Sasuke finished speaking in one breath, his body tense.
The last time he questioned Yami like this, he had taken a heavy blow to the stomach. The pain was so bad he couldn't even go to the toilet that night.
But this time, he couldn't hold back.
During yesterday's village battle, he had clearly sensed chakra belonging to the Sharingan coming from several Anbu. Excited, Sasuke chased after them immediately, but a group of Suna shinobi intercepted him.
By the time he and Naruto finally defeated them with great difficulty, the Anbu had already vanished.
However, he remembered one of them very clearly, likely the only one in the entire Anbu unit wearing a pig-head mask. He had asked Shun about it, and the man had happened to be present at the time.
The moment he sensed the overwhelming chakra unique to the Sharingan, Sasuke's excitement was beyond words. So, even though he knew he might get beaten again for being reckless, he still rushed over without hesitation.
To his surprise, Yami didn't seem angry at all. He showed no sign of his usual dangerous smile. Instead, he just stroked his chin and fell into thought.
After a long moment, Yami finally said, "Oh, you mean her? That's your sensei's wife, Izumi. What's the issue?"
Sasuke: "...."
A vein bulged on Sasuke's forehead, and he gritted his teeth. "Yami-sensei, that person is a man!"
Yami waved it off casually. "Well, once you're out on a mission, your identity and gender are whatever you say they are. The Transformation Technique can handle it, right?"
Sasuke was nearly driven mad, but Yami's overwhelming strength forced him to stay calm.
He could only take a deep breath and said helplessly, "Yami-sensei, this is really important to me. Please stop teasing me."
"Besides Izumi-senpai, are there other survivors who escaped from Uchiha Itachi? Is Shun-sensei one of them?"
Sasuke hoped for a definite answer, but also felt conflicted.
He feared meeting those survivors. As Itachi's younger brother, he felt ashamed to face any remaining Uchiha. Even if they shared the same hatred for that man, he still felt unworthy.
That was why, even knowing Izumi had close ties to Yami, he had never dared to meet her.
"Sasuke."
Yami finally stopped joking, his smile vanishing. He spoke seriously, "I told you before. Sometimes knowing too much is a burden."
Sasuke didn't flinch. "Even if I die, I want the truth."
He stared straight into Yami's eyes, expressing his determination.
"…Then I'll tell you one thing."
Yami nodded at last. "Yes, he's a survivor of the Uchiha clan."
Sasuke's expression brightened. "What about the others?"
"You're not qualified to know about the others yet."
Yami pushed him aside without force. "If you want more answers, then defeat Yuichi first."
He then tossed Sasuke a scroll. "This is the contract scroll of Ryūchi Cave. The summoning beast inside is on par with Naruto's giant toad. But when you fight Yuichi, don't rely on the summoning. Win with your own strength."
Sasuke knew if he pressed further, Yami wouldn't say anything more. So he bowed solemnly and left with the scroll.
Yami had done a lot for him.
He had taught him Chidori-style ninjutsu, arranged for Shun to guide his Sharingan training, and now even given him a summoning beast rivaling Gamabunta.
Sasuke had witnessed the battle between Gamabunta and Shukaku and knew how important that gift was.
He had made up his mind. If he survived after killing Uchiha Itachi, he would become the sword in Yami's hand, cutting down every enemy in his path.
But... what Sasuke would think after learning the full truth, even Yami didn't know.
It was his curiosity that had driven him to train Sasuke so thoroughly.
He simply wanted to see what kind of flower would bloom.
When Yami arrived at the sealing room, he met the steam-wielding shinobi being held there.
Five Tails had already been resealed, and Han had regained consciousness. His armor had been completely removed, leaving only basic clothing.
Seeing Yami enter, Han snorted coldly. "I won't tell you anything. Just give up."
Yami looked at him blankly. "Who said I came to ask for information?"
"Then why are you here? To humiliate me?"
"No. I'm here to extract the Tailed Beast."
Han's expression changed dramatically. "You can't! Does Konoha want to go to war with Iwa?"
In shinobi history, there had never been a precedent of forcibly extracting a tailed beast after capturing a Jinchūriki. The value of a tailed beast to a village far exceeded that of a Kage.
A Kage's power couldn't be inherited. But a tailed beast could be sealed into one Jinchūriki after another, continuously maintaining a village's top-tier strength.
If Konoha tried to detain the Tailed Beast, Ōnoki would definitely go to war.
So Han had assumed Yami wouldn't take it that far. At most, he'd demand ransom from Iwa.
But seeing Yami's calm demeanor, Han realized the situation was far more serious than he'd thought.
Yami didn't waste time. He placed one hand on Han's shoulder and used Flying Thunder God to bring him to a pre-prepared location.
Boar–Rabbit–Monkey–Ram–Ox–Body
After completing the six seals, Yami placed his hand on Han's head.
