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[NTU] [ARC-20] Chapter : 260
🕑 Added 2025-02-17 15:49:26 +0000 UTC"Hana, have the security forces transfer Shimura Danzo to the Aburame clan leader," Toshiro ordered.
Seated in the Hokage’s office, he meticulously sorted through the information extracted from Danzo’s mind. With Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami, it wasn’t a difficult task.
As for Danzo’s fate, Toshiro had little interest. Whether the man lived or died was inconsequential to him. At the very least, he could let him experience the hospitality of the Aburame clan before his end.
Bang!
Before Hana could respond, the office door was flung open with force.
"Toshiro Uchiha, what the hell do you mean by this?!"
Even before he could fully register the intruder, his view was obstructed—by two huge obstacles.
Bang!
"As the Hokage's assistant, am I not even allowed to see a prisoner?"
Tsunade leaned forward, slamming her hands onto the Hokage’s desk, her piercing honey-brown eyes locking onto Toshiro.
Her expression was anything but pleasant—clearly, she was furious.
Of course, the notion of knocking before entering the Hokage’s office had never applied to Tsunade.
'Hmm. Just as expected—aggressive as ever.'
Glancing briefly at the 106 in front of him, Toshiro waved his hand, dismissing the Hokage Building staff who had been chasing after Tsunade.
"Tsunade, what the hell is wrong with you? If life’s too easy for you, I can arrange a mission," he said dryly.
His gaze lingered momentarily before he caught himself—was he under some kind of illusion? Quickly, he shifted his eyes upward.
"You want to see a prisoner? Who exactly?" Toshiro asked, his brow furrowing. "Don't tell me... Shimura Danzo?"
"I have no idea why you’d want to see him. He holds a wealth of classified information regarding Konoha’s security. By protocol, no visitors are allowed. Besides, he’s about to be executed. What business do you have with him?"
Toshiro couldn’t recall any significant connection between Tsunade and Danzo. As far as he knew, their paths had never crossed in any meaningful way.
"A friend of mine was one of his subordinates—I need to find out where she is," Tsunade responded, her tone sharp.
"And don’t try to brush me off with Konoha’s security as an excuse. Do I look like an ordinary civilian to you? I’m the new Hokage’s assistant, yet I can’t even see a prisoner?" She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Hmph!"
Toshiro snorted coldly, making his displeasure clear.
Tsunade had no real desire to be the Hokage’s assistant, but when her grandfather personally suggested it, refusing wasn’t an option. Now, she found herself constantly pestered by people, and being denied access to a dying prisoner was just another irritation pushing her to the edge.
"Friend?"
Toshiro eyed Tsunade with suspicion before his gaze inevitably drifted downward. He feigned deep thought for a moment, but as he shifted his focus back toward her, his view was once again obstructed by those towering peaks.
"Your friend… and a subordinate of Danzo’s?" His expression darkened slightly before realization dawned on him. Swallowing, he hesitantly asked, "Could it be Nono Yakushi?"
Among all of Danzo’s subordinates, the only one who might have ties to Tsunade was that enigmatic spy with medical ninjutsu.
"Do you have any news about her? Tell me now!"
Tsunade caught the way Toshiro was eyeing her and inwardly cursed him as a little pervert, but the moment he mentioned the Nono, all her irritation vanished. She immediately leaned forward, eager for any information.
"Dead."
Toshiro remained perfectly still, his tone devoid of emotion as he coldly uttered the word.
"What?!"
Tsunade's eyes widened in shock. "How could someone like her just die without a sound?"
She could hardly believe it. It had only been a few years since they last saw each other—how could someone so skilled simply vanish from the world?
"I know exactly how she died. I can tell you… but I have a condition."
Toshiro leaned back slightly, letting his gaze drift up and down Tsunade with a smirk that sent a shiver up her spine.
"What do you want?"
Feeling the intensity of his stare, Tsunade instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. The motion only made her already commanding presence even more imposing, but it didn’t stop the unease prickling at the back of her neck.
After a long while, Tsunade found herself alone in the Hokage’s office, staring blankly at the towering stack of documents in front of her.
She felt a bit lost. She had come here to ask about Nono’s whereabouts—so how had things taken such a turn?
