Hyūga Ranmo tilted his head and looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hokage-sama, do I have to join the ANBU? I don't want to follow this man… I don't know why, but his eyes remind me of Orochimaru's…" Ranmo spoke in a pitiful tone, deliberately looking vulnerable as he glanced at the Third Hokage.
"You're going, whether you want to or not. Come with me right now—" Danzo snapped, enraged, stepping forward to seize Ranmo.
Tsunade immediately blocked him with her arm. "Lord Danzo, please remember your station."
Meanwhile, a flicker of suspicion had appeared in Hiruzen's eyes. Why is Danzo so determined to take this child? Even if the boy had refined chakra at age five, that alone wasn't such a rare feat… was it?
"Danzo, we'll discuss this later. Don't scare the child. Tonight, our priority is dealing with Orochimaru." At last, the Third Hokage spoke up.
Danzo's face darkened. "Hiruzen, have you forgotten what time it is?" he pressed coldly. "The Nine-Tails just attacked the village. Everything we built up during the Third Great Shinobi War has been wiped away. Now, the Hidden Cloud is stirring restlessly. We're in desperate need of manpower. A child who can refine chakra at this age—should we really be keeping him under wraps?"
Danzo's words sounded entirely rational, as though everything he said was for the good of the village. His logic left others momentarily at a loss for words.
Ranmo felt tense inside. He knew he had no real choice here. If the Third Hokage ultimately handed him over to Danzo, the only path left for him might be defection.
Just then, Tsunade scooped Ranmo into her arms. She looked cautiously between Hiruzen and Danzo, then spoke.
"Sensei, let the child stay with me for a couple of days. Shizune and I will still be in the village during that time. You two can talk it over and make a decision afterward."
With that, Tsunade turned and left the office with Ranmo in her arms. Danzo's brow furrowed, and his gaze remained locked tightly on Ranmo.
Orochimaru defected, didn't even bother taking Anko—but he tried to take this child? That speaks volumes.
What Danzo didn't know was that Orochimaru had originally planned to leave Konoha two years later. But because of Ranmo's interference, he had been forced to flee ahead of schedule.
That night, Ranmo was brought to Tsunade's home. Shizune prepared a hot bath for him and said gently, "It'll be morning soon. Get some rest."
Then she left quietly. In the other room, Tsunade sat cross-legged on the floor, rolling dice with a heavy heart. Clatter, clatter—the sound echoed softly.
Her mind was weighed down. Orochimaru has defected. The next time we meet, we'll be enemies…
The Third Great Shinobi War wasn't even truly over yet. The Hidden Cloud was already on the move. In two days, she and Shizune would be heading to gather intel on the Land of Lightning.
If the opportunity presented itself, they were to cooperate with ANBU and cut off the enemy's retreat—a counteroffensive strategy she and the Third had already agreed upon.
Tsunade let out a small sigh and rolled the dice again, but no matter how she threw them, the numbers never came out the way she wanted.
When Ranmo came out from his bath, she was still sitting there.
"Sis, I'm done!"
He looked up at her. At just over thirty, Tsunade still exuded a mature, commanding aura. She raised her head and glanced at Ranmo, then beckoned him over.
"Come here, play a round with me."
"I don't know how to play," Ranmo replied honestly.
"Come on. If I hadn't taken you with me today, Danzo would've dragged you off to ANBU tonight for sure. Don't you think you owe me a little something for that? Just play one round…" Tsunade said lazily, her voice casual but her eyes thoughtful.
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