Naruto: The Otsutsuki Naruto

The door swung open, and Tsunade stepped out, her face etched with exhaustion. She turned to Sasuke and said, "The surgery was a tentative success. Once his spinal column heals, he'll regain sensation below the second thoracic vertebra. Additionally, I've removed all cells from his body except his own and Orochimaru's. Those peculiar abilities he had before—he shouldn't be able to use them anymore."

What Tsunade referred to were the powers of the Sound Four.

In truth, she had wanted to completely remove Orochimaru's cells as well, but they had already invaded Kabuto's body entirely. Forcibly removing them would have been a death sentence for him.

Sasuke stood up, breaking free from the shackles on his wrists and ankles. He removed the blindfold over his eyes and retrieved a vial of Kabuto's blood from his ninja pouch. Dipping his fingers in the blood, he formed hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation!"

Boom!

A coffin rose from the ground. Its lid fell forward, and from it emerged the reanimated Might Guy.

Sasuke walked into the room and hoisted the heavily bandaged Kabuto Yakushi onto his shoulder.

Crack!

Lightning split the ceiling. Sasuke leapt onto the roof, his figure illuminated by the storm.

"Tsunade, you saved Kabuto this time, and years ago, you treated me after Itachi's Tsukuyomi. I owe you a debt of gratitude. As long as you remain Hokage, I will not strike against Konoha. That is my promise. Farewell."

Swish!

Sasuke leapt to the ground on the other side of the house. Carrying Kabuto, he disappeared into the forest, his silhouette fading into the distance.

The guards stepped forward. "Hokage-sama, are we really going to let him go like this?"

Tsunade replied firmly, "If they honor their promise, we cannot break ours."

She then pulled out a scroll and handed it to the captain of the guard. "This contains the location Kabuto provided for a surviving Senju orphan. Time is of the essence—bring him back immediately."

The captain accepted the scroll, though skepticism lingered in his eyes. "Could this be a trap?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Even just reanimating Might Guy would have been enough leverage for them to demand concessions. Yet they didn't withhold this information, which shows sincerity. But remain vigilant. Report back to me at the first sign of trouble."

"Understood, Hokage-sama!" The guards saluted and dispersed.

Tsunade turned her gaze to Shikaku Nara. "Did you have a heart-to-heart with Sasuke?"

Shikaku exhaled slowly. "Not exactly a heart-to-heart. I offered him a few words of advice, along with a bit of personal bias. If he takes my words to heart, the threat he poses to Konoha should remain manageable. At the very least, those uninvolved in the Uchiha massacre won't suffer his wrath."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Uninvolved? Are you suggesting Sasuke might redirect his vengeance toward the two advisors?"

Shikaku gave a faint smile. "I didn't explicitly suggest that. How he interprets my words is beyond my control."

Tsunade frowned. "That's reckless. While Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane may be conservative and stubborn, they were heroes of past ninja wars. If they choose to retire peacefully in Konoha, it's our duty to ensure their safety."

Click. Shikaku lit a cigarette, his voice low. "But there's intelligence suggesting that Homura and Koharu have been colluding with remnants of Root, attempting to install a new Hokage."

Tsunade's expression turned grim. "Is that true? Where did this information come from?"

Shikaku replied, "Not from me—I'm not that resourceful. It was one of Naruto's clones. While acting on your behalf during those three months, he was deeply concerned about Hinata's situation in Konoha. After learning that the two advisors had previously advocated sealing Hinata's powers, he began monitoring them. He noticed some suspicious activity but was unable to investigate further due to the war with Obito."

Tsunade's face darkened. "So it's true."

Shikaku nodded. "We don't have concrete evidence yet, so we can't act against them. But if their betrayal is confirmed, they will have effectively turned their backs on Konoha. Even then, given their past contributions, we won't throw them into a death cell. Exile would be the most severe punishment. However, if Sasuke seeks vengeance against them, Konoha would have no grounds to protect them."

Shikaku didn't spell it out, but the implications were clear.

Using Sasuke to eliminate those Konoha couldn't publicly deal with would both rid the village of traitors and provide an outlet for Sasuke's hatred, potentially resolving his conflict with Konoha at its root.

A plan that killed two birds with one stone.

Shikaku added thoughtfully, "Of course, this strategy carries some risk. I'd prefer if those two could maintain their dignity in their twilight years. After all, they've made significant contributions to Konoha. But if we're wrong and they're innocent, and Sasuke insists on killing them, we'll have to rely on Naruto to handle this troublesome young master."

Tsunade sighed deeply. "For now, we have no choice."

Somewhere in the Land of Fire.

Two figures clad in black cloaks arrived at a desolate mountain range.

Before them, a swarm of insects gathered, forming the outline of a humanoid figure. A deep voice demanded, "The passphrase."

"The darkness is eternal; the Root shall endure."

"Enter."

The mountain wall before them disintegrated—it had been a façade created by the insects.

The two figures proceeded into a stone chamber at the end of the passage. Removing their hoods revealed two elderly individuals with white hair—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the advisors of Konoha.

Seated before them was a man cloaked in black, even within the dim lair. His hood and sunglasses obscured much of his face, but the faintly visible side profile was strikingly sharp. A purple mark adorned the right side of his face.

"I've been expecting you, esteemed advisors. Please, have a seat."

The man was Ryoma Aburame, a former partner of Orochimaru during their time in Root and one of Danzo's most deeply hidden trump cards.

Homura and Koharu took their seats as candlelight flickered to life.

Ryoma asked, "You weren't followed, were you?"

Homura replied, "While we haven't fought in years, our ninja skills and instincts remain sharp. Such a basic mistake is beneath us."

Koharu added, "Speaking of which, is it true that Amegakure has targeted you?"

Ryoma nodded. "It's true. I was quite surprised myself. Take a look at this."

Tap, tap.

From the shadows behind him, two ninja emerged with vacant expressions.

Homura and Koharu were stunned. "Are they...?"

The two were none other than Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune, elite members of Root who had been subdued by Naruto using Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.

After a moment of shock, Homura asked, "I recall they were reanimated by Kabuto during the war. After being intercepted by Tsunade's forces, they vanished. How did they end up with you?"

Ryoma smirked. "Konoha secretly handed them over to Amegakure. There, Naruto Uzumaki used Shisui's eye technique to control them and sent them to track me down. Unfortunately for him, he underestimated me. These two were no match for me and are now under my control via my venomous insects."

Homura scowled. "To think the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki has colluded with Amegakure to such an extent. It's utterly disgraceful."

Koharu's expression darkened. "Tsunade has truly overstepped. Ignoring the Daimyō's directives, she's sidelined us from the core decision-making circle. She thinks she can do as she pleases without oversight. We didn't want to go this far, but if left unchecked, she'll ruin everything the previous generations built. We must take extreme measures to remove her from power and appoint a new Hokage."

Ryoma's lips curled into a sly smile. "That brings us to the question: how will you dethrone Tsunade? And more importantly, who will you choose as the next Hokage? No matter what, there's one person you can't avoid—Konoha's strongest asset, the Hyūga heiress, Hinata Hyūga."

Homura and Koharu exchanged glances before replying in unison, "That is precisely why we're here. Ryoma, we need your skills!"

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~ 

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