A few seconds later, as if Katsuyu's words were too absurd to believe, Tsunade's voice trembled as she asked again,
"You... say that again!?"
"The message Shinichi asked me to bring was..."
Katsuyu's antennae curled uneasily. She understood how shocking these words were.
"Lady Tsunade, although it sounds... unbelievable, those were Lord Shinichi's exact words!"
The moment she finished speaking, everyone who heard the news froze in place.
Bang!
Tsunade slammed her palm onto the sturdy Hokage's desk. The teacups and documents on it jumped at once.
"Is he crazy!?" She stood up, her face full of anxiety and anger as she stared at Katsuyu.
"He's going to attack Iwagakure alone?! Doesn't he know how dangerous that is?!"
"Katsuyu... why didn't you stop him then!?"
Katsuyu fell silent.
Then she said, sounding wronged, "I... I tried to stop him."
Her voice was low, with a faint tremble in it.
"I tried to dissuade him... but Lord Shinichi..."
Her antennae stiffened for a moment, and her body shrank back slightly, as if she could once again feel the aura Shinichi had given off at that moment.
"He let me... see it with my own eyes..."
"The power... he has now!"
The anxious Tsunade did not stop to think about Katsuyu's vague words. She took a deep breath and was about to ask more.
"Enough, Tsunade. Calm down!"
At that moment, Hiruzen raised his hand to stop her. His expression was just as grave.
"Shinichi is your younger brother, but he is also my student."
Hiruzen spoke slowly.
"Although he has not been my student for long, I know his character. He never speaks recklessly, and he would never joke with his own life. He must have his reasons for doing this, as well as..."
"The strength to do it!"
"But..." Tsunade simply could not suppress her anxiety. "That's attacking a hidden village! Sensei, how can I be at ease? He is my only brother now, and... and he's Konoha's future Hokage!"
Hiruzen looked at Tsunade and stayed silent for a moment.
"That is exactly why we cannot lose our heads." His voice was steady. "Since he dares to say it and do it, he must have his confidence and reasons. What we need to think about now is not whether he can do it, but..."
He paused, looked at the unconscious Roshi on the ground, then gazed toward the east.
"...how Konoha should respond before and after he shakes the world with this, and how we should weather the storm he is about to stir up!"
Hiruzen's words made Jiraiya snap his head around. Still stunned by what Shinichi was about to do, his face was full of disbelief.
"Old Man!" Jiraiya's voice rose. "Are you saying... you're giving Shinichi silent approval to do this?! Are you crazy? That's attacking a hidden village! That's war!"
Hiruzen did not answer immediately.
He picked up his pipe, relit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"I'm not giving him silent approval. I've just... witnessed it before!"
"Witnessed!?"
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune spoke almost at the same time.
Hiruzen looked at Tsunade. Seeing that she was still worried but had calmed down a little, he nodded and turned his gaze to Katsuyu, who was coiled on the floor.
"Katsuyu, you said just now that you tried to stop Shinichi, but... gave up, right?"
Katsuyu's antennae bobbed as she replied softly,
"Yes, Lord Third."
"Then explain it clearly." Hiruzen held his pipe, his gaze deep. "The reason you gave up on dissuading him. I think that reason itself may be the key to answering all our doubts about Shinichi!"
His words made everyone in the office focus on Katsuyu.
Katsuyu was silent for a moment, as if organizing her words, or perhaps recalling something even more distant.
"Lord Third, you asked me why I gave up on dissuading him..."
"...I think it was because of power!"
As Katsuyu spoke, she became more certain of her own guess.
"When I faced the power Lord Shinichi has now... I understood..."
"He is almost... catching up to Lord Hashirama!"
Katsuyu's voice fell.
Hiruzen's hand tightened around his pipe.
Then...
"Heh..."
He suddenly laughed.
At first, it was only a low sound from deep in his throat. Then his laughter gradually grew louder.
"Hahaha... Hahahaha!"
He threw his head back and laughed, his shoulders shaking. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened.
The laughter echoed through the quiet office, sounding especially sudden.
"So that's how it is... So that's how it is! If that's the case... if Shinichi has really reached that level..."
"Then him saying he'll attack Iwagakure alone..."
He paused, then said proudly,
"...is not surprising at all!"
"Sensei!?" Tsunade cried out, completely unable to understand Hiruzen's reaction.
Jiraiya was no different.
Hiruzen stopped laughing, but the excitement on his face had not faded.
He looked around at everyone in the office, all of them shocked into silence. Finally, his gaze landed on Katsuyu, who also seemed a little at a loss.
"Katsuyu, tell us in detail. Everything you saw, everything you felt about Shinichi's power... say it all."
"Don't leave anything out. Don't summarize!"
"I want to know," Hiruzen said, his eyes sharp, "just how much of it you witnessed."
Up to 30 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Viki2