After failing the mission to retrieve Tsunade, Tenzo returned to Konoha at top speed. The village seemed as peaceful as ever, making it hard for him to believe everything had actually happened… The moment he crossed into the Land of Fire and picked up the 'network signal,' Tenzo had immediately asked Daigo for the reason behind Habara and Kakashi's urgent recall.
Naturally, he received Daigo's explanation.
Tenzo felt like his brain wasn't quite keeping up. Sure, Konoha could undergo dramatic changes, but did they have to happen while he wasn't around?
He immediately began pondering another issue: with the Third Hokage's sudden passing, would his failure to bring Lady Tsunade back have unforeseen consequences? If he had brought her back, it went without saying she'd be the next Hokage. But what if she steadfastly refused to return? Would new power struggles erupt?
Just as he was agonizing over whether he'd made a terrible mistake, Kushina Uzumaki, upon hearing his report, didn't seem overly concerned about Tsunade's absence. She quickly glossed over it, instead issuing Tenzo new orders:
"We'll make further efforts regarding Lady Tsunade later. In any case, securing a way to contact her anytime means your mission wasn't entirely fruitless. Tenzo, I have another important task for you now…"
At this moment, there weren't many Konoha shinobi Kushina could fully trust. Tenzo was one of them, and certain missions could only be entrusted to such ninja.
Thus, having just returned to the village, Tenzo immediately received a mission that sounded grand ('red hot,' even) but felt decidedly ominous. What could he say? He could only accept.
"Yes, Lady Kushina."
Kushina nodded. After Tenzo left, she began contemplating another matter – Habara had already explained his ideas to her. Kushina was now considering whether to accept those ideas and the series of potential impacts they might entail.
Tenzo didn't get even a moment's rest. Leaving Kushina's presence, he headed straight for Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Department. The doors to the room next to it and the one across from it bore no labels, but the shinobi working there knew what they were… Next to T&I was the morgue, and across from the morgue was the crematorium.
The three locations were clustered together for efficiency, providing a complete, integrated service from interrogation to making the interrogated disappear without a trace.
Tenzo arrived at the crematorium. A team of ninja responsible for the work, along with two Uchiha clansmen tasked with verification, were already present. After Tenzo and the others confirmed their identities and orders with each other, the task could finally begin… Yes, red hot, yet rather inauspicious.
"Let's begin."
Quickly, a body was wheeled over on a gurney. Tenzo lifted the white cloth covering the face, revealing the deceased's features.
Tenzo leaned down, carefully confirming the individual's identity and ensuring there was no possibility of substitution. Only then did he record the name on a form – Uchiha Fugaku.
Next, wearing rubber gloves, he pulled open the corpse's eyelids, held them, and gently moved the eyeballs side to side. Nodding, he signaled the two Uchiha ninja to step forward and inspect.
The Uchiha ninja re-examined the eyes. After confirming there were no issues, Tenzo made a checkmark, and both parties signed the form.
The body, complete with its original eyes, was shoved into the blazing furnace.
The work was incredibly tedious, yet its nature was extremely serious. They had to ensure no Sharingan were lost or stolen. Only a ninja as capable and trusted as Tenzo was qualified for such an 'honorable' task... What's that? Why wasn't Kakashi doing this job? Obviously, Kakashi was the 'favored son.'
And so, for five consecutive days, apart from meals and brief breaks, Tenzo remained stationed outside the furnace, baking in the heat. He felt baked through, carrying the veritable stench of the underworld about him.
When Tenzo finally completed the task and went to report to Kushina, she was just about to head into a major meeting. However, given the unusual nature of the matter, she paused to see if there were any further issues regarding the Uchiha aftermath.
"Thirty-three?"
She then saw the unusual number, prompting her to flip back and forth through the documents Tenzo submitted, wanting to confirm he hadn't made a mistake.
But even if Tenzo wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, surely he wouldn't miscalculate addition within one hundred.
"Yes, Lady Kushina… Ten pairs of eyes were gouged directly from their sockets. The remaining thirteen showed signs of damage, substitution, or even transplantation, so their status couldn't be definitively determined."
Even under Konoha's strict prohibition and tight security, so many Sharingan had still gone missing – twenty confirmed stolen eyes alone. It seemed utterly unbelievable.
Who would steal Sharingan? Konoha ninja? Surviving Uchiha clansmen? Or some enemy lurking in the shadows? Kushina Uzumaki couldn't figure it out immediately.
She put away the documents and asked Tenzo, "Have you confirmed everything with the remaining Uchiha?"
"Yes." Tenzo nodded.
Tracking the whereabouts of these eyes currently was extremely difficult. Therefore, Konoha had first confirmed the losses with the surviving Uchiha to prevent them from getting worked up later if stolen Sharingan surfaced elsewhere.
Truthfully, anyone could guess that these eyes were almost certainly stolen by Uchiha Obito, possibly with Orochimaru taking a share as well… Although Obito had been crippled by the black flames, he had countless elusive White Zetsu to do his bidding.
Regardless, the missing Sharingan weren't Tenzo's responsibility. The lost eyes might cause trouble down the line, but that was a future problem. For now, Tenzo's task was complete. After submitting his report, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
Kushina entered a conference room where about twenty people were already waiting.
Among them were the interim head of ANBU, leaders of various mid-level Konoha departments, and several ninja clan heads. In short, everyone who currently had a say in Konoha's major affairs was present.
"After experiencing the Uchiha internal conflict and Danzo Shimura's rebellion, and having lost the Third Hokage, I believe everyone understands what our top priority must be," Kushina began. "For decades, the Third Hokage was Konoha's pillar. But now, we don't have time to indulge in mourning him. For Konoha's stability, we must decide on the next Hokage as soon as possible."
In this crucial meeting, the most critical issue – Hokage succession – was naturally discussed first.
"Regarding the candidate for the next Hokage, I think we all know who is most suitable. Whether by bloodline, prestige, or trustworthiness, Lady Tsunade is the best fit. Although we've managed to contact her, due to various concerns, she hasn't yet decided to return to the village."
Kushina phrased this delicately. She certainly couldn't say Tsunade refused to return because she disliked Konoha's atmosphere; having the village desperately court her under those circumstances would be like warmly offering one's face only to be met with a cold shoulder.
"Why not continue contacting Lady Tsunade?" someone asked.
Kushina replied, "Some of you know Lady Tsunade's temperament. She's very likely to view frequent contact and urging as harassment, potentially cutting off the communication channel we worked so hard to establish."
Given Tsunade's lineage and pampered upbringing, a bit of rebellious spirit was understandable. After all, the First and Second Hokage were her grandfathers, and the Third was her teacher. Even the Third Hokage couldn't control her, let alone the people present.
Hearing Kushina's explanation, several older ninja nodded quickly in agreement.
"Yes, yes, don't keep contacting her. We need to find the right opportunity to strike decisively and convince her all at once."
"Mm, we are currently looking for a suitable person to persuade her," Kushina said.
"How do we persuade her?" another person asked.
"I have already notified Master Jiraiya to return to the village. We'll see how he proceeds."
Hearing this, the attendees visibly relaxed. With such events transpiring in the village, Jiraiya certainly ought to return swiftly; he was still a Konoha ninja, after all. Having Jiraiya persuade Tsunade was the most suitable approach, considering they grew up together and were longtime teammates.
Furthermore, even if Jiraiya's persuasion failed, they could fall back on the next best option: Jiraiya himself could become the next Hokage. His student was the Fourth, his teacher the Third... aside from the slightly messy generational order, there wasn't a major issue with Jiraiya becoming Hokage.
No one objected to the potential candidates, so this part of the discussion concluded quickly. The real difficulty lay only in getting Tsunade back to the village.
"Next issue: the arrangements for the remaining Uchiha clan members," Kushina continued. "After what has happened, this is a crucial opportunity for the Uchiha to reintegrate into Konoha. All village ninja are strictly ordered to harbor no further hostility towards the Uchiha... Communicate the cause and effect of the recent events to all shinobi swiftly. Make them understand that the remaining Uchiha are victims of these events, not the culprits."
