"Although you haven't been in Konoha for many years, you must be aware that Orochimaru defected from the village over a decade ago, right?"
Of course, she knew.
Orochimaru's experiments on forbidden techniques had caused a massive upheaval, not just in Konoha but throughout the entire Land of Fire. There was no way she wouldn't have heard about it.
Even after returning to Konoha this time, she had seen firsthand the consequences of Orochimaru's legacy. The only surviving subject of his human experiments, the boy who inherited her grandfather Hashirama Senju's Wood Release, had now grown into a man—Yamato, the current captain of Anbu.
Just a few days ago, he had come to visit her in person.
So it was true. Shimura Danzo had transplanted her grandfather's cells.
If it was for the sake of suppressing the rejection from the Sharingan he had acquired… then that meant—
"Even after Orochimaru defected, the village never truly stopped experimenting with Hashirama's cells."
Kazuki stated what Tsunade didn't even dare to think aloud.
"What…?"
Tsunade's face instantly turned pale. She gripped Kazuki's arm tightly, momentarily overcome with panic.
"We have to inform Sensei immediately! Sarutobi-sensei would never allow something like this to continue! He would never tolerate Danzo's twisted methods!"
But Kazuki simply shook his head and sighed.
"Tsunade, you're too naive. Do you really think something like this could happen behind his back without his knowledge? The Third Hokage… Do you honestly believe he didn't know?"
"What are you saying…?"
Tsunade felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her mind reeling from the implication.
Tsunade's shock was something Kazuki had long anticipated.
"Even though I fought Danzo tonight, it isn't enough to prove that he was behind everything. But in reality, this doesn't even need to be proven."
"You don't honestly think Sarutobi Hiruzen believes Shimura Jogawa was the mastermind behind tonight's events, do you?"
"You mean…?" Tsunade's voice wavered.
"Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that everything tonight was orchestrated by Danzo. The members of Root were all personally trained by him. Even though Root was officially disbanded, its members have always operated in the shadows, carrying out Danzo's orders."
"He just doesn't want to hold Danzo accountable."
"So… Shimura Jogawa was just a scapegoat?" Tsunade could hardly believe it.
"Exactly." Kazuki nodded.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen's punishment of Shimura Jogawa was nothing more than a warning—a message to Danzo that he wasn't pleased with his actions. But even though he knows Danzo is responsible for all of this, he'll never truly punish him."
"Why? Why? I don't understand!"
Tsunade was visibly shaken. Everything Kazuki had told her tonight was overwhelming.
"Sarutobi-sensei knows this is wrong! He knows Danzo has been operating in the shadows, manipulating events for his own gain! So why does he keep protecting him? Why does he let him run rampant in Konoha?!"
Kazuki sighed.
"Because Sarutobi Hiruzen is too hesitant.
Danzo is his former friend and his most trusted right-hand man. Even though Sarutobi knows what he's doing, he isn't willing to eliminate him."
In Kazuki's eyes, despite being Konoha's longest-serving Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen was its most flawed leader.
He had completely misunderstood the Will of Fire—the legacy that Hashirama Senju had entrusted to Konoha.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns."
"The fire's shadow illuminates the village, allowing new leaves to sprout."
The First and Second Hokage had dedicated their lives to Konoha's peace.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had spent his life believing he was upholding that peace.
But unlike them, he lacked the resolve to make the difficult choices needed to truly protect the village.
Because he kept looking forward and backward, hesitating,
he was never able to make the right decisions at critical moments.
This led to one regrettable incident after another in Konoha Village.
If he had firmly supported Tsunade's idea and integrated medical ninjas into every team, perhaps Nawaki wouldn't have died on the battlefield due to the delay in treatment.
If he had taken decisive action when he discovered Orochimaru's forbidden experiments, listened to the Ape Demon, and killed Orochimaru on the spot, perhaps countless lives could have been spared from war and suffering.
If, when the Nine-Tails attacked, it had been Hiruzen Sarutobi instead of the Fourth Hokage who sacrificed himself to seal the beast, perhaps under Minato's continued leadership, Konoha would be a different place today.
If, during the Hyuga Affair, instead of bowing to the pressure of the Hidden Cloud and allowing the sacrifice of Hizashi Hyuga, he had defended the Hyuga Clan's innocence, perhaps the tragedy of Neji's father would have never occurred.
To seek true peace,
One cannot merely avoid war and retreat blindly.
A leader must stand by their principles and act decisively.
When a threat arises, it must be dealt with swiftly and without hesitation.
But because Hiruzen Sarutobi was shackled by his own indecision,
Konoha was left in turmoil.
The Sannin abandoned the village,
The Fourth Hokage perished,
Hizashi Hyuga sacrificed himself,
Uchiha Itachi was forced to annihilate his clan.
On the surface, none of these events seem to be directly linked to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Yet, in truth, it was his failure as a leader—his inability to take a stand—that led to these repeated tragedies.
Even now, despite knowing that Danzo was behind the night's conspiracy,
he would never truly pursue the matter.
Instead, after Danzo conveniently introduced a scapegoat—Shimura Jogawa—
Hiruzen would consider the case closed.
"Damn it! How could this happen?!"
Tsunade slammed the table, her chest rising and falling with fury.
"I feel like marching straight to Danzo's house and beating that old bastard into the ground!"
Then, as if remembering something,
she suddenly turned to Kazuki with a strange look.
"So… why did you leave early tonight? And what's your connection to Danzo?"
Kazuki answered truthfully, "Danzo brought a group of men and headed toward my home. I suspected they were planning something against my family, so I intercepted them before they could get there."
"The northwest street… was that your doing?" Tsunade's eyes widened.
"Shimura Jogawa's son, Shimura Shimokawa—don't tell me you killed him too?"
"Shimura Shimokawa? I don't know."
Kazuki shook his head calmly.
"If he was among them, then he's dead. Tonight, aside from Danzo, who used Izanagi to escape, everyone else was slaughtered."
Gulp.
Tsunade swallowed hard.
Then, almost unconsciously, she gave Kazuki a thumbs-up.
"I just realized… you're the real ruthless one."
Danzo picked the wrong fight.
That was his misfortune.
From Tsunade's perspective, Kazuki was now an even more terrifying force in Konoha than her old sensei.
"But Shimura Jogawa is still locked up. If he finds out you killed his son, he won't let this go," Tsunade said, almost amused.
"As for Danzo, I'll make sure to beat the hell out of him later."
"No need," Kazuki said, a faint smile on his lips.
"I've already taken my revenge."
"…How?"
Tsunade suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She quickly picked up her cup and took a sip of water to steady herself.
Somehow, she had a bad feeling about what Kazuki would say next…
"I burned the entire Shimura compound."
Pfft—!
Tsunade spat out her water.
Then, in one swift motion, she leaped onto the wall and looked toward the Shimura district.
Sure enough, in the distance, flames roared into the sky, lighting up the night.
Even from across the village, the inferno was unmistakable.
Tsunade had been too preoccupied escorting Jogawa to prison and rushing back to Kazuki's house to notice.
Now, the reality of it hit her like a hammer.
She turned back to Kazuki, her eyes filled with a mix of shock and horror.
At that moment, she finally understood—
There were many dangerous people in this village.
But one person you must never provoke…
Was Kazuki.
Visit patreon.com/shirokendama for more chapters