Chapter 8: Adverse Reactions

The wind blows hot across the broken land. The soft sigh of its passage is the only sound in a landscape that but a heartbeat past rang loud with the terrible music of war. However, the war is over now. The battle is ended.

The ancient shinobi, once renowned as an icon for the entire shinobi world, now lays helpless on the floor, his back against the wall, after suffering injuries too many to count, and can do naught but stare helplessly at the youngster who has done this to him.

"Who… are you … to be able to do this … to me of all people?" Hanzo of Amegakure wheezed out, even as he coughed out a fair amount of blood as he looked at the youngster standing in front of him, with the Raijin no Ken alight in his hands, flanked by the immortal corpses of his ancestors, awaiting the boy's commands.

"I do not see why this is relevant, Hanzo-san," Raiha replied matter-of-factly, as he gazed at the wizened shinobi, "You were an enemy, and I have done what anybody would do, to defeat their enemies, it is to be expected after all in battle," the boy concluded, while the old man snorted.

"You … are not Senju, boy, I know the Senju well, and no Senju worth his blood would have dared to do what you have done here today, this emotionless slaughter, this precise and calculated massacre, not even in the era of the warring clans have I seen such a methodical destruction. Even the infamous drones created by Danzo of Konoha, possess a shred of conscience despite his claims to the contrary, which is lacking in you; so ... why are you doing this?" Hanzo spoke out, even as Raiha remained unfazed.

"I see…," Raiha paused, as he looked at the old man, "So, you seek a reason for why I have destroyed everything you hold dear. But, reason, exists for those who cannot go on living without clinging on to them. Vanish… Hanzo, with your death … the destruction of everything that is immoral in the shinobi world begins, and someone like you, could never understand my reasoning, for it is beyond the edge of reason..," with that, the Raijin no Ken flashed one last time as a spray of blood flew into the air, and with it, the life of Salamander Hanzo.

The teenager turned to look around at the immobile forms of Hashirama & Tobirama, who were looking at him with an inscrutable look on their faces.

"You disapprove of my actions … yes?" he asked, even as the two ancient shinobi remained impassive.

"Your actions … are not ours to judge, boy …," Hashirama spoke out softly, while Tobirama just glared at him, "What you are doing … has the potential to destabilize this entire world … but not doing so … poses an even greater danger … so I will withhold judgment for now … remember, there will be consequences for using this technique, but somehow, I think that for you … it will not matter," the second Hokage sighed, as he looked at his descendant, before the teenager nodded.

"Hanzo's remaining supporters have been routed," he said, even as he witnessed the commotion occurring near the base of Hanzo's tower. "Most are abandoning the Hidden Rain, but those who hold onto the will to resist us, some dozens in total, appear to be reorganizing near their leader's residence to make their last stand. Eliminate them, leave not a shred of Hanzo's tyrannical legacy behind …," he ordered, even as the two Kage's leapt below to obey his commands.

Even as these events were occurring, he did not notice a pair of eyes watching his every move, assessing him, evaluating him, and burning his image into their minds.

"What do we do … Pein?" Konan asked quietly, as she looked at the Deva Path, which was observing the events with a critical eye.

"Nothing … we do nothing."

The Palace of the daimyo of Kaminari no Kuni, around the same time,

Lord Toranaga, the chamberlain of the daimyo of Kaminari no Kuni, took one look at his ruler's face, and knew that blood would be shed soon in the days to come.

"My lord," the chamberlain said, bowing deeply.

Mori Masanari, the daimyo of Kaminari no Kuni, made an imperial nod of acknowledgment in return.

"Lord Toranaga, my honored niece has brought to my attention that the grand council of daimyo's and all the hidden villages have held our hidden village, Kumogakure no Sato, to be responsible for creating the situation, which led to the destruction of our embassy in Hi no Kuni, and the subsequent deaths of our loyal citizens, who were blameless in this juncture," the daimyo paused, even as he futilely tried to bring his rage under control.

"We are not pleased, nor are we pleased with the fact that the Raikage has allowed his shinobi to create a situation which has nearly led our country to war. My niece informs me, that lord Shimazu, the ruler of Hi no Kuni, is most irate and suspects treachery most foul on our part. To that effect, it appears that he has issued orders to his own shinobi to deal with any of our shinobi with no quarter. Therefore, I think the time has come for us to assert to our shinobi forces, as to why our word must be obeyed, and make them aware of the consequences of disobedience."

