"Messenger!"
Danzō's voice was hoarse and filled with fury.
"Immediately! Right now! Tell Tsunade to get herself over here, now!"
He nearly roared the words, releasing all the frustration that had been suffocating him for days.
The messenger flinched under the weight of his anger, standing rigid.
"Y-Yes, Danzō-sama!"
He stumbled out of the tent, almost tripping as he sprinted toward the medical camp.
Danzō slumped heavily into his chair, eyes shut, chest heaving.
Perhaps it was for the best that Tsunade had been away.
At least he didn't have to see her basking in praise every day, surrounded by gratitude at the medical camp, while his pride burned in silence.
He knew perfectly well that once she left, the casualty numbers on the frontlines would soar.
The medical corps relied on her completely.
But so what?
If soldiers died by the hundreds, that would be Hiruzen's fault for recalling her, not his.
Accountability?
Let the Hokage bear it.
His gaze fell on the intelligence scroll lying on the table, a report from the Root.
The name written there, Kamiyama Ryo, gleamed in his mind like a poisoned blade.
Outside, the rain kept pouring, beating against the thin canvas roof like a war drum, relentless and urgent.
The sound drowned out the restless anger and venomous thoughts twisting in Danzō's chest.
The air inside the tent was colder and heavier than the storm outside.
A guard's cautious voice came from beyond the curtain.
"Danzō-sama, Tsunade-sama has arrived."
Danzō drew in a deep breath, forcing down the rage that threatened to boil over.
Not yet.
It isn't time yet.
The Hokage's seat is still out of reach.
Tsunade… I can't afford to make her my enemy now.
I still need her, or at least, I can't afford to make her an obstacle.
Tsunade pushed the curtain aside and stepped in.
Her green medical vest carried the scent of herbs and dust, mixed with the damp chill of rain.
The smell cut through the stuffy air inside the tent.
Her golden hair was tied loosely, slightly disheveled.
Her sharp eyes swept over the shattered sand table and Danzō's darkened face.
"If you have something to say, say it fast. The medical camp is full of men waiting for stitching and detox. I don't have time for politics."
Her tone was edged with irritation.
She was exhausted and had no patience left for this old man's ideals.
Danzō's face remained unreadable.
He tossed a scroll onto the desk in front of her.
The motion carried a trace of suppressed anger.
"The village's order. Tsunade, you are to return to Konoha immediately."
Tsunade's brows furrowed.
She didn't even glance at the scroll before glaring at him.
"Immediately? Has that old man lost his mind? Does he even know what the situation is out here? Chiyo's poisons evolve every day. The medical tents are filled with comrades hanging between life and death. If I leave, how many will die by tomorrow?"
Her voice rose sharply, cutting through the heavy air like nails striking wood.
To her, as a doctor, the lives of the wounded always came before politics.
If it had been any other time, Danzō would have lectured her about the greater good, the cruelty of the ninja world, or the necessity of sacrifice.
He might even have called her compassion a weakness.
But right now, his anger over the intelligence report and his resentment toward Hiruzen's orders were twisting inside him.
"The command is right there," Danzō said coldly, his tone like steel scraping ice.
"I'm only delivering it. It bears the Hokage's seal, Hiruzen's personal stamp. You will comply, or not?"
He deliberately emphasized the words Hokage and Hiruzen, reminding her of authority and washing his hands of responsibility.
His eyes seemed to say, This isn't my doing. If you have a problem, take it up with the Hokage. If you dare.
Tsunade's hand clenched into a tight fist, her knuckles whitening.
She snatched up the scroll and unrolled it quickly.
There was nothing but a terse recall order, no explanation, no reason.
A chill crept into her chest.
Not directed at Danzō, but something deeper, instinctive.
The last time she had felt this way was right before her second grandfather, Tobirama, fell in battle.
Her instincts had never been wrong.
The fury in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by a sharp urgency.
Konoha is in danger.
A major danger.
Something grave enough that she was needed immediately.
That certainty overrode everything else, even her medical duty.
Tsunade drew a deep breath, steadying herself.
"Fine. If it's an emergency summons from the village, I'll leave at once."
"But," she said sharply, her eyes blazing, "I'm taking all critically injured soldiers who need long-term treatment. I won't leave them here to die."
"I'll compile all antidote inventories and suppressant formulas before I go. The medical squad can hold against Chiyo's poisons for a while, but remember, they can only suppress them, not cure the new strains. Tell the frontlines to minimize assaults and avoid unnecessary casualties."
"And one more thing."
She walked to the table, grabbed a blank scroll, and began writing swiftly.
"This contains my research notes on Chiyo's toxins and the framework for potential counteragents. It's the medical unit's final fallback plan."
Her thoughts were sharp and orderly, her battlefront experience condensed into clear directives.
Danzō listened in silence, his expression blank.
He knew she was right.
This was the best possible course.
Taking the worst injured back reduced losses.
Leaving behind antidotes and plans stabilized morale.
Maintaining communication ensured continuity.
He wanted desperately to keep her here, healing his men and strengthening his command.
But Hiruzen's recall order, and the disturbing report about Ryo, left him no choice.
If he tried to stop her now, morale would collapse, and Tsunade's backlash could destroy him.
"Understood," he said through clenched teeth.
He knew her worth, and he hated that he had to let her go.
"Hmph."
Tsunade didn't bother with another word. She gathered her notes and scrolls, turned sharply, and strode out into the rain.
Her footsteps faded into the storm and the distant cries of the wounded.
The tent fell silent again, the air heavier than before.
Danzō stood motionless, staring after her, his face unreadable.
With Tsunade gone, the frontline would bear even greater strain.
And in Konoha, Hiruzen, and that cursed "super weapon" that should have been his, Kamiyama Ryo.
The intelligence report echoed in his mind.
["A mental energy output covering two-thirds of Konoha. Power approaching Kage-level threat potential."]
Hiruzen, you old fool.
You hoard every treasure and dump every problem on the frontlines.
I drown in blood and mud while you sit in your office and hide a monster like this from me?
A long, ragged breath escaped Danzō's lips, thick with resentment.
He picked up the scroll about Ryo, his fingers tightening until the edges crumpled.
Outside, the rain kept falling, steady and suffocating.
He turned toward the sand table, staring at the blurred markings of Hill 3 through the damp haze.
The war continued.
Shimura Danzō would keep fighting in this swamp of blood and ambition.
And on the scales in his heart, the ones marked Hokage, a new, heavy weight named Kamiyama Ryo had just been added to Hiruzen's side.
That imbalance made the darkness in Danzō's eyes deepen even further.
(To be continued.)