Chapter 74
Shizune stood over an operating table on which lay the most important and consequential man in Konoha right now.
The scent of antiseptic still lingered in the air, mixing with the faint hum of chakra.
"It is done," she whispered as she backed away from the table, and for any other individual, she would have advised them to rest. Still, she could already sense him pushing forth his healing through his chakra, and as he opened his eyes a minute later, she could notice a sort of change in them already.
The pattern in his eyes had changed—more intricate, more ancient. A power reborn.
The pattern in his eyes had changed. And unlike before, his chakra felt complete as it had just regained a lost piece.
"Thank you," he whispered, and within a second, his eyes shifted to their regular black as he sat down.
"Are you fine, Izuna-kun?" she asked, for she could hardly imagine the burden he was carrying, and yet despite all that, he looked up and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. I am doing just fine," and she did not believe it.
"You should go and help Lady Tsunade now. There is not much time left in the funeral..."
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PAKURA
The chūnin exams were expected to foster better relations and bring peace to the continent, but they had done the exact opposite. The entire world drew its breath as it prepared itself for another war.
Iwa and Kumo had smelled the blood, and now they prepared themselves to launch an offensive against Konoha. The conditions and circumstances of their allied village remained shrouded in mystery. Despite their repeated contact, Konoha refused to divulge any information about the fate and condition of their Hokage.
Minato Namikaze was a legend, and she could scarcely wonder just what kind of disaster or mission had led to his demise or absence.
What do you mean?" she gasped, her voice barely above a whisper for she could not believe her ears.
"I believe I was quite clear," the red-haired man added, as Pakura found herself stunned by his declaration.
"Suna will not mobilise its forces to assist Konoha," and as allies of Konoha, that was paramount to treason, especially as Suna was aware of the danger that it was in.
"But why?" she asked.
"Konoha has been our ally for decades now. This alliance has served us well. Why would you put this in jeopardy now?" she could not get his rationale.
"Ally," Rasa scoffed, as he leaned forward and brought together his hands.
"Konoha's dominance has left the rest of us scrambling for scraps. Missions from all parts of the world that would often get distributed through our villages, now all go to Konoha," and yes, that was partly true, but Konoha bore little blame for this.
"But still, who do you think Iwa and Kumo will target after they are done with Konoha?" she retorted, and he may be the Kazekage, but Pakura was no simple shinobi as well.
She was Pakura of the Scorch Style, the Hero of Suna.
She owed it to her village and her people to stop Rasa from making a grave mistake.
But at the same time, she had fought beside Konoha shinobi. She had seen their courage. Betraying them now felt like a knife to the gut.
"By my expectation, Iwa and Kumo would have long exhausted their forces by then. They will have no energy to attack us," and that was a mistake.
"You underestimate their enmity for us. Iwa and Kumo are not friends of ours. Suna must stand behind our allies, so that one day they may do the exact same thing for us," and that was not even the worst-case scenario.
"And let us not forget that we still do not know about what truly happened in Konoha. Minato Namikaze may very well be alive, and you and I both know that as long as Namikaze lives, Iwa and Kumo could muster ten thousand shinobi, and they would all lose against him," for that was just how powerful he was, and he must have only gotten stronger over the years.
"Even without Namikaze, they have two bijuu along with Izuna, the Sanin, their various clans, and kekkei genkais. Konoha will not fall easily," and if they survived this war, then Suna would not only lose them as allies, but would make them an enemy.
"That is why I am sending you to Iwa," and she could not believe her ears again.
"You are sending me to Iwa?" she confirmed, and the Kazekage seemed frustrated by her words.
"Yes," he chastised.
"You will be carrying a special missive from me and hand it to Iwa's ANBU. We must reposition ourselves before the war ends," and this all seemed unnecessary to her.
"I disagree with your position. Iwagakure makes for far poorer allies than Konoha. Are you sure about this, Kazekage-sama?" she implored again, and the man nodded.
"Do not question me again, Pakura," he warned as she ground her teeth, for he was the Kazekage.
"I am the Kazekage and know what is best for the village. I believe that Konoha's star has sunk, and now it is time for us to reorient our alliances," and what could she do?
"You are to leave Suna tomorrow. The mission will be S-ranked, and you are not allowed to disclose any information regarding it to anyone," and she did not want to, but she could only nod and say yes.
"As you order, Kazekage-sama...."
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TSUNADE SENJU
Never before in years had Konoha's air been thick with such worry as it was now. In one fell swoop, the village had lost nearly half of its elite fighting force along with its most popular and powerful shinobi, the Hokage.
The realization had begun to dawn that such a massive loss would not remain a secret for long, and that Iwa and Kumo would soon pounce upon them as to enact their revenge for nearly a decade of humiliation.
Konoha was not weak. But for the first time, the people of the village felt vulnerable. They felt afraid, and in this fair, they sought a leader. They sought an answer.
"You must intervene," but even in these trying times, some people refused to change, refused to understand the direness of the situation as they continued to play their little meaningless games.
A grand funeral had been arranged for the fallen heroes of Konoha. Four people who had given their lives to protect the village against a long-forgotten enemy. Yet the games of politics and power had already begun.
Even at this critical time, when the village needed unity, the old coots refused to back down and continued to let go of their biases.
"The boy is simply too young. You are a far better choice," Koharu Utatane added, and she had thought the woman dead, but she had simply made herself invisible to shield herself from the fallout of her dear friend and allies' crimes.
But now in this time of up-heavel the bitch dared to come to her, to poison her mind against the one man who had been chosen to lead the village.
