Chapter 241: Time for a Change in Hokage, Sensei
Hokage's Office.
Most of the ninja had already returned home to rest, leaving only Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Homura Mitokado, and other Konoha elders.
"Old Man," Tsunade took out a scroll and threw it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi caught the scroll and instinctively glanced at Orochimaru.
Logically, this kind of report should have been handled by the commander.
But Tsunade was only the deputy commander.
The only explanation was that Orochimaru had tacitly agreed.
How should he put it?
It was somewhat unexpected, but also reasonable.
After all, Tsunade and Hoshikawa were the biggest contributors on the Land of Frost battlefield this time.
Their prestige had already surpassed Orochimaru's.
It was understandable that power was usurped.
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the scroll and began to read.
The scroll summarized the situation on the Land of Frost battlefield over the past six months.
It included things like the number of ninja sacrifices, the amount of supplies consumed, and the list of captured ninja, etc.
"You've done an excellent job, achieving the greatest results with the minimal cost," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with satisfaction after reading the scroll.
After all, they had captured the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and the Fourth Raikage alive. What more could he say?
"Due to the large number of people, the rewards will be issued after some time," Hiruzen Sarutobi closed the scroll and said.
"Mhm," Tsunade nodded.
In fact, she no longer cared about the rewards.
Moreover, with such massive contributions from her and Hoshikawa, there was no matching reward that could truly be given.
"The next matter is Danzō Shimura," Tsunade changed the subject and asked, "Old Man, how do you plan to deal with him?"
"According to Konoha's rules, collusion with an enemy village is a capital offense," Jiraiya interjected coldly.
"That's inappropriate," Homura Mitokado shook his head and said. "Danzō has rendered great service to Konoha, and that is undeniable."
"Furthermore, this matter may not even be true," Koharu Utatane echoed. "I suspect it's a divisive plot by Kumogakure."
"Exactly," Homura Mitokado looked at Hoshikawa and said, "Kumogakure previously falsely accused Hoshikawa of being their spy."
"Hoshikawa being a spy is obviously false," Tsunade scoffed. "But Danzō Shimura's collusion with Kumogakure is supported by concrete evidence!"
After speaking, she took out another scroll.
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the scroll, and a few seconds later, his face became extremely grim.
It contained the testimonies of the four Root ninja and Kumogakure's Mabui and others.
In addition, it included Danzō Shimura's defense arrangements, made in Orochimaru's name.
The result of his actions was essentially leaving Tsunade and Hoshikawa's group as a lone force.
If not for their immense strength, those thousand Konoha ninja would likely have been completely wiped out.
"That scoundrel!" Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but curse, but the anger was quickly replaced by a headache.
Because he really didn't want to execute Danzō Shimura.
After all, the two had decades of friendship, and each knew many of the other's secrets.
"Orochimaru, what is your view?" Hiruzen Sarutobi scanned the room, his gaze settling on Orochimaru.
Tsunade and Jiraiya agreed to execute Danzō Shimura.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane pleaded for leniency.
Hoshikawa and Minato Namikaze were, after all, younger and did not hold positions like Hokage Advisor, so they were not considered high-ranking officials yet.
Only Orochimaru had remained silent throughout.
"His merits and demerits should cancel each other out," Orochimaru said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Where does he have so many merits?" Tsunade snapped angrily. "Konoha is in such a mess because of him!"
"That's going too far, Tsunade," Koharu Utatane said severely. "Danzō has been diligent and conscientious since serving as the Second Hokage's guard."
"Going too far?"
Tsunade retorted without hesitation. "If my granduncle knew what he had done, he would have expelled him from the school long ago!"
"Hiruzen," Homura Mitokado looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "This matter must be decided by you."
"Danzō Shimura indeed has past merits," Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly. "However, while the death penalty can be waived, he cannot escape punishment. He will be removed from his position as Hokage Advisor."
Tsunade sighed upon hearing this.
Although she had guessed this would be the outcome, she was still disappointed.
Jiraiya also shook his head.
The legendary Ninja Professor was truly gone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed their reactions and felt a moment of awkwardness.
Hoshikawa was thoughtful.
It seems I still have to go through with the plan to make Danzō Shimura defect.
He already had an idea.
"Then let's discuss Danzō Shimura's second offense!" Tsunade said with a cold laugh.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned, immediately having a bad feeling.
He cursed Danzō, That idiot!
"What is it?" Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane exchanged glances, also cursing him in their minds.
How did that old man leave so many loose ends?
