"Grandpa Third."
Fujimoto Tōma followed an ANBU guard into the residence and saw the Third Hokage waiting inside. Age had finally caught up to him. His back was bent, his face lined with deep wrinkles, a pipe resting between his fingers.
"Ah, Tōma," the old man said warmly. "You came quickly."
"You sent for me?" Tōma already had a guess why.
The Third Hokage's smile slowly faded. He took a long drag from his pipe and let the smoke drift upward.
"Tsunade told me what happened. No matter what, I'm relieved you returned safely."
Tōma nodded. He had no intention of complaining about Danzo here.
Did the Third care about him? Of course he did. That much was obvious. But some bonds ran deeper than concern for a younger shinobi. Tōma had no desire to force the old man to weigh him against a lifelong companion.
That kind of comparison never ended well.
"Thank you for your concern," Tōma said evenly. "Tsunade-sama already examined me."
"Good. Very good." The Third nodded, then hesitated, as if struggling to say something.
"Is there anything else?" Tōma asked. He didn't want to stay any longer than necessary.
"Tōma… about Danzo—"
"I understand," Tōma cut in calmly. "There's no concrete evidence that he leaked information."
The room fell silent.
The Third Hokage looked at him, eyes unfocused. Tōma had always been sharp. Too sharp. He'd sensed these undercurrents long ago.
Had he already lost faith in him?
"If there's nothing else," Tōma said quietly, "I'll take my leave."
The Third didn't answer.
Tōma bowed and turned to go. His hand was already on the door when the old voice behind him spoke again, softer than before.
"Tōma… if you do find undeniable proof, I won't stop you."
Tōma paused.
He turned back and saw how much older the Third looked in that moment, as if the words had taken something out of him.
"I understand," Tōma said. Then he left.
—
Alone, the Third Hokage smoked in silence, over and over, watching the smoke curl and fade.
Eventually, he stared out the window, eyes heavy with conflict.
"Why did it come to this, Danzo…"
—
Outside, Tōma let out a slow breath.
That had gone better than he'd feared. He'd been worried the Third would openly plead for Danzo. If that had happened, the damage between them would've been unavoidable.
This outcome was… acceptable.
Of course, the message beneath the words was clear. Without proof, Danzo couldn't be touched. At least not killed.
That was fine. Tōma had never planned to act rashly.
With the current situation, the best he could do was cripple Danzo politically. Satisfying, maybe, but not enough.
If he moved without evidence and killed Danzo outright, he could do it. He was confident of that.
But afterward?
How would the clans see him? A future Hokage who solved problems with brute force alone? Someone who ignored rules when it suited him?
Without proof, even if everyone suspected the truth, suspicion was still just suspicion.
He might not even make it to the Hokage seat. And even if he did, the village would follow him in name only.
That wasn't the future he wanted.
And besides, Danzo still had Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan. Tōma wasn't afraid of it. Even Kotoamatsukami wouldn't overwrite his will completely. At most, it would interfere.
Still, caution mattered.
"Tōma-sama."
A young voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Konohamaru stood nearby, staring at him with barely concealed awe. To him, Tōma was someone Naruto respected. A figure whose deeds sounded like stories.
"Konohamaru," Tōma said with a smile. "Just got back from a mission?"
"Yes!" Konohamaru nodded stiffly.
"Relax." Tōma chuckled. "You call Naruto 'big brother,' right? Then just call me big brother too."
"R-Really?" Konohamaru's eyes lit up.
"Of course." Tōma reached out and ruffled his hair. "I call him Grandpa Third, after all."
Konohamaru beamed. "Tōma-nii!"
Tōma accepted the title with a small smile.
Naruto and Sasuke were already past that age. Konohamaru wasn't.
And he liked the kid. Talented, hardworking, polite. Even after learning the Rasengan from Naruto's half-baked teaching, he'd pulled it off. That alone spoke volumes.
"Are you here to see Grandpa?" Konohamaru asked.
"Yeah, but I'm done now." Tōma's expression turned briefly serious. "As your big brother, I'll ask you one thing."
"Yes!" Konohamaru straightened.
Tōma smiled again. "Spend more time with your grandpa. He's old. Old people want company more than anything."
Konohamaru froze, then nodded slowly.
"I will," he said earnestly. "I should've been doing that anyway."
"Good." Tōma waved. "I've got things to do. See you around."
"Bye, Tōma-nii!"
—
Konohamaru returned to the room as usual.
"Grandpa, I'm back."
The Third Hokage smiled when he saw him. And only then did Konohamaru really notice the wrinkles, the tired eyes.
"Tōma-nii was outside," Konohamaru said after a moment. "He told me to call him that. He also said I should spend more time with you."
"'Big brother,' huh?" the Third said, surprised.
"Yes!" Konohamaru nodded. "That's what he told me to call him."
The old man's smile softened, no longer forced.
"…Good. That's good."