Early the next morning, Shinnosuke, having not rested all night, went to see his old man the moment he arrived for work.
The past few years had aged Hiruzen significantly; his posture had become somewhat stooped. It was hard to imagine that this frail-looking old man supported the entire operation of Konoha, bearing its most vital responsibilities. Yet, within that seemingly weak frame, a formidable power remained hidden.
"Lord Third," Shinnosuke addressed him just as Hiruzen sat down, before he even had a chance to open the stack of documents on his desk.
Upon seeing his son, Hiruzen's expression turned weary. "The moment I see you, Shinnosuke, my head starts to ache."
Shinnosuke paused, then smiled. "That's exactly what I told Shisui last night."
Hearing Shisui's name, Hiruzen's expression hardened. "The Uchiha?"
"Things are slipping beyond Fugaku-sama's control. We need to prepare for the worst-case scenario, Lord Third," Shinnosuke said, nodding.
For a moment, the Third Hokage's gaze seemed to drift.
The worst-case scenario.
He knew exactly what that implied. Lately, the Anbu had been reporting frequently on the border situation; the hawks of Kumogakure seemed to be stirring once again. Honestly, Hiruzen couldn't fathom their reasoning. Every nation was currently downsizing their military, and the global economy was sluggish. Though the war had ended years ago, anti-war sentiment remained high, even among shinobi.
This was inevitable. Shinobi who were bachelors a few years ago and managed to survive the war were now, more often than not, husbands, wives, and parents. They were no longer the fearless warriors they once were; they had too much to lose. The post-war baby boom and population explosion were directly linked to this shift in mindset. Under these circumstances, no one wanted to fight.
But what was the Hidden Cloud thinking? Could they simply not sit still? Were they either at war or on their way to one?
With Kumogakure's movements, Hiruzen had to make preparations. But if the Uchiha Clan chose this moment to ignite a crisis, Konoha's focus would be dangerously divided. If the situation truly devolved into a civil war...
At that thought, a ruthless glint flashed in Hiruzen's eyes.
"Summon Danzo," Hiruzen commanded.
Shinnosuke was taken aback. "Lord Third, the Anbu can also—"
"The Anbu cannot. The Anbu represents the will of the Hokage. How can they be associated with such things?" Hiruzen said without hesitation.
In that moment, Shinnosuke found his father cold. It made him realize that while the old man usually appeared overly sentimental and soft-hearted, when the village faced a crisis that demanded ruthlessness to survive, his father could transform into a demon without a second thought.
…
Danzo had been forced by Hiruzen to retire from the Konoha Council several years ago. Since then, his Root organization had been suppressed to a degree.
Before the attempt on Hiruzen's life, Root and the Anbu were inextricably linked; Root acted as a "training ground," molding shinobi before recommending them for the Anbu. But after the assassination attempt, that power was stripped away. Now, the Anbu was the Anbu, and Root was Root. The falling out between these two old comrades was common knowledge among Konoha's upper echelons. They hadn't spoken for years, and Hiruzen had been aggressively suppressing Danzo.
On the surface, they appeared completely severed. In reality, this was an "impression" Hiruzen had carefully cultivated over the years. Only by establishing Danzo as his "enemy" could Hiruzen distance himself and let Danzo handle the tasks that were inconvenient for the Hokage.
Before long, Shinnosuke arrived with Danzo.
Danzo looked even more haggard than Hiruzen. He leaned on a cane, looking as if he could barely walk steadily. His head was still wrapped in bandages, hiding one eye. His expression was calm, betraying no emotion, but his aura had grown even more sinister.
Looking at Hiruzen sitting on the Hokage's throne, a sneer played on Danzo's lips. "When I left the Council, I knew this day would come, Hiruzen."
Hiruzen looked at Danzo in silence, seemingly lost in thought.
Danzo continued to sneer. "I must admit, there was a vast gap between my vision and Sensei's. Perhaps many years ago, Sensei saw exactly what kind of man you are, which is why he was willing to give you the position of Hokage. As for me, it wasn't until that day that I truly understood. I underestimated you in the past. How could someone like us, who crawled back from the brink of death on the battlefield and lived through three Great Wars, truly be soft-hearted?"
