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"Start," Hiruzen commanded, his old, tired eyes burning with a new, dangerous intensity.
The air in the room was thick with tension, the ANBU Black Ops poised like coiled springs, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
"Before that," Alaric said, his voice calm and unhurried. He took a step closer to the Hokage's desk and, with a casual flick of his wrist, a translucent barrier of shimmering chakra erupted from the floor, instantly enclosing him and Hiruzen in a silent, private dome.
"Hokage-sama!" the ANBU captain yelled, his voice a muffled sound from beyond the barrier until no more sound could be heard. He and his squad lunged forward, their blades striking the shimmering wall, only to be repelled by a soft, unyielding force. The barrier turned an opaque, milky white, completely obscuring the two men inside from view.
"What are you doing?" Hiruzen's voice was a low growl, his hand already moving to form a hand sign beneath his desk. Yet, he paused. He could feel no killing intent, no malice from the man before him. Only an overwhelming, almost suffocating, sense of power.
"Having a private conversation," Alaric sighed, walking around the desk and sinking into the visitor's chair as if he owned the place. He pulled a fresh cigar from his coat, lit it with a snap of his fingers, and took a long, satisfying drag. "I can't have Danzō knowing the contents of our conversation, now can I?"
The name, spoken so casually, landed like a physical blow. Hiruzen's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing again. "Danzō? What do you mean?"
"Don't feign ignorance, Sandaime," Alaric smiled, the expression holding no warmth. "Torune Aburame, Fū Yamanaka, Yamato… or Tenzō, if you will. All loyal to you, but all with their roots in the dark. You know that, don't you?"
The old Hokage let out a long, weary sigh, the fight seeming to drain out of him. He reached for his pipe and tobacco pouch, his movements slow and deliberate. "Yes," he admitted quietly, lighting the pipe with a small fire jutsu. "So, what is your intel?"
"...Sure," Alaric's eyebrows rose slightly. 'So he does know. And he can't, or won't, do anything about it.'
"Orochimaru, your student, plans to invade Konoha during the final phase of the upcoming Chūnin Exams," Alaric stated bluntly, the words cutting through the quiet office. "He will infiltrate the village disguised as a Kusa-nin. His primary objective during the second phase of the exam will be to mark Sasuke Uchiha with his Cursed Seal of Heaven." He took another drag from his cigar, letting the information sink in. "A month later, during the final tournament, he will create chaos from within, while Sunagakure, his new allies, will attack from the outside."
"What!?" Hiruzen choked on a mouthful of smoke, his eyes widening in horror and betrayal. A wave of pure, unadulterated killing intent, the likes of which hadn't been felt in this office for over a decade, erupted from him, pressing down on the very air. But Alaric simply waved a dismissive hand, and the immense pressure vanished as if it had never been there. The Hokage stared, his shock compounding.
He pushed that aside, his mind latching onto the other name. "...What about Naruto?" he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. "You said your intel involves him?"
"Akatsuki," Alaric said, the single word hanging in the air like a death sentence. "Three years from now, they will begin their hunt for the Jinchūriki. All of them."
"...What is their plan? Do you know their leader?" Hiruzen pressed, his mind reeling, trying to process the sheer scale of the threats now looming over his village. "How do you know all of this?"
"We all have our secrets, Sandaime-sama," Alaric smirked, tapping the ash from his cigar into a nearby tray. "You of all people should know that."
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, the weight of the world settling on his old shoulders. He looked at the strange, impossible man sitting so calmly before him. "...Do you have any more information?"
The Kenway nodded. "Yep. Lots. Both from the past and the future."
"Tell me everything you know," Hiruzen said, his voice a low, intense command. "I will compensate you properly." He paused, his old, tired eyes becoming sharp, analytical. "But first, why? Why are you telling me this? Do you seek shelter in Konoha? A position? What is your price?"
"...What do you mean?" Alaric's brow rose in genuine confusion. He took a final puff from his cigar and stubbed it out. "I want money. And I'm a man with morals, I don't want to just rob a bank or somethin'."
"I see," the Hokage said, a slow, weary understanding dawning on his face. He took a long drag from his pipe, the smoke curling around his head like a shroud. "Continue."
"Ey, before that, we gotta agree with a price first," Alaric grinned, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "The kind of information I have is so valuable that all the bank reserves in this entire nation would still be lacking."
"Then just provide information that values one hundred million Ryo," Hiruzen countered, his gaze steady.
"Hmm... let me think," Alaric cupped his chin, pretending to consider it for a moment before nodding. "Sure. Is there anything specific you want to know? The Uchiha Massacre? Danzō's current schemes? Shisui Uchiha? More about Orochimaru? I can even answer some questions regarding the Warring States period, or hell, even the answer to your paperwork problem. You can even test me, to see if my intel's genuine."
Hiruzen's mind, already reeling, was now a whirlwind of possibilities. This man was offering to unlock the darkest, most guarded secrets of his entire life, of his entire village. He decided to start with the wound that still festered, the one that haunted his nights. "What was Danzō's exact role in the Uchiha Massacre?" he asked, his voice low, heavy with guilt. "Did he manipulate Itachi into acting alone, or were others in the council who supported the decision?"
