CHAPTER 231: 231. THE FOURTH RAIKAGE’S MOVE

"That old bastard is finally out of the way!"

Back in her tent, Tsunade dropped her usual composure and laughed in delight.

"He won’t just let this go so easily," Hanekawa said as he sat down across from her. "Too bad we couldn’t take Orochimaru’s position as commander while we were at it."

"What are you talking about?"

Tsunade raised a leg and lightly kicked him.

Hanekawa understood what she meant.

Removing Orochimaru as commander would have been outright rebellion.

But rallying Konoha’s Jonin against Danzo? That was just a vote within the rules.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi found out, he wouldn’t punish Tsunade—because the majority of Konoha’s Jonin made the decision together.

"Sensei, do you need a massage?"

Hanekawa’s eyes fell on her fair, delicate feet.

"Trying to take advantage of me again?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"What are you saying?" Hanekawa replied, his tone completely serious. "I’m just helping you relieve fatigue."

As he spoke, he shifted closer.

Before she could respond, he lifted her feet and placed them on his lap.

Tsunade stiffened for a moment, then shot him a glare—before leaning back and lying down completely.

Perfect.

Hanekawa followed the curve of her long legs downward.

From this angle, he could see the way gravity pulled at her clothes, emphasizing her figure.

"Stop staring and start massaging."

Tsunade kicked him again.

"Yes, Sensei."

Hanekawa pulled his gaze away and gently massaged the smooth arch of her foot.

"Danzo can only command his eight Root ninjas now."

Tsunade closed her eyes slightly. "You and Rin, make sure to keep an eye on them."

"What about Orochimaru?"

Hanekawa pressed his thumbs into the soft sole of her foot.

Tsunade’s toes curled slightly, and her long, toned legs trembled just a little.

"Don’t worry," Tsunade murmured after a few seconds, letting out a soft hum. "He can’t make a move without me noticing."

She may not have taken Orochimaru’s position, but more than half of the base now supported her.

"They won’t just sit back and do nothing."

Hanekawa removed the anklet from her foot.

"They can’t touch us."

Tsunade’s eyes suddenly narrowed. "Unless they dare to leak information to Kumogakure."

"Orochimaru might hesitate, but Danzo? He just might do it."

Hanekawa remarked casually.

"If he dares to collude with Kumogakure, not even the old man can protect him!"

Tsunade’s tone turned cold.

Konoha had strict rules—the one unforgivable crime was betraying the village by colluding with outsiders.

As long as he wasn’t caught, Danzo would be fine.

But if he was exposed, there would be no escape.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to cover for him, he’d have to consider how the Jonin and villagers would react.

A thought crossed Hanekawa’s mind.

Could he frame Danzo as the spy instead?

A spy within a spy?

Make it look like he was Danzo’s agent?

No. Too many holes in that plan.

Hanekawa pushed the idea aside and continued massaging her feet.

"We should prepare for the worst."

Tsunade rubbed her forehead.

"If they really leak intel, it won’t be to lose on purpose."

Hanekawa paused before speaking. "More likely, they want us and Kumogakure to fight to the death—so they can swoop in and take advantage."

"Exactly."

Tsunade nodded.

If Konoha lost too badly, Orochimaru and Danzo would also lose their chances of becoming Hokage.

For them to win power, they needed a decisive victory—one that overshadowed anything Tsunade accomplished.

"I wonder what kind of trap they’re setting up."

Tsunade sighed.

"They’ll expose themselves soon enough."

Hanekawa smirked. "Setting a trap for us isn’t easy."

"True."

Tsunade finally closed her eyes, letting her body fully relax.

In the darkness behind her eyelids, she became more aware of the comfort spreading from her feet.

A strange feeling stirred inside her.

This brat is definitely up to something.

But...

Why wasn’t she stopping him?

Why did she kind of enjoy it?

Tsunade pressed her lips together and stopped thinking about it.

Before long, she drifted into sleep.

Hanekawa hesitated for a moment, then gently placed her feet down.

After a few seconds of thought, he lay down beside her.

Turning onto his side, he studied her face up close.

At this distance, her features were even more delicate.

And, of course, up close, perspective played tricks on the eyes.

Her figure was full yet perfectly proportioned.

Hanekawa closed his eyes, breathing in her faint scent, feeling at peace.

---

He didn’t know how long had passed when a noise came from outside the tent.

Hanekawa immediately woke up.

