Tekka's gaze locked onto Danzo, the implication in his eyes as sharp as a blade.
"Hmph!" Danzo glared back, his face a mask of seething resentment.
"If they truly are spies conspiring with the Stone, they must not be spared!" Minato Namikaze finally declared, his voice carrying the finality of a Hokage's judgment.
"Please, follow me," Tekka Uchiha said to Kakashi after a moment's thought. He then led Kakashi and Fugaku Uchiha into the Police Force headquarters.
As they entered, Tekka noticed the complex gazes of his fellow Uchiha. They looked at him with awe, shock, and even a sliver of fear. Perhaps it was because they had witnessed Tekka actually daring to strike at the Clan Head and successfully cowing the Root ninjas—an act that significantly bolstered the Police Force's prestige.
Truthfully, the Police Force had been bullied by Root more times than they cared to count. In the past, whenever the Intelligence Bureau worked hard to capture a spy, Root would swoop in with various excuses to demand the prisoner. It was infuriating. Root's arrogance made it seem as though the Police Force existed merely to do their dirty work. Today, seeing Tekka stand up to them gave many clansmen a long-overdue sense of catharsis.
Inside the building, Kakashi turned to Tekka. "Tekka-kun, tell me the truth—is this evidence ironclad?"
Tekka's eyes flickered briefly before he said with conviction, "It is absolutely real. I wouldn't dare fabricate such a thing." He produced a map of the Hidden Stone's outposts. "This was found on their persons. The Stone Village has been restless lately. There are rumors they intend to expand their interests in the Land of Grass, which we cannot allow. It seems the world is headed for unrest again!"
Kakashi carefully examined the markings on the map. If Tekka insisted this evidence was seized from the suspects, then any explanation they offered would be futile. After all, one couldn't exactly "search" Tekka's mind or interrogate the high-ranking Root members without triggering a civil war.
"Then let the matter rest here," Kakashi said. "Lord Danzo has decided not to intervene further. It will be difficult for those people to implicate him now."
Hiruko's current move was simply a calculated cleaning of Konoha's "termites." Whether the charges were based on total fabrication or actual fact was irrelevant; Danzo, as an unstable variable, had to be dealt with. This wouldn't topple Danzo entirely, but Tekka Uchiha was a man who held a grudge; he hadn't forgotten Danzo's "care" over the years.
"Let's go, Tekka-kun. I must report back to the Hokage." Kakashi took the "evidence" and walked out.
Outside, all eyes converged on them. Kakashi approached Hiruzen Sarutobi and whispered, "Lord Third, this is the evidence seized from the Shimura and their associates. It contains the Stone's expansion plans in the Land of Grass and trade contracts with the remaining Grass merchants."
These were items Hiruko had actually collected during the Fourth War, now conveniently "found" on the suspects. Hiruzen's face grew dark as he scanned the documents.
He turned toward Danzo, his voice heavy with disappointment. "Danzo, you are hereby relieved of your duties as Hokage Assistant. You are to undergo an investigation by the ANBU immediately. Until the results are clear, the ANBU will handle your department's affairs."
"Impossible! Hiruzen, you cannot be this hasty before a full investigation!" Danzo shouted.
"Minato Namikaze is the Hokage now!" Hiruzen roared, his voice silencing the area.
Danzo stood there, arm crossed, radiating a fury so intense it felt physical, but he didn't utter another word.
With Danzo handled, Hiruzen turned to Fugaku. "Clan Head Fugaku, since the evidence is clear, leave the processing to the Police Force. Follow village regulations to the letter." He took a long drag from his pipe and walked away slowly.
He had warned Danzo countless times not to chase impractical fantasies. With Minato's prestige at its peak and Hiruko's rising star, there was no room for Danzo's ambition. The next Hokage would inevitably be Hiruko. Unless Tsunade supported Danzo—but she was too busy enjoying a sweet life with Hiruko to care for an old man's power plays.
Danzo left the scene with a face like a thundercloud. Once both high-level parties had departed, only the Police Force remained.
"Senior Meishu, Senior Yokogawa, take them to the cells," Tekka ordered. "The crisis is handled for now. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Understood," Meishu nodded. Yokogawa patted Tekka's shoulder with a grin. "Tekka-kun, you've really become something else."
Tekka then took his leave, notably without saying a single word to Fugaku. His actions today had made it clear: there was no room for reconciliation between him and his Clan Head. Before he had power, he was loyal. But with power nearly equal to Fugaku's—and with Hiruko's subtle egging—ambition had taken root.
By afternoon, the Police Force had returned with a second batch of Shimura clan members. One of their elders had stepped forward to take the fall for "conspiring with the Stone for personal gain." With the ANBU's prepared evidence, the Police Force stopped the wider purge.
Thirty people were arrested in total. Danzo wouldn't be able to save them. The first batch was already condemned, and the second was on the verge of it. Danzo himself remained under "house reflection" for his lack of oversight. His duties were temporarily handed to Choza Akimichi, a trusted friend of Minato.
