Tsunade's gaze shifted toward the three elders as they entered. Her voice was calm but firm. "What brings you here?"
Without a word, Danzo stepped forward and placed a folded sheet of paper on her desk. "Are you aware of this?" he asked.
Tsunade picked it up, her eyes not yet on the contents. "If it's about the Kazekage's kidnapping," she said dryly, "then yes—I'm already informed."
Danzo's visible eye narrowed. Kidnapping? That was news to him. Whatever was on that paper had nothing to do with Sunagakure's plea for help. His voice sharpened. "Is that true? When did this happen? And who was responsible?"
Tsunade didn't respond immediately. Instead, she unfolded the paper Danzo had brought and began reading. Shizune, standing at her side, stepped in to answer in her stead.
"The news is accurate," she said. "It came directly from Sunagakure. The Akatsuki were behind the abduction."
Danzo's lips thinned. Koharu, arms crossed, added grimly, "First we receive reprimands from the Daimyō of the Land of Fire and the Land of Iron... and now this."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, surprised. A reprimand from the Daimyō was rare—such formal disapproval hadn't been issued since the aftermath of the last great ninja war. He stepped forward slightly.
"May I ask," Kakashi said, his voice measured, "what exactly we were reprimanded for?"
Koharu opened her mouth to respond, but before a word could leave her lips, the meeting hall doors swung open once more. Two more figures stepped into the room—Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka clan, and his daughter, Ino, close behind.
All eyes turned toward them.
Inoichi gave a respectful bow as he stepped forward. "Lady Hokage, I came as soon as I received the message. You summoned me—has something happened?"
Tsunade, having just finished reading the paper Danzo had handed her, placed it back on the table with a quiet thud. Her eyes met Inoichi's directly, her expression unreadable.
"I didn't summon you," she said plainly. "It was the elders of Konoha who called for your presence."
Inoichi turned his attention to the three standing figures—Danzo, Koharu, and Homura—his brows tightening in concern. "Then… may I ask what this is about?"
Koharu stepped forward, her voice cold and precise. "It's about your son, Inoiki."
Inoichi's eyes narrowed.
"Your son traveled to the Land of Iron," Koharu continued, "where he attempted to negotiate for materials critical to the development of a chakra weapon. As you're well aware, those materials are of strategic importance to the Iron Country—and they refused."
She paused, then added, voice sharper now, "Your son didn't take that refusal well. He threatened the Daimyō and General Mifune, stating that if he wasn't granted access to the materials, he would begin a killing spree. A threat taken seriously."
Inoichi's face hardened, but he said nothing.
Danzo took over. "The Daimyō ultimately agreed to assign their best blacksmith—on one condition: Inoiki had to acquire the materials himself. And he did. Not through diplomacy, but through force."
Tsunade folded her arms, listening silently as Danzo's voice grew grimmer.
"He single-handedly defeated an entire army—over a thousand samurai and shinobi. During that battle, it's reported he killed more than three hundred. The Iron Country is in turmoil. We're now dealing with the aftermath of a political and military disaster."
A heavy silence fell across the hall. The weight of what had been done—by a single shinobi—hung in the air like a storm cloud.
Tsunade cast a sideways glance at Danzo before turning her attention back to Inoichi. Her tone, while composed, held the weight of political frustration.
"Everything they've said is true," she admitted. "But what they didn't tell you is that the army Inoiki destroyed wasn't an official force of the Iron Country. It was a black market militia—well-armed, yes, but nothing more than criminals. The problem is that the base he wiped out was owned by the son of the Iron Daimyō's chief advisor."
She folded her arms across her chest, her voice tightening. "So now, the Daimyō is using this incident as a political smokescreen—to reprimand us, and to stabilize his own internal standing."
Homura stepped forward, nodding solemnly. "That may be true, Hokage, but we can't ignore the fact that our own Daimyō is also displeased. This reflects poorly on the village's control over its shinobi."
Tsunade sighed, the frustration evident in her shoulders. "I understand what you're getting at." She leaned forward slightly, her gaze hardening. "So tell me—what exactly do you propose I do? How should I punish Inoiki?"
She let the question hang in the air for a moment before continuing, her voice quieter, but no less resolute.
"Are any of you willing to try and restrain him yourselves? Because let's not forget—he's completed every mission given to him, without fail. His power is exceptional. I fought him a few months ago myself, and even then, I couldn't beat him. And I know he was holding back."
A flicker of silence passed between the elders.
"If he'd attacked civilians, or acted with genuine malice, I would've taken immediate action," Tsunade said. "But he dismantled a black market network. He eliminated a criminal base. What we need here is not punishment—it's diplomacy. We issue a formal apology, acknowledge the overstep, and move on."
Danzo's eye narrowed, but he didn't speak. Koharu and Homura exchanged a brief glance.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "Unless you have a better idea that won't turn one of our most powerful assets against us... I suggest we tread carefully."
...
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