The morning sun, filtering through the overgrown branches in the Senju Main Residence courtyard, cast fragmented, warm specks of light on the veranda.
The air no longer smelled solely of stale dust, but also carried a hint of... burnt rice.
"Ah—! It's burnt again!"
Tsunade's exasperated cry came from the kitKanzaki, followed by a clatter of pots, bowls, and pans.
Kanzaki, holding a cup of hot tea Shizune had just brewed, carefully walked to the kitKanzaki doorway with his short legs.
He saw one of the legendary Sannin, puffing her cheeks and glaring at a pitch-black iron pot, her pretty face smudged with soot, and her golden hair messy, like a startled cat with its fur bristling.
"Big Sister, have some tea." Kanzaki handed over the teacup, looking up at Tsunade with his clear, innocent eyes.
When Tsunade saw him, all her irritation vanished.
She awkwardly took the teacup, drank it in one gulp, then squatted down and used a clean finger to playfully flick Kanzaki's small nose, her voice full of helplessness and doting affection: "Sigh, it's so hard to even make you breakfast.
It seems I really don't have this talent."
"Kanzaki likes everything Big Sister makes." Kanzaki's reply was flawless and sickeningly sweet.
Tsunade's heart instantly melted, and just as she was about to hug and dote on him, a figure appeared in the courtyard without warning.
The newcomer wore an Anbu uniform and a white porcelain mask, kneeling on one knee, his voice flat and emotionless: "Lady Tsunade, Hokage-sama requests your presence.
Please proceed to the Hokage's Office with Kanzaki immediately."
It's time.
Kanzaki's heart was as calm as still water, but he perfectly displayed a hint of timidity on his face, his small hand instinctively gripping Tsunade's clothes.
Tsunade's expression instantly darkened, and the warm atmosphere in the air vanished.
She shielded Kanzaki behind her, her amber eyes coldly staring at the Anbu: "Understood, you may leave."
"Yes." The Anbu vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Kanzaki, don't be scared." Tsunade picked up Kanzaki, rubbing her chin against his forehead, her voice becoming gentle again, "With Big Sister here, no one will dare bully you.
We'll go see that Old Man (referring to Hiruzen) and officially settle your identity."
Kanzaki nodded obediently, taking Tsunade's outstretched hand, but deep inside, his mind was clear.
He knew this was no simple meeting.
This was a banquet at Hong Gate, a court of judgment, and more importantly, a crucial battle for him to transform from a "protected person" to a "legal citizen" in Konoha.
After his Senju Clan identity was revealed to the Konoha higher-ups, Danzo Shimura, that venomous snake lurking in the deepest parts of Konoha, must have been impatient already...
Hokage's Office.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the table, his signature pipe tapping rhythmically on the desk, emitting dull thuds.
To his left and right sat Konoha's two Advisor Elders—Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado.
Both were expressionless, their eyes sharp, like two stone statues scrutinizing a sacrifice.
The news of an illegitimate child of the Senju Clan deeply shook them.
Currently, the Senju Clan only had Lady Tsunade, but her name alone was enough to deter other Ninja Villages from acting rashly, after all, the First Hokage, the founder of this Ninja Village, was a man known as the "god of shinobi."
The First Hokage (Hashirama Senju) and the Second Hokage (Tobirama Senju) subdued the entire Ninja World, and in the recently concluded Second Great Ninja War, this young princess and her companions were evaluated as "Sannin" by the "Demigod" Hanzou, all of which proved the talent and strength of the Senju Clan.
So, the child Tsunade brought back, claimed to be from the Senju Clan, was enough to make everyone treat the matter with caution.
Besides some elders and high-ranking officials, the most unsettling presence was Danzo Shimura, standing in the shadows to one side.
He still wore his bandages, revealing only one emotionless eye, like a block of ice that never melted, exuding a chilling, unsettling aura.
When Tsunade entered the office with Kanzaki in her arms, four gazes simultaneously fell upon them.
Those were not the eyes one would use to look at a child; they were scrutinizing, evaluating, probing, with an undisguised sense of oppression.
Kanzaki immediately played his role to the extreme, shrinking his body and burrowing into Tsunade's embrace, revealing only a pair of large, distinctly black and white eyes, looking around in terror.
"All the actors are here, the show is about to begin." Kanzaki sneered inwardly.
