The heavy golden doors of the throne room closed with a loud *thud*.
The trial officially started.
The Fire Daimyo snapped his fan shut.
He tried to hide his nervousness and look powerful.
“Dale Senju,”
The Daimyo said, trying to make his voice sound deep and commanding.
“You are accused of treason. You used your space-time jutsu to bypass Lady Mito’s perfect seal. You stole the Heirloom of Fire. Hand it back to me immediately, and I might show you mercy.”
Dale did not blink.
He just smiled.
“That is a very heavy accusation, Lord Daimyo,”
Dale answered smoothly.
“But I have a simple question. Do you have any actual proof? Did you or your guards see me steal it? Or is this just pure speculation based on a rumor?”
Daimyo’s face turned slightly red.
“I… I do not need a witness!”
The Daimyo shouted, gripping his throne.
“The vault was locked! The seal was unbroken! You are the only ninja in the world who can teleport! That is enough proof!”
Dale nodded slowly, acting as if he completely understood.
“I see,”
Dale said.
“So, in this royal court, we can just accuse people of major crimes without any solid proof. If that is the rule, then I have an accusation of my own.”
Dale pointed a finger right at the Daimyo.
“I demand that you give this land back to me immediately,”
Dale stated clearly.
“You stole this land from innocent people, and I want it back.”
The nobles in the room gasped loudly.
The Daimyo jumped up from his throne, his face turning bright red with pure anger.
“How dare you!”
Daimyo yelled, waving his fan.
“This is outrageous! This is the capital city of the Land of Fire! I did not steal it! I inherited this land from my great ancestors!”
Dale tilted his head and asked the exact same question.
“Do you have proof?”
Dale asked calmly.
“Or are you just taking things from innocent people without evidence?”
“Of course I have proof!”
The Daimyo screamed, furious that a ninja was talking down to him.
“The royal records show this land belongs to my family!”
Suddenly, Tsunade let out a loud, highly amused laugh.
Her laugh echoed across the giant room.
“Actually,”
Tsunade smiled, reaching inside her green jacket.
“Your royal records are completely wrong.”
Tsunade pulled out a very old, dusty scroll.
It had the official Senju Clan symbol stamped on it.
She unrolled it and held it up for the Daimyo to see.
“Before this capital city was even built, this entire forest belonged to the Senju Clan,”
Tsunade explained, her voice dripping with royal confidence.
“My great great grandfather was just too lazy to manage it. So, he let your ancestors rent the land to build their little castle. He eventually forgot all about it.”
Tsunade’s eyes narrowed into sharp, dangerous slits.
“But I have not forgotten,”
Tsunade declared.
“According to this official deed, your family has not paid rent in over one hundred years. Since you want to talk about stolen property today, Lord Daimyo, I am going to collect our back rent. And I am going to charge you massive interest.”
The entire throne room went completely dead silent.
Daimyo’s jaw dropped open.
He fell back into his throne, completely shocked.
He was sweating bullets.
The trial had completely turned upside down.
Instead of putting Dale in prison, the Daimyo was suddenly millions of gold coins in debt to the Senju Princess!
*Why did the trial turn out like this?!*
Daimyo panicked in his mind.
But Dale did not stop.
He pressed his attack perfectly.
“Let us talk about your investigation,”
Dale said, his voice turning incredibly sharp and serious.
“Did you even investigate the crime scene? Did you check the vault for chakra traces? Or did you just call me here to be put on trial without a single piece of solid evidence?”
Daimyo swallowed hard.
He looked at his advisors, but they were all looking at the floor in fear.
“We… we could not open the vault to check,”
The Daimyo stuttered weakly.
“Lady Mito’s seal is still active. Only she knew how to open it safely.”
“Just as I thought,”
Dale said, shaking his head.
“You accused me without even looking inside the room.”
Dale stepped forward.
The commanding aura of the ‘Chasing Thunder’ filled the room, making the royal guards step back in fear.
“Take me to the royal Treasury,”
Dale demanded, leaving no room for argument.
“Lady Mito taught Tsunade how to open the master seals. We will open the vault together. And I will use my own methods to prove my innocence right now.”
Daimyo’s hands shook as he led the large group down into the dark, heavy stone basement of the castle.
Deep down, the Daimyo was terrified.
He did not even know if the heirloom was actually missing or not.
He had just received a massive chest of bribe money from Danzo.
He thought taking down a simple ninja would be easy.
He never expected Dale to be a monster he should never mess with.
They stopped in front of a giant iron door covered in complex black ink.
Tsunade stepped forward.
She bit her thumb, placed her hand flat on the iron door, and pushed her chakra into the ink.
“Release!”
Tsunade commanded.
The black ink glowed bright blue and slowly faded away.
The heavy iron doors clicked and swung open.
Everyone peeked inside.
The room was completely empty.
The shiny Heirloom of Fire was gone.
“See?!”
The Daimyo shouted, trying to sound brave.
“It is gone! Only you could have done this!”
Dale said calmly.
Dale reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a small bag of fine, white powder.
He stepped carefully to the edge of the room and blew the powder gently across the floor and wall.
