What Danzo truly wanted was a cold, perfectly shaped weapon. A humanoid weapon stripped of hesitation, forged through absolute brainwashing. He wanted to turn the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki into a completely controllable tool of war.
And yet, his expectations for Uzumaki Naruto were not limited to that.
He did not want just a war machine. He wanted a powerful ninja that truly belonged to Konoha.
Danzo had heard about Kumogakure's so-called perfect Jinchuriki. The Eight-Tails.
It was said that man could freely control the power of his Tailed Beast. He did not become withdrawn and isolated like most other Jinchuriki.
More importantly, if Naruto were truly turned into nothing but a weapon, Danzo would be unable to face the spirits of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, who had died so early.
As calculating as Sarutobi Hiruzen was, as adept as he had become over the years at political maneuvering, he still had not sunk to the point of abandoning his humanity.
He was not without feelings for Minato's son.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed since Namikaze Minato's death. Even the memories had begun to blur. Back then, there may have been friction between generations of Hokage, and even struggles for power, but they had never grown into irreconcilable conflict.
Now, when he thought back, only Minato's virtues remained clear.
Most importantly, Hiruzen had come to truly realize that he was old.
Unlike Danzo, he still had a bottom line. He had not subjected himself to bizarre experiments or modifications. As a result, while Danzo could still maintain his peak condition, Hiruzen was already feeling the weight of age.
He played the game of power, yes, but his love for Konoha was genuine. He felt a true sense of belonging.
At times like this, he even thought that if he had been the one to die on the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage, perhaps none of these troubles would exist now.
With a Fourth Hokage still in his prime, there would have been no need to worry about successors for at least twenty years.
As people grew older, their hearts softened.
And to find a successor, the next generation had to be allowed to grow.
That was why Hiruzen would never allow Danzo to lay hands on Konoha's future.
If fewer experts had died or left during Konoha's golden age, would he really be standing alone like this now?
"Hiruzen, you're being far too sentimental," Shimura Danzo said, trying to persuade him. "Every Jinchuriki is a ticking time bomb. If they cannot be fully controlled, they will become enormous threats to the village."
"Think back twelve years. Think about the Nine-Tails appearing outside the village. Do you even know how much damage it caused?"
"And now someone is deliberately approaching the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. If they succeed in releasing it inside the village, have you thought about the consequences? Do you even dare to imagine it?"
Hiruzen was unmoved.
"Do you think I'm less aware of that than you?" he replied calmly. "You won't even say his name. Yes, he's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but he's also a ninja of this village. He's Kakashi's student. He's the Fourth Hokage's son."
"He never should have been treated this way."
"All those rumors about him being the Demon Fox incarnate… do you really think I don't know about them?"
"Even if Minato were still alive, I'd say the same thing," Danzo paused, then continued. "A son is just a son."
"The Hokage's son should be even more willing to sacrifice himself for Konoha, shouldn't he?"
After all, it was not his son.
"You're truly beyond reason!"
Hiruzen laughed in anger.
What did that even mean, the Hokage's son should sacrifice more?
It sounded like a pointed jab at him. He had lost a son too, one who had died on a mission for the village.
Was Danzo saying it was right, that it was proper, that his death had been deserved?
"Danzo," Hiruzen said, his voice steady again, "I am issuing an order as Hokage. You are stripped of all positions. Without my permission, you are not to leave your home."
"As for Root, it will be placed under Anbu supervision starting today."
Hiruzen was furious, but he forced himself to calm down before speaking.
"What?" Danzo exploded. "You…"
He was furious.
What had he done wrong?
Everything he did was for the party… no, for Konoha. What crime was that? He loved the village. What crime was that?
And he realized something was truly wrong now.
Hiruzen had issued similar orders before, but never with this level of seriousness.
Whether an order was truly enforced depended entirely on the will of the one in power.
Danzo still did not realize that Root's loss of control had completely triggered Hiruzen's deepest alarm.
Konoha could not allow an independent kingdom within its walls.
After issuing the order, Hiruzen turned and left without giving Danzo any chance to argue.
Much later, Danzo slammed his cane hard against the floor, his fury boiling over.
Just moments earlier, he had almost lost control and used Kotoamatsukami to alter Hiruzen's will.
