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After Tsunade's shocking act of kneeling, the clan heads had responded. While Hiashi had reserved his stance, needing to consult his clan's elders, others like the Aburame and Inuzuka representatives had folded. They agreed to hand over their secret technique scrolls, their only condition being that the receiving parties exercise extreme caution in selecting who would learn them.
As for the Hyūga's practice of preserving Byakugan eyes… that situation had some room for maneuver. Tsunade seized the momentum. She immediately ordered the collection and transport of the major clans' 'Secret Technique Scrolls,' along with the Scroll of Seals, to the designated exchange point.
The storm had passed. A clear sky stretched overhead.
Tsunade walked back to the Hokage's office.
After so many setbacks, things were finally moving forward. Real progress.
She pushed open the window. Leaned into the crisp, rain-washed air. For the first time in what felt like ages, a genuine smile touched her lips.
Then, heavy, trudging footsteps in the hall. The door creaked open.
Two grim, lifeless faces reflected in the windowpane.
The Konoha Councilors. Utatane Koharu. Mitokado Homura.
Tsunade's brow furrowed.
Here they come. To lecture me.
Koharu's accusation came sharp and fast. "Tsunade! Do you have any idea what a foolish decision you've made!?"
Tsunade closed the window slowly, calmly. Turned. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb!!" Koharu snapped. "Handing over techniques Konoha has guarded for generations to outsiders! Are you trying to erase this village from existence!?"
"It's an exchange," Tsunade emphasized. "Not a gift."
Homura's voice was a low, gravelly rumble. "Is there a difference? Even if the Five Great Villages are equals in status, their ninjutsu heritage is NOT! Konoha's is superior!"
"This was a consensus reached by the Five Kage at the summit," Tsunade said, her tone level. "If we break the agreement unilaterally, how will Konoha maintain its standing in the shinobi world?"
"Which brings us to the core of the problem!" Homura's composure cracked, his voice rising. "Since you mention the summit!! I ask you—why did you agree to such an absurd proposal in the first place?! Don't tell me it was under duress!!"
"Absurd?" Tsunade's frown deepened. "You both have your own intelligence networks. You know what happened at that summit!"
Koharu seized the opening. "You allowed Sasuke to defect! To seek out Orochimaru! You allowed the jinchūriki to leave the village for training! It's your lax policies that created the threat of Uchiha Sasuke and allowed 'Madara' to steal the jinchūriki's body!! Konoha should not pay the price for your mistakes!!"
Homura pressed the advantage. "It's not too late to cut our losses, Tsunade! Order the transport mission halted immediately. We can discuss damage control later!"
Tsunade's fist clenched tight. "And if I refuse?"
Koharu didn't hesitate. "Then we will petition the Daimyō to have you removed. He will appoint a new Hokage."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Tsunade's patience shattered.
She strode forward. Her hands shot out. She grabbed their collars. Hauled them up.
Homura sputtered. "Y-You—what are you doing?! We are the village's senior councilors—!"
Tsunade glared, fire in her eyes. "Two stubborn old fools! Clinging to past merits, contributing nothing but obstruction! This village stagnates because it's trapped in the past! Because of that, the dreams our predecessors held but never realized… they remain forever out of reach!" Her voice softened, just for a moment, thick with emotion. "If my grandfather were alive today… he would weep with joy to see this. To see the five great nations finally opening their hands to each other."
Koharu struggled. "You acknowledge our past service, yet you show us such disrespect!?"
"Listen!" Tsunade's voice cut like steel. "The shinobi world is on the brink of a new era. Sharing our techniques is a monumental, groundbreaking step. I will NOT allow the two of you to sabotage it!"
"And the risk!?" Homura shouted. "When the villages inevitably turn on each other again! When our own techniques are used to slaughter our shinobi, our people! Will you regret it then!?"
"Risk is not an excuse for cowardice!" Tsunade shot back. "I will work with the other Kage, with genuine cooperation, to ensure that never happens!"
"Wake up!" Koharu snarled. "Peace is built on a balance of power! The First Hokage is DEAD! The ultimate deterrent, the safety net he provided—it's GONE! If this doesn't go as you naively hope, how will you fix it!?"
Tsunade marched them, still gripped by their collars, toward the corridor window.
"That's why I said it!" she declared, her voice ringing. "This is a gamble I've made with my life on the line!!"
Koharu stared, incredulous. "You equate your own life with the future of Konoha!?"
Tsunade flung the window open. Sunlight, bright and warm, streamed through the gap between the two councilors, illuminating her face.
Her smile was not naive. It was fierce. Unshakeable. "No. Unlike you, I genuinely believe in the comrades at my back. I believe in the potential shinobi hold within themselves!!"
With that, she released them.
Two aged bodies tumbled. A short, graceless fall. They landed in the soft, rain-soaked mud below.
Her final words dropped down after them, landing with definitive weight. "Let time be the judge!!"
Homura and Koharu picked themselves up from the muck, brushing dirt from their robes. They turned and shuffled away without another word. Only after a long moment did a single, resentful sigh drift back.
"Do as you wish. You bear all responsibility."
Tsunade watched their retreating, desolate figures. Let out a deep, weary breath of her own.
"To make those two back down with sheer force of will… no one but you could do that, Lady Hokage."
Kakashi leaned against the wall nearby, his eye on his book. A quiet observation.
Ever since that day at the cemetery, when his fallen comrade had reclaimed the Sharingan eye… a deep shock had settled in him. A lingering melancholy.
Tsunade turned. "To be honest, what they fear… is what everyone fears. But circumstances have left us no choice, Kakashi. You and Might Guy are to escort the scrolls to the rendezvous point. No mistakes."
Kakashi closed his book with a soft snap. "I… am prepared for that."
…
Ever since the hunt for the Eight-Tails concluded, White Zetsu clones had poured out across the world, searching for two specific targets.
In the dim underground lair, Obito waited. Days had passed.
A White Zetsu emerged from the wall.
"Found them?"
"Not yet," it chirped. "But we have other news. You might find it interesting."
"What?"
"Konoha is sending out scrolls. Forbidden techniques. Clan secret arts. Headed to a gathering point for the major villages…"
"That's it?"
"Aren't you interested? There are many techniques there even Madara never taught you."
"The current me," Obito said, his voice flat behind the mask, "is the world's sole, true Six Paths. I have no need for such trivialities." A pause. A simmering discontent. "Still… I missed my chance to declare war at the Five Kage Summit. It leaves a bitter taste."
He tilted his head. "Who is leading the escort?"
The White Zetsu's grin widened, full of implication. "Old acquaintances of yours. Hatake Kakashi. Might Guy…"
"Oh?"
A faint, eerie light glimmered behind the orange mask. Obito's hand closed around the gunbai staff beside his chair. He rose slowly.
"Interesting. Consider it… a light appetizer before the main course of hunting the Nine-Tails."
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