Just arriving at Kei's house, the three students who were about to be mercilessly left behind looked utterly confused. Seeing that the teacher had to go out unexpectedly, the three of them originally intended to reschedule their visit for another time.
However, Kei simply created a shadow clone, instantly solving all the issues at hand.
Having tricked three free laborers into coming over, how could he let them go so easily? Who would roll out the pastry dough in the afternoon? Who would stuff the hand pies? Who would whisk the custard?
The shadow clone stayed at home, washing and cleaning various pots and pans while skillfully directing his students to work.
Guy kneaded the pastry dough with vigorous enthusiasm, Kurenai washed and prepared fruits for the fillings, and Genma carefully measured and mixed the spices for the custard.
The three of them worked enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, Kei and Tsunade headed toward Konoha Hospital together.
Inside a special care ward on the third floor of Konoha Hospital: Seated on the hospital bed, Danzō had an IV drip attached to his left hand while his right hand swiftly flipped through the latest intelligence reports from various ninja villages, which were spread out on a small table.
A Root member, wearing an ANBU mask and standard ANBU gear, dutifully stood guard beside the bed.
Tiny, densely packed parasitic insects, no larger than grains of rice, covered the ceiling and walls of the ward.
Although the constantly wriggling swarm of insects made the room look eerie and unsettling, compared to high-maintenance and energy-consuming defensive barriers that required multiple people to maintain, this small inconvenience was hardly worth mentioning.
After reviewing all the intelligence, Danzō closed his eyes to process the information in his mind.
Then, he picked up a blank scroll and began assigning missions for the Root members to carry out over the next two days.
Click—
The door of the hospital room was opened.
The Root member standing beside the bed slightly bowed in respect as three elders entered the room.
Danzō's sharp gaze swept over them.
Upon seeing the Hiruzen, as well as Koharu and Homura, his cold expression softened slightly.
He closed the scroll in his hand and set it aside for the moment.
"What do you want?"
"Has Tsunade not come to treat you yet?" Hiruzen walked to the sofa and sat down, completely unfazed by his friend's cold tone and indifferent attitude.
He understood Danzō's emotions and, to some extent, sympathized with his situation. After all, anyone constantly on high alert, wary of an unknown force that could attack at any moment, would be in a foul mood.
"She's probably hoping I die here."
Danzō's lone eye locked onto the pipe that Hiruzen had just taken out, and the pressure in the room immediately dropped a few degrees.
"She just has some misunderstandings about you. We all recognize your contributions to Konoha."
Facing his friend's silent condemnation, Hiruzen finally relented and put the pipe away.
Seriously.
Fine, I won't smoke—but why are you glaring at me like that?
"You're too lenient with her! The same goes for Jiraiya and Orochimaru! Look at what they've become now!"
Koharu and Homura also sat down on the sofa. Hearing Hiruzen's attempt to downplay the issue, Koharu immediately refuted him without hesitation.
Jiraiya was carefree and undisciplined, disregarding the regulations for Konoha's ninja.
Every time he left on a mission, he used intelligence gathering as an excuse to wander around searching for the so-called "Child of Prophecy" for Mount Myōboku, often going missing for long periods.
Tsunade was lazy and hot-tempered, frequently skipping high-level meetings, sneaking out of Konoha to drink and gamble.
Wasn't it just because her lover had died shortly after she gave him a keepsake? It had been so many years since his death—was she really going to stay in a slump forever?
And then there was Orochimaru.
Sure, he accepted missions diligently, but as soon as he returned, he locked himself in his lab, obsessed with researching ninjutsu, unable to extricate himself. If this continued, something bad was bound to happen sooner or later.
"Tsunade is still young. It's natural for her to have some flaws. Considering her grandfather and our teacher, you should be more tolerant."
Once again, Hiruzen skillfully avoided addressing the issues with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, merely acknowledging a minor flaw in Tsunade's behavior.
