"Ho... Well, if you are going alone then why not come with us then? Since Tsunade and I are going to relax in the hot springs too"
Jiraiya who had taken interest at the students of the Elite Class finally got to meet one and wanted to know how well they performed on the Mount Myoboku Battlefield Genjutsu.
Tsunade on the other hand was tired and went straight in to relax. She had enough of the paper works that Hiruzen had given her especially when she could have spent all that time Gambling somewhere outside of Konoha.
" Well get yourselves acquainted then Jiraiya and Shiiro, I'll be going in first since im beat"
' Hmm Tsunade-hime knew about the exams through the paper works, i guess hokage-sama had forced her to work in the office sometimes too?'
" Let's go in then kid, By the way im the legendary toad sage of Mount Myoboku be sure to remember that!"
Jiraiya, introduced himself the classic way like how he introduced himself to Naruto but without the toad part.
--
Meanwhile in the entrance of Konohagakure Gate, we see a familiar white haired man carrying two of his wounded comrades.
He was wounded as well but he carried his other comrades back to Konohagakure, he had a sullen and painful look so others had begun surrounding him and was asking some questions...
" Whisper* Isn't that the White Fang of the Leaf? Sakumo-sama? Whisper*"
" Whisper* Yeah that's really him! What happened to him and his comrades? Whisper*"
" Whisper* They say he was in the frontlines but why is he back here now? And wounded at that Whisper*"
" Whisper* Oh no did they fail a mission? The legendary white fang came back with a failed mission? Whisper*"
Sakumo looked around and gently put his comrades down while he sat beside them. He had called out for a Shinobi to report to the Hokage.
" Explain what happened sakumo? Surely you wouldn't have failed such an important mission!? You yourself fully understood how important this mission is for Konohagakure!"
" This failure may cause a possible war sakumo! You and your comrades meager lives are but nothing to a war that can cost thousands to hundreds of thousands of lives!! You should be ashamed to even come back to Konohagakure! A failure such as this is worse than becoming a scum! "
Danzo was visibly angry at sakumo but his words and actions contradicted his mental state and his thoughts. He wasn't outraged because of the failure of the mission or the safety of konohagakure but he was outraged because he lost the opportunity to coerce a plan with the person the mission was appointed to.
This plan was supposed to give Danzo the opportunity to become the Hokage and get rid of Hiruzen in the act of an assasination. So seeing Sakumo fail the mission had greatly outraged Danzo and so he chose to further weaken Sakumo's psyche.
" Danzo, enough this is a matter for the Hokage and not as yourself! I still need to hear and understand what truly happened first! So any more outbursts and I'll have to restrain you! "
Hiruzen who was busy reading the report that sakumo created prior to his abandonment of the mission had glared at Danzo to shut him up, he was also visibly angered not just by danzo but by Sakumo's actions as well. This was indeed a very important mission that Hiruzen and the Elder Council had deemed priceless.
And to see their best person for this job fail not because the mission was impossible but because of an unexpected force stopping the mission and leaving sakumo to have the decision of either completing the mission and leave his comrades to die or for him to sacrifice the mission and save all of his comrades and go back to the village.
Was extremely disappointing for The Hokage and the Elder Councils point of view and interest. Because although Danzo had blurted out his fake intentions it was still true that this mission could save hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens and shinobis lives alike.
" Sakumo, this report is merely inconclusive and disappointing. I have assigned this mission only to the most capable, even the Hokage before me have assigned mission such as this to their most reliable shinobi at the time. And seeing you fail this mission due to an unexpected force that isn't even recorded in the report leads me to believe you have some other motives"
Siiiiggghh* puufff*
As Hiruzen sighed deeply and puffed his tabaco pipe, he gazed upon sakumo who had a sullen and disappointed look, he couldn't help but pressure him more to reveal the actual truth.
" Tell me the truth sakumo! What plans do you have for the village and what actually happened during the mission!"
" Leave him to me Hiruzen and i will get every inch of information his mind has to offer, Within 2 days we will know what truly happened! "
Danzo gazed angerily at sakumo while speaking his mind out to hiruzen.
Sakumo who had stayed silent so far had finally moved and was trying to speak. He bowed down to a dogeza position and spoke.
" Hokage-sama... I... have greatly disappointed you... "
Sakumo's voice was shaking and he was about to burst out in tears but had clenched his teeth and stopped the urge to cry.
" I truly haven't thought my actions through and through and will take full responsibility to this failure of mine. But believe me Lord Hokage I have no intention of betraying konoha and my people"
Sakumo who saw true fear and utter defeat during the mission has only recently weighted down his actions after he had escaped, the thought of hundreds of thousands of people dying in his hands outweighed the emotion of saving his comrades today but before, it had only been the motive he had when he saw true fear and utter defeat, Save his comrades and abandon the mission.
" I met an extremely powerful shinobi accompanied by a powerful demon by his side, and I -i couldn't even get close to them while i watch some of my comrades die helplessly... I tried to subdue the black pitched demon lord hokage! But he utterly defeated me! My only motive at the time was run! Run and display my back in hopes that i am spared! "
Tears was shedding his eyes looking at Hiruzen, sakumo truly was in distraught and could only look at hiruzen helplessly.
" I really tried to save all of them lord hokage, but the strange person and his companion had wiped almost all of us clean in just minutes! Let alone save a mission that was actively being stopped by the enemy!"
Hiruzen looked at the pathetic state of Sakumo and sighed deeply again... For this person who had pride, honor, dignity, strength and kindness of heart to become this mess. He truly looked as if he had lost everything in this second.
" Danzo, take sakumo away! And make sure to extract every last bit of information you can gather from him."
" Sakumo! You and your ninja license will be revoked and you will spend your days retired and away from the shinobi world! This is your Hokages orders to an abomination of a fool. Go and follow Danzo now"
Sakumo who had gotten up and was escorted by 4 Root Ninjas to the Root devision Headquarters was looking at Hiruzen as he got up, the depth of his words was not taken seriously at all and he was instead sent for interrogation.
As sakumo was taken away, both the injured shinobi who was with him was guarded by the root shinobi and was also taken away by them for interrogation as soon as they had healed.
Danzo had planned to get rid of Sakumo in the future because he was the only person who could possibly take his opportunity to become hokage. And although the failure of Sakumo's mission was not part of his plan this had turned into a great opportunity to get rid of Sakumo instead.
A plan that was forged to get rid of Hiruzen had instead turned into an opportunity to take care of Sakumo for good.
" Order for immediate interrogation for Sakumo and break his will thoroughly!"
" Leave the other two comrades of sakumo for interrogation to our interrogation and torturing unit of Konoha, pay them no mind for now as i have a plan for them later"
Danzo who ordered at seemingly nothing but an empty room, unsurprisingly had Six root ninja response and appear out of the shadows simultaneously that then confirmed their mission from Danzo.
" Yes Danzo-sama!"