Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed tightly the moment he saw Tsunade standing alone at the door.
Before he could speak, Koharu Utatane, seated on the sofa, had already leapt to her feet and barked angrily at Tsunade.
"Tsunade! Do you even understand what you're saying?! You think becoming Hokage is as simple as declaring—"
Hissss—
A soft hissing noise, like a snake flicking its tongue, whispered at her ear.
Tagorihime, dressed in a vivid green robe with a golden headpiece, stepped out from her invisible state. Her serpent fangs lightly pricked Koharu's neck, cutting her off and forcing her to swallow her next words.
Homura Mitokado, seeing Koharu restrained, made to move—
But that same snake-like hiss echoed by his ear.
A girl-like figure with snowy white robes and an innocent-looking face, Ichikishimahime, perched casually on his shoulder and spoke coldly:
"Don't move, old man~ I'm not really fond of eating elderly men, but if you keep acting out… I suppose I'll just have to force myself."
Shff—shff—shff—
Several Root operatives in standard ANBU gear appeared outside the Hokage's office window.
The two personal ANBU assigned directly under Hiruzen, who had been suppressing their presence in a corner of the office, sprang to alert, rushing to guard their Hokage.
But just then, a soft, misty breath passed by Hiruzen's side.
The two ANBU instantly felt their eyelids grow heavy—and the next second, collapsed limply to the ground.
Tsunade's third serpent companion, Tagitsuhime, finally revealed herself and offered Hiruzen a graceful bow.
With a raised hand, she gestured invitingly.
"Root operatives... the Three Snake Priestesses of Ryūchi... Is Danzo and Orochimaru backing you?"
Hiruzen's expression grew heavy with disappointment. He lit his pipe with a flick of flame at his fingertip, taking a deep drag.
Danzo coveting the position of Hokage was no secret. That had been going on for years.
But to see two of his former students, seemingly conspiring with Danzo to strip him of his title—this pierced him deeper than he cared to admit.
And more than that...
They really thought this was enough to take him down?
Did they forget how he'd earned his name as "The Professor"? How his reputation was forged in blood and steel on the battlefield?
Sure, age had dulled his edge. He could feel it himself.
But to think they could take over Konoha with tricks like these? Utter nonsense.
"You're too full of yourself, old man."
Tsunade's eyes glinted with a trace of pity as she stepped forward into the Hokage's office.
"If you did all this with your own strength," Hiruzen said, "your teacher would only feel pride. But if you're relying on borrowed power... all you'll do is drag Konoha into the abyss. I can't stand by and watch you..."
He played the part of the concerned teacher well.
But to Tsunade, his words rang hollow—like someone clinging to the past, blind to the truth unraveling before them.
She glanced toward the Root operatives outside, who had just activated a barrier around the building.
Reaching into the inner pocket of her cloak, she lightly tapped a sealed charm.
It was a collaborative seal: the outer layers created by Kushina, the intricate inner scripts inscribed by Yamanaka Shinno.
As the charm unraveled, complex space-time seals instantly enveloped the entire Hokage's office.
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
None of the usual office security seals—detection, interference, even defense—had triggered!
When had they been disabled?!
Looking out the window at the Root operatives, and at Tsunade now caught in this unknown technique, he muttered silently to himself—not good.
While this seal didn't seem to be meant for restraining or imprisoning—it carried the distinct flavor of a space-time technique. Clearly, its intent was to remove him from the Hokage building.
And worse still... even his personal ANBU had been compromised.
Fwoosh—!
A massive spatial ripple surged through the room—strong enough to relocate a full Bijuu bomb.
Everyone in the office was instantly engulfed and transported to a predetermined point in space.
...
At the Outer Perimeter of the Training Cavern
Where once there had been dense forest, now lay a vast, open plain covered in soft grass.
Near the edge of the Training Cavern stood tiered wooden bleachers, packed with prominent clan leaders, department heads, and elite jonin of Konoha.
Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Minato Namikaze, Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuga, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Shibi Aburame, Kurama Tsukumo, Tsume Inuzuka...
Everyone sat in silence, glancing occasionally toward the highest seats on the platform.