The white dust settled over.
Suddenly, clear, glowing shapes appeared in the dust.
They were finger prints and footprints.
“What is that?”
A noble asked, his eyes wide.
“This is science,”
Dale explained, pointing at the floor.
“When people touch something, they leave oils and dust from their body. This powder sticks to it. Now, look at the size of those prints.”
Dale lifted his own foot and placed it gently in the air right next to the glowing print.
And he showed them his finger prints.
Dale’s boot was big and flat.
But the footprint on the floor was very small, wearing a traditional, soft ninja sandal.
And his finger prints didn’t match the one they found.
“The trace left behind is much smaller than my foot,”
Dale said, his voice echoing in the cold room.
“And the steps are very light. This was done by a lightweight, stealthy assassin. My teleportation jutsu does not require walking across the room. Whoever came inside here, it was definitely not me.”
Dale turned his back on the empty vault and looked at the Daimyo.
“I have proven my innocence,”
Dale stated clearly.
“As for who the real culprit is? That is your problem to solve. It is not my business.”
Daimyo’s face turned completely pale.
The nobles began to whisper loudly.
The Daimyo had lost a massive amount of face today.
He looked like a foolish, easily tricked old man in front of his entire court.
Dale stepped closer to the Daimyo.
His eyes were completely serious.
“Do not ever do something like this again,”
Dale warned him, his voice low but firm.
“A true ruler should never become a simple tool for someone else. Danzo manipulated you. He used your greed to attack me.”
Then, Dale slowly turned his head.
His sharp blue eyes swept across the crowd of wealthy, sweating nobles.
“I know some of you in this room took Danzo’s dirty money,”
Dale told them.
His voice was completely calm, but it carried a heavy, terrifying weight.
“Listen to me very carefully. Lord Hokage has officially disbanded Danzo’s secret Root army. Danzo has no power left. If any of you are still working with him, you need to stop supporting him right now.”
A rich merchant in the front row swallowed hard.
“And… and what if we refuse?”
The merchant asked nervously.
Dale smiled.
It was a cold, merciless smile.
“If you do not listen, I will not use my lightning to hurt you,”
Dale answered.
“I will not use physical force at all. Instead, I will attack your lifeblood. I will attack your businesses.”
Dale walked slowly past the trembling nobles.
“I have many ways to see it done believe me…”
Dale reminded them softly.
“I have more money and trade power than all of you combined. If you cross me, I will freeze your trade routes. I will ruin your markets. I will make you so incredibly poor that you will think death is your only choice.”
The basement was dead silent.
No one dared to breathe.
They finally understood.
Dale Senju was not just an S-rank monster on the battlefield.
He was an absolute king of the business, and he held all of their lives right in the palm of his hand.
Dale and Tsunade turned around and walked out of the cold, dark basement.
They left the terrified Daimyo and the sweating nobles completely speechless behind them.
When they finally stepped out of the heavy castle doors, the bright, warm sunlight hit their faces.
Tsunade let out a long, happy breath.
A massive, proud smile completely took over her beautiful face.
“You were absolutely amazing in there,”
Tsunade laughed happily, bumping her shoulder against his.
“Did you see the look on Daimyo’s face? He looked like he was going to faint! You put all of those greedy politicians right in their place.”
Dale chuckled and wrapped his arm gently around her waist.
“We did it together,”
Dale told her warmly.
“I brought the science, but you brought the royal power. They were absolutely terrified of you, Princess.”
Tsunade smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.
The heavy stress of the trial, Danzo’s dark traps, and the political games were finally over.
They had won completely.
“So,”
Tsunade asked, looking up at him with bright, excited eyes.
“What does the great ‘Chasing Thunder’ want to do now?”
“Now,”
Dale smiled, his eyes softening.
“It is time for us to relax.”
Dale sent a quick message to his Jonin commanders at the military camp.
He told them the trial was a complete success and ordered the ninja army to rest and enjoy the local.
Then, Dale took Tsunade’s hand, and they walked into the busy, colorful streets of the capital city.
For the rest of the day, they did not think about ninjas, wars, or hidden enemies.
They just acted like a normal, happy couple.
They ate sweet dango from street carts and bought expensive, beautiful clothes from the grand merchant shops.
When the sun began to set, the city lit up with thousands of warm, glowing red lanterns.
Dale rented the biggest, most luxurious room in the finest hot spring inn the capital had to offer.
They spent an hour soaking in the warm, healing waters of the private hot spring, washing away all the dirt and stress of their long journey.
Later that night, the city grew quiet.
Inside their luxurious room, the warm light of a single candle flickered softly against the paper walls.
Tsunade walked out of the bath wearing only a loose, silk kimono.
Her long blonde hair was damp, and her skin was glowing.
She looked absolutely breathtaking.
Dale was sitting on the edge of the soft futon.
When he looked at her, his breath caught in his throat.
Tsunade smiled a deep, confident smile.
She walked slowly over to him and gently pushed him back onto the soft mattress.
“You worked very hard today, Dale,”
Tsunade whispered, her voice low and incredibly sweet.
