Three days was enough time to get a lot done.
Teizawa spent one of those days writing invitations, another day and a half strolling through Konoha's streets.
And the remaining half day...
Was spent thinking about one question.
How could he make Tsunade attend the auction without protest?
The answer was simple.
He picked up a brush and wrote a letter, then had it delivered to the Hokage Tower.
The letter was very short. Only a single line:
"If Lady Hokage refuses to attend, then I will have no choice but to write the events of that night into a story, print it into flyers, and scatter them through every street and alley in Konoha."
When Shizune delivered the letter to Tsunade,
her whole body was trembling.
After reading it, Tsunade's expression shifted from livid, to flushed red, to deathly pale, then from pale back to livid again...
Like someone had overturned a painter's palette.
"That bastard!"
She crushed the paper into a ball so tightly her knuckles turned white.
She could punch that brat flying.
She could smash him into a wall.
She could teach him exactly what monstrous strength meant.
But she could not let him spread those events around.
The Hokage of Konoha. Granddaughter of Hashirama Senju. The famous Tsunade of the shinobi world...
Getting drunk and ending up in a scandal with a Kazekage from another village who was decades younger than her?
If that got out, how was she supposed to face anyone ever again?
"Tell him..."
Grinding her teeth, Tsunade forced the words out one by one.
"I'll go."
Holding Tonton in her arms, Shizune retreated carefully from the room.
The moment the door shut, she heard a dull crash from inside the office...
The sound of a fist smashing into a desk.
Invitation after invitation was delivered.
When Mei received hers, she was drinking tea at the inn.
After reading it, she let out a light laugh and slipped the invitation into her sleeve.
When Kitsuchi received his, he was wiping down his ninja tools.
He stared at the invitation for a long while.
Then smacked it down on the table hard enough to make the teacup jump.
When Samui received hers, she was reading by the window.
She only gave it a calm glance.
Then turned the page and kept reading.
The auction was set for the following day.
Once word spread, all of Konoha grew restless.
The taverns along the streets filled with shinobi and civilians deep in noisy discussion.
Everyone was guessing the same thing.
Who would the Four-Tails end up with?
The auction venue had been set in Konoha's conference hall.
It was a spacious chamber.
Usually used for jōnin meetings or receiving important foreign guests.
Tsunade had originally wanted to refuse, but Teizawa's single line, "Lady Hokage surely wouldn't be so stingy as to refuse to lend even a venue, would she?" left her with no choice but to grit her teeth and agree.
That night, Tsunade sat alone in her office.
A copy of the next day's schedule lay open before her.
But she could not take in a single word.
Just how much chaos was that bastard planning to stir up before he finally stopped?
Outside, moonlight lay across the village like water.
Tomorrow would be lively from dawn onward.
And yet, at that very moment, the Sunagakure compound was anything but peaceful.
The night had grown deep, and Konoha lay sunk in silence.
The room holding the Four-Tails' jinchūriki was located in the inn's deepest section.
Sunagakure ANBU stood guard outside in rotating shifts.
Sensory barriers had also been set up around the area.
Teizawa had always been cautious.
He never placed his hopes in anyone else's goodwill.
The facts soon proved that his caution was necessary.
Boom!
With a dull blast, the sensory barrier shattered.
"Enemy attack!"
Before the Sunagakure ANBU's warning cry had even finished,
several dark figures lunged in from multiple directions at once.
They moved with astonishing speed.
Their coordination was flawless, as though they were one body.
And their target was obvious...
That tightly sealed door.
"Earth Release: Earthquake Core!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Lightning Release: Earth Flow!"
The glow of ninjutsu flashed in the darkness, illuminating the Sunagakure ANBU as they moved.
But these attackers were far beyond ordinary shinobi...
Every single one of them was jōnin level.
And they fought without fear of death.
"Protect the jinchūriki!"
"Stop them!"
Just as one attacker was about to break through the defense line and reach the door...
"Magnet Release: Sand Iron Wall."
A calm voice sounded from the darkness.
Pitch-black sand iron surged up from the ground like a living thing.
In an instant, it formed an impregnable barrier before the door.
The attacker's kunai struck it.
And left behind only a shallow white scratch.
"What?!"
The attacker had no time to react.
Countless fine sand iron needles erupted from the barrier.
Thuk-thuk-thuk-thuk.
Amid the dense barrage of piercing impacts, the attacker was riddled through, let out a muffled groan, and collapsed.
Teizawa stepped out from the shadows.
His dark gold robe gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
One after another, the still-resisting attackers fell within his focus.
"Take them all alive."
His voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable authority.
The morale of the Sunagakure ANBU soared.
In no time, they subdued the remaining attackers.
But the reaction from these men was eerily consistent...
The moment they realized escape was impossible,
they bit down hard on the poison hidden in their teeth.
A trace of black blood spilled from the corners of their mouths, and they dropped limply to the ground.
"Kazekage-sama, they killed themselves."
After checking them, one ANBU stepped forward and reported in a low voice.
Teizawa looked at the corpses, a faint, cold smile touching his lips.
This kind of fearless behavior. This method of hiding poison in the teeth...
He knew it far too well.
"Danzo."
He softly spoke the name, a chill flashing in his eyes.
That old man really had not given up.
From sending people to "invite" him to a meeting only to end in failure, to now attempting to seize the jinchūriki by force...
Danzo had moved quickly this time.
He had probably heard the auction was set for tomorrow.
Afraid the Four-Tails would fall into someone else's hands, he had finally run out of patience.
"...Clean this up."
Teizawa waved a hand.
"Send the bodies to the Hokage's office. Let her see what kind of filth she's been raising in the dark."
"Yes, sir!"
The Sunagakure ANBU obeyed and began cleaning the scene.
Just then...
"Kazekage-sama's residence is certainly lively tonight."
A cool female voice came from behind him, carrying a faint trace of deliberate surprise.
Teizawa lifted a brow and turned around.
Under the moonlight, a tall figure was walking toward him in measured steps.
Short blonde hair drifted lightly in the night wind.
A white business suit outlined her striking figure.
And on that cool, beautiful face sat the faintest hint of a smile.
Samui.
Teizawa looked at her, the corner of his mouth slowly lifting.
"What brings you here?"
Samui stopped in front of him, her blue eyes especially clear beneath the moonlight.
"There's something..."
She paused, her gaze settling on the room behind him, still faintly trembling from the battle.
"I'd like to discuss with Kazekage-sama."
Teizawa looked at her, amusement flickering in his eyes.
Discuss?
Showing up in the middle of the night, a woman coming alone to talk business with a man...
Interesting.
"Samui-san really did pick the perfect moment."
He smiled, his tone carrying a hint of implication.
"I just finished dealing with a fight and was in need of someone to talk to."
Samui's expression did not change in the slightest.
"Then my timing is ideal."
She glanced toward the tightly shut door.
"Won't Kazekage-sama invite me in?"
Teizawa raised a brow.
"Please."
He stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.
"It's a bit of a mess inside, so watch your step, Samui-san."
Samui gave a small nod and walked in first.
Her swaying figure traced a striking silhouette in the moonlight.
Every step carried a cold, poised elegance.
Teizawa watched her back.
The smile at his lips slowly deepened.
This woman was even bolder than Mei.
He stepped after her.
The door closed softly behind them, shutting out the moonlight and the still-busy ANBU outside.
(End of Chapter)
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