particular reason you've come to the front?"
"Of course. When I heard you mention the Rinnegan, I suddenly remembered something."
Tsunade already had her excuse prepared. She replied directly, "During the Second Shinobi World War, Jiraiya took in three students from the Land of Rain and stayed there for three years to look after them. One of them was named Nagato—the boy with the Rinnegan."
"What?" Hiruzen froze, putting down his pipe. "Jiraiya knew about the Rinnegan back then? He stayed in Amegakure just to care for three students? Why didn't I know?"
"Jiraiya had his own plans. He was obsessed with the toads' prophecy. And honestly, if he had handed the Rinnegan to you, could you have protected it?"
Tsunade sneered. Even Kushina's son had been stolen by Root, and she herself nearly killed—if her teacher had had the strength to suppress Danzo, things wouldn't have spiraled out of control.
White Fang was driven to suicide for abandoning a mission that hurt the Land of Fire. Danzo had cost Konoha far more and was only stripped of his position.
Tsunade had long made up her mind. Once the Rain conflict ended, she would deal with Danzo as the Fifth Hokage.
To think he could walk away from such crimes—dream on.
"Slug Princess, even if this Rinnegan user in Amegakure is Jiraiya's student, are you planning to negotiate with him?"
Onoki stood up and addressed Tsunade. If that was Konoha's plan, Iwa would certainly sever ties.
"Even if I wanted to negotiate, the other side wouldn't agree, old man Onoki."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes and said to everyone in the tent, "I'm worried you'll all die against him. If you think defeating six puppets means you've beaten the Rinnegan, then all of Konoha's elite will stay buried in the Land of Rain."
Seeing everyone pause in shock, Tsunade smirked. "I don't care about Iwa, but if Konoha suffers heavy losses just after I became Hokage, it'll damage my reputation."
"Enough. From now on, I'll be handling the command. Shikaku, arrange a tent for me."
With that, she rose and left.
After she exited, Shikaku gave a helpless smile to Hiruzen and also left. Hyuga Kiyo and the others soon followed.
Her final statement made it clear—it was a power struggle between the two Hokage. But the power and righteousness were all with Tsunade. Even Shikaku, long aligned with the Sarutobi, had to comply with her authority.
"Sigh..."
Hiruzen lit his pipe again. He felt older than ever. Facing his sharp-tongued student, he hadn't even tried to argue.
No... not yet. He had to hold on until his son, Asuma, started a family. Until then, the Sarutobi clan must retain influence in Konoha.
"Sorry, Tsunade. I hope you'll understand."
He blew out a smoke ring. The tent was empty—Onoki had left too, unwilling to be drawn into Konoha's internal politics.
After all, Iwa's wounded were still being treated by Konoha. If they provoked Tsunade, they might lose medical support.
Before long, Tsunade's tent was ready, and she officially took command of the Rain battlefield.
The intel she brought was valuable—it saved the front-line intel team a lot of time.
To establish her authority, Tsunade didn't go looking for Pain. She waited for him to come to her.
In her tent, she summoned Kiyo Hyuga and Kurenai Yuhi. Though she hadn't gotten much out of Hyuga Mirai, Tsunade knew the boy well enough to believe he still cared about his old acquaintances.
And for her planned reform of the Police Force, she needed to notify the Hyuga clan in advance. Kiyo wasn't the clan head, but her unusual style had already made her reputation.
Tsunade believed that in both strength and conduct, Kiyo was the best candidate to lead the new Police Force.
"Fifth Hokage-sama."
Kiyo and Kurenai respectfully greeted her upon entering the tent. They both admired her greatly as one of the Sannin and the first female Hokage of Konoha.
Many female students at the Ninja Academy dreamed of becoming a kunoichi like her.
"No need to be formal. Sit wherever."
Tsunade sat directly on her bed. The two women looked around, found only two cushions, and sat in front of her.
"You know about the Uchiha situation. I won't beat around the bush—Konoha can't go without a Police Force. I'm planning to rebuild it with the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans at the core, and then bring in some civilian shinobi. Kiyo, Kurenai—what do you think?"
The two were slightly shocked. Rebuilding the Police Force—and being informed ahead of time? Were they being entrusted with leadership?
"Thank you for your trust, Lady Tsunade. After this war, I plan to contest the Hyuga clan head position. If successful, I'll ensure the clan serves Konoha faithfully."
Kiyo didn't hesitate, but her statement stunned both Tsunade and Kurenai.
Tsunade had only intended for her to lead the clan's involvement in the Police Force, not vie for clan leadership. Somewhat troubled, she said, "Kiyo Hyuga, that's..."
Tsunade didn't want to stir up unrest in Konoha, but didn't know how to dissuade her. Kiyo's eyes were filled with unwavering resolve—not something easily shaken by a few words.
Kiyo said, "Don't worry, Lady Tsunade. I won't resort to violence. The Hyuga clan headship has changed hands before—270 years ago, due to a grave mistake by the then-head."
"But Hiashi…" Tsunade wanted to say that Hiashi hadn't made any major errors, but swallowed the words.
She wanted peace in Konoha. And since Kiyo promised no bloodshed, Tsunade had no reason to interfere unless she was willing to foolishly overstep into clan affairs.
She suddenly regretted asking Kiyo about it.
"Fine. Do as you will. But I'll assign ANBU to monitor the situation. I hope you understand—Konoha can't survive another Uchiha incident."
Tsunade scratched her golden hair, wishing she could drag Mirai or Kabuto over for advice.
"Now, Kurenai, how about you? Want to join the new Police Force? It won't be like the old one."
Kurenai smiled gently. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade. But the Police Force feels too peaceful. After the war, I want to take on missions that challenge me and help improve my strength."
Tsunade lowered her head slightly—her first time extending invitations, and both were rejected. One was planning a clan takeover, the other thought it was too dull.
"Kurenai, why are you so eager to get stronger? You're already considered elite among Jonin."
Tsunade asked curiously, then narrowed her eyes as a thought struck her.
"Because… without strength, there's a lot I can't do."
Kurenai answered vaguely, but Tsunade had already guessed it.
She still wanted to find Hyuga Mirai—just like Jiraiya had done once. But as a woman, perhaps her motives weren't entirely about companionship.
Tsunade mused silently. That brat, for all his faults, had a certain charm. If he had stayed in Konoha, he might have rivaled even Minato and Kakashi in popularity.
"Well then, since you both have your plans, I won't push. But Kurenai, if you want to get stronger, come find me!"
Tsunade smiled faintly. "If I have time, I'll give you some guidance."
(End of Chapter)