She leaned down, and their lips finally met in a deep, passionate kiss.
All the tension from the week instantly melted away, replaced by a sudden, intense heat.
Dale wrapped his strong arms tightly around her waist, pulling her beautiful, curvy body perfectly against his own.
He kissed her back with everything he had.
The loose silk kimono slipped smoothly off her shoulders, falling to the floor.
The rest of the night was filled with pure, heated passion.
They completely lost themselves in each other, exploring every touch and every breath.
The connection between them was deeper than just physical; it was a bond of absolute trust and overwhelming love.
Hours later, the candle finally burned out.
Tsunade was sleeping peacefully, resting her head softly on Dale’s bare chest.
Her breathing was slow and calm.
Dale lay there in the quiet dark, gently stroking her long blonde hair.
He felt the warmth of her skin and the steady beat of her heart.
He thought about his amazing students back home.
He thought about his new eyes, his incredible power, and the beautiful, powerful woman sleeping in his arms.
Dale smiled into the darkness.
His life in this ninja world was absolutely perfect.
He truly could not ask for anything more.
A few days later, Dale and Tsunade returned home to the Hidden Leaf Village.
They dismissed their large ninja army and walked straight to the Hokage’s tower.
When they opened the door to the office, they found Hiruzen sitting at his desk.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru were also standing in the room.
Hiruzen looked up.
He smiled a tired but genuine smile.
“Welcome back, you two,”
Hiruzen said warmly.
“I heard the news. You handled the Daimyo perfectly. And I have some good news for you as well.”
Hiruzen took a slow puff from his pipe.
“You do not need to worry about Danzo anymore,”
Hiruzen told them, his voice firm and serious.
“I went to his hidden base myself. Root is officially disbanded. His seals are broken, his men are reassigned, and Danzo is locked away under heavy guard. He will never threaten you or your family again.”
Tsunade let out a sigh of relief.
Dale simply nodded.
The dark shadow hanging over their lives was finally gone.
Hiruzen looked at the three of his old students.
He looked at Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and finally, his eyes stopped on Tsunade.
His eyes were full of meaning.
He looked incredibly old and tired.
The war was over, the village was safe, and he clearly wanted to retire.
He opened his mouth to speak.
“Sensei, stop right there,”
Tsunade said quickly, holding up her hand.
“I already know what you are going to ask. And the answer is no.”
Hiruzen blinked in surprise.
“Tsunade…”
“No,”
Tsunade repeated firmly, but she smiled.
“I do not want to be the Hokage. I want to build a family with Dale. I want to manage our hospital and orphanage then train our students. I do not want to sit behind a desk all day.”
Hiruzen sighed heavily.
He turned his head and looked at the tall, white-haired man.
“Jiraiya?”
Hiruzen asked hopefully.
“Do not look at me, old man!”
Jiraiya laughed loudly, waving his hands in the air.
“I am a free spirit! I need to travel the world, do my research, and write my books! Being Hokage would completely ruin my style!”
Hiruzen’s shoulders dropped.
He turned to the last of his three legendary students.
“Orochimaru,”
Hiruzen said softly.
“You have always wanted this. Since you were a young boy, you wanted the hat. Will you take the mantle?”
Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen.
Then, he looked over at Dale.
To Hiruzen’s absolute surprise, Orochimaru shook his head.
“I must refuse as well, Sensei,”
Orochimaru said, a genuine, calm smile on his pale face.
“I used to think that being Hokage was the ultimate power. But Dale has shown me a completely different path.”
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
“Dale’s modern knowledge is fascinating. He funds my laboratory, and he gives me ideas about biology and energy that I never even dreamed of. I want to pursue my true passion as a scientist. Politics are far too boring for me now.”
Hiruzen stared at Orochimaru in pure shock.
Dale had actually managed to change Orochimaru’s dark heart just by giving him a new, positive focus.
But Hiruzen was still trapped.
He let out a very long, very sad sigh.
He looked at the massive stacks of paperwork sitting on his desk.
It seemed he still had to wear the heavy Hokage mantle for a very long time.
Suddenly, Hiruzen had an idea.
He slowly lifted his head and looked directly at Dale.
Dale was incredibly strong.
He was famous.
He was rich.
He was basically royalty now.
“Dale…”
Hiruzen started to say, his eyes shining with sudden hope.
Dale did not even let him finish the sentence.
Dale took two steps backward and shook his head rapidly.
“Absolutely not, Lord Hokage,”
Dale said, holding his hands up in defense.
“I run a business. I train kids. And most importantly, I absolutely hate paperwork. Please, keep the hat to yourself.”
Tsunade burst out laughing.
Jiraiya slapped his knee, and even Orochimaru chuckled.
Hiruzen groaned and buried his face in his hands.
“Fine,”
Hiruzen mumbled sadly through his fingers.
“Get out of my office, all of you. Let an old man do his paperwork in peace.”
They all smiled and bowed respectfully.
As Dale held Tsunade’s hand and walked out the door, he knew the future of the Hidden Leaf Village was finally going to be bright, peaceful, and perfectly safe.