In Konoha's meeting room, four of the village's most influential figures were gathered. At the head sat Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, whose name and deeds had for years been immortalized in the lessons of the Ninja Academy. To the younger generation of academy students, who were required to memorize his triumphs and write exams about his greatness, Hiruzen was hailed as the strongest Hokage in history. Among villagers and inexperienced young shinobi, this image was unquestioned, though the older and more seasoned knew that such titles were not always the absolute truth but rather a matter of perception and politics.
Beside him sat Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the long-standing Hokage advisors. Their official role was to act as mediators between the Hokage and the Fire Daimyo, attending political gatherings in the capital and securing agreements with various nobles. Yet, over the years, their advisory positions had brought them personal fortune as well. Discreetly, they siphoned funds into their own coffers, enriching their families and securing prestigious clerical positions within the village bureaucracy. They were careful not to step directly into Hiruzen's path, nor into that of Shimura Danzo, but their maneuvering allowed them to create a reliable power base through connections with influential families in both the capital and Konoha itself.
Of course, Hiruzen himself was no exception. As Hokage, he ensured that the Sarutobi clan prospered, directing resources and choice positions into their hands. Konoha was located in the wealthiest of the Five Great Nations, and power was concentrated in these four leaders. Even after accounting for the substantial costs of running the village's missions, military campaigns, and infrastructure, there was always plenty left over for personal enrichment. Each of them quietly benefited from this arrangement.
Yet, among the four, Shimura Danzo stood apart. Officially, the Hokage's assistant and celebrated as a hero of the Land of Fire for his victories during the end of the Second Ninja War, during the Uzumaki Clan's destruction due to destroying Kumogakure, Danzo secured for himself a much larger share of resources than Homura or Koharu. But unlike Hiruzen, who primarily reinvested his influence and wealth into strengthening his clan, or the advisors, who focused on political connections and family wealth, Danzo channeled his gains into Root. To him, clan wealth and political favor mattered less than the expansion of his own military arm and personal vision.
The Shimura clan itself functioned almost like a miniature Hyuga Branch family; its members were bound by loyalty to Danzo, and many trained from birth to serve as his subordinates. Some were handpicked for Root, molded into tools willing to sacrifice themselves for his ambitions. In this, the Shimura were less a traditional clan and more an extension of Danzo's will.
But lately, frustration consumed him. Ever since the Uzumaki incident, his Root operations had been shackled under Hiruzen's orders. White Fang Hatake Sakumo had been specifically tasked with monitoring Root's activities in the open. Worse still, whispers had spread accusing him of practicing forbidden jutsu, of using living corpses as weapons, of training the dead to annihilate the armies of Kumogakure. Danzo despised the other three for doubting him, for suspecting him of such heresies before he had even attempted them.
And yet, in the twisted way his mind worked, these accusations planted a seed. If they already believed him capable of such deeds, why not make them real? If taboo arts could strengthen Konoha, if experiments could forge perfect soldiers, why should he restrain himself? Hatred toward Hiruzen and his council fueled his ambition to one day become Hokage, not by loyalty, but by surpassing them in strength, in results, in the shadows.
To fund his vision, Danzo misappropriated resources intended for the village's operations. When a shinobi died, their savings or retirement funds could quietly vanish if no relatives came forward. Children left behind without families were funneled into Root, particularly those from the orphanage, ideal tools, or, if necessary, subjects for experimentation. He preyed on the lives overlooked by society, molding them into his forces or sacrificing them for his research.
Even so, his freedom was limited. With Sakumo watching the public Root bases, Danzo was forced to keep only his most secret facilities active, the ones even Hiruzen's ANBU did not know of. The constant surveillance stifled him, and the knowledge that the other three distrusted him only deepened his resentment.
This dynamic at Konoha's highest level was no secret to the sharp-eyed. Many Jonin, with drinks in hand and loose tongues in private, were aware that Root's operations had been "suspended." Konoha's allies and enemies alike caught wind of it. Even Kumogakure's intelligence network had pieced together the truth.
Ron and the Third Raikage, along with their advisors, had long since grasped the situation. Ron, in particular, speculated whether this arrangement had been orchestrated deliberately by Hiruzen. After all, during the Second Ninja War, White Fang's fame had soared. While the so-called "Three Legendary San-nin" had barely survived against Hanzo of the Salamander, Sakumo had crushed Sunagakure's forces with decisive brilliance. His legend grew so widely that many believed he was Hokage material, perhaps even a greater candidate than the Hokage's apprentices. Smaller clans openly favored him, hoping his rise would overturn the entrenched status quo.
Whether Sakumo himself sought the title or not was irrelevant; the mere belief in his worthiness was enough to unsettle Hiruzen. To Ron's eyes, it was almost too convenient; Sakumo was tasked with monitoring Danzo, a man publicly hailed as a hero by civilians of the land of Fire for his part in defeating Kumogakure. If Danzo attempted something reckless, suspicion would fall squarely on him. And if Sakumo, through an "unfortunate accident" in the mission, were to perish under Danzo's schemes, the Hokage would achieve two goals at once. Danzo, already unpopular and distrusted, would be condemned, and Sakumo's growing influence would vanish with his death.
Two birds with one stone. Whether this was Hiruzen's intent or not depended entirely on how Danzo chose to act in the shadows and whether Sakumo could survive it.