He even brought up Hashirama and Tobirama, hoping Koharu would let the matter slide. But he had clearly underestimated the years of pent-up frustration and anger his old teammates had accumulated.
"Being young is no excuse for her laziness and decadence! The achievements of the First Hokage and our teacher are not her license to act recklessly! As their descendant, she should serve as an example for the other—"
Boom!
The hospital room's door was violently blasted off its hinges. The warped, mangled door flew straight toward Koharu, who was seated on the sofa.
As a former member of the Second Hokage's elite bodyguard squad and once among the top jonin, Koharu, who had just turned fifty-one, had significantly declined in power but was not yet as old and frail as she would become in the Shippuden era.
Instinctively, she lashed out with a whip kick, barely managing to deflect the warped door panel.
Staggering, she retreated to the window of the hospital room.
Buzz—!
A massive swarm of parasitic insects instantly covered the hospital bed.
Danzō watched as the twisted door panel embedded itself deep within the writhing insect swarm, stopping less than ten centimeters from his head. Only then did his bristling hairs slowly settle.
His gaze swept over Tsunade, who had just kicked in the door, and Koharu, who was still fuming with anger.
He almost couldn't suppress the killing intent surging within him. They all knew he had been ambushed. Any slight disturbance around him could be a sign of an attack aimed at his head. And yet, these two women were causing a commotion inside the hospital room?!
Did they have water for brains? Ok, that was the wrong question because the human brain was about 73–80% water.
Were they actually thinking of using this chance to get rid of him?
Standing a step behind Tsunade, Kei looked through the now-empty doorway. Seeing the collapsed door panel and the swarm of parasitic insects covering the hospital bed, he sighed regretfully.
Danzō really had a knack for survival!
His gaze shifted to the side, where a Root member had blocked the flying door panel with his insects. The ninja's presence was so faint that he merely stood silently in the corner, almost blending into the background.
Kei quickly understood.
Based on the timeline, this should be Aburame Tatsuma—the man Danzō would later see as his right-hand man after the Third Great Ninja War.
Still young but quite strong—probably superior to many of Konoha's jonin.
As Kei took stock of the people in the room, Tsunade's forehead throbbed with bulging veins, and the blue-colored Yin Seal on her forehead darkened instantly.
"That's enough!"
"Which part of what I said was wrong?!" Koharu discreetly flexed her slightly numb right leg but refused to back down even an inch.
Even though Tsunade was now far stronger than her, she still didn't think she was wrong!
Seeing the tense standoff about to erupt into a real fight, Hiruzen hurriedly stepped between them, seamlessly taking on the role of mediator.
"Tsunade, Koharu just spoke a little harshly. You know how she is—she's never had any ill will toward you."
"And Koharu, we all watched Tsunade grow up. Of course, we hope she'll become even better, but even as elders, we need to be mindful of our approach…"
"Tsunade, we're already old. The future of Konoha rests on your generation's shoulders. We worry about the future, which is why we hold you to a higher standard…"
"The First and Second Hokage entrusted the village's future to us. Naturally, we worry about whether we've done enough, whether we've done well enough…"
Hiruzen's endless speech, filled with genuine concern, gradually softened Tsunade's stance.
Homura stood to the side, nodding in agreement. Even Koharu, who had been holding her ground stubbornly, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and gradually eased her expression. The only exception was Danzō, who continued watching coldly, a mocking smirk tugging at his lips.
If anyone knows how to talk his way out of things, it's the Third Hokage!
Kei watched in admiration as the atmosphere quickly defused under Hiruzen's "Talk no Jutsu." His ability to smooth things over was truly impressive. If you had any emotional connection to Konoha, how could you not be swayed by his words?
And that's why he is Hokage!
Danzō, take notes!
…Huh?
Facial expressions! Manage your facial expressions!
Seeing Danzō's mocking expression, Kei immediately realized that his own face wasn't quite right either.
He quickly put his acting skills to work, flawlessly mirroring Homura's solemn expression.