Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 332: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

Hokage's Office.

Tsunade slammed her desk in anger, her voice echoing through the office:

"Uzumaki Naruto! As the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, I am giving you a direct order! Whether it's Senju Shirou or Uchiha Shirou, it doesn't matter! As a ninja, you've recklessly leaked classified information, blatantly ignoring the rules and regulations of this village. What exactly are you trying to do?!"

Naruto, unwilling to back down, shouted defiantly, "I only told Pervy Sage and Kakashi-sensei..."

"Shut up! Are they not Konoha ninjas? Or are you saying that you're not a Konoha ninja?"

Tsunade suppressed her fury, barely holding herself back. She couldn't believe that after all these years, Jiraiya had been this careless in teaching his pupil. Even now, after so much time had passed, Naruto remained the same reckless boy.

"When you were twelve or thirteen, I could excuse your actions because you were still a child. But now you're seventeen, Naruto!"

Her gaze turned sharply to Sakura.

"Haruno Sakura! What are you thinking, running after Naruto like this?!"

Tsunade's anger flared as she looked at her disciple, thinking to herself how foolish Sakura had become. Every time Sasuke was mentioned, Sakura's rationality flew out the window, completely consumed by her feelings for him. Was she blinded back then when she decided to take Sakura as her apprentice?

Sure enough, her disciple didn't disappoint her.

Sakura immediately fell to her knees in the office, crying with a face full of grievance.

"Tsunade-sensei, please, please tell me where Sasuke is. I just want to bring him back..."

Tsunade's anger boiled over. She wanted to crack open their heads to see what was inside.

One was loud and reckless, revealing classified information to Jiraiya and Kakashi the moment he was told to keep it secret.

The other one was always crying, begging to bring Sasuke back.

They were a perfect match—a pair of unfit ninjas!

"Enough!"

After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Tsunade glanced at Shizune, who tried to quietly intervene.

"Shizune, don't bother trying to reason with these two!"

When Tsunade opened her eyes again, her expression was icy. Looking at Naruto and Sakura, there was now a hint of apathy in her gaze, as if she had seen through their true natures.

"As Konoha ninjas, you both knew the importance of classified information and yet still leaked it. Naruto, if you weren't the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, the son of the Fourth Hokage, or Jiraiya's student, you'd already qualify as a rogue ninja! And you, Sakura, if I weren't the Fifth Hokage, you'd be crying in a prison cell right now!"

Rogue ninja.

The cold words echoed in the air, and Tsunade's seriousness left Sakura momentarily stunned. She looked at her teacher in shock, the reality of her words finally dawning on her. Even Naruto's face stiffened, unable to believe the familiar, kind Tsunade was now speaking to them with such coldness.

"This is the last time! This is your final warning!"

Naruto opened his mouth, desperate to explain, but Tsunade cut him off with a frosty tone.

"From now on, address me properly as the Fifth Hokage or Hokage-sama! This Hokage's office is not your home, Naruto, nor is it the home of Sarutobi. If we're talking about ownership, the entire Hidden Leaf Village was founded by the Senju and Uchiha clans. You are the outsiders here!"

Slamming her hand on the desk again, Tsunade's disappointment was evident as she glared at Naruto.

"Konoha's survival and progress depend on every ninja working together—not on your reckless shouting! Can you bring peace to the ninja world right now? Can you end all wars? If you can't, then stop yelling at me!"

Naruto's face turned pale. For the first time in his life, he was being scolded so harshly, leaving him feeling completely powerless.

"You're always quick to defend Sarutobi Konohamaru. Fine! Let's talk about the rules set by the Third Hokage. Konoha's White Fang—Kakashi's father—was driven to suicide because he abandoned a mission and was labeled a disgrace. Yet here you are, leaking information and disregarding your duty to keep it confidential. And you're still standing here, yelling at me, because I've been protecting you!"

Naruto felt panic rising in his chest. The look in Tsunade's eyes made him feel like the trust they once shared was slipping away.

"I... I didn't mean to... I..."

"Enough! I'll tell you where Sasuke is, but remember your place! You, Uzumaki Naruto, are a genin of Konoha, and I am the Hokage of this village!"

Tsunade opened a drawer and took out a scroll, her voice cold as she continued:

"Uchiha Sasuke defected from the village after the Chūnin Exams four years ago. In reality, it was part of an undercover mission to gather intel on Orochimaru and his ties to the Root division... He is now carrying out a classified mission."

Of course, this was a lie, but Tsunade's earlier anger and disappointment were entirely genuine. Naruto was relying too much on his relationships, demanding everything to go his way without understanding the bigger picture. When he was younger, it could be overlooked, but now...

"If you want to find Sasuke, go to Kakashi. There's an S-rank mission underway to apprehend Danzo, and Sasuke is already on his way to execute it..."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Naruto exclaimed, hurriedly correcting himself upon seeing Tsunade's detached expression.

Sakura, equally overjoyed, nodded rapidly in gratitude. The two rushed out of the office, completely unaware of how deeply they had disappointed Tsunade.

"In the end, neither of them is fit to be a ninja," Tsunade muttered.

Shizune, still in the office, tried to comfort her.

"Tsunade-sama, please don't be angry. Naruto and Sakura are just worried about their teammate."

Tsunade let out a self-deprecating laugh, shaking her head.

"Shizune, it seems I've failed. As Hokage, I let the old guard cling to power while I gave up. As a mentor, I only taught Sakura jutsu but never taught her how to be a real ninja. As a ninja myself, I shone brightly for twenty years, only to become a gambling addict in the end."

Shizune felt a pang of sadness. She alone understood Tsunade's pain—her loneliness, her losses, her burdens. The Senju clan had built Konoha, but now Tsunade had no family left, no home to return to.