There sat the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, and—
Uchiha Madara, one of Konoha's original founders!
"Yamanaka Shinno—tell that white-haired brat beside you that if he keeps staring at me like that, I won't hold back," Madara barked, arms crossed and face clearly annoyed.
"Hey, Tobirama, look over there—look! Little Tsunade's here! It's her big Hokage day, cheer up a little!" Hashirama beamed brightly from his seat between his brother and Madara.
"Hmph!"
Tobirama gave a cold snort, trying not to turn his head—mainly because of the force his brother was exerting on his neck, twisting it with glee.
First he'd been yanked out of the afterlife via Edo Tensei. Then immediately flattened by Shinno's version of Wood Release. And now, he was being manhandled by his overenthusiastic big brother.
Dammit.
Why hadn't he listened to Hashirama back then and not created Edo Tensei in the first place?!
"Come on, Madara~ lighten up! Look at how prosperous Konoha is now. There are even a few of your clan members here today! Everyone's getting along. Isn't that great?"
Hashirama clapped Madara on the shoulder, a sincere, dazzling smile on his face.
Shinno had already explained everything to him—about uniting the Five Villages, the potential to bring lasting peace to the shinobi world.
His dream village… could be the birthplace of a new era.
How could he not be overjoyed?
"Tch. Foolishness," Madara scoffed, turning his head away.
If he weren't mildly curious about what came next, he wouldn't have stuck around a minute longer.
He'd heard everything Shinno told Hashirama—but he had no faith in that ideal.
As long as people existed, so would conflict.
There would always be someone unsatisfied, someone wanting more—more power, more status, more pleasure.
Force could only keep the peace temporarily.
Lasting peace?
Hah.
Fwoosh—
Back on the field, with a sudden spatial shimmer—
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, Koharu, Homura, the Three Snake Priestesses, and two unconscious ANBU operatives appeared dead center.
The priestesses dragged the unconscious ANBU aside, shoving Koharu and Homura toward the edge of the field.
Hiruzen glanced at the high platform nearby—and at all the powerful figures seated above.
His already grim expression darkened even further.
The good news?
It didn't seem like Tsunade had actually allied with Danzo and Orochimaru.
The bad news?
Almost all of Konoha's key power players seemed to have quietly joined forces behind the scenes.
And then there was—
The First and Second Hokage... and Madara Uchiha.
Tsunade—just what the hell have you done?
"Stop staring, old man," Tsunade said quietly. "If they're here... you already know what that means."
All these years...
The teacher they'd looked up to—had only left behind disappointment.
"Tsunade, if the Hokage seat is passed on like this... it'll plant seeds of danger for the entire village."
"Then tell me that after you beat me."
"Hmph... Then allow me, as your teacher, to give you one last lesson."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed coldly.
Using force to determine the next Hokage?
A warped idea. A dangerous one.
It would teach the next generation that power alone determined leadership.
That would destroy Konoha from the inside.
Back in the stands, Shinno caught every word and chuckled under his breath.
So the old man still didn't get it.
Giving everyone a seemingly fair chance to challenge for the title—with clear conditions—wasn't chaos. It was structured ambition.
Even if those conditions were near-impossible for most people to meet, it gave the illusion of hope.
And if he really wanted to open the gates a little—lower the bar so even more people could dream…
Who would still win in the end?
Him. The one who set the rules.
...
Name: Tsunade
Rank: Konoha Ninja
Traits: Twin Mastery of Healing and Combat (Red), Ten-Fold Overwhelming Strike (Red), Faux Natural Sage Body (Red), One of the Legendary Sannin (Purple), Phantom Valkyrie (Purple), Overflowing Vitality (Blue), Seal Mastery (Blue), Heirloom Knowledge (Green), Reverse Gambler (Black)
...
Shinno looked at Tsunade's trait screen with satisfaction.
Just look at those three red traits. All of them were connected to him in some way!
Even if [Natural Sage Body] had a little "Faux" tag on it—three reds stacked together was enough to overpower most Kage-level shinobi!
He'd taken her from her previous level to this in just three days.
Let's be real—who else could even dream of challenging her now?
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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