"Shimura Danzō won't leave us such an easy handle to grab."
Kitazawa thought for a moment and said, "My guess is that this ninja has already been 'dealt with.'"
"With Danzo's personality, that's exactly the sort of thing he'd do." Tsunade rubbed her brow. "But we can't just sit on our hands. We have to investigate."
"Who are you sending?"
Kitazawa nodded, then asked.
"Anbu," Tsunade said after a brief pause. "Let's have Itachi do it."
Everything she'd assigned to Uchiha Itachi before had been handled flawlessly; he'd left a solid impression on her.
"Mm." Kitazawa handed the sketch back to her. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Wait for the results, then we'll talk," Tsunade snorted. "If we really find proof, I am not letting Danzo off the hook."
Leaking Konoha intel to Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, counted as colluding with the enemy. In any shinobi village, it's one of the most serious, absolutely forbidden crimes. Even as a Konoha elder, Danzo wouldn't walk away unscathed.
"The Third might show him some old-times leniency," Kitazawa reminded her.
"He's him. I'm me," Tsunade said, utterly unfazed.
"As expected of Tsunade-sama—badass." Kitazawa shot her a thumbs-up.
"Enough. Not the time for pointless flattery." Tsunade slapped the back of his hand.
"On top of that, we should be ready in case Danzo lashes out in desperation," Kitazawa said, face turning serious.
"Whatever tricks he's got, let him bring them," Tsunade answered, brimming with confidence.
Now that her hemophobia was gone, she theoretically had no weak point.
"Don't forget the cautionary tale of the Fourth Mizukage," Kitazawa advised. "Once we're back in the village, we should have someone from the Hyūga clan serve as your bodyguard for a while."
"He doesn't even—… you're right." Tsunade had been about to say Danzo didn't have the Sharingan—but on second thought, that wasn't guaranteed. The Uchiha had existed for over a thousand years, and Danzo had targeted them for years. If he ever got his hands on Sharingan, he'd absolutely collect them.
Kitazawa felt a lot better at that. With a Hyūga guard, at least they'd have a safety net. If Tsunade started acting out of character, the guard could use the Byakugan to check her brain right away. Yeah—when he had time, he'd talk to Hyūga Hiashi and ask for a female Hyūga jōnin.
"Feels like you'd make a pretty good Hokage's aide," Tsunade said, hopping back to sit on the table and swinging her calves.
Kitazawa's eyes moved on their own. Inside her high-heeled sandals, her round toes lined up neatly; the nails were painted a vivid red that looked striking.
"And whose aide would I be?" he asked, dragging his gaze away.
"I don't feel like answering that," Tsunade muttered, biting her thumb.
"Still refusing to accept reality, Tsunade-sama?" Kitazawa smiled.
"Why are you talking so much?" Tsunade lifted her leg and bumped him with her calf. She was wearing shoes, so she didn't kick him.
"Either way, you should make plans early," Kitazawa coughed lightly. In truth, her half-teasing, half-avoiding attitude already said it all.
"I know," Tsunade sighed.
"Everyone else is scrambling for the Hokage's chair—only you want it the least," Kitazawa said, amused by her conflicted expression.
"How about you be Hokage?" Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"Not realistic," Kitazawa shook his head. "Even if I wanted to, the Third and the others wouldn't agree."
He'd earned great merit in the war with the Hidden Mist, but not to the world-shaking level. With or without him, Konoha still would've won. Namikaze Minato was different—without him in the Third Shinobi War, Konoha really would've suffered a disastrous defeat.
"What a pain," Tsunade grumbled.
"Frown too much and you'll age," Kitazawa joked. "Want me to have a drink with you to take the edge off?"
Tsunade's eyes lit up; she reflexively licked her glossy lips. She hadn't touched alcohol in two and a half months and had been craving it. But after two seconds of hesitation, she shook her head.
"Not right now. We'll drink after we're back in Konoha," she said. "Go pack up. We leave at two this afternoon and should reach the village tomorrow morning."
"Got it."
Kitazawa left the command tent. Tsunade watched his back as he walked away, spacing out for a moment.
"Kitazawa, where'd you go?" Yūhi Kurenai heard footsteps, stopped practicing Wind Release: Rasengan, and looked up.
"I went to see Tsunade-sama," Kitazawa said, sitting cross-legged in front of her.
"Lunch—for you." Kurenai handed him a bento.
"Thanks." Now he knew what she'd gotten up early to do.
Kurenai scooted over to lean against him, then stretched out her hand and went back to trying to infuse wind chakra into the Rasengan.
"Want a bite?" Kitazawa opened the box.
"I already ate," Kurenai smiled. "But if you're feeding me, I won't say no."
"All right, I'll feed you." Kitazawa bit into a fried shrimp and looked at her.
Kurenai met his eyes. After a short blink, she understood what he meant, rolled her eyes, but still leaned in.
"Feels like today's fried shrimp is way better—super tender," Kitazawa teased.
"Eat properly and stop distracting my training," Kurenai said, cheeks a little pink as she licked the corner of her lips.
"Oh—almost forgot," Kitazawa said suddenly. "We're heading back to Konoha at two this afternoon."
"We're finally going back!" Kurenai stretched with delight.
Kitazawa nodded. They'd been out so long he missed his students too.
After lunch they packed up—not that there was much: mainly breaking down the tents.
Two o'clock came. At the now-cleared main camp, Konoha shinobi formed ranks. Moments later, Tsunade appeared, waved grandly, and set off toward Konoha. The others hurried after her. Kitazawa walked with Kurenai and Yakushi Kabuto.
Their pace wasn't fast because of the many wounded. By nightfall, they'd barely made it halfway. Kitazawa figured arriving in the morning was unlikely—more like noon.
After a night's rest, they set out again. Time slipped by.
Ten in the morning. Konoha was already buzzing. Crowds of villagers and shinobi lined both sides of the road, all peering into the distance.
On the left side of the street, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, and Yamanaka Ino squeezed together. They were supposed to be in class today, but Maruboshi Kosuke and Kakashi Hatake had given them the day off.
"So many people!" Naruto exclaimed, looking left and right.
"Kitazawa-sensei is pretty famous now," Nara Shikamaru explained. "And Tsunade-sama's fame is even more terrifying."
"I've never seen the Third, the two advisors, and this many shinobi and villagers all gathered at the gate before," Ino said in awe.
"Me neither," Haruno Sakura added, glancing around.
"I hope one day I get a hero's welcome like Kitazawa-sensei," Naruto said, starry-eyed.
"I'll get there first," Sasuke cut in coolly.
Naruto wanted the village's recognition, but Sasuke's goal was different. He felt a moment like this—everyone's eyes on you—was what truly befit the Uchiha. Simply put, he wanted to look cool.
"Sasuke!" Naruto brightened. "How about a youthful bet?"
"Not the time," Kiba Inuzuka slung an arm around him. "When Kitazawa-sensei arrives, we can give him a youthful welcome!"
Rock Lee struck a strange pose. "A youthful welcome ceremony!"
"No need!" Ino waved him down. "The Third and the advisors are here—we can't steal the spotlight!"
"Agreed," Hyūga Neji said. He didn't dare imagine what looks they'd get if Lee went through with that—in front of more than half the village. Other than Naruto and Lee, the rest of them might have to flee Konoha overnight.
"Yeah, do not," Tenten rushed to add. She didn't want her shinobi career to end before it started.
"I see Kitazawa-sensei!" Hinata suddenly perked up.
"Where? I don't see him," Naruto hopped, craning his neck.
"Of course you don't," Ino said, glancing at Hinata. "She's using her Byakugan."
"If her Byakugan can see Kitazawa-sensei, they're already close," Shikamaru said, hands behind his head. "Just a few more minutes."
Hinata ducked her head, a little embarrassed.
"They're here!" A moment later, Kiba shouted.
Naruto instinctively looked to the gate and saw Tsunade leading a neat column forward.
"Tsunade-sama!" A deafening cheer erupted from both sides of the road, the roar so loud Sasuke and Naruto couldn't even hear each other.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" The louder the crowd, the more hyped Naruto got, waving like mad at Kitazawa, who walked beside Tsunade.
Sasuke stayed cooler—until he spotted Uchiha Itachi behind Tsunade. Even with an Anbu mask, Sasuke recognized him instantly. After two and a half months apart, he wanted to dash over right then—but kept his cool. This wasn't the time.
Hinata saw Hyūga Hiashi, but her gaze still drifted back to Kitazawa. Ino, Lee, Kiba, and the others followed Naruto's lead and waved at him. Shikamaru, Shino Aburame, Kurama Yakumo, and Neji stayed calm, watching like spectators.
Kitazawa noticed them and lifted a hand in reply, but he couldn't go greet them now. The Third Hokage came first.
"These unnecessary welcome parades again," Tsunade muttered, lips quirking. She'd already guessed Sarutobi Hiruzen's intent—to boost her standing. Well, it worked. Her popularity had shot to the top—possibly even edging out Hiruzen himself.
"It's a kind gesture from the Hokage," Kitazawa said softly, close enough to hear her over the noise.
