Chapter 45
Tsunade's weight on him was a bit much, so Haneda shifted slightly.
He glanced at Tsunade, already drunk beyond recognition, and gave a bitter smile.
"There should be some ANBU around, right? Hmm, better get someone to take her back. If she stays here, it could cause unnecessary misunderstandings…"
Haneda looked toward the window and specifically observed the tree crown, the easiest place for someone to hide.
"Hey, mask-wearing guy, Lady Tsunade's drunk. You guys should probably take her back!"
Haneda called out cautiously, but after a moment, there was still no response.
Turning back, Tsunade was still lying on the bed, her face showing a bit of pain.
"Why do troublesome things always happen to me? Is this the fate of the protagonist?"
Haneda smiled bitterly again.
He walked over to Tsunade, lifted her onto the bed with effort, and covered her with a blanket.
Then, he found a chair and lay down on the nearby table to sleep.
A few seconds passed.
Outside the window, on a large tree, a toad jumped down from the tree crown.
The toad glanced back at the room, and a figure emerged from the toad's mouth.
"Almost got caught by that kid…"
"Sigh, Tsunade, that old woman, dragged me to drink early in the morning. Not only did she get drunk, but she also ended up in this kid's hospital room."
"Doesn't she know he's an Uchiha?"
"If the old man finds out, this could get troublesome."
The figure emerging from the toad's mouth was none other than Jiraiya. He threw the ANBU ninja he was carrying on his shoulder to the side.
He quickly cast a genjutsu, making the ANBU unconscious and forget the entire incident, believing they had accidentally fallen asleep.
After doing this, Jiraiya's serious expression faded, and he turned mischievous.
"But this kid is quite gentle. A patient taking care of his doctor?"
"Hmm, not a bad story material."
Thinking about his material, Jiraiya glanced longingly toward the hot springs on the mountainside.
"Hehe, the ladies must be missing me, right?"
"Your big man Jiraiya is coming soon, hahaha…"
...
At the center of Konoha, in the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage was massaging his temples, looking troubled.
On his left and right, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were engaged in a heated argument, debating the compensation for Uchiha and Sakumo.
"Hiruzen, you absolutely cannot agree to this! The ANBU is privy to too many of the village's secrets, and this information must not be leaked!"
Homura spoke gravely.
"Homura, what are you implying? Are you saying the Uchiha aren't part of Konoha?" Koharu retorted.
Homura's words clearly excluded the Uchiha. The village had not yet experienced the Nine-Tails incident, so the general attitude toward the Uchiha was one of caution, not outright exclusion.
Besides, there were still ties to Kagami, and Koharu was naturally inclined to speak on behalf of the Uchiha.
"If they're asking for a position in the ANBU today, who's to say they won't demand the Hokage's seat tomorrow?"
"Homura, Uchiha's ambition will only continue to grow. The reason the Second Hokage assigned them to the police force was to keep them from gaining influence in the village's core."
"This has worked for years, and giving them any leeway now will only lead to a backlash against our longstanding control!"
Homura had never doubted the darker side of human nature, especially when it came to the Uchiha.
The Uchiha had a tendency to go to extremes, and over time, Homura's view of the entire clan had soured.
"Wasn't Kagami involved in village affairs? Didn't Kagami love the village?"
Koharu's series of questions left Homura speechless.
Back in the day, their teacher had personally mentored Kagami and brought him into the Hokage Guard Platoon.
All of their memories of him showed that Kagami's love for the village exceeded that of his clan.
"That's a different matter, Koharu. Not every Uchiha is like Kagami. Kagami was one of a kind."
"I know you hold his memory dear, but you must admit that the village's interests come first, always."
Homura adjusted his glasses, his tone serious.
Their argument skillfully avoided mentioning Danzo, the mastermind behind the assassination attempt.
Neither brought up the legitimacy of compensating Haneda and Kakashi.
Both were victims, and both had powerful forces backing them.
Compensation was inevitable, the only question being how much.
The specifics depended on how hard Uchiha would push, and that was reflected in their demand for an ANBU position.
As their argument wound down, the Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe, trying to gather his thoughts.
He put down his pipe and slowly said:
"The Uchiha will always be a part of Konoha. That is an undeniable fact."
"Every member of the ANBU is someone who loves and is loyal to the village, and the selection process reflects that."
"As long as the Uchiha candidate meets those criteria, there's no reason to deny them."
Homura replied:
"Hiruzen, I must remind you."
"Once you agree to the Uchiha's demands, someone will inevitably be selected. It's not just about love for the village anymore."
"If the Uchiha sends only one candidate, we will have no choice but to accept them. Refusing would break our word, further inflaming their anger."
"Kenji is a smart man. He won't do something like that," the Third Hokage said, taking a drag from his pipe.
Just as he finished speaking, another voice echoed from outside the room.
"Hiruzen, you are too soft!"
"Backing down will only embolden the Uchiha! Their inherent evil will never be satisfied with the status quo!"
Danzo walked in, glaring straight at the Third Hokage.
"I told you not to appear in the village during this time, Danzo!" The Third Hokage said angrily.
Danzo, seemingly ignoring yesterday's unpleasantness, shot back:
"Everything I do is for the village, for Konoha! I won't let you, Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, lead us astray!"
Homura, seeing that Danzo was even more extreme than he was, quickly tried to mediate:
"Alright, Danzo, Hiruzen is also thinking of the village."
Danzo shot a glance at Homura:
"He may have the village in mind, but his empty, naive ideals will only worsen the situation!"
"The reality is, the Uchiha's pride will never fully integrate with the village, and we will never see another Kagami!"
"That is the undeniable truth, Hiruzen!!"
Bam!!!
Suddenly, the office door was smashed open with a punch, and a bold, imposing figure emerged from the dust.
"Old man, you're still wasting time arguing with these three relics from a bygone era."
Tsunade stepped out of the dust, casually found a chair, and sat down without caring about the furious expressions on Danzo and the others.
"Tsunade, you're being disrespectful. This is the Hokage's office!"
Danzo glared at her with his single eye.
"The Hokage's office?"
Tsunade smirked.
This place was practically where she grew up.
Her grandfather was the First Hokage, her granduncle was the Second, and her teacher was the Third.
Danzo? He was nothing.
***
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