Naruto: Two opponents versus Naruto, Konoha panics!

Temari: "The legendary Sannin...are they coming back?"

Tenten: "It must be because of Aunt Kushina."

Sakura Haruno: "Unexpected, yet reasonable."

Hashirama Senju: Hahaha~

Hashirama Senju: Tsuna really is back. Kushina wasn't lying.

I heard Hashirama Senju's laughter.

Many people looked strange.

This person... is indeed a bit of a ditz.

"Lord Hokage."

[On their way to the Root organization's underground base.]

[Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face contorted with rage, patiently endured the commotion behind him.]

【"explain."】

[Whether internally or outwardly, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not at peace, so he simply stopped pretending.]

Such a grand display clearly indicates that bloodshed is inevitable.

Regardless of whether it has any connection to Danzo, it still has to go.

This is no longer something that can be resolved by simply calling over your best buddy to have a few words exchanged.

If drastic measures are not taken, the atmosphere of panic in the village will likely only worsen.

So, I guess I'll have to make do with my best friend for now.

Of course, whether she truly felt wronged remains to be seen.

"Lord Hokage."

"Urgent intelligence has arrived... Lady Tsunade... seems to have left Tanabata Town."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's fierce expression diminished considerably.

[Frowning, he said unhappily, "So what if they left? Is that all?"]

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's displeasure, the ANBU ninja wearing the animal mask quickly replied, "The direction they left in... seems to be back to Konoha."

【"oh?"】

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible hint of apprehension flashing in his cloudy, bloodshot eyes.

"Tsunade? Back to the village?"

It murmured, then stopped.

Its stop immediately triggered a chain reaction, with numerous hidden ANBU ninjas slowing down.

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand.

Instantly, all the ANBU ninjas received the order and stopped in their tracks.

【"confirm?"】

"Yes, Hokage. The ninja who sent back the information has confirmed it multiple times; it is indeed Lady Tsunade...she has returned with Shizune."

"If we don't change course, we'll be heading back to Konoha."

"The ninjas who have been secretly monitoring Lady Tsunade... found nothing. It seems to be a decision made on a whim by Lady Tsunade."

"Observing from a distance, even Silent seemed somewhat puzzled."

[Upon hearing this.]

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened.

"You may leave now." Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and waved his hand.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

[Whoosh—]

Immediately, the ANBU ninja who reported the information vanished in a flash.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood still, deep in thought.

Why did you suddenly come back?

"Is it because too many things have happened lately?"

"Coming back at this time...is not a good sign."

[Did they come back to confront us?]

It's unlikely.

So much happened back then... and she left Konoha without a word.

[He also said he would never return to Konoha.]

It seems...they really are coming back.

Kushina Uzumaki: "Tsunade-neechan...it's good that you're back. Why did you have to leave?"

Kushina Uzumaki: "If Tsunade had been in Konoha back then, maybe those guys wouldn't have dared to be so reckless!"

Tsunade: "Sigh... Alright, Kushina, stop talking."

Tsunade: "Save your energy; killing those guys is the real goal."

Neither Tobirama Senju nor Hashirama Senju spoke again.

The beloved granddaughter was forced to leave Konoha.

Now it seems that returning to Konoha has become her fault.

How could this not make them angry?

However, now that things have come to this, even Tobirama Senju doesn't want to waste any more breath on those guys.

Needless to say, Hashirama Senju was another one of them.

I don't laugh as often anymore.

As for Minato Namikaze... he has been silent for a long time.

The character who changed the most was one of the main characters in the story.

Naruto Uzumaki.

He also became much quieter, and was no longer the carefree and optimistic person he once was.

As he continued to speculate, Hiruzen Sarutobi inevitably recalled the recent events.

[His facial expression changed unpredictably.]

Finally, he shook his head helplessly.

"Let's go back."

There's nothing we can do.

This is the only decision we can make for now.

【Tolerate!】

[I couldn't bear it, there was no other way.]

Tsunade will be back soon.

[If they were to confront her, given Tsunade's status and the fact that she's been away for many years... if they were to really take it very seriously...]

[This is something no one else can compare to.]

If this isn't handled properly, he might even lose his position as Hokage.

After all, Tsunade's identity is far too special, and her strength should not be underestimated.

Although a fatal weakness has emerged, as long as Tsunade raises her arm, many will respond.

Even the powerful and influential, including the daimyo of the Land of Fire... will choose to turn a blind eye.

Of course, that's what Hiruzen Sarutobi thinks.

But in the eyes of the powerful and wealthy, it is not so.

Turning a blind eye is a mistake.

If Tsunade really does that, is she doing something wrong?

Who knows?

Regardless.

Having received the news, Hiruzen Sarutobi also had to give up on picking a fight with his best friend.

【no way.】

Regardless of Tsunade's motives for returning, it's something that would make her break her promise.

This must be treated with extreme caution.

However, such targeting cannot be achieved by it alone.

F4 is reuniting after a long time.

Danzo, the former Hokage's assistant, played a significant role.

[It could even be said that, most of the time, Danzo, who controlled this organization, was far more useful than the two Hokage advisors.]

Neither Koharu Utatane nor Homura Mitokado possessed this kind of power.

Even if it existed before, over the years, military power has long been devoured by the two best buddies, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.

Even the ninjas from their respective clans have been largely absorbed.

[It's either in the shadows or in the root organization.]

[And then... during missions, they were always among the ones suffering the heaviest casualties.]

[This is strikingly similar to the mysterious disappearance of the Thousand Hands.]

[Of course, not when they were still using the Senju surname, but after they joined Konoha... their identity was discovered. Or perhaps, there was no need to investigate; the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, might have left a list, and they could simply be assigned to the vanguard based on that list.]

Tobirama Senju: "Damn it!"

Tobirama Senju: "I did indeed leave behind a list back then!"

Tobirama Senju: "You damned monkey...you just wait!"

Hashirama Senju's expression changed upon hearing this.

According to the list, it was targeted at... the one who left the list was still his own little brother...

How could this not make him feel bad?

"Let's go back."

"This time... we'll let Danzo go for now."

"Otherwise, in the current situation, the Hokage alone might not be enough."