Uchiha Fugaku wanted to participate, but he was not qualified to attend.
"Yes."
Things appeared to be serious, and the Anbu ninja left in a hurry.
After the Anbu operatives departed, the Third Hokage finally found an opportunity to speak.
"Tsunade, what happened? Should we notify the elders for an emergency council?"
"You all did a great job."
Throwing the scroll retrieved from the Daimyo's Mansion onto the Third Hokage's desk, Tsunade slumped on the sofa. She needed to rest for a moment before the arrival of the Elders.
Great job?
The Third Hokage silently questioned this in his heart. He had recently maintained diligence and caution in every action and had done nothing, not even against the Uchiha. He was truly puzzled.
The Third Hokage eagerly opened the scroll and began to examine its contents.
Something serious must have occurred. Tsunade would not have rushed back to the village without even notifying anyone in advance if it were otherwise. It was clear she had returned urgently and, upon entering the Hokage's office, immediately ordered the Anbu to summon the village elders for an emergency council.
"Oh..."
Seeing the Third Hokage carefully reading the scroll, Tsunade chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Let's see if this doesn't scare the hell out of you."
"This is absolutely impossible!!"
As Tsunade expected, within seconds, the Third Hokage leapt from his chair as if a spring had been released under him. His face, wrinkled and marked with age, turned pale in an instant.
His pupils trembled violently—clear signs of the shock overtaking him.
"Who did this?! Who betrayed the village and leaked these classified records?!"
The shocking contents of the scroll made the Third Hokage feel as though he had plummeted into a deep abyss. Had the scroll not been brought back by Tsunade herself, he wouldn't have believed that such confidential information had been so thoroughly exposed.
"Could it be Danzo?"
No—Danzo wouldn't make such a foolish move that would bury himself.
Even if he were under surveillance or cornered, he wouldn't resort to something so blatantly self-destructive.
"Orochimaru, then?"
Caught between disbelief and fury, the Third Hokage could not stop himself from speculating.
The suspicion toward Danzo was small, so he shifted his suspicion directly to Orochimaru. A large portion of the experimental records listed in the scroll had been executed or overseen by Orochimaru. Danzo was the mastermind, but it had been Orochimaru who bore the brunt of the blame.
"Is that really the issue here?"
Tsunade suddenly roared.
"It's bad enough someone betrayed the village by leaking intel, and I do want to find that person. But old man—don't you see how ridiculous this is?
The village committed atrocities in secret, and you and Danzo had the audacity to say it was for Konoha's sake!"
"Would Konoha cease to exist without Mokuton?"
What enraged Tsunade the most wasn't that experiments were carried out using the cells of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. She knew some of those experiments had existed long ago—after all, the Will of Tobirama Senju had been inherited by both the Third and Danzo.
Those actions had long since passed, and she could at least accept that much.
But what then?
Using battlefield orphans for the experiments?
Even Konoha's own citizens and shinobi weren't spared?
How deranged was this?
"You claimed the experiments were shut down! So why are they still ongoing?
War orphans, civilians, and even shinobi from Konoha have been subjected to this horror. Is Mokuton really that important?!"
Tsunade's eyes reddened with fury as she shouted. The Third Hokage was drenched in cold sweat. He quickly placed the scroll down and raised his hand to explain.
"Tsunade, please believe me. I've made many mistakes in my time, but I swear I ordered all Mokuton-related research halted. I know nothing about any further experiments."
"So everything was Orochimaru's doing?"
Tsunade sneered coldly.
Could that even be true?
Did Orochimaru have the power to sustain such an operation on his own?
These kinds of experiments required massive financial support. Not to mention the costly medical equipment and specialized drugs—Orochimaru wouldn't have been able to fund such experiments alone.
Tsunade could not believe the village had no involvement.
"It's the truth."
The Third Hokage smiled bitterly.
He truly was unaware of Orochimaru's continued research. However, he had known that Danzo had been involved. Danzo had manipulated the situation so that Orochimaru took the full fall.
It was a scandal of such magnitude that the Third Hokage didn't dare let it spread. To the public, Orochimaru had simply defected—becoming a missing-nin.
Everything else had been buried.
