Uchiha Yusuke didn't give Danzō even half a breath.
"Mangekyō Sharingan: Epitaph."
A flash of the future—
his sword drew—
and in the next instant, steel pierced straight through Danzō's chest.
Danzō's eyes widened.
He hadn't even finished pulling his robe open.
The Reverse Four Symbols Seal died before it was born.
This time—
it didn't even manage to "take half a bridge with it."
"Lord Danzō!!"
Root shinobi finally rushed in from behind, only to see their leader already lying in blood—cold and still.
Their eyes turned red with hatred.
"Uchiha Yusuke!!"
At the order of two squad captains, Root surrounded him.
Yusuke's voice dropped like ice.
"A firefly's glow dares contend with the sun and moon?"
"Danzō is dead."
"If you don't want to die too—get out of my way."
A large portion of Root wavered.
The boss is dead… are we really going to throw our lives away for nothing?
They had been indoctrinated, yes—
but not to the point of abandoning survival instinct.
Only the two captains—Danzō's true fangs—kept screaming.
"Don't be fooled!"
"He killed Lord Danzō!"
"We must avenge him!"
Yusuke didn't hesitate.
His sword flashed twice—
two heads rolled.
"Anyone else like them?"
Silence.
Root lowered their weapons without a word.
Yusuke was about to identify a few more hardliners—
when Hiruzen Sarutobi stormed in with his ANBU.
"Yusuke—enough!"
"Leave Root to me."
Yusuke nodded.
He had never planned to massacre everyone.
He wanted the core loyalists purged—nothing more.
And for now, Hiruzen was still the village's official authority.
Yusuke gave him face.
Hiruzen looked at Danzō's corpse and silently sighed.
I gave you chances.
You just weren't good enough.
Then, without visible emotion, he turned to the Root operatives.
"By the authority of the Hokage—drop your weapons and submit to ANBU investigation."
Once Hiruzen spoke, Root's final will to resist collapsed.
One man lowered his weapon—
then another—
then another.
In moments, they were all restrained and bound.
Hiruzen watched, calculating.
Root still contained many elite shinobi.
Some could be absorbed into ANBU.
Some could be returned to their clans as gestures of goodwill.
Most importantly—
with Danzō dead and Yusuke rising, Hiruzen urgently needed to re-stabilize his authority.
He had no intention of stepping down.
And if he ever did…
he would only consider Jiraiya or Tsunade.
Not Yusuke.
Power Shifts in the Open
Yusuke left the Root base.
Outside, Fugaku, Hiashi, and several clan heads finally exhaled.
Yusuke was the future pillar they were betting on.
"Yusuke—what happened inside?" they asked.
Yusuke smiled lightly.
"Danzō is dead. The Hokage is cleaning up the rest."
Faces lit up across the crowd.
For years, Danzō had been a dark cloud over Konoha.
Now it felt like the sky had finally cleared.
Even clan heads who had never been close to Yusuke began leaning subtly toward him.
Shikaku looked quietly relieved.
Backing him early had been the correct choice.
The Uchiha's rise meant the Ino–Shika–Chō's future looked brighter as well.
Back in the Meeting Hall
Hiruzen called a new meeting immediately.
This time, Yusuke didn't sit at a lower seat.
He sat directly in the chair that had once belonged to Danzō.
Homura and Koharu's expressions darkened—
but with Hiruzen silently accepting it, they could only swallow their displeasure.
They had already been humiliated once.
Now that Danzō was gone, they did not dare provoke Yusuke again.
They were never true power.
They were power borrowed from Hiruzen's shadow.
Hiruzen scanned the hall and felt it clearly—
with Danzō dead, the old structure at the top had cracked.
This room would no longer be his exclusive stage.
He wrapped up the meeting swiftly and dismissed everyone.
Hiruzen's Countermove: Bring Back Tsunade
Afterward, ANBU delivered reports:
More and more figures were approaching Yusuke, seeking alignment.
Hiruzen felt bitterness rise in his chest.
That's how it always is.
When I became Hokage, they did the same.
But allowing Konoha to "change dynasties" so abruptly—
he could not accept it.
