The sunlight in front of the Hokage Tower was a bit dazzling. Night Namikaze watched the figure leaning against the pillar, and his pace unconsciously slowed.
Tsunade turned around, her golden hair dancing lightly in the breeze.
She looked him up and down. Her gaze seemed calm, but when it met his face, a flicker of emotion, hard to catch, passed through her eyes.
"You're back?"
Her voice was faint, betraying no obvious emotion. She was much calmer than he had imagined.
Night's throat moved slightly. The speech he had prepared rolled around on the tip of his tongue, only to condense into a single, low syllable. "Yeah."
He had wanted to crack a joke or act slick like usual to gloss over the tension, but with the words on his lips, he found himself unexpectedly tongue-tied.
Tsunade swept her gaze over him once more, confirming he was unharmed, then turned crisply and walked into the Hokage Tower.
"Follow me." Her voice still betrayed neither joy nor anger.
Night hurriedly followed. The two walked one after another, silence spreading in the air, with only their slightly out-of-sync footsteps echoing in the space.
Seeing they were about to reach the door of the Hokage's office, Night finally reined in his churning thoughts. Finding his footing, he asked tentatively, "Dinner tonight... together?"
Hearing Night's words, Tsunade, who was walking ahead, paused almost imperceptibly. The corner of her mouth seemed to curve up ever so slightly.
She didn't turn back, maintaining that deliberately constructed air of indifference in her voice. "We'll see."
Hearing this response, which carried a hint of tsundere flavor, the anxiety in Night's heart vanished instantly.
His familiar smile returned to his face. He quickened his steps, walking almost shoulder-to-shoulder with her.
It was only then that Tsunade noticed the kid beside her had grown to match her height, perhaps even exceeding it slightly.
Night grinned shamelessly. "Then it's a date."
Tsunade shot him a sideways glance. She didn't agree, but she didn't refuse either. Instead, she reached out and pushed open the heavy doors of the Hokage's office.
The atmosphere inside was starkly different from the subtle flirtation outside. It instantly became heavy and oppressive.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind the familiar desk, his expression unreadable.
Surprisingly, not only was Danzo Shimura present, but the advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were also listed in attendance.
This lineup included the Third Hokage, the Hokage's assistant, and the advisors. Konoha's highest decision-making body was gathered here, far exceeding the standard protocol for a regular mission report.
As soon as he entered, four gazes—scrutinizing, probing—fell on him in unison.
"Lord Hokage."
Seeing the situation, Night wiped the expression from his face and greeted calmly.
"Chunin Namikaze, regarding your experiences in the Hidden Mist Village, we require a detailed report. The village needs to assess the risks involved and... the truth," Hiruzen said, his voice serious as he looked at the arrival.
Night pulled out his prepared story, a mix of truth and lies. He focused on describing how he used the Mist's internal chaos to hide, accidentally discovered the imprisoned Uzumaki clan members, and seized the opportunity to rescue them.
Regarding the Three-Tails going berserk, the mysterious armored warrior, and his own behind-the-scenes manipulation, he cleverly avoided specifics or blurred the details, painting himself as an extremely lucky "bystander."
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Koharu Utatane pushed up her glasses and questioned sharply, "Chunin Namikaze, your narrative sounds plausible, but it is entirely too coincidental. Leaving aside the Mist's civil war, such an event would inevitably be accompanied by the highest level of martial law.
Even in normal times, infiltrating and breaking through would be as hard as ascending to heaven. Yet not only did you escape safely, but you also precisely located and rescued the Uzumaki members... How do you expect us to believe this?"
She paused, her gaze piercing Night like a steel needle, and added, "These numerous inconsistencies force us to consider another possibility. Did you reach some agreement with the Hidden Mist Village? Or to put it plainly, have you betrayed Konoha?"
Danzo Shimura didn't speak, but the cold glint in his remaining eye showed he was happy to see this unfold.
Faced with Koharu's aggressive questioning, which bordered on an accusation, Night's face darkened.
He didn't immediately speak up to defend himself. Instead, slowly and carrying an invisible pressure, he swept his gaze over every high-ranking official present, except for Tsunade.
As his gaze moved, a chilling, oppressive chakra pressure exploded from him without warning, centered on his body.
Although it lasted only for an instant before he quickly retracted it, the terrifying quality of that momentary burst—far exceeding the scope of an ordinary Jonin—caused the expressions of everyone except the Third Hokage and Tsunade to change drastically.
Koharu, bearing the brunt of it, felt her breath hitch and subconsciously took half a step back.
This chakra quality was far beyond that of a standard Jonin. Everyone present was seasoned; they naturally understood what this pressure meant.
Even if it was just for a split second, he had faintly touched the threshold of Kage-level power. And that was without knowing if he had even unleashed his full strength.
"Advisor Utatane's suspicion is, of course, reasonable."
His tone returned to its previous calm, as if what just happened had nothing to do with him. He continued, "But some matters involve too broad a scope and are too classified. Please forgive me if I cannot reveal all the details in such a 'public' setting."
His gaze swept past the grim-faced officials and looked directly at Hiruzen behind the desk. The implication was self-evident.
Hiruzen looked deeply at Night. After a moment of contemplation, he finally waved his hand. "All of you, leave us for now."
"Hiruzen!" Danzo wanted to say something but was cut off.
"Get out."
The tone brooked no argument, as if he were about to pull out his catchphrase to suppress Danzo.
Danzo snorted coldly, turning to leave first, clearly indignant. Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance and had no choice but to follow.
Unexpectedly, Night spoke up, his gaze falling on Tsunade, who had been standing silently aside and was now walking toward the door. "Lady Tsunade... can stay."
At this moment, even the unflappable Hiruzen showed a hint of surprise.
Tsunade, who had already taken a step, paused. She raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if trying to read something from his face.
Night looked back , and while the others weren't looking, he quickly winked at her.
Realizing immediately that this gesture was inappropriate, he reverted to his composed demeanor.
As the office doors slowly closed, isolating the inside from the outside world once again.
Now, only Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade (arms crossed, expression unreadable), and Night Namikaze (harboring countless secrets and having just bared his fangs) remained in the room.
It seemed the real conversation was just about to begin.
Night opened his mouth to speak, and his very first sentence caused the face of the Third Hokage—a man who had weathered countless storms—to change drastically.