And why were they discovered by Tsunade, of all people, the most difficult person to handle?
"The Wood Release experiments!" Tsunade said, word by word.
In an instant, the Hokage's Office became eerily quiet.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and the others were all shocked.
Especially Orochimaru.
He felt a choking sensation.
Since Tsunade investigated Danzō Shimura and the Wood Release experiments, did she investigate him too?
Orochimaru immediately felt the situation was becoming difficult to manage.
"Didn't the Wood Release experiments stop a long time ago?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, suppressing the worst possible guess in his mind.
"But someone reactivated the Wood Release experiments," Tsunade said, her voice full of rage. "Danzō Shimura and Orochimaru!"
"What?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was so shocked he nearly stood up.
Danzō Shimura was troublesome enough; now, adding Orochimaru to the mix felt like the end of him!
"Do you have evidence?" Orochimaru instinctively licked the corner of his mouth.
He knew he probably wouldn't be able to escape unscathed today.
"The evidence is here," Jiraiya took out a stack of documents and said.
"So, you were the one investigating," Orochimaru glanced at him, sounding a bit surprised.
"I didn't expect to find you either," Jiraiya said, his mood complex.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a few seconds before picking up the documents provided by Jiraiya.
After reading them, his face became highly unpredictable.
The data on the Wood Release experiments couldn't be faked.
Moreover, most importantly, it connected to a series of infant disappearance cases from many years ago.
"Orochimaru," Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and asked, "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I have nothing to say," Orochimaru replied calmly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to speak but didn't know what to say.
He felt angry, disillusioned, and incredibly stressed at the same time.
"Orochimaru has merits in this war, so the penalty will be to strip him of all his positions, and he is forbidden to leave the village without orders," Hiruzen Sarutobi contemplated for a long time and said. "Furthermore, the Wood Release experiments are a matter of great sensitivity and must not be made public."
"Yes," Orochimaru said in a calm tone.
He had expected this, so he was not surprised.
Being unable to leave the village was exactly what he wanted.
The only hassle was the loss of his authority, which would make conducting experiments less convenient in the future.
As for resisting, all of Konoha's top fighting power was right here; he wouldn't be foolish enough to make a useless effort.
"What about Danzō Shimura?" Tsunade asked directly.
"Let him spend the rest of his life in prison," Hiruzen Sarutobi still couldn't bring himself to execute him.
"Old Man!" Tsunade was immediately displeased.
"Tsunade," Koharu Utatane warned, "Hiruzen is the Hokage!"
Tsunade was so angry she started laughing.
Deeply disappointed, she grabbed Hoshikawa's hand and left the Hokage's Office without looking back.
Tsunade stopped at the entrance of the Hokage Building.
She lifted her head and looked at the Hokage Rock in the distance.
On it were Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Hiruzen Sarutobi in succession.
"Sensei," Hoshikawa walked up to her and said, "I'll go contact the Fire Daimyō."
Tsunade turned to look at him.
"They are old now and have lost their ambition," Hoshikawa said candidly. "It's time to change the Hokage!"
"Go," Tsunade was silent for a long time, but finally agreed.
"Sensei, don't worry. With the Daimyō stepping in, there won't be any problems," Hoshikawa said with a smile.
"You're quite happy," Tsunade snorted lightly, reaching out and harshly rubbing his cheek twice.
"Of course!" Hoshikawa grabbed her hand and said, "Once Sensei is Hokage, I can walk sideways in Konoha!"
"What nonsense!" Tsunade rolled her eyes at him and said, "Let's go home!"
After Hoshikawa's antics, her mood had improved considerably.
Tsunade didn't pull her hand away and walked home with him, hand in hand.
"I'll get the door," Hoshikawa voluntarily walked ahead, opened the door, and said with a smile, "Welcome home, Sensei."
"Aren't you just getting home yourself, you brat?"
Tsunade's lips curled up slightly. She took off her shoes, playfully stepped on his foot, and then walked toward the living room.
Hoshikawa smiled and followed her.
"Home is the best!" Tsunade immediately reverted to her true self upon arriving home, collapsing onto the sofa.
Hoshikawa glanced at her and found it hard to look away.
Her head was resting on the armrest of the sofa, her slender waist was slightly arched, and her rounded hips were deeply sunken into the couch.
The heavy burden naturally tilted, straining her sleeveless top.
Her long, beautiful legs were crossed, and as her ankles moved slightly, her fair feet gently swung.
