HOKAGE TOWER
Koharu didn't waste time.
"You received an Uchiha after so long… and didn't inform us." She kept her gaze fixed on Tsunade, without softening her tone.
Tsunade didn't back down.
"I am the Hokage." She answered directly. "I don't need to report every step I take."
Homura advanced half a step, his expression rigid.
"Hokage come and go." He spoke without changing his tone. "We are the village elders… we can replace you."
Tsunade narrowed her gaze.
"Is that so?" The answer came loaded, without hesitation.
Danzō didn't wait for the escalation.
"We won't waste time." He cut off the exchange, his voice low, but firm. "The village is in a critical situation… one of your former comrades died… and his own student was responsible."
Tsunade did not respond.
'Damn old bastard…'
Danzō continued, giving no room.
"And now we have this Uchiha." He tilted his head slightly. "He must remain under my custody… in Root… to verify loyalty."
Tsunade crossed her arms.
"I haven't even officially accepted him into the village yet." She replied without changing her tone. "And I haven't seen him in a while… he may have left."
Danzō did not look away.
"Don't speak nonsense." He replied directly. "He is in the Uchiha district."
The focus shifted.
'So that was it… the encirclement…'
Tsunade kept her expression neutral.
"Have you already arrested him?" The question came directly.
"No." Danzō replied in the same tone. "But it's only a matter of time… he is surrounded… and when we destroy that barrier… we will capture him."
The silence lasted a second longer.
'Barrier… what barrier… why don't I know about this…'
Danzō observed.
The reading was immediate.
"So you didn't know." He spoke lower, but with more weight. "A barrier appears in the Uchiha district… on the same day a new Uchiha appears… and the Hokage has no knowledge."
Tsunade did not respond.
"That is incompetence." Danzō stated bluntly. "You are losing control of the village."
Homura nodded slightly.
"The surveillance failed." He added. "That should not happen under the Hokage's leadership."
Koharu did not back down.
"First Jiraiya." She spoke firmly. "Now the fox outside the village… and an unknown Uchiha operating freely."
Tsunade kept her gaze firm, but did not interrupt.
"This is not coincidence." Koharu continued. "It is a failure of leadership."
Danzō advanced half a step.
"And that failure… needs to be corrected." His tone did not rise, but the pressure increased. "The custody of the Uchiha will be transferred to me during the meeting… that has already been decided."
Tsunade did not look away.
"You're getting ahead of yourself." She replied firmly. "There has been no final decision yet."
Danzō did not retreat.
"You have already lost the right to decide alone." He replied directly. "The village cannot depend on someone who does not know what happens inside it."
"And who will it depend on… you?" Tsunade replied instantly, her gaze firm. "You've been trying to become Hokage since the Third's era… and never managed it."
Danzō did not change his expression.
"You—"
Homura cut him off before he could continue.
"That doesn't matter." He kept his tone rigid. "You are still the Hokage… but you failed this village… and now we have an unknown person inside Konoha."
Koharu didn't delay.
"The Uchiha will remain under Danzō's control." She spoke directly. "You… I believe you have other more urgent matters to handle."
Danzō finished.
"Be a good Hokage… and take care of Jiraiya's farewell ceremony."
The silence did not come empty.
The words remained.
Each one struck in sequence, leaving no room for immediate reaction, pushing Tsunade into a position she did not accept, but also could not deny at that moment. Jiraiya's death, Naruto's escape, the return of an unknown Uchiha and now the direct pressure from the elders… everything piled up without pause, turning the room into a space where any wrong answer would cost more than she could afford.
Her posture did not break, but her control stopped being absolute. The authority was still there, but now divided, questioned, surrounded by decisions already being made without her. For the first time since taking the position, the title of Hokage did not seem enough to keep the village under control, and that was not a momentary mistake, it was an opening that Danzō was already exploiting.
