Naruto: Linked to Kaguya, Corrupting the Ninja World

The Third Hokage had been captured and taken into the Hokage Building, leaving the clerical staff inside feeling uneasy and uncertain. They didn't know if they should continue with their work or not.

For these office workers, Tsunade paid no attention—her main concern was the Anbu.

Most of the Anbu were personally selected by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Tsunade feared they might cause chaos, so she temporarily assigned the Hyuga clan to safeguard Konoha's security.

Inside the Hokage's office, only Tsunade, Shizune, and the bound Hiruzen remained.

Even Hiroki feigned concern before slipping out.

At that moment, Yugao entered with Kakashi and Might Guy.

Seeing the disheveled and dazed Hiruzen, Might Guy showed a bit of surprise. "Hokage-sama..."

"He's not the Hokage anymore," Tsunade said coolly, then turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, you're still working in the Anbu now, right?"

Kakashi gave a slight nod.

"Then I need you to go there and calm those Anbu members down. Don't let them cause any trouble," Tsunade instructed.

"...Understood."

After hesitating for a moment, Kakashi turned and left.

"...Tsunade-sama, what about me?" Might Guy asked after thinking for a while.

Sure, he was loud and always shouted weird mottos, and never got involved in political affairs—but he wasn't stupid.

Clearly, the Third Hokage no longer held any authority over what was happening.

As for rescuing the Third Hokage? If even the big shots weren't getting involved, maybe he shouldn't either.

"You..."

Before Tsunade could decide what to do with him, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane walked through the door.

Shizune wisely stepped out of the Hokage office, giving Might Guy a meaningful look as she passed.

Scratching his head, Might Guy followed her out.

Seeing Yugao Uzuki still standing where she was, Homura and Koharu exchanged glances.

How impolite—not showing the slightest awareness of the situation.

Yugao pretended not to see their looks and stayed unmoved beside the wall.

With the silence stretching on, Tsunade finally broke the stillness with a few awkward coughs.

Koharu Utatane spoke solemnly, "Tsunade, you and..."

She paused, then continued, "Everything happened so suddenly, many people haven't reacted yet—caught off guard and confused. If things can't operate normally again soon, the village might experience temporary paralysis."

She carefully avoided any direct accusations and instead voiced concerns about possible instability within Konoha.

"What Elder Koharu means is..." Tsunade crossed her arms and asked.

"My point is, don't make any personnel changes for now," Koharu stated.

"Fine," Tsunade replied expressionlessly. "We'll leave it at that—for now."

She didn't fully understand each ninja's detailed situation. Even if she wanted to reshuffle positions, it wouldn't be easy to do quickly.

Homura and Koharu exchanged glances, clearly surprised at how easily Tsunade had agreed.

They glanced again toward Hiruzen Sarutobi. Strangely, he hadn't spoken at all, his expression frozen and numb, which made Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado worry about his mental state.

As for the possibility that he might have been impersonated? Impossible—they were certain this was truly the man himself.

All those despicable things he had done were simply because he had grown old, hesitant, and overly sentimental. That was completely normal.

However, Tsunade's current strength was unmatched. With the Hyūga Clan firmly behind her, Koharu and Homura could no longer suppress her or even dare voice such thoughts aloud.

"Tsunade, what should we do with this person?" Homura hesitated before asking.

"Obviously, lock him up first," Tsunade replied.

"…"

Homura and Koharu exchanged glances, each seeming to want to speak but holding back, waiting for the other to break the silence.

Eventually, neither of them said anything.

After both left, Tsunade resumed flipping through ninja personnel records.

She could deal with everyone else later—what mattered now was relocating the ninjas from both the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans out of Konoha.

Otherwise, it was only a matter of time before things blew up.

"Just assign them border patrol duties…"

"Tsunade-sama, where should we imprison Sarutobi Hiruzen?" Yugao asked beside her.

"For now, just throw him in jail. Yugao, I'll trouble you to guard him temporarily," Tsunade mused.

At the Ninja Academy, Sasuke stared blankly at Hinata's empty seat, lost in thought.

Why wasn't she here today? Even Neji was nowhere to be found…

Even Naruto kept looking back at Hinata's empty seat.

With more information than Sasuke, Naruto worried whether Hinata was planning something suspicious.

"Did you hear? Lady Tsunade is going to become Hokage," some students burst into the classroom excitedly after returning from break.

"Who doesn't know that already?"

Sasuke listened, puzzled.

Who was Tsunade? And why could she become Hokage?

Gossip spread naturally in everyday conversations.

But he didn't have any friends—he trained every day, nothing else—and thus remained far behind on current affairs.

Naruto felt a wave of inner conflict wash over him.

If that woman became Hokage, what would he do then?

Would there still be a place for him in this Konoha?

And where was Master Jiraiya? And The Third?

Filled with unease and confusion, he trudged home gloomily after school.

"Naruto…"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, some of the tension in Naruto's heart eased.

"Master Jiraiya."

Jiraiya stepped out from the shadows, his expression somber. "Naruto, we need to leave Konoha."

As if expecting it all along, Naruto showed no surprise on his face. Still, he couldn't help feeling let down as he quietly asked, "Master Jiraiya… where exactly is my home?"

Jiraiya flinched ever so slightly.

Meanwhile, back home, after finishing dinner alone, Sasuke made his way directly to the Uchiha Clan's training grounds to practice Fire Release techniques.

"Tsk tsk, so dedicated…" a strange voice echoed from the shadows, its tone hard to read—whether praising or mocking wasn't clear.

Sasuke warily turned around, his eyes scanning toward the source of the voice.

An effeminate man named Tamaki with earrings emerged from the woods.

"Who are you?" Sasuke shouted while maintaining his hand seal stance, ready to release a ninjutsu at any moment.

"While everyone's celebrating the new Hokage's coronation, who's mourning for the Uchiha Clan?" Orochimaru chuckled lowly as he walked toward him.

"Stop right there, or I'm attacking!" Sasuke snapped angrily.

Orochimaru continued advancing without pause.

[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu]

Orochimaru's body twisted at an impossible angle, easily dodging the incoming fireball.

Sasuke wore an expression of utter disbelief.

"Sticking around in Konoha is just wasting your potential, Sasuke. You really think you're gonna get any stronger here? Come with me, and I'll show you the path to real power."

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