Chapter 15: Hokage! Hokage! Damn Hokage!
Fierce sunlight cast the Konoha Village gate's shadow onto the ground, dividing it into worlds of light and dark.
Tsunade stood at the boundary between those shadows, squinting as she surveyed this familiar yet strange hometown. She'd once thought she would never return here again.
The streets were wider and more prosperous than her memories, lined with shops on both sides, bustling with voices. Children ran past her laughing, faces overflowing with carefree smiles, their eyes full of curiosity toward this stranger. But some elderly villagers, upon recognizing her features, invariably showed stunned expressions and respectfully cleared the path.
"Lady Tsunade..."
A tide of whispers rose behind her. Tsunade ignored them, her gaze traveling over the crowd to land on the distant mountain rock carved with the faces of past Hokage.
Grandfather, Second Grandfather...
Since that day, her luck at the casino had completely reversed. Bet big, it came up big. Bet small, it came up small. Even with slot machines, a casual spin would produce three matching symbols.
The more she won, the more her heart palpitated. Combined with the drift bottle's continued absence, she could no longer numb herself with gambling and alcohol.
She had to come back and see with her own eyes.
"Shizune, go home first and tidy things up. I'm going to see the old man." Tsunade instructed her disciple without looking back.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Shizune acknowledged. With Konoha changed so much, she'd probably need to ask around to find their old place.
After sending Shizune away, Tsunade walked alone toward the Hokage building, her thoughts turbulent. Before she knew it, the Hokage's office stood before her.
She didn't knock. As if returning to her own home, she simply pushed the door open.
Creak—
The smell of tobacco mixed with paper and ink wafted out. The office had barely changed—only the document piles had grown higher, and that old man had grown older.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, hands behind his back, gazing at the village outside. Hearing the door, he slowly turned. The moment he saw Tsunade, those cloudy eyes immediately revealed genuine happiness.
"You've finally come home, Tsunade."
Tsunade walked across from him and pulled out a chair without ceremony. "Don't misunderstand, old man. I was heading to Tanzaku Town. Just passing through Konoha and thought I'd check if you'd died yet."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled somewhat helplessly. "Is that so? But the report my Anbu gave me says Shizune's already out buying cleaning supplies for a deep clean."
A flash of awkwardness crossed Tsunade's face, but she quickly masked it. "I've been on a hot streak lately—winning big at the casinos. Good mood, so I'm back to rest a couple days and give them time to gather more gambling funds."
"Speaking of which, I just saw an odd combination—two Uchiha brats and a Hyuga brat coming out of the Forest of Death together. Quite interesting."
She clumsily changed the subject, but simultaneously wanted to confirm the current situation with the Uchiha and Hyuga.
"You mean them..." Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe and lit it, taking a deep drag before speaking slowly.
"Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha clan head's eldest son. A once-in-a-century genius. More than that, at barely his teens, he already possesses the Hokage's way of thinking. He doesn't think about clan glory or personal gain, but about the village's future—about peace in the shinobi world."
Mentioning that name brought undisguised appreciation to Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone.
"The one beside him is his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. Living in his brother's dazzling shadow, desperately trying to catch up—a child whose determination yields to no one."
"As for Hyuga Kiyonari..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "That's an interesting child. His thinking is quite unique—enough that Danzo came to me demanding I intervene."
"His way of viewing the world differs from every other Hyuga clan member. I think... if it were you, you might really like that spirit of breaking conventions—just like you once did."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe in the ashtray and looked up at Tsunade. "These children are Konoha's future. With them, Konoha has hope."
Hearing this, Tsunade suddenly closed her eyes. If she could, she'd even want to cover her ears.
The moment she saw Sarutobi Hiruzen, she'd regretted coming back.
"But, Tsunade... beneath a flourishing tree, shadows grow most easily. The conflict between the Uchiha and village leadership grows sharper daily. An unprecedented rift has appeared between the Hyuga main and branch families because of those brothers... All sorts of undercurrents surge beneath the surface."
He released a long sigh filled with exhaustion and powerlessness.
"I'm old now. Even Danzo says so. Whether energy or resolve, I'm far from what I was. Many things—I see them, but often feel helpless..."
Tsunade couldn't help clicking her tongue. She knew it—this old man had circled around so much, but his ultimate goal was still this.
"Konoha needs a new pillar," Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice brimmed with earnestness. "Someone who can suppress those old people swollen with ambition, who can mediate conflicts between clans, who can truly pass the Will of Fire to the next generation."
"Tsunade, besides you, I can think of no one more suitable. You're the First Hokage's granddaughter. You've inherited their blood, your strength, your achievements... all of it is beyond question. Tsunade, take this burden from my shoulders and become the Fifth Hokage!"
The word "Hokage" was like a red-hot brand, searing brutally into Tsunade's heart.
Two smiling faces flashed through her mind. One was her brother Nawaki, full of dreams, saying he'd become Hokage to protect everyone. The other was her lover Kato Dan, who harbored the same Hokage dream.
But they'd both ultimately become cold tombstones.
They'd both sacrificed their lives for the village. Casually sacrificing lives like that—only fools would do such things!
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Tsunade slammed the table and shot to her feet.
The tremendous force made the entire desk jump abruptly. Documents scattered across the floor with a rustle. Her chest heaved violently, eyes burning with suppressed fury and pain.
"Old man, you know perfectly well—I hate this place."
"Hokage! Hokage! What damned Hokage! Anyone who wants to become Hokage is a hopeless fool!"
She made no effort to hide her hatred for this place, for her hometown, and... for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Tsunade stared hard at Sarutobi Hiruzen, enunciating each word. "This position—whoever wants it can have it. But me, Tsunade, I will absolutely never become the Fifth Hokage!"
With that, she refused to look at the regret and guilt on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, turning and striding toward the door.
***
20+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces