The clearing on the outskirts of Red Leaf Village was a scene of utter chaos, punctuated by occasional screams.
A contingent of ninja, led by the Third Hokage, attempted to intercept Tsunade, but she was like an enraged lioness, refusing to be stopped for even a moment.
Danzo, however, was not one to be easily subdued. Flanked by two Root members, he engaged Tsunade in a back-and-forth battle. Yet, he notably refrained from initiating attacks, even appearing to fight with a degree of ease.
"Stop it, Tsunade!" the Third Hokage commanded anxiously from the sidelines.
Tsunade, as if deaf to his words, continued her ferocious assault on Danzo.
Danzo watched the furious Tsunade with a cold sneer in his heart. The more agitated Tsunade became, the more it played to his advantage. It was, however, a pity to lose such a sharp blade as Sakura Haruno.
Originally, Danzo had dispatched two ANBU operatives ahead of time. Capturing her unconscious and bringing her back would have been ideal. But he hadn't anticipated that both ANBU would be so utterly decimated by Sakura Haruno.
This had immediately set off alarm bells in Danzo's keen sense for danger. He perceived from Sakura Haruno that she could no longer be reined in, not even for exploitation. Danzo sensed a bone-deep coldness emanating from her, a feeling he had only ever encountered in Root members. Now, it was present in her. Threats against her bonds and family would likely prove ineffective.
The initial plan to have Junko approach her at an opportune moment and inject her with a feigned-death potion was abandoned. Danzo chose to eliminate Sakura Haruno directly.
She had already developed animosity towards Konoha. If the Third Hokage continued to be soft-hearted, she would likely cause trouble for Konoha in the future. Danzo's principle had always been to immediately extinguish any budding threat to Konoha.
"Tsunade!! Have you forgotten your identity? And the oath you took the day you became Hokage!!!"
Just as Tsunade was about to deliver a fatal blow to Danzo, the Third Hokage, disregarding his aged body, flashed in front of Danzo, glaring furiously at Tsunade.
"Lord Third Hokage, it's dangerous!!" The ANBU accompanying the Third, seeing this, hastily tried to pull him away.
But just then, Tsunade's fist stopped inches from the Third Hokage's face, her eyes blazing with anger at him.
The Third Hokage stared back at Tsunade, unyielding. They remained locked in this standoff for a moment before Tsunade was the first to lower her hand.
The Third Hokage let out a sigh of relief. "I can understand how you feel. But the rogue ninja is already dead. We'll discuss everything back in the village."
"She is NOT a rogue ninja!" Tsunade retorted, panting heavily.
"Murdering fellow villagers and attempting to incite war… I can overlook your attack on me…" Danzo rose from behind the Third Hokage, brushing dust off his clothes. He paused, then said to the Third, "But Hiruzen, I do not believe she is fit to continue serving as Hokage."
"Oh?" Hearing Danzo say this, the Third Hokage's expression instantly darkened. He turned his head, his gaze fixing on Danzo with a chilling intensity. "Then who, in your opinion, is qualified to be Hokage?"
Met with the Third Hokage's piercing stare, the words Danzo had been about to utter caught in his throat like a fishbone. His face turned slightly pale. This was, after all, his rival and comrade of several decades. Even if Hiruzen was now old, frail, and no match for him physically, that glare still sent a shiver of apprehension through him.
It was true that the Third Hokage was benevolent. But if he couldn't keep Danzo in check, how could he have sat securely in his position for decades? It was only in recent years, due to his advanced age and declining energy, that Danzo's actions had become increasingly excessive.
The Uchiha clan massacre was Danzo's most egregious act. At that time, the Third had directly disbanded Root, which Danzo commanded. Danzo had remained quiet for a few years. However, after the Third stepped down, Danzo, with the support of the other two council elders, had re-established Root.
The Third Hokage, however, didn't want to meddle too much anymore. The existence of Root was a double-edged sword, with both pros and cons. He had intended to leave it all for Tsunade to handle. But today, Danzo had dared to point that blade at Tsunade herself.
This, the Third Hokage would absolutely not tolerate. Not once, and certainly not twice. Years ago, when Danzo had attempted to assassinate the Hokage, the Third had given him a chance. Now, Danzo was audacious enough to try and interfere with the Hokage position itself.
"We will discuss everything back in the village. ANBU, collect the body. Tsunade, go gather the genin you brought with you. Danzo, stay by my side!" The Third Hokage issued his commands one by one. Tsunade was emotionally unstable; he was the highest-ranking person on site.
Tsunade didn't move. Apart from the ANBU accompanying the Third Hokage who were heading towards Sakura Haruno, the other ninja also remained still.
Ultimately, the ANBU were the Hokage's direct subordinates, almost like a private army. Even after a former Kage stepped down, some ANBU would still follow their commands. The current Kage's direct ANBU contingent was partly inherited from the previous Kage, and partly composed of those they organized themselves.
The ANBU was a department independent of the village's regular system. They represented the Hokage's will and were loyal only to the Hokage. For such a personally affiliated organization, after the current Kage established their own direct ANBU, the former Kage's ANBU members would gradually retire from the force. Of course, ANBU members trusted by both Kage would not be dismissed.