But he held back.
The opportunity was too precious to waste.
He did not know whether Kotoamatsukami was truly as flawless as Uchiha Shisui had claimed. Could it really change a person's will without leaving any trace?
Danzo knew very well that the Anbu guarding Hiruzen were no pushovers. Some even came from the Hyuga Clan's branch family. Even Konoha's top officials underwent regular inspections to ensure they were not being secretly controlled by genjutsu.
It was tedious, but for people at that level, nothing mattered more than their own safety.
If even they were monitored so closely, how could Hiruzen be any different? He was probably checked every single day.
If Danzo used Kotoamatsukami now, and it was not as perfect as Shisui claimed, then he would truly be finished.
Attempting to control the Third Hokage with genjutsu would mean death, no matter how deep their friendship once was.
So he endured it.
Kaede Kitahara. Kaede Kitahara!
Just who was this Kaede Kitahara?
Why was it that every time something involved him, Hiruzen reacted as if his reverse scale had been touched?
There had to be a secret here.
Or was Kaede someone Hiruzen was secretly cultivating?
Danzo still did not realize that it was his own grip over Root that had made Hiruzen wary. He believed the problem lay entirely with Kaede Kitahara.
His anger only deepened.
He would uncover Kaede Kitahara's secrets no matter what.
Kaede, of course, had no idea that today's events had led to a direct confrontation between two of Konoha's most powerful figures.
Inside a barbecue restaurant, the four members of Akai's former squad, who had not gathered like this in a long time, were finally together.
It was close to dinner time. The restaurant was crowded, with many customers dressed as ninja.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
They raised their cups happily.
Japanese sake was far too light for Kaede's taste.
"Today felt incredible," Amakusa Ryuji laughed loudly. "Those bastards were way too arrogant. Let's see how arrogant they can be from now on."
This was the second time their squad had clashed with a Root team.
After killing a Root squad last time, he had been on edge for ages, afraid Root would come knocking.
This time made it twice.
And once again, they had won.
Still, he knew very well that even if there had been no hatred before, there certainly was now.
Especially since they had directly exposed themselves to that man.
From how Kaede described him, that was someone who dared to assassinate a Hokage.
"Today's incident has already reached the Hokage," Akai Akimoto said. "He won't ignore it. If that man causes you trouble again, come to me. I can pass a message to the Hokage for you."
Among the three of them, Kaede held the highest rank, and he was only a Chunin. Under normal circumstances, they had no right to request an audience with the Third Hokage.
Only major mission debriefings or a direct summons would grant that chance.
Akimoto was different. As an Anbu squad leader and a Tokubetsu Jonin, he had a path to request an audience.
"After today, that man probably won't dare to openly target you in the village again," Akimoto added.
Kaede nodded.
With the Third Hokage stepping in, Shimura Danzo would not dare act openly against him in the short term. At least, not inside the village.
But that protection would not last long.
The Third Hokage only had a few months left.
By Kaede's estimate, no more than half a year.
Half a year later would be the Chunin Exams.
And after that, the Third Hokage's era would come to an end.
After his death would come the search for the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
During that process, the council of advisors would emerge fully. Their power had already been immense during Hiruzen's reign, largely due to his own indulgence.
At the root of it all was the legitimacy of Hiruzen's position.
When the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, died, he had formally passed the mantle to the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
With Tobirama's achievements and strength, and with neither Uchiha Madara nor Hashirama still alive, he was the undisputed strongest figure in the village. Who would dare oppose him becoming the Second Hokage?
Not even the Uchiha Clan.
After Madara left, no one in the Uchiha Clan could step up to lead them.
None came close to Madara. None even reached the level of Uchiha Izuna, who had once been able to contend with Tobirama.
By the time of the Third Hokage, things were different.
In an emergency, on the battlefield, Tobirama had designated Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Third Hokage.
There had been a so-called test, a moment meant to prove Hiruzen's worth.
But the matter that Danzo had obsessed over his entire life was likely nothing more than a small performance Tobirama used to help Hiruzen gain acceptance.
In other words, regardless of whether Hiruzen had reacted quickly or slowly back then, Tobirama's choice of Third Hokage could only ever have been Sarutobi Hiruzen.
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