Yellow Dog was the first to hurry into the Hokage's office.
Black Ant had personally gone to notify him as squad captain, and that alone told Yellow Dog something major had happened.
He rushed to the Third Hokage's side and saw the small scroll on the desk.
It was the emergency message scroll tied to a messenger hawk's leg.
His pupils constricted instantly.
Adviser Mitokado Homura… had been killed by Spiral Zetsu?
The second to arrive was Nara Shikakaku.
Sarutobi Hiruzen pushed the small scroll across the desk toward him, and Shikakaku quickly picked it up.
Homura-sama… was killed?
Shikakaku gently set the scroll down and stepped to one side, already frowning in thought.
The impact this would have on Konoha was enormous…
Akimichi Torifu had once been the previous head of the jonin commander corps. During the First Shinobi World War, he had been poisoned by Chiyo. After using Expansion Jutsu, the poison had spread even faster through his body, leaving him with damage far worse than what an ordinary shinobi would have suffered.
Torifu had retired early and arranged for the position of jonin commander to pass to him.
He himself was now thirty-five, the youngest among Konoha's senior leadership.
A seat had opened among the higher-ups.
Would the Third Hokage promote someone from the middle generation, around thirty years old? Or choose a replacement from the older generation? Or even elevate someone from the new generation, around twenty?
If it were someone from the middle generation, then the twenty-eight-year-old Orochimaru was the most likely candidate—though whether Orochimaru would accept was another matter.
Hatake Sakumo would certainly accept, but he valued shinobi lives too highly. He was too idealistic, to the point that he no longer fit within the current shape of Konoha.
Among the older generation, there were not many left to choose from. Too few of them had survived.
Would Uncle Torifu take this opportunity to return?
If Torifu did return, then with the jonin commander post plus an adviser's seat, the influence of the Ino–Shika–Cho clans would reach its peak.
As for the new generation in their twenties…
Nara Shikakaku glanced at Yellow Dog.
Yellow Dog did have a chance.
But was he truly capable of taking on that role?
Mitokado Homura had served as foreign affairs adviser, traveling on Konoha's behalf to the great nations and the great hidden villages.
One misstep could lead to an ambush and assassination on the road—just as had happened this time.
Yellow Dog was excellent at carrying out assassinations.
But killing others and guarding against being killed were two entirely different things.
An assassin could fail a hundred times. Succeed once, and the assassination was complete.
But guarding against assassination only allowed one failure. Succeed a hundred times, fail once, and everything was gone.
As Shikakaku weighed the candidates and calculated the possibilities, he found no easy answer.
The choice was difficult.
Surely the Third Hokage was in the same position—unable to decide in such a short time.
The third to enter was Danzo.
Since retreating into the shadows, Danzo rarely handled anything besides Root affairs and offering advice to the Hokage.
Most of the time he came to the Hokage's office only as a formality, to hear information restricted to Konoha's highest circle.
"Danzo..."
Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen call his name, Danzo did not answer. He simply walked toward the sofa as though nothing had happened.
"Danzo... in a little while, come with me to the Akimichi clan grounds."
Danzo had been about to refuse, but something in Hiruzen's tone gave him pause.
There was weariness in it.
A trace of pleading.
He asked, "Why are we going to the Akimichi clan grounds? What happened to Torifu?"
The Third Hokage did not answer at once. He fell into a daze.
At the side, Shikakaku's expression shifted slightly.
The Hokage wanted to go to the Akimichi grounds.
So it was Uncle Torifu.
It seemed the Third Hokage's preferred choice was their old teammate.
But the brief flicker of excitement vanished just as quickly, replaced by worry.
Could Uncle Torifu really handle diplomatic missions to the great nations and the hidden villages?
Back then, Chiyo's poison had damaged Torifu's nervous system badly enough to force his retirement.
Even leaving that aside—even assuming the poison no longer affected him—how much strength could a shinobi retain after seven or eight years of idleness?
If Torifu were sent out as adviser, then the Ino–Shika–Cho clans would inevitably have to provide top-level protection.
And if that happened, the three clans would become a living target for the village's enemies.
With foes like Sarutobi Kanosuke, Spiral Zetsu, and Uchiha Madara's faction already casting their shadows—and with the other hidden villages still dissatisfied with the division of territory after the Second Shinobi World War—Shikakaku felt a headache coming on.
An adviser's position was an honor.
But it was also a burden.
After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke.
"Homura... was killed."
Danzo turned sharply, his single eye locking onto Hiruzen.
From the day they entered the Ninja Academy, the group of them had always been together.
Now, hearing of Mitokado Homura's death so suddenly, Danzo found it deeply unreal.
But Hiruzen's lowered eyes showed no sign of falsehood.
Going to the Akimichi grounds...
Was that to ask Akimichi Torifu to come out of retirement?
So Homura was truly dead?
"Homura? Who killed him?"
"Spiral Zetsu."
After his initial shock, regret rose in Danzo's chest.
If he had killed Fox earlier, then Fox would never have interfered with his attempt to seize Uchiha Gogo's Mangekyō.
And if that had not happened, Spiral Zetsu would never have obtained the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Where is the Fox? Where is he? Wasn't he supposed to be investigating the movements of Uchiha Madara's rogue organization?"
Yellow Dog answered, "Fox is in the Land of Rain. A messenger hawk brought word a few days ago. They're searching under difficult conditions, but they've found nothing."
Danzo's face darkened further.
Was even Uchiha Madara avoiding Fox's edge?
Why wouldn't he face him directly?
