The Root underground base was cold, but it wasn't a natural cold; it was a stagnant one, accompanied by a silence that weighed more than any sound.
Danzō sat on his stone throne, motionless, and the only light came from a brazier projecting long, trembling shadows onto his bandaged face.
Fū and Torune, his most trusted agents, remained kneeling before him and had been that way for ten minutes, as the silence was the first part of the punishment.
Finally, Danzō spoke, his voice a hoarse whisper that filled the room.
"The report."
It wasn't a question, but a command.
Torune spoke first, his voice a low hum filtered by his mask. "The extraction mission... failed, Danzō-sama."
"That," Danzō said, "I already know. What I don't know is how four of my best agents, trained for stealth and capture, were eliminated."
"They committed suicide," Fū said. "The Silence Protocol was fulfilled, so they left no trace."
"I don't care about the protocol if the objective isn't met!" Danzō's voice rose half a tone, a dangerous outburst. "Four elite! Defeated by a loud genin and a pink-haired girl!"
"It wasn't... that simple," Torune said, choosing his words carefully. "There was an underestimation on our part, because the files were incomplete."
Danzō tilted his head. "Incomplete?"
"The Haruno," Fū said. "Our reports indicated medical-level chakra control and intermediate physical strength, but the reports were wrong."
"Wrong how?"
"She has devastating strength," Torune said. "Two of our agents were instantly incapacitated by her combat style, and it's not a known taijutsu style."
"It's not medical," Fū added. "It's brute force, pure."
Danzō processed this. "And the Jinchūriki?"
"Uzumaki used the Kage Bunshin," Torune said. "But the coordination... it wasn't a genin's, and he moved to defend her."
"He covered her," Fū said. "While she prepared for the second blow, he sacrificed a dozen clones to give them false targets, so their coordination was... unexpected."
"A decoy," Danzō hissed. "The Haruno wasn't the weak link! She was the decoy!"
He stood up, and his shadow covered his agents.
"Tsunade! That damned woman! She knew we were coming! She counted on it and we fell into her trap!"
He struck the arm of his stone throne, and a small piece of rock broke off and fell to the floor with a dry click.
"She set a trap for us."
"The risk was too high," Fū said. "They couldn't use lethal force against the Haruno, because our orders were to capture and interrogate the girl about the anomalous strength of everyone involved with Naruto."
"And now," Danzō said, "you've ruined it, which means Plan B has failed. We cannot attempt another kidnapping, at least not directly, because that would be completely stupid."
He turned around, giving them his back, and the anger cooled as quickly as it had come, replaced by a frigid calculation.
"The damage is done and the panic is there. The containment rumor?"
"Initiated, Danzō-sama," Fū said.
"Details?"
"The official version our agents are spreading is that it was a failed attack by the Sound Village," Torune said, "a desperate attempt by Orochimaru to take the Jinchūriki."
"Panic in the civilian districts is high," Fū added. "The civilians saw ANBU uniforms and heard the explosion, so the 'Sound traitors in disguise' story is strong and spreading fast. The civilians believe it."
Danzō turned slowly, and a thin, cruel smile twisted his lips.
"Perfect."
Torune and Fū didn't move.
"Tsunade, in her arrogance, thought she was only dealing with my dogs and that she had beaten me."
He walked toward the brazier's light. "I will give her a bigger enemy to fight, and she will swallow my lie because she needs to swallow it, which will be a poisoned 'gift'."
"Sir?" Fū asked.
"We cannot accuse Tsunade of harboring an unknown power, but the people can demand that she protect them from Orochimaru."
"Mobilize all our contacts in the village," Danzō ordered, "and in the information guilds. The official version is the Sound, as the panic is good. Let the Council know that the Hokage needs full powers to counter this threat and have them demand action."
"You want us to support her?" Torune asked, confused.
"I want to corner her," Danzō corrected. "If I cannot steal her secret, I will force her to use it, and in the coming war... I will direct from the shadows."
*******
A few hours later, in the temporary Hokage's office.
The office doors burst open without the courtesy of a knock, and Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane entered with faces not of panic, but of stone.
"Tsunade!" Homura said, skipping the title.