"Shizune, in the end, I can only truly rely on you."

Tsunade quickly brushed aside her sorrow, her usual determined spirit returning. She looked at Shizune with pride.

"Shizune, your talent may be limited, and you haven't mastered the Yin Seal or monstrous strength, but that's fine. There's another way—an experimental cursed seal developed in another world. It can compensate for your weaknesses, even though it's expensive..."

Shizune's eyes widened in shock.

"Tsunade-sama..."

Tsunade smiled firmly at her.

"You may not have the natural gift for monstrous strength, but with the cursed seal, you'll walk a new path. The entire village will see your strength!"

Shizune stammered, overwhelmed by emotion.

"Tsunade-sama..."

Tsunade cut her off with a commanding tone, her gaze turning toward the village outside the window.

"Shizune! Spread the word quietly—let it leak that the ANBU has intel on Danzo's whereabouts. He's completed his mission in the Land of Fire and will return to Konoha in seven days!"

Shizune was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and nodded in acknowledgment, loudly accepting the order.

Danzo was now only a day away from returning to the village, yet Tsunade had ordered her to spread this false information through the Anbu.

It was clear—this message was meant for the three clans of Konoha!

Through Tsunade's gaze, Shizune could see the clan districts outside the window, not far from the Hokage's office.

"Shizune, did you know? This land was once the territory of my Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan. But after all these years, upon returning, I realized that the traces of the Senju and Uchiha's existence have been entirely erased..."

Reflected in the window were Tsunade's bright brown eyes and her face carried a mocking smile.

Such great higher-ups of the Third Hokage's administration, weren't they? Always preached about doing things for Konoha, yet they swallowed the greatest benefits for themselves.

First, the Senju Clan. Then, under the pretense of the Nine-Tails' attack, they pushed the Uchiha Clan to the outskirts. From then on, the founding clans of Konoha—Senju and Uchiha—completely disappeared from the heart of the village.

Now, even the entire new generation of Konoha has no idea about the surnames Senju and Uchiha. To them, those names are merely unfamiliar, meaningless words.

"Perhaps Shirou was right. This world is broken. These decrepit, ugly relics who twisted the Will of Fire have distorted this world. What we must do now is correct the wrongs of this world!"

A firm resolve gleamed in Tsunade's eyes. Everything she was doing now was to set this broken world straight.

To let the true Will of Fire shine once more across every corner of Konoha.

Seeing this, Shizune nodded resolutely as well.

"Tsunade-sama, I believe you will succeed!"

The Will of Fire!

Even Shizune could see it now. The protection was indeed upheld by Konoha's shinobi, but the former leadership was far too hypocritical.

They shouted slogans for others to follow, while they greedily enjoyed all the benefits.

But Lady Tsunade's vision of the true Will of Fire filled Shizune with unshakable conviction. At the very least, in another world, it had been fully realized from top to bottom.

In that other world, the Hokage and the village's top leaders and strongest shinobi all fought on the frontlines of brutal wars!

They truly upheld and protected the Will of Fire!

...

In a secluded forest in Konoha.

One by one, jonin received promotion orders and carefully gathered here. When they saw their fellow shinobi, they showed rare expressions of surprise.

So many jonin! It was clear this mission was no ordinary one.

Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Hiashi Hyuga, Ebisu, Anko Mitarashi, Genma Shiranui, Aoba Yamashiro, Raido Namiashi, Ibiki Morino, Hana Inuzuka, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka—nearly thirty jonin were present.

"What kind of mission is this?"

As the thirty jonin exchanged glances, no one wasted any time with idle chatter, but the seriousness in their expressions spoke volumes.

When the new generation of shinobi, including Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Shikamaru Nara, appeared, Might Guy couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.

"Lord Hokage... why are Lee and Tenten joining this mission?"

Though Might Guy was passionate and hot-blooded, he wasn't foolish. As a jonin, he could tell this was an S-rank mission. While Neji was already a jonin, the inclusion of these chunin was puzzling.

"Kakashi-sensei! Where is Sasuke? Sasuke!"

When Naruto and Sakura arrived, Naruto's loud, excited demeanor immediately drew everyone's attention.

Uchiha Sasuke!

The moment this name came up, all the Jonin frowned. Shinobi intelligence wasn't something to be taken lightly.

In just an instant, Naruto's reckless behavior had already revealed the nature of the mission. This caused many experienced jonins to furrow their brows.

Was someone like this suited to join such a mission?

As everyone exchanged glances, the sound of approaching footsteps made them all turn their gazes toward the source, their expressions growing even more serious.

Tsunade approached with crisp steps, her high heels echoing clearly, followed by a solemn Jiraiya, an Anbu member wearing a mask, and Shizune carrying a stack of documents.

"Everyone, this S-rank classified mission was originally meant to be discussed in the Hokage's office. However, due to the current situation and prying eyes, I hope you all understand why we're meeting here instead!"

Tsunade wasted no time as she arrived, immediately diving into the main topic with her characteristic decisiveness. This straightforward approach earned nods of approval from the seasoned jonin—this was certainly the Hokage's style.

However, in the crowd, Kakashi noticed something unusual. Naruto, who was usually loud and brash, had suddenly quieted down. For the first time, he seemed nervous and hesitant in front of Tsunade.

This did not escape Jiraiya's notice either.

For a moment, Kakashi and Jiraiya exchanged glances and sighed inwardly.

It seemed Naruto had been scolded. Hopefully, he will take this as a learning experience and grow from it.

At the same time, Kakashi discreetly glanced at the Anbu member behind Lady Tsunade. For some reason, they seemed oddly familiar...

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