Shinnosuke quickly paid Kakuzu a satisfactory reward. Without any delay, Kakuzu immediately departed from Konoha.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen was listening to Shinnosuke's report.
"Someone wants to assassinate me?" Hiruzen looked at his son with a trace of surprise. However, it was only a slight surprise; he seemed to already have an answer in his heart.
"Yes. I don't believe an organization like the Yorozuya would use such a matter as a joke," Shinnosuke replied.
"The Yorozuya, hmm?" Hiruzen murmured. Whatever crossed his mind, he suddenly spoke up: "Shinnosuke, do you think... Orochimaru had a hand in this?"
Shinnosuke froze for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Lord Third, are you suggesting that Orochimaru influenced Diarmuid's decision to some degree?"
In an official capacity, even though he was Hiruzen's son, Shinnosuke always addressed his father as "Lord Third."
Hiruzen fell silent for a while before saying, "He was my student, after all, wasn't he?"
Shinnosuke pondered this for a moment before nodding. "It is a possibility."
As soon as he said it, a look of relief washed over Hiruzen's face, though it vanished just as quickly. Hiruzen was undoubtedly a man who valued sentiment; even though Orochimaru had defected, he was still the disciple Hiruzen had raised personally. It was only natural for him to think this way.
He felt that while it was already generous of Diarmuid not to get involved, the fact that he sent someone to deliver a warning suggested that Orochimaru might have mediated behind the scenes.
However, Shinnosuke didn't dwell on sentiment. He said gravely, "Lord Third, I believe the intelligence provided by the Yorozuya is credible. In fact..."
"You want to say it's Danzo behind the scenes, trying to hire the Yorozuya to assassinate me, don't you?" Hiruzen interjected.
Shinnosuke didn't hesitate and stated directly, "I do indeed believe so. Looking at the current situation, although the war has ended, the various nations are still licking their wounds. No one has the strength, nor the political will, to defy public sentiment and launch a new round of warfare. Furthermore, assassinating the Kage of a village has never been the tradition of the Great Nations. Small nations, on the other hand, lack the capability. After considering the motives and reasoning several times, I believe that if the Yorozuya's words are true, this assassination request most likely comes from within."
The shinobi world was currently enveloped in a general sense of "war-weariness." Constant conflict had pushed the tolerance of the citizenry to its limit. Therefore, even if other Great Nations saw Konoha ravaged by the Nine-Tails, launching a full-scale war was impossible. Such a war requires massive preparation, arrangement, and mobilization to truly begin.
Thus, it was safe to rule out an external power seeking a military objective by assassinating Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But beyond war, or rather, including war, the Five Great Nations and their hidden villages would not normally resort to assassinating a Kage. Such a method was too despicable; if the perpetrators were discovered, their reputation would be ruined, and they would inevitably face the full fury of Konoha.
Just as the Daimyo of various lands would not assassinate one another, under normal circumstances, the Kage would not harbor such thoughts. Otherwise, rules and order would collapse; if you assassinate the Hokage today, Onoki might end up dead in the street tomorrow. It would lead to a state where all Five Kage lived in constant fear.
While small nations might take such a desperate risk, Shinnosuke concluded that none had the motive. Therefore, he judged that this matter originated internally. Assassinations of a Kage usually happened from within, as external forces found it difficult to track a Hokage's movements. Only an insider would have such an opportunity.
"And within our Konoha, currently only Danzo has the motive and the reason. Once he removes you, Lord Third, the current state of the village means no one could stop him from becoming Hokage. Becoming Hokage has become his obsession. Furthermore, in my view, Danzo has always been a man who uses any means necessary. I have every reason to suspect he is the 'employer' mentioned by the Yorozuya," Shinnosuke said.
Hiruzen remained silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke: "Danzo is indeed an ambitious man who has always eyed the seat of Hokage. Years ago, when Lord Second did not choose him, I was somewhat puzzled. At the time, I believed Danzo was a man no less capable than myself, perhaps even superior. I thought there would be no issue with him being Hokage. But as time passed, I realized I had never truly seen him for who he was. Conversely, Lord Second likely saw through his nature long ago. Danzo is a man who stops at nothing. While being ruthless can be an advantage in other positions, a Hokage must be open, aboveboard, and honorable. One precisely cannot be unscrupulous. Therefore, I believe he must never become Hokage; otherwise, Konoha, and by extension the Land of Fire and the Five Great Nations, would be led into a dangerous abyss."
The man who becomes Hokage must be open and honorable!
