Chapter 347: Tsunade, Kotoamatsukami
"So many things happening at once…"
On her way to the ANBU headquarters, Tsunade sighed. The weight on her shoulders seemed heavier than ever.
Jiraiya was dead, and the Akatsuki could attack at any moment… Wait!
Her brow furrowed. Could Danzō's killer have been someone from Akatsuki?
She tried to recall the known members. None of them quite fit… No—wait. There was one.
Suddenly, Tsunade remembered the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage.
She and Jiraiya hadn't been in the village then, but Hiruzen had told them about it afterward.
That night, an Uchiha with the ability to summon the Nine-Tails had attacked Kushina during childbirth.
It was this event that caused the Uchiha Clan to fall under suspicion, eventually leading to the massacre.
That attacker had been able to infiltrate a heavily sealed chamber, one guarded on all sides—and yet still reach Kushina.
Danzō's death was eerily similar. Also in a protected area, also slain without resistance.
If she remembered correctly, that Uchiha had been affiliated with the Akatsuki.
There was no hard proof…
But if you eliminate all impossibilities—then the answer must be what remains.
Tsunade turned cold inside.
Back at the ANBU interrogation chamber, the analysis team had already begun reading Danzō's brain for memories. But his mind was filled with countless secrets and heavily guarded by layered memory seals—breaking them would take time.
Tsunade and the others could only wait.
Meanwhile, high above Konoha, Li Yao scanned the area and noticed Kakashi wasn't in the village.
"I'll wait, then."
"And while I'm at it, I'll wait for Naruto to return after mastering Sage Mode."
Naruto would be back in the village by tomorrow morning. Jiraiya's code would soon be deciphered, and it would be time for Naruto to begin his sage training.
It wouldn't take long. Li Yao decided to remain in Konoha and wait.
But sensing Tsunade's chakra below, Li Yao's lips curled slightly.
The night was long. Spending it alone was such a waste.
"You'll do, Tsunade. You'll be the first one I try Kotoamatsukami on."
With that, Li Yao activated his Temporal Mirage and slipped into the spatial interlayer. He phased through Konoha's defenses and descended into the ANBU's underground interrogation chamber.
Tsunade and the others were still focused on Danzō's head—completely unaware that a terrifying being had arrived among them.
Li Yao walked up to Tsunade, gazing at the famous "milk cow" of the Hokage line.
At that moment, Tsunade had her arms crossed. Her remarkable assets defied gravity—enough to test anyone's self-control.
Humans were naturally drawn to round, full shapes. And the sight before him was certainly inviting.
"Alright, that's enough."
Before Li Yao could act, one of the interrogators spoke.
Li Yao turned with interest to observe the memory extraction. He was curious what exactly they would uncover from Danzō's brain.
Perhaps due to Danzō's death, the chakra that maintained his memory seals had weakened. The interrogation team found a flaw and successfully accessed his last memories.
Soon, they witnessed the moment of Danzō's death—and were utterly baffled.
"What…?"
The interrogator looked completely lost. Tsunade noticed and immediately asked, "Well? What did you see?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" Tsunade frowned. "What do you mean?"
"There was no one in his final memories. He was simply struck by an invisible blade… and died."
Since the brain only stores sensory input while consciousness is active, the moment Danzō's mind shut down, all perception ceased.
From his perspective, the attacker was never seen—not even traces of jutsu. It was like a ghost had severed his neck in a single stroke.
By the time his head hit the desk and he realized he'd been attacked, it was already too late.
In truth, Danzō had died unjustly. Despite possessing the forbidden Sharingan technique—Izanagi—he'd died too fast to even activate it.
"Impossible!"
"No way!"
Before Tsunade could respond, Homura and Koharu were already shouting.
"Check again! You must've missed something!"
"With Danzō's strength, he wouldn't have died without even seeing the attacker!"
They could accept that someone had bypassed Konoha's defenses—after all, someone had done that during the Nine-Tails incident.
But dying without even glimpsing the killer? They refused to believe it.
"That's what we saw," the interrogation team replied helplessly. "It's the truth, whether we like it or not."
While the group argued, Tsunade suddenly spoke: "Enough. We've found nothing useful, so we tighten the village's security. Continue reading Danzō's memory—see if any other clues turn up."
With that, she turned and left. The others exchanged awkward glances. There was something strange about Tsunade… but they couldn't say what.
Regardless, she was the Hokage. Orders were orders.
As she exited, Homura and Koharu stared at Danzō's head, suddenly uneasy. They too quickly left, deciding they needed protection—hiding in a sealed room no longer felt safe.
That night, Tsunade returned home, removed her clothing, and entered her bedroom.
There, standing calmly, was Li Yao.
She wasn't surprised. Not even a little. Like a loving housewife welcoming her husband home, she approached and removed his coat.
"Hungry?" she asked softly, placing his coat neatly to the side.
The gentle warmth in her eyes would've made even Jiraiya rise from the grave in shock.
This was the same Tsunade who once nearly punched him to death?
"Starving," Li Yao smiled, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. His gaze grew heated.
Tsunade playfully tapped his chest, her cheeks blushing. "Then I'll go boil a couple eggs."
"No need."
Li Yao gripped her tightly and whispered, "I prefer buns. Big, round ones."
"…You—ah!"
Tsunade flushed red as realization struck. She smiled, held him close, and said nothing more.
In that moment, Li Yao couldn't breathe—
But that was fine. He no longer needed to.
Thud!
They collapsed onto the bedroom's large bed.
With nothing left to hide, the night began.
(END CHAPTER)
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