Tsunade was standing by the window with her back to them, arms crossed, and she didn't move.
"Homura. Koharu. How noisy."
"Stop your sarcasm!" Koharu snapped. "This is unacceptable! Your apprentices were attacked in broad daylight, in the middle of Konoha!"
"The commercial district is paralyzed," Homura added, his voice grave. "The people are afraid, so we demand an explanation. How did you let the village become so vulnerable?"
Tsunade finally turned, and despite looking young, the authority she radiated was almost physical.
"People are talking about ANBU fighting genin!" Koharu said, her voice sharp. "About Konoha masks! We demand to know if these agents were affiliated with Orochimaru!"
"Ah," Tsunade said. "So you've already heard the rumor. Good, that saves time."
"Rumor?" Homura asked, bewildered. "The initial ninja police report spoke of ANBU uniforms... and that they committed suicide!"
"I have already issued the official version. They were renegade agents from the Sound Village, acting under direct orders from Orochimaru for the purpose of destabilizing an already weak Konoha."
"Sound?" Homura repeated, now genuinely surprised. They had come to pressure Tsunade into accepting the Sound ninja version and not that it was an internal betrayal, yet he didn't think it would be this... easy. "But... the uniforms?"
"A cover-up tactic, Homura," Tsunade said, as if speaking to a child. "Orochimaru is a master of disguise. He wanted to sow confusion and have us blame each other. He wanted you," she pointed to Homura, "and you," she pointed to Koharu, "to come here and complicate things politically."
She stared at them. "This was an attempted kidnapping of Naruto Uzumaki and a direct attack on my authority. Period."
She paused, letting her words settle.
"Or do you, as members of the Council, prefer to believe another option? Do you prefer to believe that Konoha is harboring traitors who attack its own Genin in the street? Do you want to start that investigation? Do you want a civil war?"
Homura and Koharu looked at each other. Accusing someone within the village was stupid, because it would destroy the village from within, but the threat of Orochimaru... that was external. That was an enemy they could point to.
"No," Homura murmured, defeated. "No, of course not. Sound... makes sense. It's... horrible, but it makes sense."
"This incursion," Tsunade said, pressing her advantage instantly, "however failed it may have been, proves my warnings about Orochimaru were correct."
"What do you mean?" Koharu asked, nervous.
"I mean the Council has no time to debate, because Orochimaru is inside our walls. His spies can imitate our ANBU, and you are still debating the reconstruction budget?"
"Tsunade, the funds are limited...!" Homura began.
"I need full powers!" she slammed the desk. "No more debates, no more committees. Orochimaru has declared war."
"'Full powers'?" Koharu said, alarmed.
"I am authorizing a curfew in all civilian districts starting at dusk, effective immediately," Tsunade declared, "and I demand the immediate approval of the emergency sealing and training budget I presented to you last week, the one you rejected."
"But the reconstruction budget...!"
"What good is a pretty wall if the enemy is already inside, Koharu?" Tsunade retorted.
"Are you using this... incident to get funds?" Koharu hissed.
"I am using this attack to protect the village," Tsunade replied. "You want the people to feel safe, don't you? Give me the tools. Now."
"This is... hasty," Homura said.
"This is necessary," Tsunade corrected. "I need this now! Or this will happen again, and next time, it might not fail."
There it is, Tsunade thought, feeling a cold satisfaction. Danzō, you idiot. You thought you were backing me into a wall, but you just gave me the perfect excuse, because the Council can't admit an internal failure, so they have to accept the external enemy. And an external enemy... needs a bigger military budget, exactly the one I need to watch Akatsuki.
The elders looked at each other, cornered. Tsunade's logic was ironclad.
Homura clenched his jaw. "Prepare the order... Hokage. You will have your budget."
Tsunade watched them leave. They didn't look defeated, they looked furious. When the door closed, she went to the window and opened it, letting in the air.
Of course it wasn't Orochimaru, you pair of idiots, she thought. It was Danzō, careless and stupid, and he just funded my external surveillance for the next year. She let out a short, dry laugh. How stupid.
******
The afternoon sun bathed the inner garden of the Senju Fortress, where Naruto was on his knees next to a small vegetable patch, covered in mud up to his elbows.