The first thing he saw was Tsunade’s beautiful face.

At the same time, he noticed that somehow, their hands had ended up clasped together.

"If you’re awake, go open the door."

Tsunade withdrew her hand and spoke calmly, as if nothing had happened.

"Alright, Sensei."

Hanekawa smiled and stood up.

He walked to the tent entrance and pulled back the curtain.

"Rin."

Hanekawa raised an eyebrow at Nohara Rin. "Did Danzo make a move?"

"Just now, four Root ninjas left the base," Rin quickly reported with a nod.

"What is that old bastard up to in the middle of the night?"

Tsunade frowned, a bad feeling creeping into her heart.

"I’ll follow them and take a look."

Hanekawa thought for a moment before speaking.

If they really were heading to meet Kumogakure, Rin’s Spirit Transformation Technique might be discovered—especially with Jinchūriki involved, whose sensory abilities were incredibly sharp.

"Be careful."

Tsunade didn’t stop him.

Tracking the Root squad’s movements was crucial for her next actions.

After getting the direction from Rin, Hanekawa left the Konoha camp.

Using Body Flicker, he quickly caught up to the four Root members.

But to his surprise, they weren’t heading straight for Kumogakure.

Instead, they were disguising themselves as a patrol unit.

"Danzo isn’t stupid after all."

Seeing this, Hanekawa understood his plan immediately.

Danzo planned to sacrifice these four Root members—letting them get captured by Kumogakure and then leaking intelligence under torture.

"This is tricky."

Hanekawa rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

In this scenario, Danzo could completely deny involvement.

No—Hanekawa realized his thinking was off.

It didn’t matter whether Danzo admitted it or not.

What mattered was whether Tsunade and Hiruzen Sarutobi believed it.

And with the Wood Release experiments already against him, Danzo wouldn’t be able to shift the blame this time.

---

After dozens of minutes, the Root patrol unit was finally discovered by Kumogakure ninjas.

A fierce battle broke out.

By the end, all four Root ninjas were captured alive and taken to Kumogakure’s base.

Hanekawa turned and headed back to the Konoha camp.

Even though he was strong, he wasn’t strong enough to infiltrate Kumogakure’s main base alone.

And he didn’t even need to listen to know what intelligence the Root ninjas would reveal—most likely everything discussed in today’s Jonin meeting.

---

"That old bastard! He really will do anything just to become Hokage!"

After hearing Hanekawa’s report, Tsunade was furious.

She had always thought that, no matter how ruthless Danzo was, he wouldn’t stoop to colluding with another village.

But in the end... she had overestimated him.

"No need to waste your energy getting mad."

Hanekawa took her hand and smiled. "He won’t be able to do much longer."

Tsunade instinctively tried to pull her hand away.

But when she couldn’t, she simply let him hold it.

"If Kumogakure wants to set a trap for us, they’ll have to make a big move," Hanekawa remarked casually. "When the time comes, we’ll just turn the tables on them."

With his and Tsunade’s strength, Kumogakure wouldn’t try an assassination—they would have to rely on baiting and ambushes.

"I just hope this ends smoothly."

Tsunade sighed lightly and nodded.

Even though she had uncovered Danzo’s plot in advance, she didn’t feel relieved—only more anxious.

Because if they failed, she couldn’t afford the consequences.

"It’ll end just fine."

Hanekawa spoke with certainty.

Compared to Tsunade, he knew even more—like his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Uchiha Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan.

These were trump cards that made him confident in victory.

"You’re really full of yourself, huh?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes at him.

But after hearing him say that, she actually felt a lot more reassured.

---

Meanwhile, in Kumogakure’s base, an emergency meeting was taking place.

"Those four Konoha ninjas... We captured them on purpose."

Dodai spoke in a deep voice. "They’re Danzo’s men—and they want to work with us."

"Work with us?"

The Fourth Raikage frowned in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Konoha and Kumogakure had been fighting to the death.

Danzo was a high-ranking Konoha official.

For him to suddenly claim he wanted to collaborate, it was hard to believe.

"Here’s the situation."

Dodai explained everything about Tsunade’s move to seize power.

"Something like this actually happened?"

The Fourth Raikage was stunned.

"This is a blessing from the heavens!"

Killer Bee grinned excitedly.

"Can we trust them?"

Samui remained calm and skeptical.

"Hanekawa previously mentioned that they were being suppressed by Danzo. After investigating, it turns out to be true."

