Inside the Hokage Building, in a spacious council chamber.
The Daimyō of the Land of Fire lounged lazily in the main seat, flanked by his elite guards. His expression held an air of arrogance and superiority as he looked down at Tsunade and Danzō.
"So," the Daimyō drawled, "which of you is the Fifth Hokage of Konoha?"
Tsunade stepped forward, raising her eyes to meet his.
"Before his death, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, entrusted the position of Fifth Hokage to me."
The Daimyō nodded slowly. "Then you are—"
"Daimyō!"
Danzō abruptly rose, interrupting her.
"Hiruzen was the Third Hokage. After the Fourth's death, the appointment of the Fifth was never officially finalized. For the Third to simply name a successor while dying—this is unacceptable!"
Tsunade's expression hardened.
"What is unacceptable about it?"
It didn't matter—Danzō did not intend to provide reasoning. He simply pressed forward.
"I have already obtained the approval of Konoha's two Advisors—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane—to serve as the Fifth Hokage. Although the Third was unconscious at the time, their authorization is sufficient."
He turned to face the Daimyō.
"Therefore, I am the Fifth Hokage."
The Daimyō nodded thoughtfully.
"If the Advisors gave their approval, then naturally—"
"But the Advisors are dead!" Tsunade cut sharply across his words.
A murderous light flickered in Danzō's eyes.
"They were killed by Jiraiya—that traitorous Missing-nin!"
"How can you be certain?" Tsunade demanded.
"Just because of the similarity of the wounds?"
"Who else could it be?" Danzō replied coldly. Then, facing the Daimyō again, he said, "Since neither of us is willing to yield, the decision should be made by you, Daimyō."
At this, the Daimyō finally sat upright, interest sparking.
When he had arrived in Konoha, he had already received discreet messages from the Daimyōs of the Land of Wind, Land of Lightning, and Land of Earth.
All had subtly endorsed Danzō—claiming that for the sake of stability in the Ninja World, only a hardened veteran like Danzō could prevent another great war.
The Daimyō looked from Danzō to Tsunade, truly hesitating for the first time.
At that moment, a messenger entered the chamber.
"Daimyō—there is a message delivered by a shinobi from the Land of Water!"
The Daimyō blinked in surprise.
"Oh? Shinobi of the Hidden Mist are in Konoha?"
"Yes. A team from the Hidden Mist is currently present."
"Send them in!"
Shigure entered the chamber with Kuji, carrying a sealed scroll. He stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"This is a message from the Hidden Mist Village, addressed to the Daimyō of the Land of Fire."
One of the Daimyō's guards approached, taking the scroll from Shigure and presenting it to the Daimyō.
The Daimyō unrolled it and read, expression tightening.
"The Land of Water supports Danzō… to such an extent?"
His hand trembled slightly, his face shifting between disbelief and calculation.
The Daimyō was genuinely surprised. The other great nations had only hinted at their positions, subtly suggesting support for Danzō.
But the Daimyō of the Land of Water was different—his message openly declared support for Danzō becoming the Fifth Hokage.
This forced the Land of Fire's Daimyō to consider carefully.
The prosperity of the Fire Country's coastal regions depended heavily on peaceful relations with the Hidden Mist Village.
If the Mist were to become hostile toward Konoha, the trade routes and ports along the coast would be the first to suffer.
The resulting economic collapse would drastically reduce the annual revenue the Daimyō relied upon.
The Daimyō looked at Danzō solemnly.
"Then—you shall be the Fifth Hokage of Konoha."
As the words left his mouth, a triumphant smile appeared on Danzō's face.
In that moment, he felt validated—sending Shigure to the Hidden Mist years ago had not been a mistake. Without that connection, how could he stand where he stood now?
Tsunade glanced at Shigure, waiting silently, as if expecting something.
"Danzō," she said coldly, "don't you think it's disgraceful to gain the Mist's support with such underhanded methods?"
Danzō sneered.
"Hmph! Little girl, you have no qualifications to question the methods of this old man."
At that moment, another shinobi entered—the leader of Takigakure.
"Daimyō of the Land of Fire! I beg you to deliver justice! The Hidden Mist Village has stolen the Tailed Beast of Takigakure—please command Konoha to retrieve it!"
Takigakure was a subordinate village to Konoha, and the Land of Waterfalls was essentially a vassal of the Land of Fire.
The Daimyō froze in shock.
A Tailed Beast? Taken?
To arbitrarily steal a Tailed Beast was unthinkable. If one went berserk, the destruction could level entire nations.
At that moment, many Konoha shinobi entered the room, expressions furious.
"Danzō, you traded Takigakure's Tailed Beast to gain the Mist's support in becoming Hokage!"
"If Konoha can casually give away the property of its vassal villages, how will any future allies trust us?"
Danzō turned sharply, his gaze locking onto Shigure. At last, he understood why Shigure had dared come to Konoha in person.
Since when had the Hidden Mist taken Takigakure's Tailed Beast?
That was a Tailed Beast—not a tool or a weapon to be passed around at will.
Even though every village coveted the Bijū, no one dared attempt an open seizure.
And now, because of this incident, Danzō was being thrown directly into the fire.
The Tailed Beasts were distributed by the First Hokage, each village paying a price to receive them.
Each belonged solely to its respective village, and all the Five Great Villages collectively upheld this rule.
For Danzō to break it meant inviting chaos across the ninja world.
If one village seized a Tailed Beast, what would stop every village from doing the same?
"Danzō—you truly did such a thing!?"
The assembled shinobi glared with fury, shifting their eyes between Danzō and Shigure.
Shigure, however, remained calm.
To the world, the transaction appeared to be something Danzō voluntarily gifted to the Hidden Mist.
The responsibility lay with Danzō alone.
"I did not—this old man never agreed to anything with the Hidden Mist!" Danzō shouted.
He turned to Shigure in desperation, eyes sharp with threat and warning.
Shigure smiled faintly.
"Lord Danzō is correct."
The words struck like a blade. Silence exploded through the chamber.
It was as if Danzō was attempting to intimidate Shigure into silence—yet Shigure's response made him look even guiltier.
"Danzō, sacrificing the assets of a subordinate village for your own benefit—someone like you is unworthy to lead Konoha!" Tsunade declared.
Danzō laughed coldly.
"You say I'm unfit, and that makes it true? I am already the Hokage!"
"Danzō!"
A sharp voice resounded through the chamber.
Three figures appeared atop the roof—then, in a series of rapid shunshin movements, landed directly before Danzō.
Swish—swish—swish.
"Uchiha Sasuke?"
Shocked murmurs spread through the room.
Why was Sasuke suddenly here?
"I brought them," Jiraiya said, appearing beside them.
"Orochimaru and I made a deal. I would bring them here, and he would give me something in return."
Jiraiya unrolled a scroll. The moment Danzō saw it, his face turned pale.
"You rogue shinobi—you—"
Jiraiya cut him off.
"Whether I'm a Missing-nin doesn't matter. What matters is you're a Missing-nin as well, Danzō."
"Isn't it time we talk about your conspiracy with Orochimaru in the assassination of Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
...
TN:
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