This was Hiruzen's philosophy. This didn't mean a Hokage couldn't be flexible or utilize strategy, but rather that when facing a problem, one shouldn't immediately default to underhanded methods. In Hiruzen's eyes, Danzo was someone who preferred the shadows and extreme, dark measures for everything.
Such a person was indeed unfit to be Hokage. In fact, among the Kage of the Five Great Nations, not one was a person who relished despicable schemes and unscrupulous behavior. Was this a coincidence? No, it was an inevitability. While it's true that where there is light, there must be a shadow, the one standing on the stage must be the light.
Consider Danzo's actions later as Acting Hokage, using a Sharingan to manipulate the Five Kage Summit just to become the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Is that the logic of a normal Hokage? It was because he was habituated to despicability, shadows, and ruthlessness.
Thus, Hiruzen's concern was valid. If Danzo became Hokage, he would undoubtedly lead Konoha into danger. In the original timeline, had Sasuke not appeared to draw the hatred and kill him, there's no telling how much Danzo would have sabotaged Konoha. It was a stroke of luck that Sasuke finished him off, or the Allied Forces might never have formed, and the Five Great Nations might have descended into civil war. Madara might have laughed himself awake in his coffin.
Listening to Hiruzen's evaluation of Danzo, Shinnosuke remained silent.
Hiruzen paused before continuing, "That is why I am unwilling to let him become Hokage. Yet, even so, I always believed our conflict was merely a matter of differing political views and philosophies. Konoha is never solely comprised of light; there is no place in this world that is all light. Where there is light, there is shadow. The Hokage is the light; the position Danzo occupies is the shadow. This is why I have always tolerated his existence. But..."
At this point, Hiruzen hesitated and looked at his son. "Shinnosuke, do you think Danzo would truly send someone to kill me?"
This was Hiruzen's character flaw: he was overly sentimental. He was this way with Orochimaru, and the same applied to Danzo. This trait had its pros and cons; the good side was that because he was so sentimental, those who respected him were willing to go through fire and water for him. The bad side was that his moments of mercy often led to far worse outcomes.
Shinnosuke looked at his father. He knew his father's "flaw," or rather, his personality. Was being sentimental a mistake?
Thinking of this, Shinnosuke said firmly, "He would! Lord Third, please do not hesitate any longer."
Hiruzen sighed, his expression turning lonely. He waved his hand. "In a few days, I prepare to head to the Daimyo's estate. Shinnosuke, have the Anbu draw up the protocols and arrange the itinerary."
Though nothing was said explicitly, Shinnosuke knew his father had made a decision.
"Yes, Lord Third," Shinnosuke said.
"Go on then," Hiruzen dismissed him, but added one last thing: "Regarding this matter, classify it as Rank-1 Secret."
"Understood."
After Shinnosuke left the office, Hiruzen rubbed his eyes wearily. He turned his chair to look out the window. Scenes from the past flashed before his eyes. Back then, they were all young. Back then, Danzo and he were close comrades.
Though he was reluctant to believe Danzo would heartlessly attempt to assassinate him, Hiruzen was no naive fool. His question was merely a search for comfort, but Shinnosuke had cruelly shattered that illusion. Hiruzen knew full well that Danzo would strike.
But after this, how am I to deal with you? Danzo... Hiruzen thought helplessly.
The simplest way would be to eliminate Danzo once and for all. However, considering the position of Hokage, Hiruzen felt there was still a necessity to keep Danzo around. Just as Diarmuid viewed Danzo as a convenient scapegoat, to put it darkly, so did Hiruzen.
He was indeed reclaiming the power of the Root and had tentatively proposed dissolving the organization at high-level meetings, but nothing had been implemented. Similarly, as Hokage, how could Hiruzen only plan for the best-case scenario? Especially regarding the Uchiha.
He and Fugaku were working together, hoping for a better, more harmonious future. But... how could he not consider what to do if those efforts failed and things turned for the absolute worst?
Danzo was the blade he kept in reserve.
Hiruzen was never a simple character. He spoke of dealing with Danzo and dissolving the Root, but in truth, until the day he died, the Root remained "ever-present," even if it had been officially disbanded on the surface. Was he unaware of this persistence? He must have known; he was the Hokage, after all, and he knew Danzo intimately.
Consider that Danzo fought Hiruzen from beginning to end, but until Hiruzen's unexpected death at the hands of Orochimaru, did Danzo ever win against him even once?
Perhaps, from start to finish, Hiruzen intentionally kept Danzo around. The only accident was that he never expected to die by Orochimaru's hand. Otherwise, he likely would have completely settled the matter of Danzo before his own passing.