Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was advanced in age, the pressure he radiated had not diminished in the slightest. Like a tiger in its twilight years, his eyes were filled with dissatisfaction and latent ferocity.
Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath and spoke:
"To Hokage-sama and the three advisors: last night, the Uchiha Clan initially had a heated dispute. However, under the firm suppression of Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku, it was ultimately announced that the clan must strictly adhere to its duties and maintain discipline."
"After that, both sides ceased arguing, and the meeting was adjourned."
As he finished speaking, Itachi cupped his hands and presented a set of meeting minutes—prepared in advance by Uchiha Ran.
An ANBU standing nearby stepped forward, took the documents, opened them, and checked carefully for traps. After confirming there was no danger, he respectfully presented them to the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi read the report carefully. At times, his brows furrowed with a stern expression; at others, his face relaxed. In the end, he let out a chuckle.
"Heh. The Uchiha are nothing to fear. As long as Fugaku stands with the Village, the Uchiha Clan will not rebel."
After saying this, he smiled and handed the scroll to Danzō Shimura.
Danzō had long since lost his patience. He snatched the scroll and skimmed through it quickly, his expression darkening as thoughts raced through his mind.
This Uchiha Fugaku really is useless! He has money, supplies, and manpower, yet he still hesitates!
No—no. The Uchiha must rebel. Otherwise, how am I supposed to carry out Wood Release experiments? How long would it take me to become Hokage otherwise?
That damned monkey… living so long! Even after stepping down, he can still come back. That dog!
Danzō's eyes turned vicious as he suddenly roared:
"Uchiha Itachi! How dare you deceive us! This report is clearly fake—completely fabricated!"
Itachi lowered his head, his expression shifting slightly.
Was I exposed? How could that be?
If Danzō makes a move now… what should I do?
But to everyone's surprise, Hiruzen slammed his palm down on the table.
"Enough! Danzō, shut up!"
"Do you really think you understand Itachi's loyalty to the Village better than I do? Has any intelligence he's ever submitted been wrong? Or even vague?"
"This report details everything—from Fugaku's stance all the way down to how long a genin was nervously shaking his leg. What, you think something this meticulous could be forged?"
Hiruzen's dissatisfaction was obvious. Why was Danzō always stirring up trouble?
Back when the Uchiha's attitude was unclear, Danzō wanted to provoke them, and Hiruzen had let it slide. Now that the clan wanted stability, Danzō still refused to let it go.
If the Uchiha were truly pushed into rebellion, it would be Konoha's shinobi and Konoha's wealth that paid the price. How could he not understand something so basic?
Of course Danzō understood.
He understood all too well.
And that was precisely why he could not allow the Uchiha to remain peaceful.
The Uchiha were a blade—a blade he intended to use to climb to the position of Hokage.
If the Uchiha backed down now, what about his Wood Release experiments?
What about the Sharingan?
What about that long-cherished dream of becoming Hokage?
Danzō wanted the Hokage position obsessively.
He wanted to feel the texture of the Hokage's ceremonial robes, to wear the Hokage hat, to stand atop the podium and be revered by the villagers.
"Hiruzen, don't be fooled by the Uchiha!" Danzō snapped.
"Don't forget the Nine-Tails incident! The Sharingan appeared in the Nine-Tails' eyes, and the Fourth Hokage—and countless villagers—died that night!"
"Tobirama-sensei said it himself: the Uchiha are inherently evil! It's impossible for them to truly submit or lie dormant. They must be plotting something far bigger in secret!"
"In my opinion, we should immediately arrest all Uchiha shinobi and hand them over to Root. I will—"
Itachi suddenly looked up.
His eyes had already transformed into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, locked tightly onto Danzō.
He truly could not understand—why did this man harbor such deep hatred for the Uchiha?
What had the Uchiha Clan ever done to him?
"Enough!" Hiruzen stood up abruptly and slammed the table with his palm.
"Danzō, you've gone too far!"
"Back then, because of your suspicions, I allowed myself to be misled and ordered the Uchiha relocated to the outskirts of the village. Every time I think of it, I feel nothing but regret!"
"And now you want to pin such a monstrous accusation on the Uchiha Clan? What exactly is wrong with you?!"
Hiruzen stared coldly at Danzō.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado both lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze. If Hiruzen hadn't been angry, they might have said a few words—but now, neither of them dared make a sound.
Hiruzen's righteous scolding pushed all responsibility onto Danzō. This only made Danzō's blood boil with rage.
He slammed the table as well and stood up.
"Hiruzen! Do you really think I'm doing this for myself?! Everything I do is for Konoha!"
"That's enough, Danzō!" Hiruzen shouted.
"I am the Hokage!"
He hurled his pipe to the floor.
He had already noticed the resentment in Itachi's eyes toward Danzō, and he had no intention of letting the argument continue.
Danzō's expression was livid. He shot Hiruzen a venomous look, then turned and strode toward the door.
At the doorway, he let out a cold snort.
"Hiruzen… you will regret this."
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Hiruzen watched the old man leave and shook his head helplessly. With a long sigh, he sat back down and spoke gently.
"Itachi, I understand your clan leader's intentions. Rest assured—so long as the Uchiha remain peaceful, Konoha will welcome their integration into the village."
Itachi nodded. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Mhm. You may return for now," Hiruzen said.
"If anything happens within the Uchiha Clan, report to me immediately."
He stood up, personally helped Itachi to his feet, and patted him on the shoulder three times.
"The future of Konoha rests with you young people. Work hard—Konoha needs talent like yours."
Hiruzen held Itachi in extremely high regard. Itachi nodded calmly, neither arrogant nor overly humble, and turned to leave.
Hiruzen folded his arms, watching Itachi's retreating figure with a complicated expression.
Why did you have to be born an Uchiha…
If Itachi were not a member of the Uchiha Clan, Hiruzen might have taken him as a personal disciple.
Because Uchiha Itachi was a true shinobi—one without selfish desire.
A shinobi with the bearing and heart of a Hokage.
If someone like him were to inherit the title, Konoha would surely grow stronger with each passing generation.
But his surname was Uchiha.
And that alone sealed his fate.
---
After finishing his report, Itachi hurried back to the clan grounds and told Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Ran, who were preparing to depart, everything that had happened in the Hokage's Office.
The corner of Ran's mouth twitched.
If he hadn't known Danzō Shimura's true nature, he might have suspected that Danzō possessed some kind of godlike perspective—already aware that the Uchiha's current "peace" was only temporary, and that their ultimate goal was to seize Konoha's political power.