Temari: "The Legendary Sannin… are they really coming back?"
Tenten: "It must be because of Aunt Kushina."
Sakura Haruno: "Unexpected, yet it makes perfect sense."
Senju Hashirama: Hahaha~
Senju Hashirama: Little Tsunade really is back; Kushina wasn't lying.
When they heard Hashirama's laughter, many people wore odd expressions.
This one… truly is a bit of a natural airhead.
"Hokage-sama."
En route to the Root Organization's underground base.
The fierce-faced Hiruzen Sarutobi, hearing movement behind him, forced himself to stay calm.
"Speak."
Inwardly and outwardly, Hiruzen was anything but calm; he simply dropped the pretense.
A show of force this blatant would only end once blood was spilled.
Whether Danzo was involved or not, he had to go.
This was no longer something that could be settled by calling in a close friend to bark at.
If he didn't act decisively now, the village's panic would only worsen.
So he could only inconvenience his close friend for now.
Of course, whether it was truly an inconvenience remained to be seen.
"Hokage-sama."
"Urgent intelligence just arrived… Lady Tsunade… appears to have left Tanzaku Town."
Hearing this, most of the murderous aura vanished from the old man's face.
He frowned, displeased. "She left—so what?"
Sensing his irritation, the Anbu Ninja in the animal mask quickly added, "Her direction… seems to be back toward Konoha."
"Oh?"
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes; a flicker of barely perceptible dread flashed through their bloodshot, cloudy depths.
"Tsunade? Returning to the village?"
He muttered, then stopped walking.
The instant he halted, a chain reaction followed—numerous hidden Anbu Ninja immediately slowed.
After a brief silence, Hiruzen raised a hand.
In that instant every Anbu Ninja received the order and froze.
"Confirmed?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. The reporting Ninja double-checked—it is Lady Tsunade… returning with Shizune."
"If she doesn't change course, she's heading straight for Konoha."
"The Ninja who've been secretly watching Lady Tsunade… noticed nothing; it seems to be a sudden decision."
"From afar, even Shizune looked puzzled."
Hearing this, Hiruzen's expression darkened.
"Withdraw for now," he said, taking a deep breath and waving dismissal.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Whoosh—
The reporting Anbu Ninja instantly body-flickered away.
Hiruzen remained where he stood, lost in thought.
"Why return so suddenly?"
"Could it be because of everything that's happened lately?"
"This timing… is bad."
Coming back to demand answers?
Unlikely.
After everything that had happened back then… she'd left Konoha without a word.
She'd even declared she would never return.
Now… it looked as though she really was coming back.
Uzumaki Kushina: "Big sister Tsunade… it's good you're coming back—why should you have to leave?"
Uzumaki Kushina: "If Big sister Tsunade had stayed in Konoha back then, maybe those bastards wouldn't have dared act so brazenly!"
Tsunade: "Sigh… enough, Kushina, drop it."
Tsunade: "Save your strength; killing those bastards is what counts."
Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama said nothing more.
Their beloved granddaughter had been forced to leave Konoha.
Now, it seemed, her return was somehow being treated as her fault.
How could they not be furious?
But by now, even Tobirama couldn't be bothered wasting words on those people.
Hashirama, needless to say, no longer laughed so readily.
And Minato Namikaze… had been silent for a long while.
The greatest change, however, belonged to the story's central figure.
Uzumaki Naruto.
He, too, had grown quiet, no longer the carefree, thoughtless optimist.
As speculation swirled, Hiruzen couldn't help recalling recent events.
His expression shifted unpredictably.
In the end, he shook his head in resignation.
"Turn back."
There was no other choice.
He could only decide thus for now.
Endure!
There was no way but to endure.
Tsunade was almost here.
If she came demanding answers, given her status and years away… should she truly press the matter,
no one else could compare.
One misstep, and his position as Hokage could be jeopardized.
After all, Tsunade's identity was far too special, and her strength could not be underestimated.
Though she now bore a fatal weakness, if she raised the call, many would answer.
Even among the nobles, including the Daimyo of the Land of Fire… they would turn a blind eye.
Of course, that was what Hiruzen believed.
But in the eyes of the nobles, it was different.
Turning a blind eye implied wrongdoing.
If Tsunade really did so, would it be wrong?
Who could say?
Whatever the case.
Upon receiving the news, Hiruzen had to abandon his plan to confront his old friend.
There was no alternative.
Whatever her reason for returning, it had to be grave enough to make her break her vow.
He had to tread carefully.
And such opposition could not be borne by him alone.
The F4 would have to reunite once more.
Danzo, the former Hokage aide, still held considerable influence.
Indeed, more often than not, the Root Organization under Danzo's command carried greater weight than the two Hokage Advisors.
Neither Utatane Koharu nor Homura Mitokado possessed such power.
Even if they once had, over the years the military authority had long since been whittled away by the inseparable duo of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.
Even Ninja from their own clans had been absorbed.
Either into the Anbu or into the Root Organization.
And then… during missions, they were always the ones to suffer the heaviest casualties.
Much like the Senju who had inexplicably vanished back then.
Of course, not while they still bore the Senju name, but after assimilating into Konoha… once their identity was exposed—or perhaps without need for exposure—Second Hokage Tobirama Senju might have left a list, and they were simply assigned to the vanguard by that list.
Senju Tobirama: "Damn it!"
Senju Tobirama: "I did leave such a list back then!"
Senju Tobirama: "You damned monkey… just you wait!"
Senju Hashirama paled at the words.
Targeting by list… and the list had been left by his own little brother—how could he not be anguished?
"Turn back."
"This time… we'll let Danzo off."
"In the current situation, the Hokage alone may no longer suffice."