"Regarding the Uchiha problem, the Uchiha themselves made mistakes, and Konoha also made mistakes. Now, both sides have paid the corresponding price. Therefore, hostility must be set aside, and reconciliation must begin."
Kushina moved on to the second matter.
"There are no issues with the principle, but whether the village ninja and the Uchiha clansmen can truly abandon their prejudices completely still needs the test of time… We will do our best to make arrangements and strive for a better situation."
Given the immense price the Uchiha had paid, everyone present had to outwardly express sympathy. Moreover, Kushina was right; this truly was a chance for Konoha to re-embrace the Uchiha clan… Although no one would say it aloud, certainly more than one person in the room was thinking those Uchiha deaths were a good thing.
"Third matter… the disposition of Jonin Habara. Although in hindsight, his actions at the time were entirely correct – Danzo Shimura did indeed plot against the Third Hokage, and the two advisors, disregarding their neutral stance, chose to blindly trust Danzo – their deaths were thus not undeserved."
Kushina set this tone firmly. Anyone daring to speak ill of this assessment risked being suspected of sympathizing with traitors. Strictly speaking, Danzo deserved death, but the two advisors, theoretically, did not commit capital offenses, or at least shouldn't have been killed on the spot.
Danzo was evil; the advisors were foolish. Evil and foolishness both cause great harm, but when determining culpability, they are distinct.
However, Habara chose to eliminate the advisors, even doing so before dealing with Danzo. While his actions were decisive and arguably correct in the heat of the moment, it was inevitable that some would find fault afterward.
Kushina's gaze swept across the attendees. They could only nod one by one.
Konoha was currently 'a flock of dragons without a head.' Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was the strongest person present, not to mention backed by formidable ninja like Habara, Shibi Aburame, Kakashi, and Tenzo. Unless someone had irrefutable leverage against her, opposing her openly was unwise.
"However," Kushina continued, "considering the aftermath, his methods were improper. Insubordination – his actions are not to be encouraged. To prevent him from becoming a negative example, his disposition must be based on punishment."
This also made sense. If Habara went unpunished, it could easily create the impression of 'might makes right' – that launching a coup and winning absolves one of all responsibility. To prevent Konoha from descending into frequent coups in the future, it was best to make an example of Habara with a significant, albeit perhaps symbolic, punishment.
Punishment was necessary, but the question was how to punish him.
On this issue, many remained silent. Firstly, Habara was Kushina's direct subordinate; she would naturally have her own plans. Secondly, having recognized Habara's strength and witnessed his 'silent thunder' style of action, no one wanted to offend him.
"Then how should he be punished? Surely it can't lack any real bite?"
Kushina's gaze snapped towards the speaker, her annoyance barely concealed – one shouldn't forget, she wasn't exactly known for her mild temper. She saw the speaker was a Hyuga ninja sitting beside Hiashi Hyuga, likely one of their clan elders.
Kushina took a deep breath and said, "After careful consideration, Habara, having done what he did, is indeed no longer suitable to remain within the village for extended periods. I have decided to exile him, tasking him with establishing a new ninja base elsewhere in the Land of Fire, taking some other ninja unsuitable for continued stay in Konoha with him."
For instance, some of Danzo's former subordinates whose crimes didn't warrant death.
And this idea was clearly not Kushina's, but Habara's own proposal.
The method of disposition was quite clever. Konoha retained access to Habara's high-level combat strength without having him roam the village, getting in the way. The only issue was…
"The method itself isn't bad, but how can we ensure Jonin Habara remains under control and loyal to Konoha while stationed outside?" someone asked.
"You don't need to worry about that. I will guarantee everything," Kushina stated with absolute certainty.
However…
Her words amounted to nothing. You will guarantee it? How will you guarantee it? Some muttered inwardly, though they dared not voice their doubts aloud.
If this question were posed to Habara, he would surely provide a convincing answer.
Hilarious. He was going to establish the Konoha Branch Leaf. In the future, the true legacy of Konoha would reside in the 'Branch Leaf.' Of course, he would remain loyal to Konoha – specifically, to the 'Branch Leaf' part… Could a person truly betray themselves?