At last, he made his decision.
"Contact Jiraiya."
"Tell him to bring Tsunade back."
Cut to: Jiraiya, Conducting "Research"
Land of Lightning.
Red-light district.
Hot springs.
Jiraiya held a telescope, grinning like a professional scholar.
"Ohhh… impressive."
"Foreign-style girls really do have a different charm—"
A small toad suddenly popped out of a well and spat directly into his face.
Jiraiya exploded.
"HEY!"
"Can't you see I'm conducting serious research?!"
The toad croaked and spat out a scroll.
Jiraiya wiped his face and opened it.
His eyebrows slowly knitted together.
"Danzō… got killed?"
"Uchiha Yusuke… what exactly are you planning?"
Then his eyes moved to the mission order.
Bring Tsunade back.
Jiraiya's head immediately began to ache.
"Tsunade's grudge against the old man is worse than mine."
"How am I supposed to convince her?"
He remembered her…
and then remembered her fists.
His neck instinctively shrank.
This might literally come with broken ribs.
But even if he didn't want to—
he couldn't ignore Konoha's instability.
He couldn't return himself yet; he still had intelligence networks to maintain.
So this task fell to him.
He muttered under his breath:
"…Looks like I'm heading back to Tanzaku Town."
Then his grin returned.
"And the hot spring girls are…"
Motivation restored.
Tsunade's Rotting Paradise
Since leaving Konoha, Tsunade's life had been on repeat:
Day—gambling.
Evening—drinking.
Night—sleeping like the dead.
Comfortable for her.
Exhausting for Shizune.
Shizune had to chase debts, clean up disasters, and make sure they stayed afloat—
all while believing Tsunade would someday awaken and return to carry the will of those who had fallen.
Tsunade wasn't completely cut off from Konoha—
but not being emotionally dead didn't mean being easy to persuade.
Tanzaku Town: The Legendary "Fat Sheep"
Morning.
Tsunade marched toward a casino with a cash box under her arm.
"Good."
"Today, it's this place."
Shizune nearly fainted.
"W-What?! You're gambling again?!"
Tsunade waved her off.
"Stop nagging."
"I'm winning back what I lost last time."
Shizune—and Tonton—broke into cold sweat.
Winning it back would be a miracle.
She was the legendary "fat sheep."
Tsunade strode in anyway.
The casino manager's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"She's here…"
A newcomer whispered, "Who is that woman?"
The manager glared.
"You don't know her?"
"That's the Legendary Fat Sheep!"
"A walking treasury."
Evening: As Expected, Total Defeat
Tsunade walked out at dusk—completely broke.
Still arguing with herself.
"I shouldn't have played that hand…"
"No… I should've gone all-in!"
Shizune followed behind, not daring to speak.
After gambling, Tsunade's mood could swing violently.
They entered a bar.
Tsunade drank.
Then drank more.
"Boss—another bottle."
Shizune tried to stop her.
"Lady Tsunade… you've had enough."
Tsunade slapped her hand away.
"This is nothing."
"Drink with me."
Shizune stared at their nearly empty wallet and wanted to cry.
At this rate, we'll be buried in debt.
The Reunion
At that moment, Jiraiya pushed aside the curtain and stepped in.
He had been gathering information—
and walked straight into his target.
Their eyes met.
Jiraiya narrowed his gaze.
So you're here.
Tsunade, half-drunk, blinked slowly.
"…Jiraiya?"
"Why are you here?"
Jiraiya sat across from her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Finally found you."
"It took some effort."
Tsunade's tone remained flat.
"What do you want?"
"This isn't a reunion visit, is it?"
Jiraiya poured himself a drink and downed it in one go.
"Not going to lie."
"The old man sent me."
"He wants you back in Konoha…"
Tsunade's face darkened instantly.
"Back to Konoha?"
"For what?"
"To watch them stab each other in the back again?"
Her resentment toward Konoha's upper leadership ran deep.
Being the First Hokage's granddaughter and one of the Sannin had never spared her from suffocating politics—
and the wounds from Dan and Nawaki had never truly healed.
And that—
was exactly why bringing her back would be a battle of its own.
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