Chapter 53 – Pressing Too Hard? Then Get Out!
The sunlight outside the Hokage Tower was slightly blinding.
Namikaze Yami slowed his steps unconsciously as he looked at the figure leaning casually against the pillar.
Tsunade turned around, golden hair swaying gently in the breeze.
Her eyes traveled over him from head to toe. She appeared calm, but when her gaze settled on his face, something flickered deep within her eyes—so fleeting it was almost impossible to catch.
"You're back?"
Her tone was light, unreadable. Far calmer than he had imagined.
Yami's throat moved slightly.
All the explanations he had prepared spun once on his tongue before dissolving into a single low syllable.
"…Yeah."
He had intended to joke his way through it like usual, brush things aside with a grin. But when the moment came, words failed him for once.
Tsunade scanned him again, confirming he was unharmed.
Then she turned decisively and walked into the Hokage Tower.
"Follow me."
Her voice revealed neither anger nor relief.
Yami hurried after her.
One in front, one behind.
Silence stretched between them, broken only by their uneven footsteps echoing down the corridor.
As they neared the Hokage's office, Yami finally steadied his racing thoughts and regained some composure.
Testing the waters, he said lightly, "How about dinner tonight?"
Tsunade's steps paused—barely perceptible.
At the corner of her lips, the faintest curve appeared.
She didn't turn around. Her voice maintained that deliberate calm.
"We'll see."
There was a hint of tsundere deflection in it.
Yami felt the last trace of nervousness in his chest melt away.
The familiar grin returned to his face as he quickened his pace, nearly walking shoulder to shoulder with her.
Only then did Tsunade notice—
The "kid" beside her had grown.
He now stood level with her, perhaps even slightly taller.
Yami shamelessly smiled. "Then it's settled."
She shot him a sideways glance.
No agreement.
No refusal.
She simply pushed open the heavy doors to the Hokage's office.
---
The atmosphere inside was nothing like the subtle warmth outside.
The moment they entered, the air turned heavy.
Oppressive.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk as always, expression unreadable.
More unexpectedly—
Not only was Shimura Danzō present—
But advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were there as well.
The Third Hokage.
The Hokage's assistant.
The senior advisors.
Konoha's highest decision-making circle—assembled in full.
This far exceeded the scale of a routine mission debriefing.
The instant Yami stepped inside, four pairs of eyes—some scrutinizing, some probing—locked onto him simultaneously.
Yami bowed slightly.
Seeing the atmosphere in the room, Namikaze Yami restrained his expression and greeted them calmly.
"Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him steadily, his tone grave.
"Chūnin Namikaze, regarding your experience in Kirigakure, we require a detailed report. The village must assess the risks involved… and the truth."
Yami delivered the explanation he had prepared long ago—carefully mixed truth and falsehood.
He emphasized how he had taken advantage of Kirigakure's internal chaos to conceal himself, and how he had "coincidentally" discovered imprisoned Uzumaki survivors and rescued them amid the disorder.
As for the Three-Tails' rampage, the mysterious bone-armored figure, and his own behind-the-scenes manipulation of events—
He avoided them skillfully, blurring details and omitting key elements, painting himself as nothing more than an extraordinarily lucky bystander.
But the moment he finished speaking, Koharu Utatane adjusted her glasses and spoke sharply.
"Chūnin Namikaze, your account sounds reasonable… perhaps too reasonable."
She continued coldly:
"Setting aside Kirigakure's internal strife—such upheaval would inevitably trigger the highest level of martial law. Even under normal circumstances, infiltrating and escaping that village is nearly impossible."
"Yet not only did you leave safely, you also managed to locate and rescue Uzumaki survivors with uncanny precision."
Her eyes pierced him like steel needles.
"How, exactly, are we supposed to believe that?"
She paused, then delivered the true accusation:
"With so many inconsistencies, we must consider another possibility. Did you reach some form of agreement with Kirigakure?"
"…Or did you betray Konoha?"
Shimura Danzō remained silent, but the cold gleam in his single eye betrayed his approval of her line of attack.
Faced with Koharu's near-accusatory interrogation, Yami's expression darkened.
He did not immediately defend himself.
Instead, he slowly swept his gaze across every high-ranking official present—except Tsunade.
As his eyes moved, an oppressive, chilling surge of chakra pressure erupted outward from him without warning.
It lasted only a brief instant before he retracted it—
But that single flash of overwhelming chakra density, far beyond the level of an ordinary jōnin, caused every face in the room—save for Hiruzen and Tsunade—to change drastically.
Koharu, standing closest, felt her breath hitch. She instinctively took half a step back.
They were all seasoned veterans.
They understood what that kind of chakra meant.
Even if only for a heartbeat—
He had already touched the threshold of Kage-level power.
And that was without knowing whether he had truly gone all out.
"Advisor-sama's suspicion is, of course, reasonable," Yami said calmly, as if nothing had happened.
"But certain matters are too sensitive… too confidential. I cannot disclose every detail in such a 'public' setting."
His gaze passed over the visibly unsettled elders and settled squarely on Hiruzen.
The meaning was unmistakable.
Hiruzen studied him deeply. After a long moment of silence, he waved his hand.
"You may all leave."
"Monkey—" Danzō began, but Hiruzen cut him off.
"Leave."
The tone carried absolute authority—one step away from invoking his famous rhetoric about the Will of Fire to suppress dissent.
Danzō snorted and turned sharply, clearly displeased.
Koharu and Homura exchanged a look before following him out.
Unexpectedly, Yami spoke again.
His eyes landed on Tsunade, who had been silent and was already stepping toward the exit.
"Tsunade-sama… may stay."
For the first time, even Hiruzen showed a flicker of surprise.
Tsunade paused mid-step, raising a brow as she looked at Yami, as if trying to read something from his face.
Yami's expression remained composed.
And while the others weren't looking—
He quickly winked at her.
Realizing a second later that perhaps this was not the most appropriate gesture, he immediately resumed his serious demeanor.
The office doors closed slowly, sealing the room into silence.
Now only three remained inside:
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Tsunade, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
And Namikaze Yami—holder of countless secrets, who had just revealed his fangs.
It felt as though the real conversation was only just beginning.
Yami had barely opened his mouth—
When the battle-hardened Third Hokage's face changed dramatically.