When Shizune returned to the Hokage Office, the place was already in an uproar.
She did not dare ask questions. She quietly stood behind Tsunade.
At that moment, the two elders' voices rose and fell one after another.
"Tsunade, Danzo is one of Konoha's old guard. You can't convict him just like this."
Homura slammed the table as he spoke.
"Otherwise, where will that leave Konoha's reputation?"
Koharu echoed him at once. "Danzo knows too many of Konoha's secrets. If he must be arrested, it has to be done in secret. We can't let the news leak."
Tsunade sat in the main seat, her face livid.
Her fingers tapped against the desk with a hard, steady thud.
The clan heads sat on both sides.
None of them looked pleased.
Danzo had conducted human experiments and used their clans' secret techniques for research.
They all remembered that debt.
But no one spoke first. They were all waiting.
Waiting for Tsunade to produce more evidence.
Waiting for the two elders to yield.
Waiting for the right moment to make their stance clear.
Shizune stood behind Tsunade, obedient as a bird with its wings folded.
Her hair had been neatly combed.
She had changed into a fresh set of clothes as well.
Her collar was fastened tightly, hiding the marks that should not be seen.
But her cheeks were still faintly flushed.
There was a vague, indefinable softness in the corners of her eyes and brows.
Tsunade glanced at her, her brows tightening slightly.
Why was this girl acting so strange today?
Her walking posture was off, and her complexion was strange too.
It looked as if she had not slept all night. Or as if...
Tsunade withdrew her gaze. She had no time to think about it.
The mess in front of her was already enough to make her head hurt.
Shizune could wait until later.
Smack.
Tsunade slammed her palm onto the desk, and the sound exploded through the office.
"So we're supposed to ignore everything Danzo has done?"
Her gaze swept over the two elders' faces, then across the faces of the clan heads.
Finally, it landed on Homura.
"Human experimentation, the mutilation of fellow shinobi, forbidden jutsu research. Which one of those crimes isn't enough to have him executed a hundred times over?"
Homura's face turned blue, then white.
"There still isn't conclusive evidence for these matters..."
"Evidence?"
Tsunade gave a cold laugh, picked up a scroll from the desk, and tossed it in front of him.
"Read it yourself."
Homura opened the scroll.
The more he read, the darker his face became.
Koharu leaned over and glanced at it.
Her fingers suddenly tightened, crushing a deep crease into the edge of the scroll.
The clan heads exchanged looks.
Hiashi was the first to speak. "Hokage-sama, the Hyuga clan supports your decision."
Then came Shikaku, Inoichi, Choza...
One after another.
Their voices were not loud, but their positions were unmistakable.
Homura and Koharu's expressions grew even uglier.
They still wanted to say something.
But when they saw the expressions on the clan heads' faces, they knew the tide had turned.
Danzo was finished.
It was not just Konoha's upper ranks who were going to abandon him.
The whole of Konoha was about to give up on him.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Since everyone agrees, that settles it."
"Danzo is classified as an S-rank missing-nin. All Konoha personnel are to pursue him. Dead or alive."
No one objected again.
The atmosphere in the office eased slightly.
But it remained tense.
Shizune stood behind Tsunade, watching the expressions of those important figures.
Yet her mind was on someone else entirely.
He had said he would take responsibility for her. He had even said he liked her.
He was the Kazekage, a man standing at the summit of the shinobi world.
How could he possibly like her?
Her fingers twisted lightly inside her sleeves.
Her heartbeat quickened by half a beat.
Tsunade glanced at her again.
This girl definitely had a problem.
But now was not the time to ask.
She withdrew her gaze and continued dealing with the mess in front of her.
Danzo had fled, and Konoha had to pursue him.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure were still fighting outside.
And that bastard from Sunagakure was still lingering in Konoha, refusing to leave...
She rubbed her temples.
Her headache worsened.
Right. She had also promised to spend a night with him...
Thinking of that, Shizune's face turned slightly red.
She instinctively pressed her thighs together.
Then she adjusted her posture without leaving a trace.
...
At the same time.
After Teizawa left a Sand Clone at the inn, dozens of Sunagakure Anbu had already assembled and were ready to move.
They were all dressed in black night gear, their masks hiding their faces.
Their auras were so restrained they seemed no different from pebbles on the roadside.
Teizawa did not say much.
He merely raised his hand and pointed east.
Then his figure swept out like a wisp of blue smoke.
The others followed closely behind.
They moved silently through Konoha's streets and alleys.
They vaulted over the walls and vanished into the forest beneath the first light of dawn.
That magnetic mark was as clear as a lighthouse in the dark.
The moment Teizawa closed his eyes, he could sense it.
Danzo was east by northeast.
He was not moving quickly. Clearly, he was not traveling at full speed.
That old bastard had spent his whole life burrowing into shadows.
Even when fleeing for his life, he still refused to give up his dignity.
A carriage, attendants, luggage: not a single thing was missing.
It looked less like he was escaping and more like he was moving house.
After pursuing him for nearly half a day, Teizawa landed on the branch of a giant tree and looked into the distance.
The Land of Rice Fields. Otogakure...
Orochimaru's territory?
Was Danzo heading in that direction to seek shelter with Orochimaru?
Teizawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Danzo and Orochimaru had been colluding for a long time.
When Orochimaru defected from Konoha, Danzo had done plenty behind the scenes.
Later, when Orochimaru conducted human experiments, Danzo had secretly provided assistance as well.
Calling those two allies was too generous.
They were more like two venomous snakes using each other.
Now that Danzo could no longer stay in Konoha, it was only natural for him to think of his old partner.
The corners of Teizawa's mouth lifted slightly.
He could not let Danzo link up with Orochimaru.
That old bastard had more than a dozen Sharingan on him.
He also had Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan...
If those treasures fell into Orochimaru's hands, getting them back would become much harder.
Teizawa withdrew his gaze, waved his hand, and spoke in a quiet voice.
"Move."
Whoosh, whoosh...
Dozens of black shadows shot out from the forest.
Kunai, shuriken, and fuma shuriken poured down on the convoy like a storm.
Earth Style shinobi raised walls on both sides, cutting off the escape routes.
Lightning Style shinobi had electricity dancing at their fingertips.
Wind Style shinobi sent blades of wind slicing through the air.
"Enemy attack!"
Danzo's subordinates reacted extremely quickly.
The Root shinobi in black uniforms and animal masks scattered from around the carriage.
Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu instantly wove together into an airtight defensive net.
But the Sunagakure Anbu had the numbers advantage and had come prepared.
If one strike failed, they immediately retreated.
Then another group cut in from a different angle.
A battle of rotation.
A battle of attrition.
They gave the enemy no chance to breathe.
Teizawa did not make a move.
He stood in the tree, looking down at the chaotic battle below.
Danzo sat inside the carriage and did not come out.
That old bastard had nerve.
He knew coming out now would be pointless. He was still waiting for a chance to turn things around.
But Teizawa had no intention of giving him that chance.
He jumped down from the tree and landed in front of the carriage.
The Root shinobi tried to stop him.
But the Sunagakure Anbu kept them locked down, leaving them no choice but to watch as he walked over.
(End of Chapter)
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