Ninjutsu: Extraction Seal of Evil!
Green chakra radiated from his fingers. Han's body trembled uncontrollably, his eyes rolling back.
Meanwhile, in the conference room near the Hokage's office...
The two elders hadn't slept all night. Although Yami had already determined the overall strategy, there were many issues that still needed to be resolved—village losses, casualty reports, prisoner handling—all to be settled through discussion.
They had handled the most urgent matters overnight and then invited Jiraiya and Danzō to the meeting.
Other things could wait. The matter of Hokage succession could not.
Even if no one immediately took up the position, they needed to establish a successor. The more chaotic things were, the more Konoha needed a spiritual pillar.
Konoha needed a sun.
"Danzō, why didn't Yami come?" Utatane Koharu asked after a while.
"He's sealing the Five Tails Jinchūriki," Danzō replied calmly. "We old folks can decide everything else."
Though he appeared calm, he was inwardly excited.
Wood Release…
With Wood Release, wasn't Yami the rightful successor?
After receiving such a huge surprise yesterday, Danzō found that his obsession with becoming Hokage had lessened.
If Yami became Hokage, that meant he couldn't. But so what? Was there really such a strict divide between grandfather and grandson?
But Mitokado Homura's next words made Danzō's face darken.
"Jiraiya, Hiruzen had already prepared for the worst before the Chūnin Exams. If anything happened to him, he hoped you would take over as Fifth Hokage."
Jiraiya, however, had no desire to become Hokage and flat-out rejected the idea.
He believed that searching for the Child of Prophecy who could reshape the shinobi world was more important than leading one village. No matter how the elders persuaded him, Jiraiya wouldn't budge.
In the end, Utatane Koharu sighed. "If you won't accept it, then only Yami remains as a suitable candidate."
"No!" Jiraiya blurted out.
As the two elders looked at him, he explained, "Yami is too young. A Hokage needs not just strength but also experience in handling village affairs."
"I think he's best suited to become the Sixth Hokage."
That was just a conventional excuse. The real reason was his unease about Yami's ties to Orochimaru.
If Yami and Orochimaru had truly conspired to orchestrate the Konoha Crush, then his goal was clearly to become Hokage.
Someone willing to sacrifice his own village to achieve his ambitions must never hold that position. Otherwise, he'd lead the village into the abyss.
The talk of a Sixth Hokage was just a stalling tactic.
Sure enough, Jiraiya's words made the elders hesitate.
Mitokado Homura frowned. "Only you and Yami have the strength and reputation for the position. You refuse, and you say Yami is too young. What do you suggest?"
"Kakashi? No. He doesn't have the prestige yet and would only make the other villages look down on us."
Realizing they wouldn't let him go, Jiraiya racked his brain. Finally, his eyes lit up.
"Who says the next Hokage has to be from inside the village? The best candidate is outside."
The two elders stared at him like he was an idiot.
"Tsunade. Tsunade!" Jiraiya revealed his answer.
"Tsunade?"
Danzō lowered his head. His expression turned grim, but the two elders lit up with understanding. Jiraiya's idea wasn't bad.
In terms of status, while all three were Sannin, Tsunade was the granddaughter of Hashirama. That noble lineage set her apart.
In terms of prestige, Tsunade had established the medical system that saved countless lives. Nearly every kunoichi in the village idolized her. Many male shinobi had also benefited from her reforms.
The only issue was that Tsunade had been gone for years. Unlike Jiraiya, she hadn't returned even once.
She had left with Shizune and never looked back.
"Jiraiya, are you sure you can find Tsunade?" Homura asked.
"Of course."
Jiraiya nodded, albeit reluctantly. He didn't know exactly where she was, but if he searched every gambling den, he'd find her eventually.
"Hmph."
Utatane Koharu, who had watched Jiraiya grow up, knew his personality. She snorted. "You have one month. If you can't find Tsunade, you'll become Fifth Hokage yourself."
Seeing Danzō hadn't said anything, Koharu asked, "Danzō, what do you think?"
"You've already made the decision. Why ask me?"
Danzō answered coldly, then left the conference room with his cane, not even bothering to say goodbye.
"That old guy…" Koharu frowned.
Homura understood and shook his head. "Maybe he's just disappointed that Yami won't be Hokage."
Elsewhere.
Yami's process of extracting the Five Tails had come to an end.
The pure white Five Tails reappeared on the ground. He was about to let out a roar of joy, but when he saw the Wood Dragon glaring at him, it became a soft whimper.
And the Jinchūriki—no, the former Jinchūriki Han—had lost all signs of life and became a corpse.
Yami took out a scroll and sealed away Han's body. The corpse of a kekkei genkai shinobi was valuable for research.
Just as he was about to discuss the Five Tails' future role, a Root shinobi appeared before Yami and knelt on one knee.
"Yami-sama, the leader asks that you come at once."
(To be continued.)
***
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