The worst part was not the direct attack, it was the precision. They were not forcing confrontation, they were pushing her toward impossible decisions, using the situation against her while maintaining the appearance of order. Every word was placed to limit her space, to reduce her influence without needing to remove her immediately, and that made it clear that the objective was not only the Uchiha… it was her position.
Danzō remained silent for a second.
'You are finished, Hime.'
Tsunade did not respond.
'What should I do now, Jiraiya…'
---
UCHIHA DISTRICT
Kakashi finished speaking without changing his tone, explaining directly what had happened, Jiraiya's death, Naruto and Sasuke's involvement, and the fact that Danzō was already moving to capture Riser. Sakura remained silent throughout the entire explanation, only observing Riser while trying to understand how he fit into that scenario that was already slipping completely out of control.
Riser did not respond immediately.
He simply turned his face toward the Hokage tower, completely ignoring their presence for a moment, as if the conversation had lost importance before something greater he was already analyzing. His gaze fixed on the highest point of the village, and the Sharingan remained active without any sign of effort.
'I knew this would happen.'
His perception expanded.
Observation Haki crossed the village without resistance, capturing presences, intentions and variations of energy until finding exactly what he was looking for. The Hokage's room entered his range, and the reading came clear enough to understand the dynamic without needing to hear every word.
Tsunade was standing.
But she was not in control.
Three presences in front of her.
Pressure.
Domination.
Riser did not look away.
'That does not suit you.'
"Is your intention to run?" Kakashi asked, keeping his tone neutral, but attentive to the shift in behavior.
Riser turned his face back.
And laughed.
"Run?" He repeated low, clearly not taking the question seriously. "No… that would be a waste of time."
Sakura slightly furrowed her brow, not fully understanding his reaction.
Riser continued.
"Actually…" He tilted his head slightly. "Maybe it would be better if I remodeled Konoha's political system."
The silence came immediately.
Sakura froze for a moment.
'What is he saying…?'
Riser did not take his eyes off Kakashi.
"You seem suitable." He spoke simply. "You would be perfect to replace Danzō."
Kakashi did not react dramatically, but his gaze changed.
The reading became deeper.
"What exactly do you intend to do?" He asked directly.
Riser did not answer right away.
His gaze briefly returned to the Hokage tower, confirming the reading of the situation once more before closing his reasoning. The decision had already been made, and there was no reason to prolong that conversation when the central point of the situation was already defined before him.
FWOOSH
His presence disappeared instantly, leaving no trace, speed or visible displacement, only absence. Kakashi and Sakura did not react in time, their bodies freezing for a brief second while perception tried to follow something that simply had not existed for them.
"What—" Sakura began, but stopped midway.
Kakashi did not speak.
His gaze was already on the tower.
He brought his hand to the headband and pulled it up without hesitation, revealing the hidden Sharingan while fixing his vision on the top of the structure. The red eye rotated slowly, focusing directly on Riser's presence above the tower, analyzing every detail without blinking.
____
HOKAGE TOWER
The air changed before the presence appeared. Riser emerged on top of the tower without any warning, his eyes marked by the Mangekyō Sharingan as he calmly evaluated the surrounding space, as if he had already been there much longer than the instant allowed. The village below continued at the same rhythm, ignorant of what was about to happen, completely unaware of the decision being made at that exact point.
'No one enters… no one leaves.'
His hand rose without hurry, and there were no seals, no visible preparation, only intent being applied directly onto space. Magic responded instantly, expanding from him like a silent, invisible and absolute field, replicating the same structure that already surrounded the Uchiha district, but now shaped to completely isolate the tower.
VUUUUM
The barrier closed. There was no impact, no sound perceptible to those outside, only the conclusion of the structure sealing the space completely. From the outside, nothing changed, the village's flow remained identical, as if the tower were still accessible, as if nothing had been altered.
Inside, everything was separated.
The air remained the same, the environment suffered no visible distortion, but the connection to the exterior simply ceased to exist. No presence entered, no exit was possible, and no common form of perception would be able to identify what had been done.
Riser lowered his hand.
The Mangekyō remained active.
The decision was already concluded.
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