Chapter 35: The Dilemma
A gloomy atmosphere hung over the Hokage Tower. The sound of Hiruzen Sarutobi puffing on his pipe was incessant. The tobacco in the bowl burned at an incredible rate, as if it were turbocharged.
In the dimly lit Hokage's office, the only people present were Hiruzen, his three advisors—Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura—the representatives of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans, and the head of the Senju clan.
Ever since the First Hokage's incredible power had become known to the world, the Senju clan had been a target. Even Konoha itself hoped to one day replicate Hashirama's strength. This made it extremely dangerous for members of the Senju clan to travel the ninja world. Malicious incidents targeting them were common. Unfortunately, most of them possessed no special abilities and were just ordinary people, yet they were killed for their name alone.
This was a devastating blow to the Senju, a clan that had already sacrificed so much for Konoha. Once a great clan rivaling the Uchiha in numbers, their population had dwindled in just a few decades. The ones who most desperately wanted to wield Hashirama's power were probably the Senju themselves.
To protect their people, starting from the time of the Second Hokage, the Senju clan had chosen to go into hiding. Those with mediocre talent, or who couldn't even become ninja, were given different surnames. The only officially recognized Senju were the main branch, consisting of Tsunade and a dozen or so others. But over the years, what was meant to be a temporary measure had started to look permanent. The Senju clan was on the verge of disappearing.
Regardless, the Senju were the greatest contributors to the founding of the village. The current Hokage may not have been a Senju, but all of Konoha's current leadership were disciples of Tobirama Senju. The Hokage's lineage stemmed from the Senju, and the clan's revered status was a consensus within the village. This was where Tsunade's title of "Princess" came from.
The current head of the Senju clan, who had come to the meeting, was the cousin of the First and Second Hokage, Dogo Senju.
"Lord Hokage," he said, his voice grave, "you must act quickly. We cannot afford to lose Lady Tsunade."
It seemed as if Hashirama's birth had used up all of the Senju clan's luck. For years, not a single member had come close to matching his power. Then, finally, Tsunade had been born, a prodigy of immense talent, and they had protected her fiercely. And now, on her very first major mission, she had been captured.
"Tsunade is my student," Hiruzen said, his voice heavy. "I am, of course, concerned for her safety. I have already sent Sakumo and an ANBU team to the Land of Hot Water."
According to Jiraiya's scroll, the three of them had been overtaken near the border of the Land of Fire. Tsunade, the only one with any fight left in her, had stayed behind to cover their retreat while Jiraiya carried the semi-conscious Orochimaru back to the village for help.
After crossing the border, Jiraiya had successfully contacted a patrol team and, after receiving some basic medical treatment, had immediately returned to the Land of Hot Water with reinforcements, only to find the battlefield empty. Based on his investigation of the scene, Jiraiya had concluded that Tsunade was not dead, but had likely been captured. He had sent a scroll back to the village detailing the entire incident and requesting more reinforcements, while he and his team searched the area, clinging to a sliver of hope. But he was outmatched and didn't dare to venture too deep, fearing he would run into the Third Raikage again. He could only search along the border.
"And is there no confirmation on the clan head's death?" the representative of the Akimichi clan asked, his voice filled with anxiety. Hiruzen couldn't ignore him either. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio were his staunchest supporters. He had to take care of his own.
But the problem was, he couldn't. The stakes were too high. Even in a full-scale war, the Kage were the last to enter the battlefield. This had just been a simple test, and somehow it had brought the Raikage himself down upon them. In this time of peace, it was an extremely dangerous situation, and it was impossible not to be tense.
Peace would come at a high price. War, an even higher one. Hiruzen had no idea what it would cost to resolve this. He deeply regretted sending them on that stupid test mission.
The most troublesome part was that both Tsunade and Choza were part of the Hokage's faction. Would the rest of the village be willing to pay the price to save them?
The more he thought about it, the worse his headache became. He took another long drag from his pipe.
"Ahem!" Koharu waved away the smoke. "Hiruzen, at the very least, we need to confirm if Tsunade and Choza are dead or captured before we can discuss our next move."
"I've already tasked Sakumo with that," Hiruzen said, putting down his pipe. "But if the Third Raikage is still in the Land of Hot Water, it will be very difficult to get them back."
"Has there been any word from the Hidden Cloud?" Homura suddenly asked. "Not even a protest?"
It dawned on Hiruzen as well. The Cloud had been completely silent. No protests, no threats. And Jiraiya had said in his scroll that the three of them were unknown and hadn't revealed their identities.
Could it be that, even though Tsunade was captured, their captors didn't realize who they had? If so, they probably weren't taking the incident too seriously. In that case, Choza was likely dead. As a famous ninja, if he had been captured, Konoha would have already received a ransom note.
"Then... is there still a chance?"
"Dad," Dana said, "that woman is a big deal. She's the granddaughter of the First Hokage and the disciple of the Third. Her name is Tsunade."
After leaving the tree where Tsunade was tied, Dana had decided to tell his father what he knew.
"Oh? And how do you know that?" the Third Raikage asked, surprised. That was quite a pedigree.
"When they captured me, I pretended to be unconscious for a while. I overheard them talking."
In reality, the three of them had been communicating secretly through Katsuyu. Besides Jiraiya's ridiculous self-introduction, there was no way their identities could have been exposed. But they hadn't counted on Dana.
Dana didn't know if Tsunade had earned her infamous nickname yet, but this time, she was about to become the Hidden Cloud's prize lamb. A lamb that was already tied up and ready for slaughter.
"She probably thinks her identity is still a secret," Dana said. "What are you going to do with her?"
"Well, if there were no other circumstances, we'd probably take her back to the village for interrogation," the Third Raikage said, not telling the whole truth.
Normally, a captured enemy ninja would either be interrogated and imprisoned for life, or used as a disposable test subject for human experiments, used up and discarded. But that was too cruel to tell a child. Even one as precocious as Dana. As a father, A chose his words carefully.
"But now that we know who she is," he continued, "we can't handle it so simply."
"Dad," Dana said, a sly look in his eyes, "do you think it's possible..."
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