"Is that all you wanted to say?" Hiruzen interjected suddenly.
Danzo curled his lip in boredom. "So, after five years of maintaining this facade of being at odds with me, you have the Commander of the Anbu arrange a secret meeting. It seems you need an attack dog to do the things your 'benevolent' self cannot, doesn't it?"
Every word from Danzo mocked Hiruzen's hypocrisy. It made Hiruzen deeply uncomfortable, but he could not deny it, nor could he refute it. What he was doing was exactly as Danzo described: hypocritical. Yet, he had no choice. This was the burden he had to bear as Hokage.
"Do you know about the Hidden Cloud?" Hiruzen asked, ignoring the barbs.
Danzo furrowed his brow slightly, thinking. "Not clearly."
He wasn't lying. Root had been kept on a tight leash these past few years, and many of Danzo's external channels had folded. Interestingly, the group he had the most contact with recently was the Yorozuya, the same group that had refused to help him assassinate Hiruzen. Danzo wasn't one to sit idle, but since Hiruzen had confined him to a narrow circle, he could no longer use Root's power as he pleased. Consequently, Danzo had taken to hiring the Yorozuya for many tasks, with Kakuzu and Jūzō becoming his partners. This arrangement was sanctioned by Diarmuid, as it brought profit to the Yorozuya and fit his grander design.
Hiruzen went silent for a moment, then said, "For months, the Anbu has intercepted several hostile infiltrations at the border. Our investigation identified them as being from Kumogakure."
Danzo was no match for Hiruzen, but he was no fool either. The moment Hiruzen spoke, he understood. "Those hawks... do they really want to start another war?"
"It's not impossible," Hiruzen replied. After a brief pause, he continued, "I have already dispatched envoys to Kumogakure, inviting them to send representatives to discuss these matters."
Regardless of Kumogakure's intentions, Hiruzen's choice to initiate communication first was correct. Meanwhile, in Kumogakure, an embassy tasked with a secret mission was already on its way to the Leaf.
"So? Why are you telling me this?" Danzo snorted after collecting his thoughts. Does he want me to assassinate the envoys halfway? What would be the point of that? There's no profit in it.
Hiruzen fell silent, seemingly hesitating to speak further. But after only a brief moment, he said in a low voice: "Fugaku is losing control of the Uchiha. In other words, the Uchiha Clan is no longer stable."
Danzo's expression shifted to one of surprise, then he burst into loud laughter, looking at Hiruzen. "Hahahaha! So that's why you called me here? You truly are something else, Hiruzen!"
Hiruzen's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "I am telling you this now only so you can be prepared. I have not yet decided to truly give up on them."
"So, your so-called insistence on a peaceful resolution... is it to ease your own conscience, or do you actually hold onto hope? If it's just to make yourself feel better, I must say, you are a truly cruel man. Fugaku trusted the wrong person," Danzo said, his tone dripping with mockery.
Hiruzen's gaze turned cold. "Enough nonsense. Will you do it or not?"
Danzo's eyes also turned icy. "The moment you called me here, you knew I wouldn't refuse, didn't you? Because you know very well that I want to eradicate the Uchiha more than you do, even if I have to be used by you and carry the burden of the darkness that follows."
Having said that, Danzo felt a touch of sentiment, and his tone softened slightly. "Being able to utilize people like us... that is truly your talent, Hiruzen. Perhaps that is why you are the one sitting in that chair."
After a short pause, Danzo asked, "So, when do you need it done?"
"I will not give you any orders, Danzo. Use your own judgment. I will also do my utmost to resolve this issue using the method I prefer," Hiruzen said, avoiding Danzo's eyes and looking back at the Hokage's seat.
"Is that so? Then I shall make my own arrangements." Danzo sneered, turned, and left the Hokage's office.
Once he was gone, Shinnosuke, who had remained silent, looked at his father. "Lord Third..."
Hiruzen, whose expression had been stoic in front of Danzo, now showed a look of pain in his eyes. He said nothing, simply waving his son away, signaling for him to leave.
Shinnosuke opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately sighed and left the room in silence.
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