An aged, icy voice drifted in from beyond the office doors.
The temperature in the Hokage's office seemed to drop by several degrees.
Danzo Shimura stepped inside without waiting for permission, his cane tapping softly against the floor. His single visible eye was sharp and calculating, while his right arm—wrapped heavily in bandages—hung motionless at his side. Behind him followed Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, the two senior advisors of Konoha, their expressions grave.
The atmosphere instantly grew oppressive.
"I believe," Danzo said flatly, "that the current Jinchūriki has already become an extremely unstable factor."
His gaze swept across the room before settling on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"He is no longer suitable for Kakashi Hatake's supervision. To prevent a potential catastrophe, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki should be transferred to Root immediately—for strict containment and control."
The words containment and control carried an unmistakable chill.
After speaking, Danzo turned slightly, directing his attention toward Koharu and Homura.
"Advisor Koharu. Advisor Homura," he continued, his tone laced with thinly veiled mockery, "you likely haven't been informed of the recent changes surrounding the Jinchūriki, have you?"
"If not for the fact that Root still maintains some degree of operational awareness," he added coolly, "I suspect even I would have been deliberately kept in the dark."
Koharu and Homura both frowned and turned their attention to Hiruzen.
They truly had not been told much.
They knew only fragments—rumors about Naruto stealing the Scroll of Seals, whispers about a Chūnin's death, nothing concrete. Danzo had summoned them urgently, claiming the matter concerned the very survival of the village.
After a brief pause, Koharu spoke first.
"Hiruzen," she asked, her voice tense, "does this have something to do with the Jinchūriki stealing the Scroll of Seals two nights ago?"
Homura followed immediately, his expression equally severe.
"Did learning forbidden techniques destabilize the seal?"
The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma—standing off to the side—changed sharply.
A seal issue involving the Nine-Tails was no trivial matter.
Twelve years ago, such a disaster had nearly erased Konoha from existence.
If history were to repeat itself, the village in its current weakened state might not survive at all.
All three of them instinctively looked toward Hiruzen, waiting for an explanation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood silently, pipe clenched between his fingers, his face dark.
But his silence was not born of guilt.
It was irritation.
Danzo knew too much.
The Anbu monitoring Naruto were all directly under Hiruzen's command, and explicit orders had been given to suppress information. Yet Danzo had somehow pierced that veil.
It meant one thing.
His influence had already infiltrated the Hokage's own shadows.
A purge will be necessary, Hiruzen thought grimly.
Seeing that Hiruzen still hadn't responded, Danzo let out a low snort and took control of the conversation.
"Hmph. Since you refuse to speak, I will."
He took a step forward, his cane striking the floor with a dull thud.
"A problem occurred with the Jinchūriki's seal two nights ago."
"It is highly suspected that the Nine-Tails' consciousness temporarily seized control of the vessel and brutally killed a Chūnin."
The room fell dead silent.
The weight of those words crashed down like a funeral bell.
Koharu and Homura reacted immediately.
"What!?"
"That can't be true!"
"Hiruzen—answer us! Is this real?!"
Their voices overlapped, sharp with alarm.
Even Kakashi's single exposed eye narrowed, his lazy demeanor vanishing entirely.
Hiruzen finally raised a hand, signaling for calm.
"Koharu. Homura," he said steadily. "Enough."
"What Danzo speaks of is nothing more than conjecture."
"There is no issue with Naruto's seal."
He then turned his gaze fully onto Danzo, the warning in his eyes unmistakable.
"And you—Danzo. Naruto is not someone you are permitted to touch. I advise you to abandon these schemes of yours."
Danzo gave a short, humorless laugh.
Threats like that had long since lost their effect on him.
"Don't deflect the issue, Hiruzen."
"What we are discussing is the Nine-Tails' consciousness breaching the seal."
"Shall I remind you of the exact words the Jinchūriki spoke before killing Mizuki?"
The tension spiked once more.
Danzo would not push this far without confidence.
Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly.
Hiding the truth any longer would only strengthen Danzo's hand.
After a moment's thought, he made his decision.
Slowly, Hiruzen exhaled and spoke.
"I had originally intended to explain Naruto's condition at next week's council meeting."
"Since you have chosen today to force the issue, I will clarify it now."
All eyes locked onto him.
"The consciousness that seized control of Naruto's body was not the Nine-Tails."
"It was a sub-personality born from Naruto himself."
"A separate consciousness, named Uzumaki Lock."
Before anyone could react, Hiruzen continued, his voice calm but heavy.
"This sub-personality has successfully mastered a portion of the Nine-Tails' power."
"I witnessed it personally. The Nine-Tails' chakra was used and controlled with complete clarity of mind."
"And most importantly—this sub-personality is entirely restrained by Naruto himself."
Silence.
Utter, suffocating silence.
Even Danzo, who had come prepared to press his advantage, was caught off guard.
A sub-personality?
One that could wield the Nine-Tails' power?
And was still subordinate to the Jinchūriki?
That outcome lay far outside his expectations.
Koharu was the first to break the silence, her voice trembling with excitement.
"A controllable Nine-Tails…"
Homura followed, eyes shining.
"A stable weapon of that magnitude… this is extraordinary!"
"For Konoha, this is a tremendous gain!"
Their reactions were immediate and telling.
For a village still recovering from past wars and political strain, such power was nothing short of salvation.
Danzo, however, did not share their enthusiasm.
"Hiruzen," he said coldly, "the methods displayed by this sub-personality are excessively cruel."
"Such an existence does not appear content with being restrained."
"Any obedience it shows now could be nothing more than deception."
He took another step forward.
"It cannot be trusted."
"Therefore, it should be placed under Root's authority immediately—for artificial restriction and correction."
"I guarantee," Danzo added, his voice low and absolute, "that you will gain a weapon that will never betray the village."
Never betray.
The words rang hollow.
Hiruzen met Danzo's gaze evenly.
"I will personally arrange for observation and testing of this sub-personality."
"There is no need for Root to involve itself."
Danzo's expression hardened.
Seeing Hiruzen attempt to exclude him entirely, he abandoned pretense.
"This concerns the safety of Konoha," Danzo said sharply. "Root cannot stand aside."
"I formally demand that Team Seven's leader be replaced with a shinobi from Root."
The air turned sharp.
Hiruzen did not flinch.
"Danzo," he replied, voice firm, "Root will not interfere."
"I will not repeat myself."
Then, with deliberate emphasis—
"I am the Hokage."
The words struck like a hammer.
Danzo's composure finally cracked.
Every time.
Every single time Hiruzen blocked him, it ended with those same words—an authority Danzo could not openly defy.
His visible eye burned with fury.
"Hiruzen," he said, voice shaking with restrained rage, "you will regret this."
With a violent sweep of his sleeve, Danzo turned and stormed out of the office, Koharu and Homura following after a brief, uneasy glance.
The door slammed shut.
In the sudden quiet, Hiruzen stared at the closed doors, pipe unmoving in his hand.
You move in the shadows, he thought grimly.
But so will I.
Far away, deep within Naruto's consciousness, Lock opened his eyes.
A faint, cold smile curved his lips.
Danzo Shimura…
So you've finally noticed me.
The game had begun.
---
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