"We cannot overlook the boy's heritage as well. He is a Uchiha, a descendant of Madara himself, the very evil who has pushed this village to the brink of destruction," Homura, the old bastard, echoed Koharu's words, as Shizune slowly tied her hair.
If it had been a few months ago, she would have smashed in their faces already. But loathed as she was to admit it, the village had need of her. It had need of Tsunade Senju, and so she had to suffer the bastards until she had the names of all the idiots behind them.
"And what I do agree to your proposal," she worded out, and felt Shizune still at her words, though her apprentice still kept her mouth shut as the two old coots exchanged their glances.
"Then we shall call a Great Council. We will need you to meet up with a few clan heads, and a few other members from the civilian side, and then we will have the numbers to overturn the old Hokage's decision," added her sensei's old teammate.
"We can get you the votes," Homura echoed her words.
"If I am to do this, I need to know whose support I can count on," she added as Shizune backed away and Tsunade opened her eyes to stare at the two disgusting monsters sitting opposite to her.
"You must understand such matters are very sensitive....."
"Either give me the names, or get out of my sight. I don't have time for cowards," she challenged, her patience having run out long ago.
"Afterall, I already know that I was not the first person you approached with this offer," and as the two of them found themselves laid bare in front of her, they evaded her eyes.
But unlike herself, Orochimaru had simply sent them away after hearing the first words of their proposal. He had never really had ambition for the position of the Hokage, and for his own reasons, her old teammate was an admirer of the Uchiha clan prodigy that had been chosen by Minato.
But unlike him, Tsunade planned to aid him in every way she could. Because this was her village as well. She was a Senju, daughter of one of the founding clans, and it was time for her to do her duty as both a Senju and as a kunoichi of Konoha.
"You lot must be quite desperate that you came knocking on my door. So, if you want me to listen to another word from you. You will tell me the names, or you can all simply leave your fate in the hands of the new Hokage," and they both stilled at her words, for though Sensei may have been able to shield them somehow.
He was now gone. And the incoming Hokage had no mercy for the allies of the traitorous Danzo, and so she could understand why they would come out of their hiding holes, because they knew that otherwise, if Izuna became the Kage, they would lose their lives.
Alas! The fools had overplayed their hand.
Had they remained hidden away, they may have managed to live for a few more months or even years. But now, they would die. They would all die soon.
"So be it," the aged harlot sighed and mentioned nearly a dozen names, and it contained a few surprises, including an elder from the Uchiha clan, and Tsunade heard to the list and committed it to memory, and as soon as the woman finished, she stood up.
"Where are you going? We must discuss the details..." and she scoffed, barely holding herself back from punching her head right off as she gave the woman a glare as her chakra ripped through the wooden.
We can do all that after the funeral," she warned, and the old man beside her put a hand on Koharu's shoulder.
"Sure, but we do not have much time. We must call for a Council by dawn tomorrow at the latest, and by then you must secure the rest of the votes," and she did not care.
She had what she needed and was sure that none of the dozen people they had named would be alive till that time.
"Let's go, Shizune," and her loyal apprentice followed after her as Tsunade walked out of her house and headed towards the graveyard. She could feel the tension and the worry on the streets, as the once bustling markets were all shut down, and even the children all seemed quite and worried as the people walked around with their eyes laced on the ground.
"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune's voice came from the side.
"Yes," she asked, already knowing what was on her mind.
"Are you really going to contest Izuna-kun's nomination?" and she scoffed.
"Do you really think I want the hat and all the hassle that comes with it?" she asked, as Shizune shook her head with a stiff smile, showing that she knew her well.
"Then what was that back then?" Shizune asked as they reached the graveyard.
"That was just me helping our new Hokage do a bit of house cleaning," and the realization dawned on Shizune, who gasped.
"I see," and the mood in the graveyard was somber, as nearly a thousand shinobi stood there in lines, as they all paid their respects to the four heroes of their village.
They parted ways to let her through, and Tsunade reached the front line, which was superseded only by the new leader of the village, who stood there clad in his black ceremonial uniform, as he offered a prayer.
The rest of the elites stood behind him, including Orochimaru, Shikaku, and the rest of the top brass of the village. Tsunade came and stood between Orochimaru and Shikaku, as her old teammate raised a brow.
"You are late," and indeed she was.
"I was just dealing with a few pests," she whispered back as she offered a list of names to the jounin commander, who raised a brow.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Just the list of some people trying to drum up trouble. And as the junior commander, it is up to you to handle such tasks, is it now?" and the Nara clan head sighed, as he took the offered sheet.
"Thank you," he whispered as Izuna Uchiha finally turned to face them all, as all of them straightened up. He was young, younger than even the children of many of the people here, but none here would dare disrespect him, for he was the man chosen by Minato, by her sensei, and her own Grand Uncle Tobirama.
"I will not lie to you today. The times ahead will be tough," he began as he addressed the top brass of the village.
"We have not just lost our Kage, but we have lost the very pillars who held up the skies. We've lost giants—people whose very presence let us sleep in peace, for we closed our eyes knowing that the Yellow Flash, the Professor, The Toad Sage and the Wicked Eye Fugaku were there to protect us." Still, they were all gone now, and had taken with them the unfallible status of Konoha.
"And they may be gone now, but their dreams and powers live on. They chose to sacrifice their lives because they believed in us. They believed in the next generation, and we will not let them down. I will not let them down!" he declared, as his chakra rippled through the graveyard, in a way she had never felt before.
"As the Godaime Hokage, I will carry on their will and protect this village and its people to my last breath. The days ahead may be dark, but make no mistake..."
"...THE SUN SHALL SHINE ON US ONCE MORE!"
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