The chamberlain seemed to consider his ruler's bold suggestion cautiously. It was one thing to have a give-and-take relationship with the shinobi where they each played their part. However, it was another thing entirely to threaten their subordinates outright; but still, he knew that his lord would not budge. It was now a matter of prestige for the ruler, and he would not budge even if his life depended on it.

"Summon Darui, and also, summon the Kingin Kyodai," the daimyo ordered, at which, the chamberlain finally looked up at his ruler in shock.

"My lord, surely you do not mean to …," the chamberlain half arose to protest, while his ruler raised his hand and stopped him mid-tirade.

"I think it is about time, that the Raikage learns that there are limits to what I will indulge from him and his shinobi," the daimyo spoke forcefully as he glared at the chamberlain, who bowed stiffly even as he felt his brow dampen with sweat.

As the chamberlain slowly turned around to depart, he heard his ruler command him, "Lord Toranaga, also please send a message to the Raikage, and ask him to select a replacement to serve as the new vessel of the two-tailed cat; since it is because of the actions of the current vessel, that our honor and our nation's honor has been stained, let him know that nothing less than her execution will expiate that stain upon our honor. Our station and our dignity as the daimyo demands it, and we will accept nothing less, and inform the Kingin Kyodai that this is our will."

"Hai, Daimyo-sama."

Meanwhile, at Konohagakure no Sato,

The Hokage on the other hand, faced a problem that was far more different in nature. As the rumors of her extra-ordinary performance at the grand council meeting had spread, the rumor-mills inside the village were churning non-stop. Nonetheless, the ninja of Konohagakure unanimously agreed that the Hokage's bold decision to address the world from a position of force had been a savvy maneuver. The other shinobi villages had no doubt expected the ninja of Konohagakure to be their usual reticent selves in the face of adversity. Not this time, Senju Tsunade had proven herself a commanding foe.

Many of the ninja felt comforted to know that the Hokage was taking control. The Hokage was the one person inside the village for whom both the civilians and ninja held the most respect. Some ninja thought of the Hokage as a zealot – whose love for the village bordered on obsession – but even they agreed … when it came to fighting the enemies of the village … the hokage was the one who would stand up and play hardball.

Most of the shinobi had actually relished the change that Tsunade's rule had brought to the village. The complacency of sorts that had been present during Sarutobi's reign had all but vanished, as Tsunade had brought many radical changes to improve the efficiency of the village's functioning, and they relished it.

However, some of the council heads were not too pleased, as they believed that the Hokage was moving ahead too fast, and was becoming too reckless. Then came the kicker, and as the details of the meeting were made public, many members of the council decided that it was finally time to reign the Hokage in, before she endangered them all, with her reckless actions.

The poor fools had no idea that Tsunade intended to return their favor in spades.

As she entered the council chambers, flanked by Jiraiya and Shizune, Tsunade knew that this would possibly be the stormiest council meeting in the history of this village.

The council of Konoha was divided into two parts, the Shinobi and the Civilian. The shinobi council comprised of all the clan heads, and the leaders of the major shinobi organizations of the village, including the ANBU, T&I, the Medic Corps, and so forth, and they generally advised the Hokage on matters pertaining to the running of the village's military forces. Similarly, the Civilian council had sway over all non-military related issues, like Economy, Trade, Agriculture, and local administration. By law, the civilian council was not allowed to intercede in the military council, but in recent times, it had encroached upon this forbidden plateau quite brazenly, and now, she intended to rectify it.

After the death of the fourth hokage, the third hokage had been forced to hand over the general administration of the village to this council, as the military council was up to its neck in its efforts to maintain the safety of their village. By the time the Sandaime and the military council had managed to ensure Konoha's safety from foreign threats, the Civilian council had firmly entrenched itself into the military infrastructure of the village, and the Hokage had found it difficult to dislodge them from this position lest he risk a civil war.

As she entered the council, Tsunade noticed that many of the shinobi were giving her glowing looks, while the civilians were looking at her with a myriad of emotions, ranging from fear to loathing.

"Tsunade-sama," Shikaku Nara, the Jonin commander of Konoha continued with a grim smile, "welcome back to Konoha. You have been missed." Shikaku paused to allow the council members to greet her and then made his request. "Please, along come with us. The Elder Council has assembled. There is much to be discussed."

"Fine," the woman muttered, crossing her arms. "Let's get this over with."

The various mutterings inside Konoha's council chamber went silent when Tsunade entered the room, with the Third and the two advisors Homura and Koharu at her back, followed by Shimura Danzo & Jiraiya.

