The chaos in Konoha had finally come to an end.
Over a hundred ninja were lost, and more than a thousand civilians perished.
It was the greatest calamity to strike Konoha since the Pain Incident.
But unlike that time, there was no Rinne Rebirth to bring the dead back.
Those who died this time—were truly gone.
Investigating Kokushō's origins unearthed the secret that Tsunade had once treated Kabuto in private.
Tsunade took full responsibility and resigned in disgrace.
The following day, at the memorial service for the fallen, Tsunade attended and laid flowers for the dead.
She was met with a barrage of accusations from the bereaved families.
"It's you… You killed my family!"
"And to think we trusted you!"
"So the rumors were true—Pain's attack on Konoha was a conspiracy you and Uzumaki Naruto cooked up!"
"Your sheltering of rogue ninjas like Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke led to this tragedy!"
"You think stepping down makes it all go away?!"
"Get out! You don't deserve the money we sweated to earn!"
"Tsunade, get out of Konoha!!"
"Get out! Never come back!!"
Tsunade endured the verbal onslaught in silence. She knew the villagers needed someone to blame—a way to vent their rage—so that Kakashi's coming rule could proceed unimpeded.
"Lady Tsunade…" Shizune watched, heartbroken, as her master was drowned in accusations, tears streaming down her face.
Some ninja wanted to speak up, but Shikaku stopped them.
He knew Tsunade was prepared for this.
Prepared to step down and shoulder whatever consequences came.
The memorial ended in gloom.
It was, perhaps, the darkest day in Konoha's history. The Hokage's authority had hit rock bottom.
Who could have imagined that the much-anticipated Hokage succession, just a few years ago, would end in such chaos?
Black Zetsu had struck while Shikaku was away—precisely to avoid the village's sharpest mind seeing through his misdirection.
And it proved the right move: under the cover of chaos, Toneri succeeded.
When Shikaku returned, all he could do was minimize the damage.
From Hinata, he learned the true mastermind was Black Zetsu.
Shikaku quickly proposed that the village announce: the attacker, Senju Kokushō, had been executed the night before.
After all, whether Kokushō was innocent or not, the families of the dead would never accept him living.
He could no longer stay in Konoha.
Even if protected, he'd face the same isolation young Naruto once suffered.
More importantly, though Kokushō was pure-hearted, he wasn't Naruto, and could never become another Naruto.
The village could not go a day without a Hokage.
Kakashi was appointed the Sixth Hokage.
Even though he'd braced himself, the suddenness of it all still caught him off guard.
After deep discussions with Shikaku and the jōnin representatives, he made a painful announcement:
The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, would be stripped of her Konoha ninja status and exiled from the village.
...
At dusk, Tsunade packed her belongings and left by Konoha's rear gate.
Shizune was already waiting, clutching Tonton in her arms.
"Lady Tsunade, I want to go with you!"
Tsunade smiled gently. "Don't say such childish things. Konoha's medical corps needs you."
"But I…"
"To endure what others cannot—that's the essence of a ninja. Compared to those who've been falsely accused or sacrificed everything for the greater good, what I've suffered is nothing. Besides, I do bear unavoidable responsibility for what happened…"
Shizune protested, unwilling. "But it was an unavoidable plot! Who could've guessed the enemy was hiding so deep? We checked again and again—Kabuto hadn't done anything to Kokushō—and yet we were blindsided by some mysterious Black Zetsu…"
Tsunade replied calmly, "That just means we weren't careful enough. This was a lesson—we must always consider the worst-case scenario."
"Shizune, don't resent the people of Konoha for my sake. We've all felt the pain of losing someone we love…"
Wiping away her tears, Shizune straightened. "Master, I'll remember your words."
Tsunade lowered her head, gently rubbing Tonton's pink snout. "Eat well, and listen to Shizune…"
"Oink oink~" Tonton squealed, reluctant to part.
Tsunade gave a faint smile, turned, and strode away with her usual, unyielding spirit.
Shizune watched her master's receding figure, bowing deeply, and did not rise for a long time.
At a crossroads, Shikaku waited with a somber young man at his side.
Kokushō asked, "I killed so many of your people. Why not just execute me?"
Shikaku replied, "Everything comes down to reason. You were manipulated into killing—you're innocent. No matter how many hate you, we won't put you to death."
"You ninja still talk about 'reason'? With power, you decide who lives and dies, controlling others' fates at will!"
"Not all ninja are like that. At least, Konoha's ninja aren't. And neither are the people where you're going next."
Kokushō looked away, voice low. "But I'm not completely innocent. When that shadow controlled my body, the feelings I'd buried deep inside were set free. In that moment, I really did want to destroy everything…"
Shikaku lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, and smiled. "The fact you can say that means your conscience is still alive. With the right guidance, you won't go astray. That person already agreed to take you as a disciple—to teach you ninjutsu, and what it means to be human…"
"Who?"
"The only ninja whose contributions no one can deny—one of the Sannin, Lord Jiraiya."
"Jiraiya?" Kokushō had heard the name in Konoha's chatter, and knew some of his feats.
"But… isn't Jiraiya dead?"
"He was. But he came back—very few people know."
"So where is he?"
Shikaku stubbed out his cigarette in a portable ashtray, gazing at the faint silhouette in the distance. "Your aunt will take you to him…"
[Note: Previously, Kokushō was said to be the grandson of Hashirama and Mito, but he is actually their great-grandson.]
Yes, Tsunade would take Kokushō with her—to the Hidden Rain Village.
...
Hanabi was missing.
But when the bodies were counted, hers was not among them.
No clues, no leads.
But Hinata realized something.
When a naive Naruto had helped her awaken the Tenseigan, he'd also brought with him the memories of the returning Naruto.
Hinata already knew everything—including the existence of Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
Even Naruto hadn't expected Toneri to act years ahead of schedule, or to ally himself with Black Zetsu.
Hanabi's disappearance could only be connected to Toneri.
Realizing this, Hinata could no longer hold back her urgency.
In the dead of night, she slipped out of Konoha, racing toward a certain place from her memories.
It was the passage that Ōtsutsuki Hamura had once built between Earth and the moon using the Tenseigan—to communicate with Hagoromo. (Canon setting, from Movie 10: The Last.)
She would go to the moon—to rescue Hanabi!
"Oh? Hinata, you really came all by yourself…"
At the lakeshore, bathed in moonlight, someone had been waiting for her.
Hinata covered her mouth, eyes wide with disbelief. She could hardly trust what she was seeing.
"Naruto… kun!?"
Naruto's gaze was gentle, full of affection. "How could I let you go somewhere so dangerous alone? But I know I can't stop you—and I don't want to. So, just like before, let's go together!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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