Chapter 109: Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage

Itachi had originally planned to take his father, Uchiha Fugaku, away from Konoha.

But, it caught Itachi completely off guard when Fugaku suddenly revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan. 

Itachi realized that, he might no longer be able to control the situation any longer with a wild card like his father in the picture. The only viable solution left was to kill him.

In that moment, Fugaku finally understood everything. 

Itachi had always stood on the side of Konoha. This so-called coup was really designed to eliminate the elite hawks of the Uchiha clan.

No wonder everything had seemed strange.

All his earlier doubts made perfect sense now. But back then, Fugaku had been too excited by Itachi awakening his Mangekyō, and the intel on root to notice.

"How ironic..." Fugaku whispered, closing his eyes as his body slowly fell, descending into eternal darkness.

Danzo stood in silence, wondering what his father had intended to say in his final moments. But it no longer mattered.

The sudden turn of events left everyone frozen in shock.

Even Tsunade was caught off guard. This wasn't part of the plan.

Only Shinho silently thought to himself that this was exactly as expected. Fugaku had not escaped the inevitable fate of dying by his son's hand.

"Danzo!" Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped back to reality, shouting, "What are you doing?!"

Yet inwardly, Hiruzen felt a strange sense of relief. With Fugaku dead, the threat posed by his Mangekyō Sharingan was gone.

"Was that... Wood Release?" Hyuga Hiashi couldn't help but speak up.

The other shinobi exchanged glances. Wood release was the symbol of Konoha, representing the legendary Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi.

But how was Danzo able to use it?

Nara Shikaku's mind raced. Could this be the "right moment" Tsunade had mentioned?

The reappearance of wood release used by a member of the Shimura clan was certainly far from normal. Especially knowing Danzo's reputation for ruthless methods.

Hiruzen stood stiffly in place. He had been too stunned by Fugaku's death to initially notice, but now he realized: Danzo was using Wood Release.

It had to be Orochimaru's doing. Damn it!

Hiruzen's mind spun, quickly piecing everything together. Danzo had been secretly working with Orochimaru all along. 

That explained why the teams sent to track down Orochimaru had always mysteriously failed. Danzo had been tipping him off.

But this news would bring disaster upon Hiruzen.

"Old man," Tsunade said coldly, her expression unreadable. "Would you care to give me an explanation?"

Sweat began to drip from Hiruzen's brow.

It wasn't just Tsunade—many of the surrounding shinobi, including Hiashi and Shikaku, were now watching him intently.

Of course, their stares were mostly filled with curiosity. But that only made things worse, as Hiruzen couldn't explain it.

How could he possibly justify desecrating Senju Hashirama's grave, using his cells for experiments, and causing the deaths of shinobi and civilians?

"I'll explain," Danzo interrupted, stepping back.

The wooden spikes disappeared, and his right arm returned to normal—or at least as normal as it could appear. His skin was unnaturally pale, and a faint, distorted face could be seen on his shoulder.

"Shut up!" Hiruzen was truly panicking now.

If this were revealed, he would lose all credibility. How could he claim ignorance? No one would believe him.

"Seize Danzo! He's under the control of the Sharingan!" Hiruzen barked, quickly shifting the blame.

He realized now that Itachi had defeated Danzo and taken control of him, using him to kill Fugaku and expose the secret of the Wood Release experiments.

But it wasn't too late. If they stopped Danzo before he spoke, the situation could still be salvaged.

The surrounding ANBU moved to act but was stopped abruptly.

"Who dares?!"

Tsunade slammed her foot down, sending cracks racing across the ground from where she stood.

"Tsunade!" Hiruzen's eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you doing?!"

This was a direct challenge to his authority—a blatant threat.

He had always known how much wood release meant to Tsunade, but he had never imagined she would openly defy him like this.

"Tsunade!" Koharu Utatane shouted angrily. "Hiruzen is your teacher and the Hokage! How dare you act like this?!"

"Oh, I fucking dare! Look at me!," Tsunade replied calmly. "But what are you so afraid of?"

"I…" Hiruzen hesitated, lost for words.

He wasn't afraid of death—what he feared most was losing his reputation and going down in history as a stupid tyrant rather than a wise leader.

"Tsunade," Hiruzen's voice softened, his tone pleading. "The matter regarding wood release is a village secret. It can't be made public."

Tsunade fell silent, conflicted.

Seeing her old teacher like this made her pause. She had once believed Hiruzen could lead Konoha to greater heights, but the reality had been a bitter disappointment.