"Now, since that irritating grand council meeting is over,'" the Slug Princess replied as she strode across the chamber to assume the Hokage's place at the head position. "Let's get right down to business," she continued, sitting down. "I want to hear a complete report on the border situation. I've been brought up to speed a little, but I want details. I especially want to know if any of the other villages have moved any of their forces near our village, and I want a complete analysis of the intelligence reports in my hands by the end of the day."

Tsunade's clipped, businesslike tone caused several civilian council members to stir in a nervous manner. She had no interest in tolerating ceremonial niceties as her esteemed predecessor had. The clan heads and other shinobi representatives concealed their grins.

"Well, Tsunade-sama," Homura began, as he looked at the reports in front of him, "As of now, all the other villages are maintaining their distance from us, but we expect a sharp spike in skirmishes with Kumo in the near future, and we need to decide on how to deal with that as early as possible."

"Pardon my interruption, Hokage-sama, but we wish for you to provide us with some clarifications about certain rumors that have been permeating through this village, about certain events that have occurred at the grand council meeting," a member from the civilian council spoke up, as he looked at the Hokage, who had narrowed her eyes at the interruption, with a vein pulsing in her forehead, even as she noticed that many of the members of the shinobi council seemed resigned to such interruptions. Just how deep did this rot run?

"I was under the impression that military matters are of no concern to the civilian council," Tsunade asked, even as she looked around at the elders for an explanation to this interruption, to which they had the grace to look abashed, while the civilian council seemed flustered.

"It is of our concern, when your actions have the potential to push our village into a conflict with not just one village, but every village in existence, Tsunade-sama," the councilor spoke again, with a bit of venom inflected in his tone, even as the temperature in the room warmed considerably.

This was nothing less than a diplomatic accusation that the new Hokage was not conducting her duties efficiently. The blonde Sannin stared the councilor down, intent upon making her dominance known.

She was Hokage now, and the civilian council's incessant meddling in the village leader's business was no longer going to be tolerated.

"Perhaps, and perhaps it would be a whole lot smarter," Tsunade parroted right back, knowing that the man was right on the mark but unwilling to admit as much, "not to insinuate that I'm a liar. I know what I am doing, and that's all that's important. I won't hear the issue again."

But the civilian council, too accustomed to Sarutobi's gentle diplomatic maneuvers failed to notice the signs of impending doom, that many of the shinobi recognized was coming. This was not going to end well.

"As of now," Another councilor interrupted, "Konoha has precious little resources to spare right now, given the mounting situation on our borders," looking at the Hokage, "and it is a matter of concern to us, as this has the potential to escalate into something beyond our control," he concluded, in a rather gentle manner, placing a rather logical point at the table.

"Despite the fact, that we are not shinobi, we too live in this village, and this is our business as well since it affects us. That fact alone mandates us with all the authority we need, on behalf of the citizens of this village, you must listen to us," the councilor who had spoken first spoke out again, causing many an eyebrow to rise at the bold statement.

"We are not unsympathetic to your position, councilor," Tsunade spoke curtly, "But the shinobi have taken over dominion of the village, as it has been, since the foundation of hidden villages, to vouchsafe an ancient, mutually shared destiny. We do not have the luxury of considering the interests of others. We are required to make hard choices, driven by self-interest. These may , at times, not suit the 'rest' of the village," she paused, as the implied message that the civilians had no choice but to listen to the shinobi was delivered subtly once again, causing many of the members of the civilian council's faces to color up, even as she continued.

"… but the rest of the world now threatens us. They have repeatedly threatened us, and injured us. Only a fool, would not expect us to defend ourselves. Are you a fool, councilor?" she asked directly, as everybody froze at their spots, as they witnessed the blatant dressing down, that was being delivered by the Hokage.

"And so you decide to place the lives of everybody in this village at risk, just because they demand your grandson's life as payment? What hypocrisy…," that was as far as the man went, for in the next instant, he felt himself being hoisted in the air, as Tsunade's hand crushed his throat in a vice-like grip, and he found himself dangling in mid-air, with his feet kicking wildly.

"Listen very carefully … to what I say … civilian," she enunciated clearly, even as a terrified silence reigned in the chambers, "the fact that I even allow you to speak to me directly in this chamber, is a gift that I bestow upon you, you do not order me. You beg for my appreciation and then wait to see if I choose to bestow it upon you," she growled, even as the man's eyes rolled back, as he began to lose consciousness.