This guy had only been Hokage for a few days… Had he not done any work at all? Otherwise, how could there be this much paperwork waiting for him?
"It's honestly surprising that he’d ask me to help with all of this."
Her thoughts suddenly drifted back to what her second grandfather had told her a few days ago.
"Tsunade, Uchiha are not to be trusted. You must keep a close eye on Uchiha Toshiro!"
She recalled the way he had looked at her when he emphasized the words keep an eye on him—a look filled with unspoken meaning.
Now that she thought about it, she must have misunderstood what he meant. Surely, when he told her to watch Uchiha Toshiro, he had meant it in a strictly literal sense… right?
Shaking off the unnecessary thoughts, Tsunade took charge, instructing the Hokage’s secretary while also summoning Shizune to the office.
Meanwhile, Toshiro was far from idle.
Upon returning to the Uchiha clan compound, he found himself face-to-face with Mei, accompanied by a young girl trailing behind her. For a moment, he was at a loss.
'Her name is Izumi, right? Is she here because of Itachi?'
Since she had come with Mei-nee, Toshiro couldn't be too indifferent. He gestured politely for her to take a seat.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Suddenly confronted with Toshiro, Izumi seemed nervous, her face pale as she spoke hesitantly.
"Itachi-kun… He won’t receive too harsh a punishment, will he?"
As Itachi’s lover, Uchiha Izumi had been both shocked and devastated upon hearing that he had betrayed the clan—going so far as to kill several of his own kin. The news had left her in turmoil, anxious and restless, like an ant on a hot pan.
There had been no news of Itachi for several days, prompting Izumi to seek out Mei, hoping she could take her to the Fifth Hokage to inquire about his fate.
"This… is a difficult matter," Toshiro admitted, accepting the hot tea Mei handed him as he gazed at the 13-year-old girl sitting across from him.
"Itachi has taken the lives of his own clansmen. If we simply let him go, it would be unjust to those who have fallen."
Regardless of whether Itachi had been influenced by Danzo and Hiruzen, the fact remained—he had killed members of his own clan. Toshiro couldn’t simply absolve him of guilt without consequence. Moreover, neither Fugaku nor Mikoto had approached him about Itachi’s situation, so why was this girl so anxious?
'She’s completely love-struck.'
"Toshiro, is there really no other way to resolve Itachi’s situation?"
Sitting beside Izumi, Mei gently held the distressed girl's hand in her arms before turning her gaze toward Toshiro.
"It’s not that I refuse to help," he sighed, "but Itachi took the life of one of our own. If there is no punishment—at least in the public eye—it would be impossible to justify to the clan."
Toshiro had to show some consideration for Mei-nee, but the reality remained—letting Itachi go without consequence would be deeply unjust to the innocent clan members who had lost their lives.
If Itachi had killed outsiders, Toshiro might have simply turned a blind eye, allowing the matter to fade away without much trouble. But this was different.
With a quiet sigh, Mei acknowledged the difficulty of the situation—it wasn’t just about any deaths, but the loss of their own people.
Seated across from Toshiro on the sofa, Mei found herself filled with pride. She recalled the little boy she once bathed as a child, never imagining that he would one day rise to the position of Hokage and rescue their clan from peril.
'He truly exceeded my expectations."
"If Izumi wants to help Itachi," Toshiro suggested, "she might consider working with Fugaku to support the families of those who have lost loved ones."
Due to Itachi's actions, Fugaku had stopped reporting to his duties in the security force. Instead, he had spent the past few days visiting the families of those killed by his son, seeking their forgiveness.
This was a condition set by Toshiro.
Regardless of everything else, given the power of Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan and the potential of his younger son, Sasuke, Toshiro had no real intention of punishing Itachi severely.
“…The village is currently at war with Kirigakure. I was wondering if Itachi could earn redemption by proving himself on the battlefield.”
Izumi cautiously glanced at Toshiro before finally voicing the true reason for her visit.
"When the time comes, I’m willing to go to the battlefield alongside him!"
After speaking, she turned to Mei, silently pleading for her support in convincing Toshiro.
Comments
Jose Miranda
Thanks for the chapter