The fallout wasn't over. Once the Shimura family's external businesses were mapped out, they began to collapse. Hiruko had no intention of letting Danzo smuggle village-made supplies out to grow Root's shadow influence. Without village-granted power, the Shimura family was just another "hard-working" ninja clan.
Tekka Uchiha also had to keep a low profile for a while. He needed allies to challenge Fugaku for the headship, but in this new era of peace, he couldn't earn the legendary prestige of a war hero. He was still at the bottom tier of Kage-level; against a true master, he would falter.
To Hiruko, Tekka's internal clan drama was just a small ripple—the predictable result of giving an ambitious man a little push. He didn't need to get involved personally.
Hiruko's preliminary work was finished. Soon, he would strike the Land of Sky.
Before he could even mobilize, a wealthy merchant approached him for "cooperation." Hiruko looked at the smiling, portly man, trying to gauge his intent.
"I don't follow your meaning," Hiruko said.
"Oh, Lord Hiruko, you're too cautious," the merchant chuckled. "I've heard of your plan with the Land of Fire. Your next target is the Land of Sky, isn't it? Can I have a piece of that?"
Hiruko's guard went up. He realized his "brand" was working. Everyone knew Hiruko was "shameless" and loved money, but more importantly, he was a winner. Big merchants loved reliable partners with channels and vision. Had he not been the designated next Hokage, these families would be fighting to marry their daughters into his household. This man had actually tried sending women before, but Hiruko had no interest in "ordinary" females.
The merchant assumed Hiruko was targeting the Sky to loot their wealth. If there was money to be made, the logic was sound. He didn't ask how—Hiruko's ideas were always eccentric but profitable.
"Cooperation is possible," Hiruko said, feigning hesitation. He hadn't actually planned to make money off this; his goal was to use the Land of Fire's might to pressure the Sky into surrendering their researchers intact.
But he knew how these vultures worked. If they joined, they wouldn't leave without a massive profit. The scope of the "Sky Operation" was about to expand.
"Is it the capital you're worried about? We know the rules," the merchant said quickly, seeing Hiruko's face. "You lead, we follow. We provide the funds, you make the calls. We won't interfere." He handed Hiruko an envelope. "Please, accept this as a sign of our sincerity."
Hiruko opened it to find shares in almost all of the Land of Fire's film and media companies. A brilliant move, Hiruko thought. Konoha's first "mini-movies" had been a viral hit thanks to the Konoha Daily's marketing. Konoha was the rising star of entertainment, but Hiruko felt the pace was too slow.
He needed to spread Konoha's culture across the world quickly; his time was running out. Ever since mastering Sage Mode, the system's integration progress had accelerated. He feared that once it reached 100%, he would be forcibly moved to another world. To ensure his work wasn't for nothing, he had to unify the shinobi world and integrate its resources now.
The merchants didn't know his grand vision; they just saw a lucrative market. Old media companies couldn't compete with Konoha's "modern" flair. If you can't beat them, join them.
"You really are a fox," Hiruko said, pocketing the letter. With the backing of these giants, the plan for the Land of Sky was officially in motion.
That night, Hiruko found Rin Nohara sitting alone by a fire, looking lost in thought. He walked over with a smile. "What's wrong, Rin? Having trouble with your training?"
"No, Lord Hiruko," she replied with a small, melancholic smile, the firelight reflecting in her eyes.
Hiruko realized she was probably lonely. Lately, Tsunade had been relentless in "monopolizing" his time out of jealousy. He hadn't spent much time with his "little sisters."
Rin looked at the gray, post-rain sky. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her waist. The next second, she was soaring into the heavens. She let out a cry of shock, reflexively clutching Hiruko's chest. The warmth of his body felt more solid and reassuring than she had imagined.
When they stopped, Rin opened her eyes to find them above the clouds. The cloud layer was a sea of white cotton, with the setting sun half-submerged in the horizon. The sky was endless, the light refracting off the clouds in beautiful, golden hues.
"How is it? Beautiful?" Hiruko's voice brought her back.
Rin pushed his arm away, blushing. "You jerk! Why would you bring me up here without asking? You're so selfish!"
Hiruko grinned. "You like this selfish side of me, don't you?"
Rin felt no anger from him, only a playful warmth. She lowered her head in embarrassment. Hiruko leaned in and sniffed the air near her. She scrambled back, stammering, "Wh-what are you doing?"
"You smell like... several kinds of BBQ."
"We were both hungry after all that traveling!"
Rin was speechless, her face flashing red and white. He was definitely teasing her. She tried to swat him, but he laughed and drifted away, leaving her fuming. "You bastard, come back here! I'll kill you!"
"That's not very ladylike, Rin."
Once her "fury" cooled, Hiruko drifted back and lay flat on the air. "Come on, lay down with me."
He guided her down, and Rin felt as if she were resting on the softest bed in existence. They floated there on the clouds, enjoying the silence. They drifted closer together.
"Ah... wait, don't!"