The sun had nearly set. Jiraiya, after making sure Naruto was settled, left the Hokage Building. Tsunade, although technically back in Konoha, hadn't truly rejoined the village. She was still living in a residence prepared by Uchiha Kamasu, away from the main Hokage quarters. Her presence in Konoha was temporary. She had no intention of staying permanently. Even if she wasn't working at the harbor terminal, she was always looking for a chance to leave.
As she walked back through the quiet Uchiha district with a bottle of sake in hand, her steps swaying slightly, she suddenly turned toward Andrew—her current escort and the man she had been spending more time with recently.
"That guy Jiraiya... he's hiding something. And you—what you said earlier—you know more than you're telling me. So, what did the old man and his cronies really do?" Tsunade asked, her eyes now sharper despite the alcohol.
Andrew's lips curled into a faint smile. He had been subtly nudging Tsunade toward this moment. Her question wasn't unexpected—it was the result of everything he had been hinting at. Tsunade had grown too close to the Third Hokage recently. That closeness was dangerous.
If she allowed herself to be swept up in Hiruzen Sarutobi's "Will of Fire," she might stay in the village and eventually rise to lead it, and that would spell trouble.
"Since you're leaving anyway," Andrew said, his tone casual, "why bother asking? You could just find out yourself."
"But I can't just stand by and watch Konoha rot from the inside!" Tsunade snapped, eyes blazing. "This village was built by our ancestors. It was meant to be a place of peace, of dreams. But now? It's become a graveyard of those dreams. Too many people have died for nothing."
Andrew looked at her, the smile gone. He sighed. "Alright. I'll tell you some things. Things that concern you. But you'll have to judge for yourself what to believe."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. She was listening now.
Andrew took a moment, then said softly, "Kato Dan's death... was no accident. It was orchestrated by Danzo. His men leaked Dan's location, knowing he was using his spirit transfer technique. They made sure the enemy knew."
Tsunade's face froze.
"And Nawaki..." Andrew hesitated, but then continued. "Danzo had a hand in that too. So did the Third. I don't know to what extent Hiruzen was involved, but he wasn't innocent."
He let the words hang there.
Tsunade's drunken blush drained from her face. Her body tensed. Her eyes went wide with disbelief—and fury.
Kato Dan and Nawaki were her world. If anything could shatter her remaining loyalty to Konoha, it was the truth about their deaths.
"I'm sorry," Andrew added, watching her stand frozen. "But it's better you know the truth than stay blind."
Without another word, Tsunade turned and sprinted straight toward the Hokage Building. Her rage had sobered her instantly.
---
BOOM!
The doors of the Hokage office flew open violently.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was in the middle of a strategy meeting with his two advisors, Koharu and Homura, when the explosion of chakra shook the building.
Tsunade stood in the doorway like a storm.
"Tsunade?" Hiruzen blinked, surprised. "What's the meaning of this?"
"You two. Out. Now." Tsunade ordered coldly, glaring at Koharu and Homura.
"Tsunade! You can't just—"
BOOM!
She stomped the floor. Her chakra surged. The entire office cracked. The walls trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling. Koharu turned white as a sheet, and Homura backed away, drenched in cold sweat.
They wisely left without another word.
Now it was just her and the Third Hokage.
"Why did you let Danzo act unchecked?" Tsunade asked, barely holding back.
Hiruzen's face twitched. Did she know? Had someone told her?
"And don't waste time lying," she added, stepping closer. "Let me make it easier for you—how involved were you in Nawaki and Dan's deaths?"
The Third was silent for a long time.
Eventually, he lowered his head. "Danzo… He was the one who pulled the strings. But yes, I knew. I tried to stage a setback for Nawaki… so he'd withdraw from the Hokage path. I thought he'd just be injured… not killed. Danzo… went too far."
CRACK!
Tsunade's fist collided with the floor again, sending another wave of chakra into the walls. The top floor's decorations collapsed.
"You played with lives for politics, Sarutobi! My brother! The man I loved! What did they ever do to deserve this?!" Tsunade's voice shook with grief and fury.
"I never meant for them to die…" Hiruzen said weakly. "I only wanted them to back off peacefully…"
"You and Danzo are both monsters in different clothes. I trusted you. You were Second Grandpa's disciple! What a joke!"
Tsunade's punch came flying. It struck the Third Hokage in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall. Blood splattered.
But she didn't strike again.
She was shaking now. Not just from rage, but from heartbreak. She turned her back, her shoulders hunched in sorrow, and left the Hokage office.
She walked out of Konoha that night. Alone.
---
Minutes later, Jiraiya and Anbu arrived, alerted by the chakra tremors.
"Old man, what happened?! Did Tsunade attack you?" Jiraiya asked.
"...Let her go," the Third Hokage whispered, blood on his lips and regret in his eyes.
He knew this time, Tsunade was truly gone. Not just from the village, but from the ideals he claimed to uphold.
---
Beyond the village gates, Tsunade stumbled after only a few minutes of walking. Her knees buckled. Her chakra had gone haywire from the emotional outburst. She collapsed in a field, too weak to go further.
Andrew was not far behind. He looked down at her with a complicated expression.
"This woman... even in this state, she tries to run off like some wandering hero. What if someone really kidnaps her and sells her into slavery? Tch... troublesome woman."
Despite his words, Andrew sighed and picked her up carefully.
He brought her to Uchiha Industry's outpost in the nearby town and contacted Fugaku, requesting someone from the harbor terminal to pick her up.
Tsunade might have left Konoha… but the scars she left behind—and the truths she learned—would shake the village for a long time to come.
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