"Come on, little thing! I'm telling you to stay still!"
He was trying to repot a bonsai tree that had clearly fallen from a shelf.
"Don't die! You're a ninja plant! You have to be strong! Look at me! I'm strong!"
Shizune approached, holding a watering can and a small towel. "Naruto-kun, I think you're giving it too much water."
"But it's thirsty!" Naruto insisted, pouring another stream. "It's all droopy and looks sad!"
"You're yelling at it," Shizune said with a kind smile. "I think you're scaring it."
"I'm not scaring it! I'm motivating it! Like Iruka-sensei! You have to believe in yourself, little tree!"
"I don't think that will win the plant the title of Hokage, Naruto-kun," Shizune said.
"Hey, look at this flower!" Naruto pointed to a nearby bud. "This one is doing much better ever since I talked to it a bit! I think they like my voice! Maybe I should become a gardener ninja! I'd be the best!"
"A gardener ninja?"
Tsunade's voice made them jump, and Naruto almost dropped the bonsai again.
She was standing on the wooden walkway overlooking the garden, a glass of water in her hand. She had removed her Hokage robes and was wearing a simple house kimono, so she looked relaxed and was almost smiling.
"Granny!" Naruto said, jumping to his feet and wiping the mud on his pants. "We're gardening! Shizune said taking care of plants teaches patience, which makes me a better ninja!"
"I doubt anything can teach you patience," Tsunade said, but she walked closer, observing the mistreated bonsai. "You're drowning it."
"That's what I told him!" Shizune said, laughing.
"I'm not drowning it! I'm just... giving it lots of affection!"
"Give me that." Tsunade took the watering can from Shizune's hand and the bonsai from Naruto's, and with an expert, delicate movement, she tilted the pot, draining the excess water with her fingers.
"It needs less water and more sun," she said calmly. "Put it over there, on the step."
Naruto obeyed, watching her work. "Wow. You're good at this."
"I'm a medic," Tsunade said, as if that explained everything. "I understand plants, and I understand things that need care to grow."
She sat on the wooden step, drinking her water as the sun hit her face.
Shizune sat at a respectful distance. "Is the meeting over, Tsunade-sama?"
"Yes," Tsunade said. "The political garbage is over, and the budget was approved."
Shizune blinked. "All of it? Even the funds for the sealing project?"
"Every cent," Tsunade confirmed. "Danzō gave us the perfect cover story, so I accepted his 'gift.' Officially, Konoha is now on high alert against the Sound Village."
"Awesome!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fist. "So we can go kick Orochimaru's ass!"
"No," Tsunade said, without even looking at him. "Calm down, brat, because it means the exact opposite."
"What? I don't get it!"
"It means," Tsunade said, "that we now have the perfect excuse to keep the exterior monitored without Danzō or the council asking questions."
She looked at Shizune. "Shizune."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"
"Prepare the paperwork immediately, release the funds, and tell Karin that tomorrow we are intensifying the training discipline. The games are over, so we start with the Adamantine Chains at dawn."
Shizune paled slightly. "But... Tsunade-sama, so soon? ..."
"Danzō knows we have something," Tsunade interrupted her. "He doesn't know what it is, but the attack proves he's desperate to find out and he will try again. Next time, Karin must be ready, as she has become our new weakest link. Understood?"
"Understood, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade looked around the garden, which suddenly seemed too empty.
"And where are the others? Sakura, Karin, and Hinata?"
"Ah," Shizune said, her smile returning, this time a bit mischievous. "They're... busy."
"Busy how?"
"They're decorating Naruto's room, so they're entertained with that."
Tsunade looked at Naruto, who had turned completely red at the mention of them decorating his room.
"Hey! It's not my fault! They said my room was too orange!"
Tsunade let out a faint smile, genuine this time.
"Good. Let them be distracted, it's good, because it seems like lately they worry more about you than their own lives."
"That's not...!"
"Don't complain," Tsunade said, her voice softening a fraction. "It's good to have people who worry."
She stood up, stretching her back.
"Now, help me with this damn plant, because if you leave it like that, it will die before nightfall. And Shizune, bring the sake... the good stuff. I think I've earned it."
*****
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