Konohagakure.
Jiraiya found Tsunade and stepped in front of her, his expression complicated.
Tsunade looked at him strangely and, a little impatiently, said, "If you have something to say, say it. Don't stand in front of me silent like that — stop fussing."
Jiraiya's mouth twitched. He drew a deep breath. "Tsunade, Orochimaru… something's happened."
After saying what he thought was a shockingly dramatic line, he found that Tsunade's face did not show much change.
Jiraiya couldn't help adding, "Orochimaru is very likely dead. This is the Great Toad Sage's prophecy—the Great Toad Sage's prophecies never fail."
Tsunade said expressionlessly, "Are you about to say next — that he was killed by Uchiha Keizumi?"
Jiraiya froze. "You already know?"
"I've known for a long time," Tsunade said flatly. "Are you going to use this to warn me — to tell me that Uchiha Keizumi is too extreme, that Orochimaru was our friend after all and should have been captured alive rather than killed?"
Jiraiya's mouth twitched. "You have too much prejudice against me… I wouldn't say something like that."
Tsunade expressionlessly said, "Those two toads brainwashing your moral values every day, it's reasonable for me to be suspicious."
Tsunade continued, "If Orochimaru is dead, then he's dead. It's the retribution he deserved; his end was predictable. If you, under the influence of a few toads, do evil like Orochimaru, I will kill you without Keizumi having to act."
Fukasaku: "…"
Shima: "…"
Jiraiya could only force a laugh and said, "When do you plan to tell the old man about this? I feel we should wait a few days. The old man is already distraught over the Sarutobi Nadeshiko matter; now the Uchiha clan is—"
Tsunade cut him off bluntly: "I've already sent Shizune to tell the old man. He's the Hokage; if he can't withstand this much of a blow, what kind of Hokage is he? He might as well retire!"
"Besides…"
Tsunade said softly, "If the old man feels sorrow at the death of a villain like Orochimaru, that means he lacks judgment between right and wrong. I even suspect that the reason Orochimaru once managed to escape from Konoha was because the old man couldn't bring himself to strike — allowing a villain like Orochimaru to live on, and in the years since, he murdered many innocents."
Jiraiya suddenly didn't know what to say; he felt Tsunade before him become unusually alien.
Tsunade seemed colder than before, like a being lacking normal human feeling.
It was almost like—
Almost like Uchiha Keizumi himself!
After watching Tsunade leave, Jiraiya frowned and finally only sighed lightly.
"Little Jiraiya, this is the flaw of absolutism," Shima said slowly. "In the short term it may indeed make an area's order improve, and it can deliver justice for some innocent victims. But it will, step by step, strip a person of emotion and compassion, turning them into a cold instrument of law with no mercy."
"Because if a believer in absolutism does not go so far as to 'to disown one's kin,' then they are betraying the shinobi way they profess. In their eyes, that would not be justice."
"Tsunade is moving in that direction; you must not follow her."
Shima spoke with heavy feeling.
…
"Tsunade-sama, the content of what that pair of toads on Mount Myōboku were saying about you behind your back is probably like this." The split body of the Slug Sage perched on Tsunade's shoulder spoke up.
It was obvious that this split body was noticeably smaller than before.
Evidently Tsunade had quietly asked this split body to split off a portion again to eavesdrop on what Shima and Fukasaku were saying to Jiraiya.
"Tch, as I expected—those two toads are gossiping about me again, and saying bad things about that Keizumi fellow. The toads of Mount Myōboku really only have this knack for beguiling people."
Tsunade puckered her lips; naturally she felt somewhat displeased inside.
But she did not want to remind Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was already an adult; if he could still be swayed by two toads like this, then no matter how much one reminded him, it would be useless—he would only cling stubbornly to his own views.
Tsunade thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Slug Sage, do you think those two toads' assessment of me is correct?"
Among so many acquaintances or summoned beasts Tsunade knew, she probably would only show politeness to the Slug Sage.
The Slug Sage said slowly, "No. What they told Jiraiya is evasive. They emphasize that believers in absolute justice abandon emotion and abandon the self. They do not mention why believers in absolute justice must harden their hearts to do so."
"Although I am not human, I can boldly offer an opinion—what can drive a believer in absolute justice to commit the act of executing one's own kin is usually an unforgivable crime committed by their relatives. The two toads ignored this 'cause'; they only spoke of the 'effect.'"
"They also did not mention why the shinobi world would give rise to absolute justice. When an extreme ideology appears, there will inevitably be another extreme ideology. That absolute justice can take root in the shinobi world means there exists absolute evil in the shinobi world."
"That is my view on this matter."
Tsunade sighed, "Perhaps, Slug-sama, you should open a school of ideological correction in Konoha and throw some of the village's fellows in there, so they'll understand why the shinobi world needs justice."
"I am not good at teaching people."
The Slug Sage said kindly.
…
Inside the Hokage's office.
Shizune, who had been tasked with informing Hiruzen of the intelligence concerning Orochimaru, nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, and looked cautiously at the Hokage before her whose expression had suddenly fallen into a daze.
