Kurama Yakumo—a girl possessing a special kekkei genkai that could manifest genjutsu into reality.
Even Kurenai herself might not stand a chance against her.
Back when the demon inside Yakumo hadn't been dealt with, she was already formidable. Now that it was resolved, her strength had only grown.
With her joining Aoba's team, Natsuki could rest easy.
Well, Aoba was reliable too—but having one more powerful teammate was always better.
Sakura, who overheard some of the conversation, quickly spoke up. "Tsunade-sama, Team 7 is short one member too. How will that be handled? Or maybe... maybe Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei, and I could just go as a three-man team?"
"No!" Tsunade rejected the idea outright. "You can't even form proper formations with just three people. I'll make arrangements for a replacement. You just wait."
Sakura had no retort.
In truth, she was hoping to team up with just Sasuke—to use the opportunity to get closer to him.
Clearly, she hadn't grown up yet. Still caught up in her crush, she didn't realize how dangerous this mission truly was. A three-person formation wasn't just inefficient—it was risky. More importantly, she was a medic-nin with limited combat ability. Without an additional teammate, there'd be no one to protect her if things went south.
With everyone's roles assigned, the group dispersed to prepare for the coming operation—it was clearly imminent.
Natsuki and Tenten returned to the ninja tools shop to inform the owner of their upcoming mission. Though they didn't give him the specifics, the moment he heard Natsuki would be going too, he relaxed completely.
Having a laid-back father-in-law was... actually a blessing.
Otherwise, he'd worry himself into a depression.
After sharing a bit of intimacy with Tenten back in their room, Natsuki packed up his gear and disappeared in a flash of Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God).
While everyone else was unaware, the long-absent Danzo suddenly appeared in the Hokage's office. His face, already aged, looked even more sinister.
"Tsunade, I heard you're planning to assign someone new to Team 7," Danzo said bluntly.
"Danzo, what scheme are you up to this time?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the old weasel.
"No need for hostility. Everything I do is for the village's sake. Sure, my methods are darker, but those dark methods helped Konoha get to where it is today. Just ask Hiruzen."
Ask a dead man?
Danzo, are you suffering from brain damage?
"Oh, you mean sending people to steal Kakuzu's corpse and digging up Hidan's mangled remains—all for your twisted immortality experiments? That 'for the village's sake'?" Tsunade mocked him directly.
"Of course," Danzo said without shame.
To him, as long as he didn't die, and could eventually become Hokage, Konoha would thrive. Everything he did was for the village—what could possibly be wrong with that?
Trying to reason with Danzo was pointless. His selfishness ran deep—he simply couldn't see it.
Tsunade's face darkened. "What are you trying to pull this time?"
"I have someone suitable. Let him join Team 7."
Tsunade's glare sharpened. "You used to collude with Orochimaru. Is this you trying to get something from him through this mission? I'm telling you now—it won't happen."
But Danzo was confident. "You'll agree to it."
"I'm the Hokage. Don't think you can order me around!" Tsunade snapped.
Danzo didn't get angry. He didn't raise his voice. He simply stood there, calm, collected—as though everything was going just as planned.
And then the door opened.
In walked Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
"Tsunade," Homura said, "just let Danzo have this one. It's just one person being added to Team 7—what's the big deal?"
Tsunade's temper flared. "You two old fossils, again?!"
At their age, they should be retired, not meddling in politics!
No doubt Danzo had bribed them with promises of some kind. Otherwise, why would they so suddenly back him?
Tsunade clenched her fists. She really wanted to smash all three of these old bastards... but she knew better. These three held deep roots in Konoha—starting a public fight would destabilize the village.
Instead, she composed herself and responded, "Fine. Adding one person isn't impossible. But I want Shizune promoted to director of Konoha Hospital—and I want Shikamaru assigned as the Hokage's strategy advisor."
"You—Tsunade, you're extorting us!" Koharu and Homura blurted, caught off guard.
Koharu had long controlled the medical department, and the hospital director was her loyalist. It was a pillar of her influence. As for Homura, he handled much of Konoha's administration, with the advisory team stacked with his own people. Now Tsunade wanted to put her own people in and strip them of power.
Tsunade sneered. "Extorting? You're the ones extorting me! This mission is about eliminating Orochimaru, a threat to the very survival of Konoha. Danzo clearly wants something from Orochimaru's lair—and you two, having taken his offer, now want to force me into it? Dream on!"
Danzo's face contorted. This little girl dared to call him an old weasel to his face?
So much for respecting elders. Was this how Hiruzen raised his students?
Koharu and Homura looked like they were having heart attacks. They never imagined Tsunade would push back so hard. They were clearly uncomfortable.
Her message was simple: give up some power or shut up and stay out of it.
In the past, for minor things, she let them meddle. But this was Orochimaru they were dealing with. There was no way she'd let them interfere.
Arms crossed, Tsunade waited patiently as the three elders silently fumed.
Eventually, they caved—mostly because Danzo kept signaling them with desperate eye twitches.
Koharu and Homura finally growled through clenched teeth, "Fine! Shizune will be appointed hospital director. Shikamaru will become a strategic advisor. Is that enough?"
"Perfect," Tsunade smiled. "Now then, Danzo, who are you trying to plant into Team 7?"
Tsunade had a pretty good idea.
Danzo's research into immortality had likely hit a wall. He probably wanted something from Orochimaru—data, artifacts, or samples—and needed a spy embedded in the team. Most likely, he'd offered Homura and Koharu something similar in return for their support.
After all, the power-hungry F3 would do anything to escape death. The allure of immortality was simply too tempting.
Danzo grinned. "The candidate is Sai IV—a genius from the former Root."
(End of Chapter)
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