"Stop staring, brat," Tsunade opened her eyes and said, "I'm thirsty. Get me a glass of water."
"Yes, Sensei," Hoshikawa blinked, looking slightly surprised.
Was Tsunade not angry?
He walked to the kitchen, and quickly made her a glass of iced lemonade.
"Ah!" Tsunade took a sip, immediately showing a comfortable expression.
Even though September had passed the peak heat in Konoha, the temperature was still quite high.
An iced lemonade at this moment felt wonderfully refreshing.
Hoshikawa sat across from Tsunade, watching her graceful figure, and pondered how to deal with Danzō Shimura.
Making Danzō Shimura defect was both difficult and not difficult.
Under normal circumstances, he would never defect.
Although Danzō Shimura had done many terrible things, everything he did had only one goal: to become Hokage.
However, whether he defected or not was no longer up to him.
Hoshikawa's mind flashed with the name Shisui Uchiha.
In the original story, Danzō Shimura stole his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Now, it was time for the tables to turn.
Hoshikawa's plan was to have Shisui Uchiha use his Mangekyō Sharingan to control or place a suggestion on Danzō Shimura.
The only way to spot a flaw in Konoha would be the Byakugan.
In the original story, when Yagura Karatachi was controlled by the Mangekyō Sharingan, it was Ao, who possessed the Byakugan, who discovered the problem in Kirigakure.
But Hoshikawa currently had a close relationship with the Hyūga clan. Even if they noticed Danzō Shimura was acting strangely, they wouldn't actively speak up.
As for the timing... he would set it for the day the Fire Daimyō arrived!
The more Hoshikawa thought about it, the more brilliant the plan seemed.
The Fire Daimyō could directly charge Hiruzen Sarutobi with ineffective governance and smoothly push him to retire.
"What are you thinking about?" Tsunade looked up at Hoshikawa and asked.
"Nothing," Hoshikawa smiled and said, "I was thinking that simply locking up Danzō Shimura is too easy on him."
"The Old Man definitely won't kill him," Tsunade pouted and said. "It's fine. I'll deal with him after I become Hokage."
"As expected of Sensei," Hoshikawa complimented her.
Tsunade's method wasn't bad either.
But it wasn't as good as his plan to make Danzō Shimura defect.
He might even trigger a new title.
Hoshikawa was quite looking forward to Danzō Shimura's final value.
After all, he was the Kage of Blame.
"Sensei, once you become Hokage, what should I do?" Hoshikawa suddenly thought of something and asked curiously.
"What do you want to do?" Tsunade asked in return.
"Hokage Secretary, how does that sound?" Hoshikawa rubbed his chin, contemplating.
"I thought you would want to be the Hokage Advisor," Tsunade chuckled.
"I'll be both," Hoshikawa said without reservation.
Konoha did not officially have the position of Hokage Secretary.
Kumogakure did, which was Mabui.
In reality, the work done by the Hokage Secretary was quite similar to the Hokage Advisor, just a different title.
"Alright," Tsunade said with a full smile. "It's perfect; you can help me with the work."
"Hey!" Hoshikawa twitched his mouth and said, "As Hokage, you can't be lazy!"
"If I can't be lazy, what do I need you for?" Tsunade rolled her eyes and asked.
"Of course, to supervise you to work diligently," Hoshikawa said seriously.
He suddenly thought of Shizune from the original story.
She was undoubtedly doing that exact job, constantly supervising Tsunade.
"Whoever wants to be Hokage can have it; I quit!" Tsunade said, sounding a bit annoyed.
"Alright, alright," Hoshikawa said, comforting her like a child. "I will definitely help you."
"That's better," Tsunade's attitude softened. She closed her eyes and asked, "How is your chakra recovery coming along?"
"Quite well," Hoshikawa thought for a moment and said. "It's just the replenishment of the Yin Seal that will take some time."
"Mhm," Tsunade yawned and said, "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up at dinnertime."
Hoshikawa waited until she fell asleep, then got up and went to the door.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Bang!
A shadow clone appeared.
"Go to the Land of Fire's Capital," Hoshikawa instructed.
He was Tsunade's student. If he went personally, the Fire Daimyō would naturally understand that it was Tsunade's intent.
The shadow clone instantly disappeared from the spot.
"The day has finally arrived," Hoshikawa sighed internally. "Speaking of which, I should thank the Kage of Blame for this."
After all, without Danzō Shimura's collusion with Kumogakure and the Wood Release experiments, Tsunade would never have made up her mind to compete for the Fourth Hokage position.