Alaric leaned back, taking a slow drag from his cigar, the smoke curling upward as he eyed the old Hokage. "Danzō was the one pulling the strings, Sandaime. He cornered Itachi, fed him half-truths about the Uchiha planning a coup, and gave him an impossible choice: wipe out his clan, or let Konoha fall into civil war. Itachi, loyal to a fault, took the bait. Danzō acted mostly solo, but Koharu and Homura didn't push back… they nodded along, scared of the Uchiha's unrest. You could have talked Fugaku down, but Danzō made sure that meeting never happened."
Hiruzen's fingers tightened around the stem of his pipe, the wood groaning under the pressure. He exhaled slowly, then pressed on. "What is Danzō planning now with Root? Is he conducting unauthorized experiments or missions that threaten Konoha's stability, and how does he intend to use operatives like Tenzō? I made sure to disband the organization."
"What do you mean disband?'" Alaric's lips quirked into a half-smile that held no humor. "Danzō's building his own little shadow empire, old man. Root's running off-the-books jobs… assassinations in minor countries to destabilize them, spying on our own allies, even snatching kids with rare Kekkei Genkai for his 'training programs'. He's messing with Hashirama's cells, grafting them onto his operatives to make obedient, powerful puppets. Tenzō's his star pupil because of that Wood Release, but Danzō's not stopping there. He's hoarding Sharingan eyes, thinking he's saving Konoha while he's actually setting it up to crack from the inside. If you don't rein him in, he'll keep undermining you until there's nothing left but his version of the village."
"…" The Hokage's brow furrowed, his worst suspicions confirmed. He leaned forward, his voice a low whisper. "Did Danzō orchestrate Shisui's death to steal his Sharingan? I had a feeling that Shisui had a plan to avert the coup... what was it, and could it have succeeded?"
Alaric nodded, flicking the ash from his cigar. "Right on the mark. Danzō jumped Shisui on the Nakano River, took his right eye, and left him for dead. Shisui's plan was to use his Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku, to subtly nudge him into dropping the coup idea. No blood, no massacre." He paused, letting the weight of the lost opportunity settle. "It had a real shot. That genjutsu was a game-changer. But Danzō wanted the power for himself, not for peace. Shisui gave his other eye to Itachi, hoping it could still be used to save Konoha. If Danzō hadn't meddled, the Uchiha might still be here."
The pipe in Hiruzen's hand trembled slightly as he set it down on the desk. "Beyond the Chūnin Exams invasion, what is Orochimaru's ultimate goal? Is he working alone, or does he have allies within or outside Konoha that I am unaware of?"
Alaric blew out a ring of smoke, his expression turning serious. "Orochimaru's after immortality. Body-swapping jutsu, cursed seals, forbidden techniques… things like that. The Chūnin Exams are just his grand stage to acquire Sasuke's Sharingan for his next vessel. He's got his Sound Village, a nation of loyal followers trained to be his personal army, and he has Sunagakure in his pocket for this invasion, though they are just tools to him. Inside Konoha, he has a few low-level Chunin passing him scraps of intel… nobodies, not your inner circle. Hit his Sound base hard, and you'll cut the head off the snake." He leaned forward, his voice firm. "He's not unstoppable, Sandaime-sama."
Hiruzen rubbed his temple, the mention of his former student a fresh sting. He shifted gears, moving to a topic that was both history and a present danger. "The Warring States… what hidden truths about that period, particularly involving the Senju and Uchiha, have been kept from me that could impact Konoha's current alliances?"
Alaric's brow rose, and he tapped his cigar thoughtfully. "The Warring States were messy, and Tobirama wasn't as upfront with you as you think. He deliberately tanked early peace talks with the Uchiha, spreading distrust about their Sharingan and its power to control others. That's why Madara ultimately left the village… Hashirama's dream of unity was being poisoned from within by Tobirama's paranoia. That old bad blood still lingers. Clans like the Hyūga still resent the Senju's old favoritism. If you don't actively work to smooth over those ancient rifts, your alliances with the Nara or the Akimichi could wobble when things get rough." He shrugged. "History's a pain like that."
Hiruzen's eyes softened, a flicker of old memories, of his sensei, surfacing. He switched to a more immediate, and personally draining, concern. "Ehem… the paperwork?"
"Kage Bunshin."
"..."
"..."
Hiruzen closed his eyes, a profound, almost spiritual sense of relief washing over him. He had been so buried in tradition, in doing things the "right" way, that the simplest, most obvious solution had never occurred to him.
'Finally,' he thought, a genuine, unburdened smile touching his lips for the first time in what felt like years. 'A day where I can return home early.'
He opened his eyes, a new line of inquiry sparked by Alaric's deep knowledge, wanting to test him a little. "Who was the first Jinchūriki?"
"Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki."
"What!?" Hiruzen's eyes widened. He had expected the man to say Mito Uzumaki, a test to confirm the limits of his knowledge. But Hagoromo? The Sage of Six Paths? "Please, state facts. Do not drag myths and legends into this."
"Um, yeah, it was Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki," Alaric yawned, glancing at his wrist as if checking an invisible watch. "If you're talking about the Kyuubi specifically, then yes, it was Mito Uzumaki. She sealed it into herself after Hashirama defeated Madara at the Valley of the End."
"...Wait, are you saying Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki is actually real!?"
"Yep. But your one hundred million Ryo is too small for that story," Alaric smiled. "Look, it's been an hour. Just give me my money so I can book a room for the night."
"..."
"..."
"Fine."
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