Mabui spoke slowly. "Given Tsunade’s personality, it’s possible that she would attempt a power grab."

"Danzo’s plan is to lure Tsunade out and trap her within our encirclement."

Dodai paused for a moment before continuing. "At that point, both he and Orochimaru will stand by and do nothing to rescue her."

"Tch!"

Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, looked disgusted. "There are actually shinobi like that?"

"The darkness of the shinobi world has always been like this."

Dodai chuckled.

"First, we need to verify whether this information is true. We must confirm if Tsunade has actually seized power."

Mabui pondered for a moment. "Lord Raikage, you should lead an attack on a Konoha outpost, just as you usually do."

"Fine."

The Fourth Raikage agreed.

"If Tsunade personally comes to respond, it will confirm the intelligence."

Mabui paused. "And at the same time, we can contact Hanekawa and deliver our final ultimatum."

"Good."

Dodai approved. "It was understandable that he couldn’t obtain intelligence before due to the suppression, but if he still fails to provide information now, then something is wrong."

"That guy has definitely betrayed Kumogakure!"

Yugito Nii snorted coldly.

"We’ll find out soon enough."

Mabui remained calm. "If he refuses to cooperate, then he’ll have no one to blame but himself."

Samui sighed inwardly.

She felt the same way as Yugito—although she didn’t want to believe it, Hanekawa was most likely no longer on their side.

"Once we confirm the validity of the intelligence, we can proceed with the next step."

Mabui continued.

---

The next day.

Before breakfast, Tsunade and Hanekawa were summoned to the main tent for a meeting.

"We just received a battle report."

Orochimaru got straight to the point. "The Fourth Raikage has seized one of our northern outposts."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

She immediately thought of the Root ninjas who were captured last night.

The Fourth Raikage moved this fast?

"How many men did he bring?"

Hanekawa asked.

"Not many."

Orochimaru responded. "Around three hundred."

Hanekawa’s mind sharpened.

Three hundred men didn’t seem like a trap.

Moreover, the northern outpost wasn’t far.

It would only take about ten minutes to reach from their main camp.

Setting a trap there wouldn’t make sense.

"Tsunade, time is of the essence. Take your troops and reclaim the outpost."

Orochimaru ordered.

"Understood."

Tsunade agreed.

This was, after all, the power she had fought to take from Orochimaru.

"What is the Fourth Raikage trying to do?"

As soon as Tsunade and Hanekawa left, Danzo couldn’t wait to ask.

"Most likely, it’s a test."

Orochimaru thought for a moment. "Such crucial intelligence must be verified before they act."

He shared the same thoughts as Hanekawa—this outpost wasn’t suited for a trap.

---

Within minutes, their three hundred-strong force was assembled.

Led by Tsunade, they rushed toward the northern outpost.

Ten minutes later, they arrived.

A faint smell of blood lingered in the air.

There was no doubt—the Konoha shinobi stationed there had all been wiped out.

After taking over the outpost, Kumogakure had reinforced it using Earth Release techniques, making it look like a fortress.

"There are four Kumogakure shinobi hidden nearby. Their strength is around Chūnin level."

Hyūga Hizashi activated his Byakugan and reported, "If we get too close, they’ll notice us."

"Take them out first."

Tsunade ordered. "Silently, if possible."

She scanned the group and selected four shinobi, including Hanekawa.

Body Flicker Technique!

Hanekawa vanished instantly.

His method was simple—he directly rushed the nearest Kumogakure shinobi.

His speed was too fast, giving the enemy no time to react.

Hanekawa covered the man’s mouth, then swiftly slit his throat with his Thunderfire Sword.

Laying the corpse down gently, he returned to Tsunade’s side.

Moments later, the other three shinobi also completed their tasks and regrouped.

"Find a position and prepare your jutsu. We’ll ambush them while they’re unprepared."

Tsunade gestured.

Everyone nodded silently.

"Sensei, I’ll cast Hidden Mist Jutsu first. Then, we’ll all strike together."

Hanekawa paused before adding, "But avoid using Wind Release."

"Understood."

Tsunade agreed immediately.

Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu!

Hanekawa formed hand seals, releasing a thick mist from his mouth.

"Where did this mist come from?"

The Kumogakure sentries immediately noticed the change.

But before they could react, giant fireballs, flashing lightning, and roaring water dragons came hurtling out from the fog.

___

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