"Tsunade, that's enough!" Sarutobi's booming voice came through the silence, shearing it like a scythe cutting through a stalk of wheat. With a disdainful snort, Tsunade flung the now terrified civilian councilor with a jerk of her hand, even as he flew through the air, and collided with the wall at the opposite end as he sank into a dead faint.

Though Tsunade's method violated all debate procedures known to human civilization, it had an immediate impact on the council, halting all conversation in an instant. The elders looked in shock towards the Hokage, noting the vein pulsing on her temple. The clan heads looked about the chamber at their shocked civilian counterparts with more than a little amusement, though the degrees varied. The Inuzuka pack leader almost burst in into mocking laughter at their expense. Meanwhile the dust settled and revealed a small impact crater where the now unconscious councilor had struck the ground. The Slug Princess looked around the room, demanding order, and not a soul dared to challenge her on the point.

"Just because the Sandaime chose to indulge your whims and fancies, do not dare to assume that I shall allow you the same liberties. Do not delude yourself into thinking that I know nothing of what you have all done behind his back," she retorted, even as she gazed at the now terrified civilian council members, who were staring at her with her absolute horror.

"You … you can't …," another terrified member squeaked out, as Tsunade gave a cruel smile.

"Oh, afraid are you, that your dirty laundry is about to be aired in public? Let me see, if I can clear up the air a bit," she spoke as she looked at Jiraiya, who silently handed her a sheaf of papers.

"Inside this, are the detailed descriptions of every fraudulent activity undertaken by you all, under the name of the council. These lists contain the details of the properties that you have misappropriated, the innocent victims whom you have framed and sentenced to various degrees of punishments, in order to settle your personal vendettas, the amount of wealth, that you have embezzled from the village, down to the last ryo, everything ... is in here," she spoke harshly, as she threw the documents across the desk in a careless manner.

The chamber became a literal din as the various councilors suggested theories, and made wild accusations, even as the members of the shinobi council took their time in examining the documents, which they were surprised to see, were completely accurate, even to the point of mentioning the time at which the said fraudulent activities were conducted, down to the last minute.

"As of now, you have a choice," Tsunade continued, even as she looked at the quaking civilian councilors, who all had the looks of a deer cornered by a predator, "all of you, will leave here voluntarily, and surrender your positions in the council, and pay back to the village, every last dime you stole, after which, you and families will quietly leave the village, with your lives intact,never to return, on pain of death. Fail to do so, and I shall have every single one of you executed, and have your families and clans dispossessed of all their belongings, and have them banished, with the stigma of being traitors attached to their names," she concluded, even as Sarutobi looked at her with shock, but after a few minutes, the old man resigned himself to what was occurring and shrugged it off, thereby signifying his assent.

Slowly, the members of the civilian council stood up, as members of the ANBU came ahead to escort them out of the building.

Sighing deeply, Tsunade sank down into her chair, even as she looked at Sarutobi, "Sarutobi-sensei, once this is all over, I want you to personally select and create a new civilian council, and please make sure that this time, it is made up of civilians who are, or were, in any case, shinobi. Having pure civilians in the council, was just a disaster waiting to happen, especially in a military society like ours," she concluded, while many of the shinobi council members murmured their assent.

"Now that this trifling matter is over, I think it is time we returned to the original matter at hand," Koharu spoke out curtly, deftly maneuvering the situation away from the tense atmosphere.

"Indeed, but, I would like to know how the Hokage managed to gather such incriminating evidence against the traitors of the former civilian council, in such a short time," Danzo mused, as he looked at Tsunade, who gave a thin smile.

"I am the Hokage, Danzo-san, there is nothing in this village that remains a secret from my eyes, nothing, not even those which are considered inviolate," she spoke curtly, even as a ripple of unease spread through all the clan heads, specifically, the Uchiha and the Hyuuga clan heads, whose knuckles whitened in tension, even as all the clan heads shared an uneasy look.

"Which brings me to the point, I have a few decrees to issue as of now …," she continued, as she looked at all the clan heads, who seemed to sit up a bit straighter.

"As of now, the Uchiha Military Police stands disbanded, instead it will be now reformed as the Konoha Military Police, and will no longer be manned solely by the members of the Uchiha clan," she announced curtly, even as Fugaku rose up to protest, only to be silenced by a glare from Jiraiya.

"Furthermore, I am here by granting the request of the Uchiha clan to move their enclave into the village, and this can begin as soon as the Uchiha clan finishes their preparations."

