Tsunade gazed out the window at Konoha—still bustling beneath the setting sun, yet seeming as though it could be swallowed by shadow at any moment.
In her mind flashed the smiling faces of her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Dan.
Those memories ultimately converged into the image shown on the Heavenly Screen—herself, issuing the resolute order to convene the Five Kage Summit, bearing an unquestionable sense of responsibility.
After a long while, she drew in a deep breath, as if forcing down every trace of hesitation, resentment, and the dark weight of her past.
She lifted her head and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi. Though fatigue and faint disgust still lingered in her expression, the decisiveness and commanding presence of "Princess Tsunade" had reignited.
"This mess…"
Her voice regained its familiar clarity and strength, tinged with a heavy sense of resignation.
"…I'll take responsibility for it."
Hearing Tsunade say "I'll take it", relief had barely surfaced on Hiruzen and Jiraiya's faces before her next words—cold as ice—froze them in place.
"But, old man," Tsunade said sharply, her gaze burning as she stared Hiruzen down without retreating, "I'll become Hokage. But I will hold certain people accountable for past issues. You… don't mind that, do you?"
Those words were like a kunai thrust straight into the heart of the matter.
Hiruzen's expression changed instantly. His lips moved as if to speak, yet not a single word came out.
What he had envisioned was Tsunade taking on the burden, using her prestige to stabilize the village—while he himself might still operate behind the scenes, maintaining a "respectable" balance.
But Tsunade clearly had no intention of letting the shadows of the old era continue to loom over Konoha.
What she wanted was reckoning—and reform.
Seeing her former teacher so cornered, the contemptuous chill in Tsunade's smile only deepened.
"So that's your plan, old man. You want to dump this mountain of responsibility on me, while keeping the power—and immunity from past sins—for yourself? No price to pay at all? There's no such bargain in this world."
Those words struck at the very soul.
They stripped bare the thoughts Hiruzen had tried to bury, leaving his aged face flushed, then pale, then flushed again.
Clinging to the last shreds of his authority, Hiruzen forced out hoarsely,
"I… I never meant that! For Konoha's sake… we'll… we'll do as you say."
But this belated, struggling "compromise" sounded hollow to Tsunade.
She snorted coldly and turned away, no longer sparing him a glance.
Just as the atmosphere reached a breaking point, the long-silent Jiraiya slowly stood up.
The movement shattered the tension, drawing both of their attention.
"Tsunade," Jiraiya said calmly, yet with an undeniable force behind his words,
"Do whatever you intend to do. Leave the rest… to me."
"…Huh?"
Tsunade blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
In her memory, this lecherous old fool was reliable—but usually busy joking around, rarely shouldering responsibility so directly.
Jiraiya didn't look at her. Instead, his gaze locked onto Hiruzen, whose expression had darkened.
The eyes that usually held humor were now sharp as a hawk's, filled with bottomless cold resolve.
"Old man," Jiraiya said evenly, yet every word made the room feel colder,
"Don't disappoint us. Anyone—or any force—that stands in the way of the village's rebirth… I won't hesitate to eliminate personally."
Eliminate.
Coming from Jiraiya's mouth, the word carried the stench of blood and corpses piled high—so utterly different from his usual carefree demeanor that it only made its weight heavier.
The Mad Demon Jiraiya.
Don't ever mistake Jiraiya for just a loud, open-hearted man.
When it comes to killing, he never hesitates.
Hiruzen's pupils shrank sharply, his face sinking even further.
He knew this disciple all too well.
Jiraiya might appear easygoing, but once his bottom line was crossed, his decisiveness—and cruelty—far exceeded appearances.
This was a clear declaration.
Jiraiya would use iron-fisted methods to clear every obstacle to Tsunade's reforms—even if those obstacles came from former comrades… or a former teacher.
After a long silence, Hiruzen seemed utterly drained. He nodded in defeat and squeezed out a single word:
"…Fine."
With that answer, the sharp aura around Jiraiya vanished instantly, replaced by his usual grin.
Turning to the still-stunned Tsunade, he said casually,
"See? Problem solved. Do whatever you want, Tsunade."
Tsunade stared at Jiraiya, her gaze strange—as if she were seeing him for the first time.
But this… was the real Jiraiya.
The man who could say to the woman he loved most, "If you ever threaten Konoha, I'll kill you."
If he could say something like that to her, killing anyone else wouldn't even give him pause.
Beneath his boldness and carefree exterior lay an almost obsessive determination to protect Konoha.
For that belief, he was willing to become the coldest of guardians—clearing away every obstacle, whether foreign enemies… or internal rot.
Tsunade took a deep breath. The final trace of hesitation in her eyes vanished, replaced by the unwavering resolve befitting the Fifth Hokage.
The power shift just decided within the Hokage's office was immediately put into action.
Perhaps eager to rid himself of the burning burden as quickly as possible, Hiruzen issued an order through ANBU without delay:
An emergency Jōnin Council meeting is to be convened!
When the order reached the clan heads and active jōnin throughout the village, it didn't inspire urgency—
Only suppressed complaints and silent mockery.
"Another jōnin meeting? We've had more of these lately than in the past year combined."
"Must be another mess caused by those higher-ups—now they want us to clean it up together."
"What else could it be? Just the rotten debts exposed by the Heavenly Screen. They want to drag us all in to share the pressure."
"Hmph. Every time something goes wrong, they summon us. But when have they ever truly listened to our opinions?"
Shikaku Nara rubbed his aching temples and murmured to Chōza Akimichi and Inoichi Yamanaka beside him:
"This time… it won't be that simple. After the Heavenly Screen, the sky over Konoha is about to change."
The head of the Hyūga main house remained expressionless, yet a trace of gravity flashed in his eyes.
He sensed something different.
The truth of the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
The future of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
The hidden strength of the Sarutobi clan.
Pressure from the other villages.
All these explosive revelations piled together had already left Konoha's seemingly solid foundation on the verge of collapse.
And now—
Tsunade and Jiraiya were back.
These two had never walked the same path as Konoha's entrenched leadership.
An emergency jōnin meeting at a time like this would never be mere notification or discussion.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789