"You've grown old, Sensei," Tsunade said, clenching her fists. "It's time for you to step down."

"Nonsense!" Hiruzen shouted, his voice booming. "This is not the time nor place to talk about such things!"

The surrounding jonin, hearing such explosive news, exchanged bewildered looks.

Hiashi and Shikaku, having already been briefed by Tsunade, now felt a sense of excitement welling up. They understood what the "right moment" was.

"Tsunade!" Koharu shouted, completely shocked. "Have you lost your damn mind?!"

She had never expected Tsunade to rebel at this moment.

"Enough, Koharu!" Homura Mitokado grabbed her arm, signaling her to be quiet.

Koharu suddenly realized what was happening.

Hiruzen's reign as Hokage was coming to an end tonight.

With the wood Release experiments exposed, he was guilty of a grave offense. And with Tsunade's lineage, no one could oppose her rise.

All they could do now was accept the inevitable and support her.

Koharu remained silent.

"Now is the time," Tsunade said, scanning the gathered jonin. "You're all here, so let's vote. Who supports me as the next Hokage?"

"Tsunade!" Hiruzen's face turned pale with anger. "What are you doing?!"

But as he spoke, he felt a shiver run down his spine. Something was wrong.

From the moment Tsunade began speaking, Danzo—who had been under Itachi's control—had been standing there silently, doing nothing.

Tsunade had reached an agreement with the Uchiha? But why kill Fugaku?

Hiruzen's mind was overwhelmed with confusion. The situation had spiralled completely out of his control.

The other jonin, too, began to understand the full scale of what was happening.

An incredible political play, they thought.

Each of them quickly began weighing their options.

"This is not how things are done, Tsunade," Hiruzen said, trying to regain his composure.

He was willing to step down—but not like this.

"An envoy from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has arrived!"

A man in official robes stepped out from the crowd, holding a scroll.

Hiruzen's mouth hung open in shock.

There was no doubt now—this had all been orchestrated by Tsunade.

His breathing became laboured, his chest tight with the realization.

The official opened the scroll and read aloud, "Sarutobi Hiruzen has served as interim Hokage for six years. Considering his advanced age, it has been decided that it is time for him to retire."

"The Daimyo's office has officially decided that Senju Tsunade, descendent of Hashirama Senju will take over as the Fifth Hokage."

A direct decree from the Daimyo?

Upon hearing this, Hyūga Hiashi stepped forward and said, "I stand with Lady Tsunade."

Sarutobi Hiruzen instinctively turned to look at him, shocked.

Even you?

He hadn't expected Hiashi to be the first to speak up.

"I stand with Lady Tsunade," Aburame Shibi also said after a moment of hesitation.

With Tsunade becoming the Hokage, Shibi's son, Shinho, would effectively become the Hokage's student. This could mean a bright future for the Aburame clan.

Nara Shikaku glanced at Shibi.

He's really going all in for his son.

"Shibi's opinion is also the opinion of the Ino-Shika-Chō alliance," Shikaku added.

"???"

Hiruzen felt like the world had gone mad, and it had become an unrecognizable place to him.

If this were happening through the proper channels, he could understand. But this was an outright coup! It was akin to Uchiha's attempted rebellion.

According to Konoha's rules, he could even label Tsunade as a traitor.

"Tsunade," Hiruzen said, looking at her with a weary gaze, "Are you really going to do this?"

At that moment, he seemed older than ever.

"Old man, do you know what Danzō has been doing all these years?" Tsunade asked in response.

"I…" Hiruzen started, but words failed him.

Finally, he understood the reason behind all of this.

Tsunade had discovered Danzō's actions in the dark. No wonder she had taken such drastic steps.

Hiruzen let out a bitter laugh.

He had thought Tsunade was trapped in the memories of her past and uninterested in the Hokage position. Who would have guessed she'd stage a coup so unexpectedly?

What had happened that led to this? He couldn't comprehend it.

"I see," Tsunade said, feeling her last bit of guilt fade away.

She remembered the sixty infants who died in the Wood Release experiments and the many Konoha shinobi who perished in various forbidden jutsu experiments.

And for years, Root had been brainwashing geniuses from various clans.

"From this day onwards, Root is disbanded," Tsunade declared firmly.

"I agree!" came the resounding voices.

At that moment, the heads of Konoha's major clans and the gathered jonin reached a consensus. They had long despised Root and its operations.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged uneasy glances, seeing their concerns reflected in each other's eyes.

