In just a short while…
Sarutobi Hiruzen finally arrived, hurrying over with a few Anbu in tow.
After casting a slightly odd glance at Uchiha Hikari, Naruto, and Bulma—each holding a stick of tricolor dango, standing in the courtyard like spectators—he stepped forward to intercept Tsunade, launching into a heartfelt attempt to calm her down.
Hikari wasn't close enough to catch every word, but she picked up snippets about "investigating crimes" and "sentencing after recovery." There were also mentions of "the First and Second Hokage" and "human experimentation" mixed in.
Due to her hemophobia, Tsunade was no longer in any condition to keep fighting, but she kept up a stern face, arguing loudly with her old teacher.
As for Danzō…
Two Anbu carried him off on a stretcher.
He'd been gravely injured during the Root base incident and had been bedridden in the hospital for over a month. He'd only just started walking again in the past few days, but now, after taking a single punch from Tsunade that fractured half his body, he'd likely be stuck in bed for another half-month at least.
"Hmph!"
Tsunade let out an irritated huff, then called for Shizune to leave.
As she passed by Hikari's group, the blonde woman paused, eyeing them suspiciously. "Hey, you three brats. You've been tailing me this whole time—what's your deal?"
"?!"
Hiruzen's eyes widened at her words.
Even he, the current Hokage, wouldn't dare call Uchiha Hikari a "brat." If Hikari took offense, this situation could spiral out of control.
Just as Hiruzen racked his brain for a way to smooth things over…
Bulma spoke up.
"Um…"
Bulma gestured toward her chest with both hands, whispering, "Big sis, do you have some kind of special… enhancement secret? Could you maybe sell me the recipe?"
"?"
Tsunade's eyelid twitched. "You followed me all this way just to ask that? …Tch, boring."
"…Lady Hikari, my deepest apologies!"
Hiruzen seized the chance to interject, coughing once before speaking rapidly. "Tsunade, like Jiraiya, is one of my students. She's been traveling outside the village for years and only returned this morning. She doesn't know your identity, so she absolutely didn't mean to offend. Please don't take it to heart!"
At that…
Tsunade blinked, then realization hit. "Oh… so you're the Uchiha who Jiraiya mentioned in his letter—the one who took down Root? I thought you'd be some grizzled old veteran. Didn't expect you to be this young."
"Likewise."
Hikari gave a faint smile.
The current timeline was Konoha Year 52—soon to be 53, nearly a decade before Tsunade becomes the Fifth Hokage in the original story. So, Tsunade was just barely forty, still relatively young for a ninja.
But judging by her face and figure, she could pass for a woman in her mid-twenties.
Her near-eternal youth was a one-of-a-kind feat in the ninja world, likely tied to her Yin Seal training.
Honestly…
Hikari was pretty jealous of Tsunade's Yin Seal and her medical ninjutsu.
Oh, and the Shikkotsu Forest summoning contract too.
But as an ancient Uchiha ancestor, it was tough to find a good excuse to ask for training from a descendant of the Senju, their former rivals. Even a "trade" seemed tricky—Hikari didn't have much that would spark Tsunade's interest.
—Tsunade was currently in her self-numbing phase, drowning in alcohol and gambling, indifferent to the world around her. Probably only reviving Nawaki or Kato Dan could snap her out of it…
Meanwhile…
Tsunade didn't seem keen on chatting with Hikari either. She barely gave her teacher, Hiruzen, any face, brushing him off after a few words and walking away brusquely.
Kato Shizune stayed behind, bowing repeatedly in apology.
"I'm so sorry, Lord Third, Lady Hikari! Lady Tsunade's been in a terrible mood since learning about Danzō's secret human experiments on villagers. She absolutely didn't mean to target you! I'll do my best to talk to her!"
"No worries."
Hikari wasn't about to hold a grudge against someone so broken inside.
Speaking of which, Kato Shizune was kind of unlucky herself.
Still young, she'd been dragged around by Tsunade since childhood, handling her mentor's daily needs, fending off debt collectors and casino goons, and occasionally stepping in as a surgeon when Tsunade couldn't. If Tsunade becomes the Fifth Hokage, Shizune would also have to juggle village paperwork and medical team duties…
Even a modern 996 corporate slave would pale in comparison.
Seeing that Hikari wasn't going to pursue the matter, Shizune let out a relieved breath, bowed a few more times, and hurried after Tsunade.
Hiruzen coughed, glancing at Bulma. "Lady Hikari, may I ask who this is…?"
"A friend of mine."
Hikari kept it short.
Bulma, however, grinned and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, sir! I'm Bulma!"
"…A pleasure, Miss Bulma."
Hiruzen exchanged a few pleasantries before turning back to Hikari, changing the subject. "Lady Hikari, regarding the recent Kiri attack, we've conducted a preliminary investigation. According to the captives, they were acting under a secret order from the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, to steal the Uchiha clan's kekkei genkai. That's why they infiltrated Konoha for this sudden assault…
"Thanks to your intervention, Konoha averted this crisis. I've ordered the highest standard of compensation to be sent to the families of the fallen Uchiha, and their names will be engraved on the Memorial Stone…
Is there anything else you require, Lady Hikari?"
Hiruzen's question was mostly just polite formality.
But…
"There is."
Hikari nodded immediately, pointing to her forehead. "That purple mark on the little lady's forehead was pretty cool. I want one too."
"?"
Hiruzen froze.
"Uh… Lady Hikari, the mark on Tsunade's forehead isn't painted on. It's a ninjutsu she developed herself…"
"I know that. Why else would I bring it up?"
Hikari gave Hiruzen a look like he was an idiot. "You're the Hokage, aren't you? And her teacher, no less. Don't tell me you can't handle something this small?"
Hiruzen struggled to keep his composure. "As you saw, Tsunade's quite stubborn. Even I can't always get through to her…"
"If that's too hard, then gather up all the Yinyangton-related records in Konoha's archives and let me browse them for a couple of days."