"The matters concerning the Uchiha will be left to you."
With that, Tsunade handed over authority regarding Enjin to Roshi. Seeing their discussion ended, she casually closed the stack of documents in front of her.
No more reading. She wouldn't finish them tonight anyway.
Time to go home.
Roshi's gaze lingered on the documents spread across her desk.
You didn't have this attitude when you dragged me into overnight paperwork.
Tsunade caught the look and explained, a little defensively, "The urgent parts are already dealt with. The rest… can wait until tomorrow."
She then bent down and opened the low cabinet beside her desk, pulling out a sake flask and a cup—then, after a moment's thought, a second pair of chopsticks. From the same cabinet came a plate of kurikanoko made from red beans, a small dish of edamame, and a plate of chilled tofu.
"Don't just stand there—help out," Tsunade called, then added with a snort, "The Old Man smokes to stay sharp. This is how I do it."
She set the sake flask, cup, and edamame on the low table by the couch. Roshi naturally took the sweets and tofu and placed them beside them.
Clear sake flowed into the cup. Tsunade raised it and took a measured sip. With that single swallow, the weight of an entire day's official duties visibly eased from her shoulders.
Roshi didn't drink, so the kurikanoko ended up exclusively his.
"Since the alliance was signed, Kumogakure has been remarkably quiet," Tsunade said. "At the moment, only Kirigakure in the east is still stirring up trouble."
She paused, swirling the sake in her cup.
"What really unsettles me, though, is Iwagakure."
Roshi listened silently, found a cup of his own, and poured himself some tea.
"Support for Sunagakure has already been arranged," Tsunade continued. "According to Anbu intelligence, Iwagakure deliberately slowed its operations during the Chunin Exams."
"That old fox Ōnoki… I can't tell what he's plotting."
"When Iwagakure goes quiet, the western front becomes even harder to predict."
From experience, Tsunade knew this pattern all too well. Every time Konoha entered a phase of stable growth, some ninja village inevitably prepared to drive a blade into its back.
Sunagakure had refrained from such actions since the Third Great Ninja War—but that didn't guarantee anything.
Still, the success of the joint Chunin Exams had shown her a future she hadn't dared imagine before.
"The eastern region is relatively prosperous," Roshi said. "If we can establish long-term, peaceful exchanges there, it will give us more room to gradually address the problems in the west."
"Speaking of which," Tsunade said, suddenly remembering something, "Kumogakure has already sent a formal letter regarding the next Chunin Exams."
"They'll host it next March. Per the agreement, we're expected to send a team."
Next year, huh?
Aside from Itachi, Konoha didn't really have many standout Genin who hadn't already been promoted in the past two years.
After the Nine-Tails incident, the Village had been locked in conflict for nearly three years. Those with the talent to advance already had. Those who hadn't… were limited.
All they could hope for now was that some promising new blood would emerge this year or the next.
At least, in Roshi's memory, there were no particularly notable names yet.
They couldn't possibly send Maruboshi Kosuke—the eternal Genin—could they?
Tsunade was clearly well aware of this issue. The moment Kumogakure's letter arrived, she had already gone through the list of eligible candidates herself.
"Since it's the Hidden Cloud's home ground, it's inevitable they'll take the spotlight at least once."
Even if it wasn't Kumogakure's intention, this time they had undeniably served as a foil for Konoha.
"Even so, we can't afford to lose too much face," Tsunade said, draining another mouthful of sake. "There are still a few months. We'll see whether any suitable candidates emerge."
Roshi stayed a while longer, listening to Tsunade vent about the endless tangle of official duties, before finally excusing himself and leaving the Hokage Office.
Rather than heading straight home to rest, he deliberately detoured toward the interrogation wing.
Itachi stood guard at the entrance. Roshi raised a hand in greeting.
"Captain."
"The task of guarding him is assigned to your squad," Roshi instructed. "There's only one condition—until you receive formal orders from the Hokage tomorrow, he is not to have contact with anyone else."
"Food and water are to be provided as usual. Nothing more."
Itachi nodded quietly, signaling his understanding.
But this matter was far from over.
The bodies of the fallen Uchiha still needed proper handling, and since Tsunade had entrusted Enjin's case to Roshi, there was one more person he had to see.
Early the next morning, Roshi headed straight for the Police Force headquarters to meet Fugaku.
When the Uchiha Clan Head saw Roshi arrive unannounced at the Police Force headquarters, a faint unease flickered through him.
The last time Roshi had proactively sought him out was over a year ago—when Roshi had just been appointed Itachi's captain.
Since then, every private meeting had either been initiated by Fugaku himself or arranged through summons.
This time, however, the news Roshi brought was anything but welcome.
"Dead?" Fugaku asked quietly. "Only Enjin survived?"
"Their squad was deliberately targeted during a clash with mercenary ninja forces along the border," Roshi explained concisely. "One body could not be recovered. The other two have been transported back to the Village and are temporarily held at the hospital."
He paused briefly.
"While waiting for the rotation unit to complete the handover, Sharingan were stolen from the bodies."
Fugaku fell silent.
Having lived through the Third Great Ninja War and personally led his clansmen onto the battlefield, he was no stranger to death.
Even Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki—under Orochimaru's care—had not escaped that fate.
For clans with bloodline limits, being singled out on the battlefield, or even having one's body seized by the enemy, was tragically common in the shinobi world.
But eyes being stolen after the bodies had already been secured within a guarded camp…
That invited far darker implications.
"Where is Enjin now?" Fugaku finally asked.
"In the Hokage Building," Roshi replied honestly. "He lost control of his emotions and publicly accused Kakashi of being responsible. He is currently under guard—by Itachi."
Given Kakashi's status in Anbu, second only to the Commander, Fugaku could not reasonably object to Enjin's temporary detention—especially after such a public and unfounded accusation.
The fact that the Village had allowed Itachi, a fellow clansman, to serve as his guard was already a clear signal: they had no intention of escalating the matter.
"The investigation into the stolen eyes is still ongoing," Roshi added. "There's no definitive conclusion from Kakashi's side yet."
"As for Enjin, considering the Uchiha Clan's recent contributions and sacrifices, there will be no further punishment beyond his confinement."
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