Hiruzen's era had come to an end.

What would become of them now?

Given their relationship with Tsunade, could they still retain their positions as Hokage advisors?

"Unanimous agreement," the official from the Daimyo's office said with a smile. "I will inform the Daimyo and the inauguration ceremony will be held in three days."

"Thank you," Tsunade nodded slightly.

At this point, Hiruzen's opinion no longer mattered.

Unless, of course, he wanted to stage a rebellion.

But that was impossible.

For the sake of the Sarutobi clan, Hiruzen would never act recklessly.

Hiruzen looked at Tsunade and suddenly let out a deep sigh.

What could he do now?

He had already been considering retirement, but the way things had unfolded was far less dignified than he had imagined.

Shinho stroked his chin, unsurprised.

After all, Tsunade wasn't like Orochimaru—thus would end the tradition of predecessor killing the Hokage.

At most, Hiruzen would retire and live out his remaining years in peace.

Wait a minute. Now that the Hokage had changed, would Orochimaru still execute his plan to collapse konoha?

Shinho wasn't sure.

[Achievement Unlocked: "Offering a Salute to the Birth of the Queen." ]

[Reward: Ten-Year Life Gu.]

[Ten-Year Life Gu: A second-rank Gu worm that extends lifespan by 10 to 90 years at random upon consumption.]

Shinho was shocked.

Lifespan Gu?!

Extending lifespan was one of the most rare things in any world, and that included the ninja world.

Only a few individuals like Orochimaru and Sasori had managed to extend their lives, but it always came at a cost.

The Life Gu, however, had no such cost.

Still, Shinho decided not to use it right away. After all, he was only six years old—still quite young. Tsunade, on the other hand, could use it more, though with her Yin Seal, she was practically ageless anyway.

Besides, if there was a Ten-Year Life Gu, there might also be a Hundred-Year or even a Thousand-Year version in the future. there was no need to rush.

"Tsunade," Hiruzen said, now resigned, "I'll leave the rest to you."

Tsunade nodded slightly.

He was, after all, her teacher. She wouldn't go so far as to completely ruin him.

But Danzō would have to pay for his actions.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

Suddenly, the sound of clapping echoed in the air.

Space distorted, and a swirling vortex appeared.

Uchiha Obito stepped out, a wide grin on his face. He was in a very good mood.

He had thoroughly enjoyed watching the drama unfold, personally witnessing Konoha, the first great shinobi village, reveal its ugly side in the face of power.

As expected, this world was beyond saving.

"Who are you?" Tsunade immediately grew wary.

The man's entrance was dramatic, using what seemed to be space-time ninjutsu. She immediately thought of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

"Who am I?" Obito said with a hint of nostalgia. "So, no one in Konoha remembers me anymore."

"Stop playing games!" Tsunade stepped forward and swung a powerful punch at him.

Her punch cut through the air with a sharp whistle, packed with monstrous strength.

But Obito didn't dodge. Tsunade's fist passed right through his body.

Her expression changed, and she quickly withdrew to regain her balance.

"This is the strength of the new Hokage?" Obito said mockingly. "Every Hokage is weaker than the last."

Just then, Obito frowned.

Black flames appeared out of nowhere, encircling him with a cold, deathly aura that seemed to burn eternally.

Tsunade's heart skipped a beat as she quickly retreated. She sensed a sinister, unsettling presence in the air.

"Looks like a newly awakened fool," Obito said disdainfully. "Is this how you repay your benefactor?"

He had already recognized the black flames as Amaterasu, the Mangekyō Sharingan ability of Uchiha Itachi.

Still, he remained calm, showing no signs of worry.

The next second, his body became intangible, and Amaterasu lost its target.

"You're not my benefactor," Itachi said with a frown.

What kind of jutsu was this, that even his Amaterasu could be avoided?

"I'm the one who helped you awaken your Sharingan," Obito said as he appeared next to the bodies of Uchiha Fugaku and Danzō.

"..." Itachi's eyes glowed with killing intent once again.

It was true that Obito had been responsible for triggering the events that led him to awaken the Sharingan. 

But it had come at the cost of his comrades' lives, right before his eyes.

"It seems some people are up to their usual tricks," Obito muttered, sounding disgusted. "As repulsive as ever."

He had noticed Tsunade and the others preparing a sealing barrier.

"Itachi, come with me," Obito said as he grabbed the bodies of Fugaku and Danzō, and started to flee.

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