The transition between old and new, the replacement of former and current regimes, was inevitable. But Tsunade had only recently taken office; her ANBU members were all holdovers from the Third Hokage's era.
The clash between the two Kage meant these ANBU only listened to the Third. And while the regular ninja didn't have this particular issue, they could only remain silent in such a situation.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"
Tsunade bit her thumb. With a poof, a gigantic slug appeared before everyone.
"Lady… Tsunade!" Katsuyu materialized, only to find herself surrounded by Konoha ninja, looking utterly bewildered.
"Katsuyu, stop those ANBU!" Tsunade commanded. "Sakura is over there too. Go check on her condition!"
Tsunade had never been a patient person. Consumed by rage moments ago, she had momentarily forgotten to summon Katsuyu for assistance. This was the first time in many years Tsunade had been this furious, and it had clearly thrown her off her usual composure.
"Uh, yes, Lady Tsunade!" Katsuyu glanced at the Third Hokage, then, with another poof, her body instantly divided into countless smaller slugs, which swarmed towards the ANBU.
"Tsunade! Can this not be resolved back in the village?!" The Third Hokage kept emphasizing returning to the village because, once there, Tsunade couldn't act so impulsively on her temper.
Tsunade ignored the Third. She lowered her head in silence for a moment, then slowly raised it, her gaze sharp as she looked at him. "Sensei Sarutobi, answer me: what is the Will of Fire?"
"You… what are you talking about?" The Third Hokage was somewhat stunned by Tsunade's question.
"Answer me! What truly IS the Will of Fire?! Sensei Sarutobi!!!" Tsunade suddenly roared, glaring at the Third as she repeated her question.
"The Will of Fire is..." The Third Hokage composed himself, taking a deep breath. "Where leaves dance, fire burns. The fire's light will continue to illuminate the village, and allow new leaves to sprout..." "This is the Will of Fire!" The Third Hokage recited, in one breath, the oft-repeated lines he had spoken countless times about the Will of Fire.
"Wrong!!!" Tsunade bellowed. "That is NOT the Will of Fire!"
"Are you denying the First Hokage's ideals?" The Third Hokage's tone grew heavy. He would not allow the Will of Fire, which he had upheld his entire life, to be defiled, not even by the First Hokage's own granddaughter.
Tsunade shook her head. "I deeply agree with my grandfather's ideals." She then continued, "But you have failed to inherit his ideals."
"In your eyes, the Will of Fire is 'Konoha first,' 'the village first'! To protect Konoha, you would eradicate anyone, at any cost! Anyone! This is the Will of Fire you adhere to!!!" Tsunade was practically screaming by the end.
The Third Hokage was stunned into silence by Tsunade's outburst. He opened his mouth to retort, but his mind was a chaotic mess. Vaguely, he seemed to understand something, yet at the same time, he understood nothing at all.
"Hmph, what is wrong with that? For Konoha, I will employ any means necessary. Everything is for the sake of the village," Danzo said, stepping forward as the Third Hokage remained silent.
Hearing Danzo's words, a bolt of lightning seemed to flash through the Third Hokage's mind. His eyes instantly cleared.
"So, all this time, I've been wrong!" the Third Hokage thought, his heart aching.
He had always believed he was entrusting the dark affairs to Danzo, things he himself was unwilling to touch. But in reality, he too… he too was being influenced by Danzo's methods.
To achieve his goals, to protect the village, he had resorted to any means. What Danzo did was, in fact, what he himself desired deep down. But because he couldn't cross that moral threshold in his own heart, he had been deceiving himself all along.
In truth, the Third Hokage's actions were not entirely blameless, yet this was what a politician often had to be. But deep down, the Third Hokage never wanted to become such a person. However, circumstances often forced one's hand. The era in which the Third Hokage lived necessitated a leader with a ruthless streak to achieve victory. The Second Hokage had been a man who embodied both benevolence and ruthlessness, but he had died too soon. Thus, Danzo became the manifestation of the Third's darkness.
Today, with Tsunade pointing it out so starkly, the Third Hokage's mental defenses crumbled. His face turned deathly pale. Watching his former student accuse him, he couldn't utter a single word.
"Lord Third Hokage, Lady Fifth Hokage, for now, let's return to the village. Dawn is about to break!" Kakashi stepped forward.
Though Kakashi was equally grieved and furious, he was not a ninja who wore his emotions on his sleeve. In the current situation, his involvement would only make things worse.
In the distance, the clouds on the horizon were indeed beginning to lighten. It seemed dawn was truly approaching. The two Hidden Mist ANBU were long gone. Only Konoha ninja remained on site.
Sakura Haruno slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Junko's pale face, she was momentarily taken aback. "Jun... Junko?" she asked weakly.
"Mm, are you... feeling any better?" Junko replied, her voice equally faint.
Neji, activating his Byakugan, stared at Sakura Haruno with an expression of utter disbelief, his eyes growing wider the longer he looked.