Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.
His face was heavy with displeasure.
Yes.
He had called his three old friends here tonight to solve problems.
Endure?
Did they think he didn't know that?
Did he really need them to spout such useless platitudes?
But—there was no way around it.
Because in his heart, he knew they were right.
At least for now—
It truly wasn't the time to clash with the Uchiha.
The war with Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Sand Village was what mattered most.
Only—how was he supposed to bring the war to a decisive end?
That, he did not know.
Of course—
That was only a secondary source of irritation. What really unsettled him was his three old comrades' attitudes.
Something was… off!
Even if they couldn't think of a solution, they shouldn't have been this calm.
After all—the Uchiha were enemies!
Having just realized they'd been outmaneuvered, shouldn't they at least show some outrage?
He couldn't explain why, but their abnormal composure left him with a very bad feeling.
And because of that—
He suddenly lost the mood to continue. With a dismissive wave, he sent them away.
Staying longer was meaningless.
The three exchanged glances. Without a word, they rose and left.
Yes.
The deed was already done—what more was there to say?
So they simply departed, and even on the way back, they barely spoke.
They knew each other too well; some things needed no words.
On the road—
They even spotted Sarutobi Ran from afar, sitting in a pavilion.
"What a pity," Koharu said flatly. "This Sarutobi Ran is still a bit too stupid."
Homura let out a cold laugh, but said nothing more.
The look in his eyes, however, was that of someone gazing at a dead man.
Danzo's expression was one of pure disdain.
"Perhaps among ordinary shinobi, Sarutobi Ran might be considered sharp."
"But too bad."
"He doesn't understand the true terror of high-level struggles, nor has he grasped who Hiruzen really is."
"With nothing but a little cunning, he dares meddle in upper-echelon battles? Typical fool who doesn't know his own limits!"
"Does he think joining forces with us guarantees him safety?"
"What a joke!"
"Our true backing isn't our little alliance, but the clans standing behind us—and the trump cards in our hands!"
"Even if Hiruzen guesses the truth, he won't dare rip off the mask until the Uchiha and Hyuga are dealt with."
"But Sarutobi Ran—what does he have?"
"The Sarutobi clan?"
"He doesn't even stop to think—does he really control the Sarutobi clan? Without Hiruzen's approval, who would move at his command?"
"Hiruzen may not be able to kill us, but getting rid of him? Easy."
"As for being a 'genius'?"
"In every clan, geniuses are the least scarce resource."
"Unless you truly grow strong, a genius who dies young is nothing but a fleeting shadow."
"And without even grasping such a simple truth, he dares swagger into our circle as if he belongs."
"Does he really think he has the qualifications to ally with us? He's nothing but a disposable pawn!"
"An idiot!"
Danzo's voice was ice.
He had seen countless Sarutobi Ran–types in his life.
Self-important fools, blind to reality.
Did Ran really think Hiruzen wouldn't move against him just because he was the clan's so-called prodigy?
Heh. Dream on.
A man as ruthless as Sarutobi Hiruzen—unless you were truly his flesh and blood, don't imagine he'd ever treat you as irreplaceable.
The Sarutobi clan rose to power because of Hiruzen.
Not the other way around.
Cause and effect must not be inverted.
Having said his piece, Danzo didn't bother with the others any longer. With his Root members, he turned and left the Sarutobi compound.
Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance, then each dispersed their own way.
Inside the teahouse.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face shifted between shadow and gloom.
At this point, he couldn't even think about the Uchiha.
His focus was fixed entirely on those three "old friends."
Their attitude just now… it was far too strange.
Pondering this, he remained silent for a long time.
Only after three long pulls on his pipe did he finally speak in a low, grim voice:
"Anbu!"
"Bring Shinnosuke to me at once."
"And also—"
"Pull the recent movements of the three elders."
Outside the teahouse, Anbu bowed and left swiftly.
Hiruzen gazed out the window at night, his brows knotted with unease.
He could not unravel his worry.
In fact, there was even a trace of fear.
Because deep down, he could sense—something major was brewing.
Compared to the Uchiha, what frightened him more were those three old friends.
After all, they were his foundation. Enemies were one thing—but if his base collapsed, that was the kind of disaster that could shatter the heavens.
Their behavior just now left his heart restless.
So—
After the Anbu left, Hiruzen's brows furrowed even tighter, his mind racing madly.
And yet—
No matter how he turned it over, he couldn't figure out what had happened.
Time trickled by.
About half an hour later, Anbu finally returned.
But this time—
The man was trembling with fear, his whole body quaking as he dropped to his knees the moment he entered.
Seeing this, Hiruzen's heart gave a violent lurch.
Good heavens.
No need to guess—something catastrophic had happened.
Without any wasted words, he snapped coldly:
"What exactly happened?"
"And where is your Anbu Captain?"
"Hurry! Speak!"
The kneeling Anbu was drenched in cold sweat.
But he had no choice. Trembling, he forced out the words:
"Captain… has gone missing!"
"According to the Anbu left behind, about an hour ago the Captain suddenly seemed to receive some message—and then left alone."
"When word came that you, Hokage-sama, were summoning him, the whole Anbu mobilized for a village-wide search."
"But, unfortunately…"
"To this moment, there has been no sign of the Captain."
"As for the recent movements of the three elders—they are all recorded here."
With shaking hands, he lifted a scroll high in offering.
He wasn't stupid.
Clearly—this was the prelude to disaster.
The Anbu Captain, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, was the Hokage's son.
And now—vanished without a trace.
On top of that, at this very moment, a probe into the three elders' activities?
This…
The sky was about to fall.
He couldn't help but wonder bitterly—why did misfortune have to fall on him of all people?
Had he known something of this scale would happen tonight, he would have taken leave long ago.
But alas—!
With a helpless sigh, he finished his report, then bowed low, waiting stiffly for Hiruzen's judgment.
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