"Hey! Old man, I'm telling you, there's no way this could ever be the case!" Tsunade's voice boomed, cutting through the tense air of the Hokage's office. "Hmph, if I hadn't been here tonight, I'm afraid the Scroll of Seals would've been completely stolen!" Her eyes blazed with indignation. "These people are all from the Root and Shimura clan! I can't believe they were eyeing the Scroll of Seals too, and they even knocked out the Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki, Naruto!"
She leaned forward, her voice rising to a furious roar. "Hey! Old man, are you senile, or just deaf?! Hurry up and speak!"
Crack!
Tsunade's palm slammed onto the desk directly in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen. The sound was deafening, enough to make the venerable Hokage flinch, almost roaring in pain.
Oh, so scary… What a horrible woman… QAQ
The Anbu ninjas standing rigidly behind Tsunade – the very members of Konoha's Second Assassination Squad under Ren's command – all had the same thought, cold sweat pouring down their backs.
Just moments ago, merely half an hour prior, they had witnessed an unbelievable display of power. This "connected household" – this new recruit who, in their eyes, had entered Anbu solely through their captain's influence – had erupted with overwhelming force in battle. Where the Anbu ninjas had found themselves locked in an evenly matched, inseparable struggle with the enemy, this "connected household" had instantly turned the tide, creating an overwhelming advantage. In just a few minutes, the battle was over.
Under the disbelieving gazes of both enemy and Anbu alike, that "connected household" had moved like a descending deity, unleashing unstoppable strength. With one arrow, an enemy's head had exploded. With one punch, an enemy's ribs had been pulverized. A Feather Chain had delivered invisible, deadly strikes from the shadows! She was a ruthless, walking killing machine!
The Anbu ninjas swallowed in unison. In their minds, they could only conclude that in the entire Anbu, save for their current captain, Hayabusa (Ren), no one possessed such formidable power. Not even Anzo, the current commander of the Anbu! Such strength, even within the entirety of Konoha Village, was definitely ranked among the very top!
And such a powerful person… was merely a bodyguard to their Captain Hayabusa? The strength of this guard was simply too hardcore!
Even after the battle ended, the Anbu ninjas hadn't fully recovered from their shock. They were then promptly led by Tsunade herself straight to the Hokage's Office. It was there, in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, that Tsunade finally removed her mask, revealing her true face to the Anbu ninjas. And as they watched, they witnessed the previously masked "bodyguard," Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, unleashing her fury upon the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At that moment, the doubts that had long festered in their hearts finally dissipated. No wonder! I knew it; how could such a powerful ninja suddenly appear in the village for no reason? And as the most well-informed Anbu ninjas, how could there have been no news at all?
It turned out this person was Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin. It was absolutely understandable that she had displayed such incredible strength. We heard before that Tsunade-sama had recently returned to Konoha Village. I didn't expect to see such a powerful adult under such circumstances.
The Anbu ninjas breathed a collective sigh of relief. Then this is no problem!
No problem, my ass! (They wanted to scream!)
Who will explain why Tsunade-sama, one of Konoha's Sannin, appeared next to their Captain Hayabusa?! Why was she even Captain Hayabusa's personal bodyguard?! Would they now be seen as 'connected households' who got in through the back door?! If Princess Tsunade, who even dared to go mad in front of Hokage-sama, knew what they had been thinking just now… wouldn't they all be flattened?! For a time, the Anbu ninjas felt tears welling in their hearts. Captain Hayabusa! Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?!
At that moment, the Anbu operatives suddenly considered the implication: if Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, could serve as a guard… what kind of character was their Captain Hayabusa, then?
"Cough, cough, cough…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe, a stream of white smoke escaping his lips as his brows furrowed deeply. He had meticulously orchestrated all the events for this night, believing everything would unfold according to his perfect plan. Yet, he hadn't anticipated the situation escalating so dramatically, far exceeding his expectations. Now, even Tsunade was here, in his office. Things had suddenly become very, very tricky.
"Tsunade," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, attempting to calm her, "don't worry. I will certainly investigate this matter and give you a full explanation." He then turned to the Anbu ninja. "Have the results from the Torture and Interrogation Unit come out yet?"
An Anbu ninja respectfully replied to Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Report, Hokage-sama. The results from the Torture and Interrogation Unit are ready."
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, nodding. "Tell Ibiki to come over."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
A short while later, Ibiki Morino, his face scarred, entered the Hokage's office, clad in his signature black trench coat. "Hokage-sama," he reported, "the information has been extracted. Those who abducted the Scroll of Seals tonight—I've confirmed their identities. Most of them are indeed former members of the Root organization. However, their tongues were all set with powerful seals, so no further information could be gleaned from their mouths. As for the remaining individuals whose identities were unknown, a search of their memories confirmed they were all exiled ninjas from the Land of Fire who, in recent years, have maintained close financial transactions with the Shimura clan…"
Having heard this, the context of what had transpired in the village tonight was now largely clear. Shimura Danzō, and the Shimura family backing him… they couldn't possibly escape culpability.
"Hey, old man, what are you still babbling about?! This must be Shimura Danzō's doing, pulling strings from behind the scenes!" Tsunade roared, her hands on her hips, her glamorous face contorted in fury.
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, but still tried to placate Tsunade. "Since this matter may have something to do with the Shimura family, I must at least summon Shimura Danzō to the office and question him thoroughly. Tsunade, don't worry, I will definitely investigate this matter to its fullest extent."
"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted coldly. Even with her teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the current Third Hokage, standing before her, Tsunade's temper ensured she gave him no quarter.