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After her conversation with Midorima, Tsunade made up her mind—even if she couldn't become Hokage, she would at least establish herself as a prominent figure in Konoha to gain influence and a voice in the village's affairs.
However, Tsunade's outstanding performance during the recent operation, which prevented the Hokage from being controlled, had already elevated her standing. Her already considerable prestige in Konoha grew even further, earning her the favor and attention of the village's higher-ups.
Following a lengthy discussion with Hiruzen, Tsunade officially assumed the position of Hokage.
The demolition of the Hokage HQ was nearing completion, and reconstruction would soon begin. For Konoha, building a new ninja headquarters wasn't difficult, but organizing and preserving the countless scrolls and documents proved to be a far more tedious task.
As a result, Tsunade had no choice but to work from a temporary office.
Meanwhile, Midorima, who had spoken with Tsunade at length, was released from Konoha on the third day after their conversation. Though reluctant to see him go, Tsunade understood that Midorima was not a Konoha shinobi, and thus, she could only bid him farewell.
However, her melancholy was short-lived, as she was soon buried under an overwhelming mountain of work.
The expenses for rebuilding the Hokage Tower, the handling of Danzō and the remnants of Root, the compensation for the numerous missing ninja—each of these required massive funds.
Piles of documents demanding her signature cluttered her desk, giving her a headache.
Logically, none of these expenditures could be avoided, but the financial department was notoriously strict. Merely negotiating with them was exhausting in itself.
Among all these issues, Danzō was the most troublesome.
Tsunade's stance was clear—execute him and be done with it.
Yet, Sarutobi, along with Koharu and Homura, disagreed. Danzō was, after all, one of their generation. The thought of killing him outright was unbearable, so they proposed life imprisonment instead.
Life imprisonment?
Danzō would be thrilled with that outcome.
Tsunade, however, still wanted to push for his execution—from every angle, death was the most fitting end for Danzō.
"Speaking of which…" Tsunade lifted her head, rubbing her neck as she glanced at Shizune beside her. "Who's guarding Danzō today?"
"Shinobi from the Uchiha clan," Shizune replied promptly after checking the duty roster. "They despise Danzō and won't leave any room for error."
She harbored no goodwill toward Danzō either—locking her up in a dungeon was unforgivable.
"The Uchiha…" Tsunade's headache intensified.
Compared to the crisis with the Uchiha clan, everything else seemed trivial.
---
The damp dungeon echoed with the sound of dripping water, startling Danzō from his near-slumber.
There was no sunlight here, making it impossible to distinguish day from night. The food left at his cell door had spoiled, and the water was murky, unchanged for days.
Those damned Uchiha bastards—this is definitely their doing.
Once he got out, he would exterminate every last one of those parasites infesting Konoha!
Danzō clenched his fists, but the movement tugged at his right eye, filling him with disgust.
That damned Fugaku actually gouged out my Sharingan! Can you believe it?!
If not for the fact that Hashirama's cells had already fused with his arm, he was certain they would have taken that too.
No—his trial wasn't over yet. Who knew if they'd eventually strip him of Hashirama's cells as well?
He couldn't be sure.
As Danzō stewed in his thoughts, the cell door rattled again.
He snorted in disdain.
All they ever do is replace the food and water—what else could they possibly want?
But this time, the shinobi didn't slide the meal through the slot beneath the door. Instead, they knocked several more times.
"Can't you let a man rest?!" Danzō snapped. "Don't you know how to deliver food properly?"
The response was the sound of metal scraping and turning.
With a creak, the cell door swung open.
"Who… are you?" Danzō stared at the shinobi before him, utterly baffled.
"Long time no see," the shinobi spoke.
Danzō's eyes widened in shock. "Orochimaru?! What are you doing here?"
"Pathetic… truly pathetic." Orochimaru clicked his tongue. "The leader of Root, reduced to this state. I must say, you've fallen quite far."
"My current state has a lot to do with you!" Danzō glared at Orochimaru in disgust, raising his bound arms.
Orochimaru frowned slightly but unsheathed a kunai, slicing through the chakra-suppressing seals on Danzō's restraints.
Danzō tore off the shackles and stepped out of the cell.
"Why are you helping me?" Danzō eyed Orochimaru warily.
"Money, of course." Orochimaru smirked. "Research funding doesn't grow on trees."
"Too bad. The Hokage confiscated all my assets," Danzō sneered.
"You can't fool me." Orochimaru's grin widened. "Maintaining Root required substantial funds—far more than what the village provided. You must have other sources of income."
Danzō's expression darkened. He touched his empty eye socket. "They took my Sharingan. What now?"
"Shisui's eye might be hard to replace, but ordinary Sharingan shouldn't be an issue." Orochimaru chuckled. "There are ten Uchiha corpses outside. I'm sure you'll find a few usable pairs."
Danzō nodded slightly. "Where do we go from here?"
"First, we leave this place." Orochimaru turned and strode toward the dungeon exit.
---
Tsunade received news of Danzō's escape at two in the afternoon. She rushed to the dungeon with Hiruzen, her face paling at the sight of the neatly arranged corpses.
Every single body shared one common trait—their eyes had been gouged out.
And on the wall, scrawled in blood, were the words:
"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE."
Fugaku Uchiha stood at the brink of fury.
His clansmen weren't weeds to be cut down at will!
And the Sharingan weren't mere trinkets to be stolen so casually!
Tsunade's initial reaction mirrored Fugaku's rage. But as she examined the wounds, Midorima's words echoed in her mind—
"You need a powerful enemy to unite Konoha and the Uchiha."
She had lamented Danzō's imprisonment earlier, but now, he had been broken out entirely.
"Do we know who did this?" Tsunade asked Fugaku.
"Orochimaru." Fugaku's voice was laced with venom. "One of the shinobi had his face skinned."
After a series of setbacks, the Uchiha clan's strength had waned significantly. The pressure from his clansmen weighed heavily on Fugaku, many of whom now doubted his ability to lead.
"I see. Summon the ANBU, the elders, and the heads of all major clans for an emergency meeting." Tsunade's expression hardened. "Danzō and Orochimaru have joined forces. If we don't act decisively, they'll strike again—harder."
Seizing the opportunity presented by Danzō's escape, Tsunade resolved to use this crisis to solidify Konoha's unity once and for all.