Nara Shikaku wore a solemn look.
Yes.
He knew very well what his cousin Nara Hiroshi was capable of, and he also knew Uchiha Kai's temperament.
Something this trivial—trying to use it to ruin Kai?
What a joke!
If Kai dared to act in such a way, then he clearly wasn't afraid of others making a fuss over it.
So.
The best option was not to dwell on this matter, but to focus on carrying out their larger plans.
That was what truly mattered!
What Hiruzen needed most now was to prepare for retirement, then support Minato Namikaze as his successor.
As for the struggle against the Uchiha, that should be set aside for now.
One must know the order of priorities.
Shikaku could swear to the heavens that what he had just said contained no selfish motive—it was truly and wholeheartedly for Hiruzen Sarutobi's sake.
Hiruzen: "…"
Hearing these words, he fell silent.
He was thinking.
And clearly… he knew Shikaku was right.
But still—he was unwilling!
Uchiha Kai had already become a thorn lodged in his heart.
That boy was only twelve years old!
The Third Raikage—among all Kage, hailed as the strongest.
Even Hiruzen himself, the so-called "Strongest Hokage," did not dare to claim victory over him.
And yet, Uchiha Kai had slain him single-handedly.
This…
How could that not terrify him?
He wanted nothing more than to throw everything aside and eliminate Kai immediately.
Otherwise, he doubted he would even be able to sleep at night!
But alas—Shikaku was right.
For now, the Five Kage Summit was what truly mattered. Signing the peace treaty was the highest priority.
Once the war was fully settled and Minato was pushed into position as Hokage…
Only then could he free his hands and deal with the Uchiha properly.
Fine.
Let Uchiha Kai flaunt his arrogance for a while.
And with Minato already sending word to Jiraiya—if Jiraiya and Tsunade returned, then although their ideals differed from his own, in matters concerning the Uchiha, they would undoubtedly side with him.
At the very least, in terms of raw strength, they would no longer be inferior to the Uchiha.
Hiruzen finally exhaled, drawing on his pipe, and spoke:
"Good. Very good! Shikaku, you are right. Go and contact Mifune of the Land of Iron."
"Do everything possible to summon the Five Kage there as soon as possible."
"This war—it's time to bring it to an end."
Shikaku breathed out in relief.
Good!
He had been worried Hiruzen would act rashly, but now it seemed his words had worked.
So long as the Hokage refrained from reckless moves, he was confident he could still prevail over Nara Hiroshi.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
He bowed lightly, answered simply, and left without wasting words.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
After Shikaku left, his face darkened, a glint of cold light flashing in his gaze.
Bang!
He slammed a fist onto the desk.
"Uchiha Kai, damn you!"
"But it doesn't matter. I'll let you strut around for a few days."
"Shikaku is trustworthy—for now. ANBU reports confirm he hasn't been in contact with Nara Hiroshi, and his planning for me has been done in earnest."
"Now, all that remains is…"
"My top priority is the Five Kage Summit, and then pushing Minato into position as Hokage as soon as possible."
"As for the Uchiha—that will wait until Jiraiya and Tsunade return."
"These two students may not share my vision, but asking them merely to guard against and oppose the Uchiha shouldn't be an issue."
"Especially Tsunade—being of the Senju clan, the Uchiha are her natural enemies."
"As for Jiraiya—he's the same. Though he dreams of a so-called 'child of prophecy,' he would never accept an Uchiha as Hokage."
"The Uchiha are too unstable, too ruled by emotion."
"Yes. This will do."
"And as for this matter—I can inform Danzō."
"Let him take the front lines. With Jiraiya and Tsunade to hold the defense, and Minato pushed to the forefront, I can slip back into the shadows and plot anew."
Hiruzen's eyes gleamed.
His mind spun furiously, and once everything was decided, he immediately summoned an ANBU to pass word to Danzō.
Only after the ANBU left did he finally relax.
The truth was—Hiruzen's maneuvering was unnecessary.
Because—
The news of Uchiha Kai slaying the Third Raikage single-handedly was so shocking, so world-shaking, that it had already spread across the entire shinobi world the instant it happened.
Root had spies planted in every village.
A matter this important—how could it escape Danzō's notice?
In fact—
Danzō knew even more details than Hiruzen himself.
So when he heard ANBU's message, he merely sneered, waved the man off, and muttered coldly:
"Hiruzen, you underestimate me."
"You think I need you to bring me such news?"
"Hmph. So—you're notifying me now because you want me to move against the Uchiha?"
"Heh."
"You really think I'm that much of a fool?"
"You expect me to bring down Uchiha Kai with something so trivial?"
"But… very well."
"I'll play along. Appearances must be kept, after all."
"You fool me, I fool you."
"How amusing."
Danzō murmured to himself.
He wasn't stupid.
He saw through Hiruzen's thoughts entirely.
And yet—he was willing to cooperate.
Because he knew his own value.
He was the scapegoat.
If he wasn't willing to shoulder that role, Hiruzen would be the first to eliminate him.
Of course, over the years he had prepared extensively.
The personnel, resources, laboratories, and critical records of Root had almost all been transferred out of Konoha already.
But if he had a choice, he still preferred not to leave.
The reasoning was simple.
Among all the nations of the shinobi world, the Land of Fire was the most prosperous.
Otherwise, the other villages would never have schemed so hard, even joining forces, just to invade Konoha.
So, until he was fully prepared, he would play along with Hiruzen.
With that thought, his eyes gleamed coldly and he called out:
"Kasumi!"
"Spread rumors through the village—use the same method we used against Hatake Sakumo."
"Say that Uchiha Kai interfered with foreign villages' affairs, nearly sparking a war between Hidden Stone Village and Konoha, almost destroying the village's peace."
"Every idle Root operative is to spread the word. The bigger the commotion, the better. Handle the details yourself."
The masked shinobi Kasumi dropped to one knee, eyes full of deference.
After hearing Danzō's command, he answered without hesitation:
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
To read the full FanFic, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554