He could feel Tsunade's body slightly tensing with anger, and could even hear her accelerating heartbeat.
Seeing that almost all of Konoha's higher-ups were present, "Hiruzen-sensei, what is the meaning of this?"
Tsunade was the first to break the silence, her voice suppressing her anger.
"Hiruzen-sensei, what is the meaning of this?"
"Tsunade, calm down." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up, his gaze briefly lingering on Kanzaki, his eyes complex, "I invited you here today to formally confirm Kanzaki's identity.
This concerns the continuation of the Senju Clan, and also the Village's regulations; it must be handled with caution."
"Caution?" Tsunade sneered, about to erupt.
"Hokage-sama is right, of course, it must be handled with caution." A cold, dry voice interjected.
Danzo Shimura stepped out of the shadows, his single eye locked onto Kanzaki like a hawk.
"A child of unknown origin, Tsunade, you unilaterally declared him a Senju clansman, even confronting 'Root' in the streets for him.
This in itself is full of suspicious points."
He paused, his voice becoming even more chilling: "The Ninja World is in turmoil, and spies from various countries are everywhere.
Who can guarantee that this child isn't a 'weapon' sent by an enemy nation, disguised through special means?
For the safety of Konoha, this old man believes that this child must be handed over to 'Root' for the most thorough and rigorous bloodline testing and ability assessment!"
"You're full of shit!"
Boom!
Tsunade could no longer suppress her anger, slamming her palm onto the office desk.
Spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the sturdy solid wood desktop, radiating from her hand!
"Danzo! I warn you, retract your filthy ideas!
Kanzaki is my younger brother, he is of the Senju Clan bloodline!
If you want to touch him, you'll have to step over my dead body first!" Violent Chakra erupted from her body, causing the scrolls in the room to rustle loudly.
The atmosphere in the office instantly became tense!
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado frowned deeply, clearly displeased with Tsunade's hot temper.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression also became incredibly grim, and he was about to scold her.
However, just then, a small hand, gently and with a hint of trembling, tugged at Tsunade's arm, which was bulging with veins from anger.
"Big Sister…"
A childish, tearful, yet deliberately calm voice spoke.
Everyone's movements paused.
Tsunade's towering rage was as if it had been forcefully suppressed by a powerful tranquilizer.
She lowered her head and saw Kanzaki looking up at her with a pale face, his large eyes brimming with tears, yet stubbornly refusing to let them fall.
Kanzaki let go of Tsunade's arm.
He stepped out from behind Tsunade, his small frame appearing so frail in the large office, but he straightened his back and turned towards Hiruzen Sarutobi at the head of the table.
"Everyone, please don't argue, Grandpa," his voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, "I… I am willing to undergo the test."
Tsunade trembled violently, crying out, "Kanzaki! No!"
Kanzaki turned his head and gave Tsunade a smile that was uglier than crying, tears finally streaming down his cheeks: "Big Sister, I don't want… I don't want to make things difficult for you.
I…"
This calmness, understanding, and grievance, far beyond his age, struck everyone present like a heavy hammer.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the child, the authority and scrutiny in his eyes unknowingly transforming into a hint of approval and pity.
Even Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado's perpetually icy faces showed a trace of emotion.
Even Danzo Shimura, a flicker of surprise flashed in his single eye.
He had anticipated how Tsunade would throw a tantrum, and how Hiruzen would mediate, but he had never expected that this four-year-old child, whom he treated as a pawn, would actually jump off the chessboard and outmaneuver him in this way!
He had intended to use Tsunade's outburst to highlight his "concern for the Village," but now, Kanzaki's strategy of retreating to advance made him look like an unscrupulous villain bullying the weak.
"Old dog, trying to use me to attack Tsunade and pressure the Hokage? You're still too green." Kanzaki's heart was calm.
"Public opinion and sympathy are sometimes more effective than fists.
Now, the initiative is with me."
"Good, good child." Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh of relief, a hint of displeasure in his eyes as he looked at Danzo, "Danzo, did you hear that?
The child himself is willing to cooperate.
There's no need for the so-called 'Root' investigation; we'll conduct the test here, using the most standard method."
Danzo's mouth twitched, and he finally squeezed out a single word from his throat: "…Yes."
He knew he had already missed the best opportunity to take the child away.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded to the Anbu behind him.
Soon, a special test paper used to determine Chakra nature was handed to Kanzaki.