Chapter 231 – Whose Village Is Konoha?
Was Orochimaru's scandal really something they could just sweep under the rug?
For Hiruzen Sarutobi, the answer was no. Orochimaru wasn't just any shinobi—he was his most promising disciple, the one he had placed his hopes in.
For Danzō Shimura, the answer was also no—but for different reasons. He admitted, at least inwardly, that before the Hokage selection he had indeed pulled some unsavory tricks. But what of it?
Wasn't he a Konoha shinobi too? Didn't he also carry the dream of being Hokage?
To him, such "tactics" were nothing more than necessary steps toward a noble goal. And hadn't he supported Orochimaru afterward anyway?
Yet what had Hiruzen done? Instead of backing his old comrade, he had chosen to recommend Minato Namikaze—a young man with barely any political experience.
To Danzō, this was unforgivable. In his mind, he was the one most suited to sit in the Hokage's chair. It had been a single moment of hesitation years ago that had cost him everything.
He and Hiruzen might still call each other "friends," but friendship was a private matter. Politics was war. If seizing the Hokage's seat required discarding their bond, so be it.
Now, he felt, the opportunity had come again.
"Orochimaru's affair can be set aside," Danzō said coldly, his face hard as stone. "That experiment—we all know what it was. I merely chose the most suitable candidate. Some things went wrong, perhaps, but that's not our priority. Our real problem is the Fourth Hokage. Hiruzen, your chosen successor is quite… impressive."
His words made Hiruzen's brows crease. Danzō was trying to bury his crimes beneath the phrase "it's in the past." Such shirking of responsibility infuriated him.
But now wasn't the time to quarrel. Minato's recent moves were far too bold to ignore.
Hiruzen had nothing against initiative. Every young man had ideas, and some experimentation wasn't a crime. Though he would never truly loosen his grip on power, he could still admire Minato's daring spirit.
But why—why did Minato have to work so closely with the Uchiha?
The Uchiha clan's activities had grown suspicious ever since that young man, Uchiha Kei, returned from Grass Country and became Vive Head of the Konoha Police Force. Hiruzen had noticed immediately: Fugaku had deliberately left that seat vacant, dangling it as bait before the clan. A classic maneuver Hiruzen himself had once used—give people a position to aspire to, but never explain the path to obtain it.
Kei's sudden rise marked a shift. Fugaku had chosen his side and placed his bet. The mysterious disappearances of Uchiha Yuu and Uchiha Shuu—were they connected to Kei and Fugaku? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was mere coincidence. In any case, unless the clan turned its unrest outward, Hiruzen preferred to feign ignorance.
Besides, if the chance arose to pin Orochimaru's sins on the Uchiha, he would not hesitate.
Kei's reforms within his division had caught his attention as well. Reports showed a sharp improvement—too much, too quickly. And the boy's strength… troubling. Minato claimed Kei had defeated Kitsuchi, but Hiruzen had dismissed it at first as Kitsuchi being careless. That excuse no longer held after two Police captains ended up hospitalized in a single day, and a surge of captured shinobi filled the prisons—Kei's handiwork.
Then there was the great fire inside the Uchiha compound, another sign that something was stirring.
As Hokage, Hiruzen had always avoided meddling in a clan's internal affairs, but this—this was different. When Minato had formally taken office, Kei was suddenly promoted to Police Chief. A signal, surely: Fugaku was clearing the board, preparing to play for higher stakes.
Like Hyūga Hiashi, the rest of the village elders shared the same suspicion: Kei was merely Fugaku's proxy. His power came not from himself, but from Fugaku's support. Otherwise, how could he so swiftly seize control of the entire Police Force?
If that were the case, Hiruzen would simply watch more closely. But when Fugaku brazenly submitted documents requesting Uchiha operatives be admitted into the ANBU, alarms went off in his mind.
And Minato—without hesitation—approved it. Kakashi had only just been promoted to ANBU captain, and already Uchiha shinobi were being inserted into the ranks.
It left Hiruzen deeply unsettled. That was why he had summoned his old comrades here.
Konoha's stability, they all believed, was the result of their vigilance. They were the true guardians of the village. They didn't claim to be its founders—that honor belonged to Tobirama Senju, their revered teacher—but they were its custodians.
"Danzō," Hiruzen said finally, after weighing his words. "What's the state of your Root?"
"I know you've had… issues before. I won't pry, nor do I care to. I only want to know its condition now."
Danzō's face remained impassive. "Aside from Uchiha and Hyūga, several clans have provided numbers. But only a handful are truly capable. I haven't recalled those I've stationed abroad. My best asset at the moment is Ryōma of the Aburame."
"Don't touch your operatives in the field," Hiruzen ordered calmly. "For the rest—you have one month. I don't care what methods you use. Within that time, I want a new squad of Root shinobi trained and ready. They will be placed into ANBU."
For a heartbeat, Danzō was stunned. Then a thin smile crept across his lips.
So his old friend was preparing to wrestle with the Fourth Hokage after all.
A rift had opened between the new generation's Hokage and the old.
In the long history of Konoha, this was the first time such a fracture had appeared.
There had only ever been a Fourth Hokage, after all.
But regardless of the details, a problem was still a problem—and to Danzō, this was a blessing.
He had absolute faith that the Third Hokage would prevail in this kind of struggle.
After all, he had fought Sarutobi Hiruzen his entire life and never once bested him.
How could a greenhorn like Minato Namikaze hope to outplay Hiruzen?
To Danzō, it was laughable.
His mind was already leaping ahead—thinking about the Fifth Hokage.
For Minato had no chance.
He wasn't only up against the Third Hokage—he also faced the three elder advisors. Against all of them, what chance did the Fourth have?
The only danger, Danzō thought, was that once Minato was pushed aside, Hiruzen might reclaim the Hokage's chair himself.
"No problem," Danzō said calmly, though inwardly he was elated. "A month is plenty. I'll make sure my men know exactly who they are, and what they must do."
"Good. And one more thing…" Hiruzen paused, then altered his order. "Have your best man investigate Uchiha Kei. Follow him closely. See what can be uncovered."
At first, he had considered Uchiha Fugaku. But as clan head, Fugaku's status made such surveillance too risky—an unnecessary provocation against one of Konoha's great houses.
Kei, however, was different. At just fourteen, he already held a jōnin's rank and sat as head of the Police Force. Impressive, yes, but ultimately he was nothing more than Fugaku's proxy.
Trailing him would be far safer—and might even yield useful intelligence.
"Uchiha Kei? Consider it done." Danzō allowed himself a thin smile. "But Hiruzen, if you flood ANBU with your own operatives like this, aren't you worried the Fourth will object?"
"He won't even know," Hiruzen replied, his tone steady.
"And even if he learns of it—it'll already be too late. Our deployment will be complete.
He put Kakashi in charge thinking he could sniff out who belongs to us. Very well. Then let him discover that ANBU itself is ours, through and through."
Hiruzen lit his pipe, took a deep drag, and exhaled slowly. Smoke curled around his lined face.
"Have your people spread some… interesting rumors, Danzō. You know how to do that better than anyone.
Reach out to the families close to us. Test their stance.
And lastly—find me a Uchiha, someone suitable. I want to know what's happening inside that clan."
"We understand, Hiruzen," Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado said at once. "From now on, we'll scrutinize every proposal that reaches the council, see if anything stands out."
"Good. Go," Hiruzen said, pipe in hand as he strode out.
"Young people with spirit—that's fine," he muttered. "But they must learn their limits. He hasn't yet grasped the rules, and he's already tugging at the threads. Childish."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Let him learn a lesson. Let him understand—Konoha belongs to us."