Chapter 80: The Aftermath and the Calm
By the time Akatsurugi returned to Konoha, it was already the next day. The tension that had gripped him since the battle finally began to ease. He didn't go home, heading straight for the Hokage's office instead. This report couldn't wait.
"Ah, Akatsurugi, you're back." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up from the documents on his desk, pipe in hand, and closed the file he was reading. "How did it go? Was the issue with the demon in the Land of Demons resolved?"
Seeing the Hokage's genuine, uninformed expression, Akatsurugi knew he wasn't feigning ignorance. "This is what happened," he began, launching into a detailed account of the ambush by the three Kage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened with each word. He had never imagined three major villages would unite to target a single Konoha shinobi. But when Akatsurugi revealed he had killed both the Third Mizukage and the Third Raikage, the pipe clattered from Hiruzen's hand onto the desk.
It was too much to process. Had Akatsurugi's power grown to such an extent? The Third Hokage was a powerful shinobi in his own right, a master of countless jutsu, but facing Ōnoki, A, and their combined forces? He would have been hard-pressed to survive, let alone turn the tables and slay two of his attackers. For Akatsurugi to return alive was a miracle; to return as the victor was… outrageous.
(Akatsurugi wisely omitted the encounter with Uchiha Madara. Revealing that would only create more problems, especially for the already-fragile Uchiha clan.)
Rubbing his temples, Hiruzen felt a headache blooming. An Akatsuki-level threat? No, Akatsurugi was a Kage-killer. With the Third Raikage and Third Mizukage dead, the political fallout would be immense. This could very well mean war.
"Someone!" he called out to the ANBU shadowed in the room. "Find Koharu, Mitokado, and Danzō. Now."
As the ANBU vanished, Hiruzen gestured for Akatsurugi to stay. "Take a seat for a moment."
Soon, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Danzō filed into the office. They nodded curtly to Akatsurugi; regardless of their personal feelings, he was an indispensable pillar of Konoha's military strength.
"Danzō, I know you're busy, but this is urgent," Hiruzen began, preempting his old friend's impatience.
Utatane Koharu cut to the chase. "Hiruzen, what is so important that you've called us all here?"
Hiruzen took a long, weary drag from his pipe and recounted Akatsurugi's mission and the three-Kage ambush.
"What?!" Danzō couldn't contain his shock. He knew Akatsurugi was powerful, but this defied belief. He had faced the Third Raikage on the battlefield; his Wind Release techniques had been utterly useless against the man's lightning armor. For Akatsurugi to have killed him, and the Mizukage besides… The power gap was staggering.
A cold, calculating thought crystallized in Danzō's mind: He's too powerful. A direct threat to my ambitions for the Hokage seat. Konoha cannot be controlled with a weapon like this in it.
"Hiruzen," Koharu said, her voice grave, "are you suggesting Kiri and Kumo might declare war on Konoha?"
Mitokado Homura looked equally concerned. A few short years of peace, and now this? Konoha was not yet ready for another major conflict.
"I cannot be certain," Hiruzen admitted, exhaling a plume of smoke. "But we must prepare for the possibility."
Akatsurugi himself was unconcerned about war. With him present, any village considering an attack would have to weigh the consequences of facing his wrath. A protracted war would bleed them dry.
"Alright, Akatsurugi, you are dismissed. Get some rest," Hiruzen said, his tone final.
Akatsurugi nodded and took his leave. The moment the door closed behind him, Danzō spoke, his voice low and intent.
"Hiruzen, his strength is becoming… unmanageable. He has single-handedly provoked two of the Great Villages. A war now could undo decades of Konoha's rebuilding."
"Mind your words, Danzō!" Koharu and Homura snapped in near-unison. They, more than anyone, understood Akatsurugi's value. He had been the one to turn the tide against Suna, killing the Second Kazekage and sealing the One-Tails. He was Konoha's ultimate deterrent, a check on the ambitions of every other nation. The current Konoha could not afford to lose him. There was no one, not even the rising Hatake Sakumo, who could replace him.
Hiruzen waved a hand, cutting off the debate before it could truly begin. "I called you here to discuss defensive measures against Kumo and Kiri. Nothing more."
Danzō fell silent, recognizing the dismissal. The time to move against Akatsurugi had not yet come. For now, they still needed his sword.
The four elders then bent their heads over the desk, their discussion shifting to strategies and fortifications.
Walking leisurely back to his home, Akatsurugi spotted his disciple on the street. Kato Dan was strolling hand-in-hand with Tsunade. Dan noticed his teacher and hurried over to greet him.
Akatsurugi chuckled. "Well, well. Has Jiraiya given up on causing trouble?"
Tsunade sniffed, a proud smirk playing on her lips. "That idiot Jiraiya is currently lying in the hospital."
It seemed Jiraiya's persistent attempts to win her back had finally earned him a lesson delivered by Tsunade's "Loving Iron Fists." Akatsurugi couldn't help but laugh. Some things, it seemed, never changed. For now, at least, there was peace in Konoha.