The morning after the Susanoo calamity.
Waves of Konoha ninja gathered beneath the Memorial Stone to attend the funeral of the fallen.
Flowers and photographs filled the space.
At the very center stood three frames—
From left to right: Akimichi Torifu, Utatane, and Hatake Sakumo.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood at the front, staring blankly at the photos.
Torifu… that lazy glutton.
Hiruzen had long known his strength had recovered, but the man had always hidden deep within the clan grounds, too lazy to act.
Hiruzen had once thought he'd mock him to his face—
"You're lazy, but in the end, didn't you still have to step forward? Didn't you still die for Konoha?"
If Homura were still here…
They could have mocked him together.
But now—
There was no one left.
Only Danzo remained by his side.
Of the Second Hokage's six guards…
Only he and Danzo were left.
Danzo, with that ever lifeless face—
There wasn't even anyone left he could talk to.
And Utatane…
Had died as well.
As the medical ninja among the six—
She had died for him.
As for Hatake Sakumo—
All his suspicion, all his caution…
Had become a joke.
At the most critical moment—
Sakumo had charged forward without hesitation.
He had traded his life for one of Uchiha Madara's eyes—
And forced him to retreat.
Beyond the three of them—
Countless other ninja had fallen.
A deep sense of helplessness washed over Hiruzen.
How… had it come to this?
Where had he gone wrong?
From a distance, Yako watched Kakashi.
Unlike in the original timeline—
The White Fang had not died in disgrace.
He had fallen as a hero.
Kakashi still grieved—
But he did not carry that crushing burden of shame.
He would not walk the same dark path.
Beside him, Minato stood.
Both of them carried chakra short blades on their backs.
Then—
In the midst of solemn silence—
A disturbance arose.
The Uchiha clan had arrived.
Madara was an Uchiha.
And during the entire Susanoo incident—
The Uchiha clan had taken no part in the fighting.
The village had ordered them to stay away from Madara.
Many among them had been dissatisfied.
And during the evacuation—
Their rough methods had been magnified by the villagers.
Someone shouted—
"What are you doing here?! Get out!"
The voice came from someone who had just lost family.
Uchiha Kagen paused for a brief moment—
Then continued walking.
He led the clan forward.
They placed flowers in silence—
Then moved to stand at the rear of the crowd.
But their restraint earned them nothing.
People near them stepped back again and again—
Until a ring of empty space formed around the Uchiha.
Kagen sighed softly.
This was bad.
After the funeral—
A jonin assembly was convened in the Hokage Tower.
This time, only four figures sat on the main platform.
Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Advisor Danzo.
ANBU Commander Yellow Dog.
And Jonin Commander Nara Shikakaku.
The meeting began under Shikakaku's direction.
The atmosphere was heavy.
He first reported on reconstruction matters—
Rebuilding the village walls.
Repairing the barrier.
Clearing debris from collapsed buildings.
Once routine matters were covered—
The meeting moved to its core.
Tsunade stood up first.
"The village has suffered a devastating blow. None of us are in good spirits."
"But we must look forward."
"For Konoha's future."
"I have submitted a list recommending promotions to jonin."
"Among them are Namikaze Minato and Hayama Shirakumo."
"They performed exceptionally during the Susanoo incident."
"Especially Minato—he inherited Advisor Sakumo's swordsmanship and Body Flicker Technique, and eliminated many of Madara's White Zetsu."
"I hope the village will complete the review as soon as possible."
Eyes turned toward Tsunade.
Minato was Sakumo's student.
By recommending him now—
Was Tsunade signaling that she had taken over Sakumo's faction?
Only then did people notice—
Yamashiro and Moonlight Kento were seated not far behind her.
They had already aligned themselves with her.
Hiruzen's expression darkened slightly.
Sakumo's network had been strong—
Jonin like Yamashiro.
Tokubetsu jōnin like Shirakumo.
And prodigies like Minato.
Now—
All of it had fallen into Tsunade's hands.
Shikakaku glanced at Hiruzen.
Seeing no objection, he said,
"The jonin council will begin a new round of evaluations soon."
During the Susanoo incident—
Tsunade had proven her strength.
She had fought Madara directly—
Contributed—
And survived.
After Tsunade sat down, Hiruzen spoke.
"Foreign Affairs Advisor Hatake Sakumo sacrificed himself for the village."
"As Tsunade said… we must think of Konoha's future."
"This time, the village has suffered heavy losses."
"The daimyō will undoubtedly send inquiries."
"To prove that Konoha remains strong… we need a new Foreign Affairs Advisor."
"I have decided to appoint the ANBU Commander—codename Yellow Dog."
"His real name is Sarutobi Shinnosuke."
"He will serve as the Hokage's Foreign Affairs Advisor."