And the funding?
It had come directly from the village's Finance and Logistics Departments. Danzo, at that time, had authority to redirect funds and resources from logistics.
The two elder advisors had even provided support.
"Heh..."
Tsunade exhaled deeply, fighting to control the fury raging inside her. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to stop herself from punching the Third Hokage in the face.
Clack!
At that moment, the window of the Hokage's office opened, and Jiraiya poked his head in from the windowsill. Upon seeing Tsunade's fiery glare and the Third Hokage's uneasy expression, he instinctively tensed his legs, scratched his head, and let out a dry laugh.
"Did I... come at the wrong time?"
"Come in."
Tsunade's sudden return from the Daimyo's mansion—and with such classified intel—meant the matter couldn't be suppressed any longer.
The Third Hokage gave up on maintaining the cover and handed the scroll to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya cautiously leapt into the office, staying close to the window in case he needed a fast escape.
While reading the scroll, he kept one eye on Tsunade. If she showed even the slightest intent to lash out, he could jump out immediately.
Even when not at fault, his instincts told him it was best to stay ready. After all, Tsunade's punches were not something anyone wanted to receive.
But within seconds, all of Jiraiya's defenses melted away.
As he scanned the contents of the scroll, he looked up in disbelief at the Third Hokage, then at Tsunade, whose arms were folded and expression dark.
His heart sank.
Could this really be true?
"Hahaha..."
With a dry laugh, he tried to break the tension.
"Old man, it's early... don't mess with me like this. Naruto still has school, and I was just about to take him out for breakfast..."
"Are you blind, or just stupid? You think this is some kind of joke?"
Tsunade barely held back her rage, glaring at him fiercely.
Jiraiya instantly tossed the scroll aside and ducked behind the Third Hokage, peeking out from behind him.
"Tsunade, calm down! Let's talk about this!"
"Hmph!"
"Ask the old man. They've done a spectacular job. Now that it's blown up in their faces, the scroll you just read was purchased by the Daimyo through the bounty network. And odds are, daimyos from every other country got the same thing."
The situation had spiraled beyond control.
Jiraiya opened his mouth, wanting to deny it.
"Old man, please... tell me it's fake. Say this scroll is just fabricated."
"I wish it were fake."
Tsunade stared coldly at the Third Hokage, waiting to see how he'd defend himself.
Facing his disciple's plea, the Third Hokage opened his mouth but couldn't form the words.
He had nothing to say.
Only silence remained—for silence was its own confirmation.
Most of the scroll's contents were true. Only a few details had been exaggerated or altered.
But that no longer mattered. Whether minor portions were false made no difference. The core of the accusations stood firm.
The Third Hokage could not justify himself.
He chose silence, which in turn, was his admission.
Tsunade sat down again on the sofa, consumed by disappointment. Jiraiya felt his head throbbing.
Why even continue such experiments?
Why desecrate the legacy of the First Hokage?
Even that could've been overlooked—but experimenting on orphans? On villagers? On their own shinobi?
This had crossed every imaginable line.
The contents of the scroll were horrifying. What the village had done was monstrous—devoid of any trace of humanity.
It was no surprise Tsunade was enraged. Even Jiraiya now looked at the Third Hokage with a heart full of disillusionment.
The Hokage's office was now dead silent.
Tsunade was furious.
The Third Hokage, full of shame and remorse.
Jiraiya, gripped by complex emotions and bitterness.
"Hi no Kuni's Daimyo summoned us so early—is there a pressing matter?"
Suddenly, the elders of the advisory council arrived. Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane entered the Hokage's office.
They both froze as soon as they stepped in.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Tsunade was like a barely-contained volcano, emitting waves of invisible heat and rage. One could almost see the flames.
Jiraiya stood off to the side, his head lowered in deep gloom.
"Let's wait for everyone to arrive before we begin."
After a pause, the Third Hokage decided against explaining anything yet. He would reveal the full truth once all key individuals had assembled.
The council had been summoned before sunrise.
Uchiha Fugaku was anxious, filled with anticipation. Anxious that perhaps—for once—Uchiha would not be excluded from such a crucial meeting.
And hopeful...
That perhaps…
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