That nearly caused an uproar, even as Fugaku Uchiha finally fell back into his seat, with an astonished look on his face. However, as he looked at the Hokage's face, she gave him a curt nod, at which, his heart nearly skipped a beat.

She knew, she knew what they were planning, and she is offering us an olive branch before it comes to that.

"Hokage-sama, surely, there is no need for …," Homura began hesitantly, when Tsunade cut in with a icy-clarity.

"No need? I think you underestimate the gravity of the situation we face, elder, or did you just forget the fact, that we have just forced every hidden village in the world to reassess their opinion of us? Do you think, that any of those villages, and especially Kumogakure, will sit still, when he have so blatantly humiliated them in front of the entire world? Now, more than ever, we need every single of our shinobi to stave off the skirmish that is about to come. And I don't think that having the most powerful members of the most powerful clan in the village being confined as mere policemen in such a crucial time is a viable option, considering the fact that their task can be conducted by even mere chunin. Frankly speaking, it is an insult to a capable clan like the Uchiha, and I will not see such valuable assets be squandered in such a crucial time," she retorted harshly, while Homura and Koharu frowned.

Tsunade knew the actual reason as to why the elders wished the Uchiha to be confined, and frankly speaking, she thought that the rationale behind it was pure bullshit. However, she wanted to see if the councilors had the courage to voice their true reasoning behind it in public, but she knew they would not. They couldn't afford to, as they didn't have a shred of proof.

"Do not think that I favor your clan unduly, Fugaku," Tsunade turned upon the Uchiha head, who was looking rather smug, as she gave him a dose of harsh reality as well. "Time and again, your clan has claimed to be the best in the village, now it is time for you to prove it," she retorted calmly, even as Fugaku nodded curtly.

"We will not let you down, Hokage-sama," the man promised, even as his mind began to analyze the rationale behind such a radical move.

She knows more than she is letting on, maybe there is still a way out.

"Concerning the events that have occurred in the grand council meeting," Koharu continued, even as she looked at Tsunade with an inscrutable look, "It is guaranteed that the other villages will now definitely try to make at least one aggressive attempt against our forces, in order to determine if the Hokage's statements were true or a calculated bluff. Therefore, I believe that we have no choice but to react in an extremely brutal way to the next aggressive probe done against us by any of the other villages; regardless of the situation, the response must be so brutal that all the other nations must become aware that Konoha will no longer tolerate such insults," the old woman continued, even as the other members gave their assent, albeit hesitantly.

"So, all that needs to be done, is for us to see who will take the first plunge, Kumo, or any of the other villages," Shikaku mused out, as everybody became silent.

Suddenly, their concentration was diverted by the sound of a small sound of a toad, which had just teleported in front of Jiraiya, with a scroll tied on its back.

Frowning, Jiraiya took the scroll out and began to read the contents. As his eyes progressed further, his shoulders slackened considerably, even as his eyes widened to comical proportions.

"Jiraiya …," Tsunade called out, even as the Toad Sage finally handed over the scroll to his teacher, who was sitting next to him, as he wiped his brow.

"I don't think anybody will be conducting any aggressive probes against us in the immediate future, Tsunade. Your grandson has just seen to that," he spoke wanly, even as Sarutobi suddenly began to cough as he accidentally choked on the ashes from his tobacco pipe, even as his eyes too, went wide after seeing what was written inside.

"What do you mean?"

"Raiha … has just killed Salamander Hanzo in single combat."

Preview of Next Chapter:

"I have no need for your gratitude, Yugito-san," Raiha replied curtly as he looked at the woman, who was sitting in front of him, with her head hunched down, even as she tried to staunch her wounds to prevent them from bleeding further.

"My saving your life has nothing to do with any sort of kindness or charity; your presence provides me with an unique solution to a very unique problem that has been hounding me, ever since I returned to Konoha," he continued, even as the woman looked at him in surprise.

"Solution?" she asked hoarsely, as the teenager nodded curtly.

"Yes. If you agree to my proposal, you shall be granted a safe haven in Konoha, and Kumo will not dare to lay its hands upon you, ever again. You will be allowed to live your life, freely, and without any burdens nor restrictions placed upon you as well," he paused, even as he looked calculatively at the young woman, who looked surprised at the unexpected offer.

"What sort of proposal?" she asked shrewdly, even as her mind tried to analyze the motives behind the Senju's unexpected offer.

"You must consent to becoming my wife."