Konoha afternoons always carried a lazy, unhurried feel.
When Tsunade kicked Jiraiya's door open, he was sprawled back with his legs up, reading the latest draft of Make-Out Paradise.
"Stop reading."
Tsunade's voice was hard as stone.
"Huh? Tsunade—when did you get back to the village?!"
"Come with me."
Jiraiya looked up, and the manuscript slipped from his hand with a flutter onto the floor.
"Oh? That kind of temper? Lose everything at the casino again?"
"Cut the crap."
Tsunade turned and strode out, her ponytail snapping like a whip.
"It's about Nawaki."
The moment he heard that name, the grin vanished from Jiraiya's face.
He picked up the pages and slowly rose.
"Nawaki? But he already—"
"He was buried. I know." Tsunade stopped in the doorway with her back to him. Sunlight spilled over her shoulder, carving sharp shadows across the floor. "But I heard something—Danzo might be using Senju bodies for experiments."
Jiraiya's breathing hitched.
"Where did you hear that?"
His voice dropped, like he was afraid of waking something.
"That doesn't matter."
Tsunade finally turned around. Something was burning in her eyes—so bright it was frightening.
"Just tell me. Are you in or not?"
Jiraiya stared at her for three seconds.
In those three seconds, a hundred thoughts flashed through his mind.
"I'm in."
One word. Clean and final.
Tsunade nodded and said nothing. But Jiraiya saw her clenched fist loosen a little, the white marks on her knuckles slowly fading.
…
Konoha's underground felt like another world.
The corridors of Root's base stretched on endlessly. Candle flames flickered along the walls, dragging shadows into warped shapes.
The air had a smell—disinfectant mixed with something else—that made your throat tighten.
"This place is seriously a hellhole," Jiraiya muttered.
"Did Danzo's sense of aesthetics get eaten by a dog?"
Tsunade didn't answer.
She walked in front, each step heavy.
Her heels struck the stone with a sound that echoed through the silence like a heartbeat.
Then they reached the first lab.
Through the glass, they could see rows of jars.
Something floated inside them, rising and sinking in a pale green solution.
Tsunade's face went bloodless.
"These bastards…"
Jiraiya spat a curse through clenched teeth.
Tsunade punched straight through the glass.
Liquid splashed everywhere, jars rolling and clattering across the floor.
She picked up a label from among the shards and squinted at it in the dim light.
"Senju… Kazuya…"
She read the name out loud, and her hand started to shake.
Jiraiya patted her shoulder.
"Keep going."
They pushed deeper.
There was less resistance than they'd expected—like Root had simply vanished.
Something's wrong. Jiraiya's internal alarm blared.
But Tsunade was already at the next door.
She kicked it open.
And both of them froze.
The room was huge—half a training ground. Three full rows of refrigerated cabinets were built into the walls, glass doors rimmed with white frost.
Inside each cabinet lay a person—or rather, a body.
All of them Senju.
Tsunade's gaze swept across faces that were both familiar and unfamiliar.
Some were names she could say. Some were clan members she'd seen once during the war. And then—
In the cabinet at the very far corner…
Nawaki lay inside, eyes closed, like he was sleeping.
There was even a faint hint of color in his cheeks, as if he might open his eyes any second, grin, and call out, "Sis."
Tsunade didn't move.
She just stood there, staring.
But Jiraiya could see her shaking—shaking from the bone, uncontrollable.
"Tsunade…"
He wanted to say something, anything, but the words stuck in his throat.
Then a voice came out of the shadows.
"Breaking into Root's restricted grounds."
Danzo stepped out from the end of the corridor, his cane tapping against the floor.
"Your actions are no different from rogue ninja."
Tsunade turned slowly.
Danzo saw her eyes and instinctively took half a step back.
That was a predator's stare—the raw, primal light of a beast locking onto an enemy.
"Rogue ninja?"
Tsunade's voice was quiet—so quiet it was almost inaudible.
"And what are you, then? Digging up my clan's dead and using them for human experiments—what does that make you? A demon?"
Danzo's expression darkened.
"This is for Konoha—"
He didn't finish.
Because Tsunade's fist was already there.
No flourish. No technique. Just a straight, brutal punch.
But the sound of the hit wave tearing the air was like a dragon roaring.
Danzo didn't even have time to form a single hand sign. He went flying, smashing through three walls before he finally stopped.
Rubble rained down in a roar.
Tsunade walked toward him, one step at a time.
Her chakra boiled around her, golden light bleeding through her skin, turning the corridor bright as day.
"For Konoha?"
She stopped in front of him, looking down.
"Soaking my little brother's body in a jar—that's for Konoha too?"
Danzo coughed blood, struggling to get up.
But several ribs in his chest were probably broken; even one movement made him spasm in pain.
"You… don't understand…"
He rasped.
"The Senju's power can't just be buried in the dirt…"
"So you dug it up?"
Tsunade's voice suddenly rose, sharp enough to cut—almost a scream.
"So you wouldn't even let him rest in death?!"
She lifted her foot, ready to bring it down.
"Stop!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice rang out from the entrance.
The old Hokage stormed in with a squad of Anbu. The moment he saw the scene, his pupils contracted hard.
Tsunade's foot halted in midair.
Slowly, she turned her head and looked at her teacher.
Jiraiya stood beside her, one hand on her shoulder—like he was holding her back from snapping completely.
"Sensei," Tsunade said, her voice hoarse like sandpaper.
"You knew about this too, didn't you?"
It wasn't a question.
Hiruzen opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
In the candlelight, the wrinkles on his face looked deeper than ever, every groove filled with exhaustion and something like… guilt.
Silence spread.
The corridor held only the crackle of flames—and Danzo's stifled groans.
At last, Hiruzen let out a sigh.
Long. Heavy. Like he was breathing out every last bit of air in his lungs.
"Some of Danzo's actions…"
He spoke slowly. "Did receive my tacit approval."
Tsunade closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, the burning firestorm inside was gone—leaving nothing but ash.