Shizune was, first, somewhat worried about the Hokage's emotional state—after all, that Sannin Orochimaru had once been the Hokage's disciple.
The Hokage was now receiving the news of his disciple's death.
Second, she felt a bit guilty, because she remembered Tsunade had drunkenly said something foolish last night, and she had said it loudly—probably every neighbor in the street heard it.
—When he was young he was alright, but now that he's old, this lousy Hokage is not even qualified! I could be Hokage better than him! Put a dog up there and it would do a better job!
Although she had promptly clamped Tsunade's blathering mouth.
She did not know whether Konoha's Anbu had heard.
Whether they had reported it to the Hokage.
Fortunately, Shizune's worries proved needless. Hiruzen drew a slow breath, waved his hand and said, "I know. You may withdraw."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Shizune hurriedly left.
"...Sigh."
Not long after Shizune left, a heavy sigh echoed through the Hokage's office. Hiruzen rubbed his brow; it was impossible for him to feel nothing toward Orochimaru—otherwise, he would not have softened and let him go back then.
Now, upon learning the news of Orochimaru's death, Hiruzen felt an almost tangible sense of a white-haired man sending off a black-haired one.
What saddened him even more was that this déjà vu was not the first time.
"Hokage-sama…"
At that moment, a voice came from behind him. The familiar tone instantly sharpened Hiruzen's eyes.
Casting aside his sigh and sorrow, he turned toward the sound—and saw Hatake Kakashi, at some point, had slipped in through the window.
Wearing his ANBU mask, Kakashi said, "We've identified another Sarutobi clan shinobi secretly collaborating with a Kumogakure spy. This time, we captured him alive. And because we had already coordinated with the sealing squad in advance, we prevented the curse mark in his mind from being triggered."
"Through the investigation conducted by an ANBU member from the Yamanaka Clan, we obtained the most crucial piece of intelligence."
At this point, a faint trace of complexity appeared in Kakashi's otherwise calm tone.
Hiruzen also sensed the disquiet beneath Kakashi's words.
His heart sank.
Then Kakashi continued, "The mastermind who attempted to sow discord between you, Hokage-sama, and Uchiha Keizumi was indeed a spy from Kumogakure. And among those deeply involved in this matter were 3 Sarutobi clan shinobi. One of them died due to an ANBU mistake, another is the one I just reported to you, and the last one…"
"…is Sarutobi Nadeshiko."
Those words hit like a thunderclap. Hiruzen's eyes widened, and he abruptly shot up from his chair. The words burst out instinctively—utter disbelief: "Impossible!"
Kakashi's expression did not change; he seemed to have anticipated such an emotional reaction. He spoke slowly, "But that is the truth. If Hokage-sama does not believe it, you may assign another Yamanaka to verify the memory of the Sarutobi clan shinobi who colluded with the Kumogakure spy."
"If Hokage-sama no longer trusts the Yamanaka Clan, you can personally interrogate that Sarutobi shinobi yourself. His psychological defenses have already been broken by the ANBU. Whatever you ask him, he will answer truthfully."
Having said this much, even if Hiruzen found it unbelievable, the facts stood like iron before him.
He sat back down blankly.
Even the chair's backrest seemed unable to support his spine; his posture involuntarily slumped forward.
In a dazed tone, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "Why? What was their motive?"
Kakashi replied, "Their motive was to use Hokage-sama against Uchiha Keizumi. In their eyes, your hesitation to move against Uchiha Keizumi was too soft. The hearts of your clansmen still harbor hatred toward him—they have never forgotten, always keeping it close."
"They believed that if this went on, Hokage-sama might forget how Uchiha Keizumi had 'persecuted' the Sarutobi clan. At least, in their eyes, Uchiha Keizumi's execution of justice was a kind of persecution against the Sarutobi clan."
"The only special case was Sarutobi Nadeshiko."
Kakashi paused for a moment, then continued, "The reason she cooperated with the Kumogakure spy was that she wanted to avenge her husband. Her motive was just that simple."
"She was an elite jōnin of high standing, yet she was killed silently—not because the one who attacked her in the dark was too strong, nor because some member of the Sarutobi clan had struck her down."
"The one who killed her… was her own shadow clone. The other 2 Sarutobi clan shinobi merely arranged the scene after her death, so that Hokage-sama's suspicions would be directed toward Uchiha Keizumi."
"She used her own death to ignite this chaos within Konoha—to force Hokage-sama to break away from absolute justice."
Kakashi did not continue speaking, because he knew the Hokage before him had already realized that Sarutobi Nadeshiko's revenge had failed.
For this Hokage, who normally seemed increasingly indecisive with age, would in critical moments show an extraordinary firmness and wisdom.
"…So, this is the truth?" Hiruzen slightly lifted his head, staring blankly at the ceiling above.
He could manage every affair in the village, great or small—
—but he could not manage the hearts of everyone within it.
"Leave me alone for a while…" Hiruzen murmured.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."