Thinking of Mitokado Homura's death, Danzo said, "Fine. I understand. I'll go with you to the Akimichi grounds."
Hearing Danzo agree, Nara Shikakaku furrowed his brow.
This was becoming troublesome.
How exactly were the Ino–Shika–Cho clans supposed to respond?
Not long after, Utatane Koharu entered the office.
She handled Konoha's internal administration and spent her days buried in complicated affairs. She rarely spoke much in major matters, usually only stepping in to mediate the disputes between Hiruzen, Danzo, and Homura.
The moment she entered, she sensed something was wrong.
Everyone in the office looked grim.
She sighed inwardly, wondering what loss had struck this time.
"Koharu..."
At once, a bad feeling rose in her chest.
Did it have something to do with her?
Then, in the very next instant, she thought of her daughter.
Hiki.
Had something happened in the capital of the Land of Rivers?
"Koharu..." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was heavy. "Mitokado Homura arrived outside the capital of the Land of Rivers. Mitokado Etsu and Mitokado Hiki went out to receive him.
Spiral Zetsu attacked them.
Homura, his son... and Hiki... all died."
The news hit Utatane Koharu like a lightning strike.
She stared at Hiruzen in disbelief, then at Danzo, then back at Hiruzen.
The two men said nothing.
Nara Shikakaku passed her the small scroll.
After reading it, Koharu turned and walked out of the office in a daze.
Every shinobi would die someday.
When she was young, Utatane Koharu had fought and bled for Konoha herself. She had always known death could come for her at any moment.
But dying herself and losing her daughter were two different things.
If she could, she would have taken her daughter's place without hesitation.
She had once believed that marrying her daughter to Mitokado Homura's son was the best possible future for her.
Childhood sweethearts.
Academy graduates together.
Teammates on the same squad.
Under the guidance of Homura and herself, her daughter and son-in-law had advanced smoothly.
The only regret was that they were both ordinary shinobi, not bloodline users who could pass powerful abilities to their children.
Still, after years of training under the Second Hokage, they had inherited quite a bit of his legacy. Homura had done everything he could to pass those teachings down to Etsu and Hiki.
But it was too late now.
All of it was over.
Back in the office, after a long silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood.
"Let's go, Danzo. All of us will head to the Akimichi grounds."
The four of them entered the Akimichi clan district.
The news of Mitokado Homura's death had not yet spread. The village looked as though nothing at all had happened.
Along the way, many Ino–Shika–Cho shinobi greeted the leaders and Nara Shikakaku respectfully.
But today, Konoha's leadership had no patience for formalities. They moved quickly, barely acknowledging the greetings.
Deep inside the Akimichi grounds, Akimichi Torifu was lying on an oversized reclining chair by a small lake, dozing in the sun.
Shikakaku's heart sank.
They had already come within thirty meters behind Uncle Torifu, and he had not noticed them at all.
Instead, it was Akimichi Yamashiro—several courtyards away—who noticed first and used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive by the lake.
"Uncle, the Hokage and the others are here to see you!"
Hearing his nephew's words, Akimichi Torifu opened his eyes and said, "The Hokage is here? Where are they, in the main hall? Then they'll have to wait a bit. The main hall is pretty far."
His voice carried clearly to Konoha's upper leadership.
An uneasy feeling settled in Nara Shikakaku's chest.
"Uncle! The Hokage and the others are right behind you."
Torifu turned his head and saw the group standing there. He awkwardly climbed out of the rocking recliner.
In the end, it was Akimichi Yamashiro who steadied the chair so Torifu could stand properly.
"Hiruzen, Danzo, what brings you two here?" Torifu said with a warm smile. "What is this, a class reunion?"
Danzo's voice was stiff.
"Torifu. Mitokado Homura was killed by a subordinate of Uchiha Madara. We need you to return. Take the adviser's seat and oversee Konoha's external affairs."
Akimichi Torifu's pupils contracted sharply.
"What? Homura was killed?"
Among their old group, Mitokado Homura had always been well liked.
Back when Torifu served as jonin commander, he had been closest to Homura. The two of them had always advanced and retreated together.
Torifu knew Homura's hidden cards.
He asked, "A subordinate of Uchiha Madara? Then he died too, didn't he? With Homura's abilities, he should at least have been able to take the enemy down with him."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "The subordinate is called Spiral Zetsu. He survived.
According to the intelligence from the Guardian Captains, Spiral Zetsu was in rough shape, but he lived.
He deliberately spared one of them just to send that message back to the village."
Torifu's expression darkened with grief.
"When Homura is buried, remember to inform me. I'll attend his funeral as well."
Danzo pressed the issue.
"Torifu. Prepare yourself. In a few days, come out of retirement and take the adviser's post."
Torifu shook his head.
"Danzo. Hiruzen. Forget about returning to service.
I am willing to die for Konoha.
I would just die slowly.
My nervous system is damaged. If a kunai pierced my calf, I might not even feel the pain for several minutes.
If you put me in the adviser's seat, I would only hold Konoha back.
I would harm Konoha."
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged a glance.
At last, Hiruzen said, "Very well, Torifu. I'll have someone notify you in advance when Homura's funeral is arranged."
After escorting Hiruzen and the others away, Nara Shikakaku returned—
Only to see Uncle Torifu place one hand on the headrest of the recliner and spring lightly upward.
His large body floated in the air like a round leaf, swaying gently from side to side before settling back into the chair.
Nara Shikakaku's heart jolted.
That was not what a man with a ruined nervous system looked like.