"You really don't know whether it's 'kind,' do you?" Tsunade shot him a look.
"Ahem," Kitazawa warned. "The Hokage's coming over. With all these people, maybe consider his face."
With Tsunade's personality, he half-feared she'd just turn around and leave.
"Who's the teacher here, you or me? Do you have to nag about everything?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes, a flash of menace showing.
"This is a student's duty," Kitazawa met her bright brown eyes without fear.
"What are you two whispering about?" Hiruzen came up smiling, Minato-era advisors like Homura Mitokado and other jōnin at his back.
"Nothing," Tsunade shook her head. "Let's head to the Hokage Building."
With cheers everywhere, it wasn't a great place to talk. Walking there also gave everyone who'd come out a proper sense of closure—you couldn't just make them come for nothing.
Tsunade smiled as she walked, waving to people on either side of the street. Hiruzen nodded, quite satisfied. The fact that she'd do this meant her thinking had changed. If she were dead-set against the Hokage seat, she wouldn't stay—she'd keep the appearance short and leave, minimizing the ceremony's impact.
Kitazawa followed behind her. It felt less like an ordinary road and more like a path leading straight to the Hokage's office. He felt a genuine lightness. After all his effort, he'd finally established himself in Konoha. If Tsunade became Hokage, his own position would rise with the tide. Paired with his growing strength, the future looked bright.
Of course, he couldn't relax completely. Danzo now, and later Nagato and Obito—each one a headache. For now, he'd barely count this as success.
Soon they reached the Hokage Building. The onlookers dispersed naturally; even the "genius class" students were shepherded back to the Academy by Maruboshi Kosuke and Kakashi—though they clearly didn't want to go.
In a shadowed corner far off, Shimura Danzō tightened his grip on his cane. He hadn't expected Hiruzen to pull this stunt. After a welcome like that, it would be hard for Tsunade not to be Hokage. Hiruzen's stance was crystal clear: he was dead-set on giving her the hat.
"Hiruzen—you'll regret this," Danzo hissed through his teeth.
He now realized a nasty truth: even if he controlled Tsunade into supporting him, Hiruzen still wouldn't agree to make him Hokage. Unless he controlled Hiruzen too—and he had no confidence there.
Worse, he'd learned the real reason the Mist surrendered: Yagura had been under genjutsu when he declared war on Konoha. Once the genjutsu was broken, the war stopped immediately.
What really bothered Danzo now was the Byakugan. The Byakugan could tell if someone was under genjutsu. Kotoamatsukami might be a Mangekyō Sharingan technique, but it was still genjutsu. If Tsunade or Hiruzen were hit by Kotoamatsukami, could the Byakugan detect it?
If yes, his entire plan fell apart.
So should he give up? Giving up meant no second chance. Simple math: he wouldn't outlive Tsunade—he'd never wait out her retirement.
"If it comes to it, I'll just kill her," Danzo thought, his face twisting with murderous intent. Tsunade was strong and had the Yin Seal—on paper, hard to kill. But with Kotoamatsukami, he could control her first, then kill her. Once she was dead, she couldn't become Hokage.
The only problem was doing it without alerting Hiruzen and the others—and without becoming the obvious culprit. No, he'd definitely be suspected. But suspicion was fine; as long as there was no conclusive proof.
In front of the Hokage Building:
"You've all worked hard. Without you, there would be no victory for Konoha," Hiruzen said loudly to Tsunade and the rest. "Everyone contributed. Everyone will be rewarded!"
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Excitement spread through the ranks.
"Since there are so many of you, we can't hand out rewards on the spot," Hiruzen continued with a smile. "Head on home. Your rewards will be delivered to you."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
"Jōnin, to the conference room," Hiruzen added.
Once the chūnin and genin left, the plaza in front of the building felt almost empty. After all, most of the four thousand Konoha shinobi who fought in this war were chūnin and genin.
Kitazawa followed Tsunade into the conference room. The meeting began. Nara Shikaku reported casualties.
"Every shinobi who fell for Konoha will receive full death benefits," Hiruzen ordered. "Shikaku, you handle it."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shikaku replied at once.
"Besides the stipends, the most important thing is the commendations," Hiruzen said, turning to Tsunade. "Tsunade, I'll leave that to you."
"Commendations are traditionally the Hokage's job," Tsunade frowned.
"You were the commander at the front. You know better than anyone how much each person did," Hiruzen said cheerfully. "There's no law saying the Hokage must do it."
Quite a few jōnin exchanged subtle looks. Wasn't this basically letting Tsunade start doing a Hokage's work ahead of time?