A dozen seconds passed.
No one objected.
Hiruzen continued,
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke will represent Konoha and visit each nation as soon as possible."
"Konoha may have been struck by Madara—"
"But we still have the strength to protect the daimyō."
Many jonin felt uneasy hearing this.
Did they really still have that strength?
Hiruzen pressed on.
"With his appointment, the ANBU will be temporarily overseen by Vice Commander Fox."
"Fox will assist Advisor Shinnosuke in this diplomatic mission."
Normally—
ANBU operations were never disclosed.
But now—
To reassure the jonin—
To build confidence in Shinnosuke—
Hiruzen brought Fox into the spotlight.
Fox's strength was undeniable.
Everyone had seen it the night before—
He had single-handedly destroyed a wooden Susanoo clone.
Chased down Guruguru.
Saved many lives.
His reputation was rising rapidly.
After the murmurs died down—
Hiruzen continued.
"Additionally… the village cannot function without an Internal Affairs Advisor."
"Regarding that position…"
His gaze turned toward Orochimaru.
He wanted Orochimaru to step forward.
Even if he knew—
Orochimaru wasn't suited for the role.
He had no one else.
Orochimaru slowly stood.
Hiruzen's eyes lit up.
Even Danzo showed a flicker of surprise.
Everyone turned toward Orochimaru.
He spoke calmly—
"I nominate Tsunade."
Hiruzen's expression shifted—
Then quickly smoothed out.
The room erupted in whispers.
The Internal Affairs Advisor held immense power.
Ninja earned money through missions—
But spending it…
That depended on internal administration.
Village construction.
Road planning.
The hospital.
Infrastructure.
All of it—
Fell under this role.
Tsunade already oversaw the Konoha Hospital.
Promoting her—
Made perfect sense.
Shikakaku looked at Hiruzen.
He hoped the Hokage would agree.
Konoha needed to project strength.
One of the Sannin becoming an advisor—
Was ideal.
Advisors kept dying.
If that continued—
The daimyō and other villages would begin to look down on Konoha.
Yako watched Orochimaru sit back down.
Tsunade already had a strong foundation.
If Jiraiya were here—
He would have supported her even more actively.
Under everyone's gaze—
Hiruzen spoke.
"Very well."
"Tsunade is well-suited for the role."
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke. Tsunade."
"Both of you will assume your positions immediately."
"Familiarize yourselves with your duties."
"And begin work at once."
After the meeting—
Tsunade left briskly.
She went straight to the Internal Affairs office on the second floor—
And sent for the people she wanted to see.
Soon—
They arrived.
Senju Hanaki.
Senju Nan.
Senju Yukie.
Yamashiro.
Moonlight Kento.
Hayama Shirakumo.
Namikaze Minato.
And others.
Tsunade spoke without hesitation.
"The village is in crisis."
"This is the time for us to step forward."
"Nan. Yamashiro."
"I appoint you both as advisor aides."
"You will assist me in handling internal affairs."
"As for the rest of you—"
"Alongside your missions, I'll assign you administrative tasks."
"Yes!"
The Senju ninjas were visibly excited.
After so many years—
Their clan had finally returned to the village's core leadership.
Yamashiro and the others, meanwhile, felt relieved.
They had not been cast aside.
Yamashiro understood why—
It was because Minato was one of Kushina's closest people.
Tsunade continued,
"Reconstruction is our top priority."
"The jonin commander is overloaded."
"Shikakaku will transfer many of those responsibilities to us."
"Nan. Yamashiro."
"I want a reconstruction plan as soon as possible."
"The rest of you—get to work."
"Shirakumo. Minato."
"Come with me."
"I'll take you to see the Hokage and finalize your promotions."
As Minato and Shirakumo followed her upstairs—
They exchanged a glance.
They both noticed—
Tsunade's style was completely different from Sakumo's.
More direct.
Less cautious.
Different strength—
Different temperament.
On the third floor—
They pushed open the Hokage's office door.
Inside were others.
The newly appointed advisor, Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
And the ANBU Vice Commander—
Fox.
When Tsunade saw Hiruzen—
Her eyes flickered.
Killing one's teacher…
Whether it was her father's will—
Or Fox's own judgment—
It made little difference.
Fox might one day kill Hiruzen.
But in the next moment—
She composed herself.
For Konoha's sake—
No matter how much she distrusted him—
She had to cooperate.
Seeing them enter—
Hiruzen immediately understood.
He turned to Shinnosuke.
"Proceed as planned."
"Go to the capital of the Land of Fire."
"Reassure the daimyō."
"Dispel their doubts."
"Understood. I'll depart immediately."
Yako followed Shinnosuke out.
Leaving Tsunade and Hiruzen alone—
To speak.