The Third Hokage: "..."
He hadn't expected the day would come when he would be resented by his own student—a day when he would be driven out of the Hokage's office by his successor. Even though it was just a chair and not the entire Hokage title, it was still a bitter pill to swallow.
Coughing lightly, the Third Hokage put out his pipe, stowed it away, and left with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado in tow.
The three left the Hokage's office in silence. On their way to the Sarutobi clan's residence, the Third Hokage spoke gravely:
"I'll take responsibility for what happened this time, but let me make this clear: no more chances. Danzō's actions have nothing to do with either of you anymore. Do not cause any more trouble for Tsunade. She's not as forgiving as I am."
Reflect on this: you can either assist Tsunade quietly or continue supporting Danzō and end up facing Tsunade's reckoning.
The Third Hokage was at his limit in terms of what he could tolerate.
Watching the Hokage's retreating figure, both elders' faces looked grim. It was a warning, a rebuke. It was also a reminder that Sarutobi Hiruzen was preparing to step down.
The villagers' discontent, their lack of trust, and even the Daimyō's stance all pointed to the inevitable conclusion: his time as Hokage was ending.
When the war concluded, he would be stepping down immediately.
As long as he was in power, the Third Hokage could still cover up for the elders. As long as things didn't escalate too far, he could keep it under wraps.
But once he stepped down, and Tsunade took over as the Fourth Hokage, the elders wouldn't even be able to act. Forget about causing trouble—they'd be lucky not to be stripped of their ranks and quietly retired. If things went poorly, they wouldn't even have the chance to retire peacefully.
First, their positions would be revoked, their authority stripped, and they would be sent into retirement—then, out of the public eye, they'd be dealt with.
Once things quieted down, who would remember them, the elders of the council?
"Let's go. This is no longer our concern. Danzō's issues will be Tsunade's to handle," Homura sighed after a long silence.
Their relationship of shared interests with Danzō ended here.
They could no longer help him, nor could they afford any further involvement—otherwise, they'd face consequences they couldn't escape.
The news that Sunagakure wanted peace talks and to end the war couldn't be concealed—in fact, it had to be widely publicized. Tsunade immediately ordered notices to be posted around the village.
Within two hours, the entire Konoha was in an uproar.
This was good news for the villagers, though it did seem surreal. Just the day before, everyone had been worrying about the ongoing war, and now, good news had arrived out of nowhere.
Tsunade wasn't like the Third Hokage. She wouldn't obscure Takuya's achievements. Those who had earned merit were rewarded, and everything was clearly listed on the announcement.
"Haha, this is amazing! Sakumo Hatake-sama really is the bane of Sunagakure."
"That's nothing. Look closer."
"Yagami Takuya-sama is incredible. He personally turned Sunagakure's elite shinobi Sasori and took down the Third Kazekage."
"Yagami Takuya? That name sounds unfamiliar."
To most villagers, Sakumo Hatake was a familiar hero. Even if his reputation had been tarnished before, that was in the past. Now that he'd earned such a great achievement, people were quick to remember his contributions.
Shikashige Nara was also a respected elder, but Takuya seemed like an unfamiliar name—as if he'd come out of nowhere.
Even many shinobi had no strong impression of Takuya.
The good news quickly spread to the coastal camp. Even though Tsunade had stepped up and taken control, it was ultimately an internal matter between her and the Third Hokage. Orochimaru had no intention of hiding anything, and even if he wanted to, it wouldn't have worked.
When the notices were posted, the entire camp erupted in excitement.
"You shouldn't have taken this position in the first place. If you'd let Takuya take it, we'd probably be done with the war by now, and back in the village resting," Jiraiya teased Orochimaru.
"Shut up!"
Orochimaru, usually composed, was visibly irked. The war between Konoha and Kirigakure had dragged on for so long, and while there had been progress, there was no end in sight. On the other hand, the war with Sunagakure had been wrapped up quickly and decisively.
Anyone would feel a bit bitter after such a comparison.
Orochimaru was furious, but Jiraiya wasn't fazed. He kept on smiling, adding, "It looks like we're getting old. The future of the village still rests with the younger generation. Speaking of which, that kid still owes me something. I'm very interested in what he said about Ice Release."
Ice Release, you say?
Orochimaru shot Jiraiya a skeptical look.
He wouldn't be surprised if Takuya one day showed up using Ice Release—Takuya was the kind of person who would do that. But Jiraiya? Orochimaru had no high hopes.
"Don't underestimate me, you damn snake. One day I'll show you just how strong the Toad Sage Jiraiya can be!"
After bickering for a while, Jiraiya stormed off.
Orochimaru squinted at the distant sea.
What's the real reason behind all this?
Tsunade found it strange, and Orochimaru, who was leading the fight against Kirigakure, felt the same. Everything about Kirigakure's actions was suspect.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't uncover anything useful.
Kirigakure's willingness to throw lives at Konoha in relentless attacks made no sense to Orochimaru. He wished he could capture the Third Mizukage and crack his skull open to see what he was thinking.
After hearing the news, Minato felt that he still wasn't doing enough—that he needed to work even harder to catch up with Takuya.
Nawaki, on the other hand, felt he'd lost out.
If only he'd gone with Takuya, he'd have shared in the glory now.
The war on the coast was suffocating and difficult.
With the news spreading, other villages would inevitably learn of Sunagakure's desire to negotiate peace with Konoha.
Iwa and Kumogakure, however, had little reaction.
Kumogakure, being far away, continued watching from the sidelines. Iwa, on the other hand, began moving actively—a development that gave Tsunade a headache.
Iwa's increasing activity was an absolutely bad sign for Konoha.
They might seize the opportunity to declare war, and if that happened, Konoha would be in trouble.
With the war against Kirigakure still raging, if Iwa decided to attack next, Konoha would be overwhelmed.
Even if the war with Sunagakure ended in a truce, it was easy to imagine how much trouble Iwa would bring to Konoha.
After all, Iwa's military might was in no way inferior to Konoha's.
This was one tough bone to chew.