The battlefield still crackled with remnants of lightning. The acrid scent of scorched earth lingered in the air.
At the center of it all lay Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. His body twitched involuntarily as faint arcs of electricity danced across his skin. Every now and then, a sharp crackle would echo as residual currents coursed through him.
He had barely survived the devastating attack that carried divine power. The massive earthen wall he had conjured—burning through vast reserves of chakra to raise it—had crumbled like brittle paper upon contact. Only the indestructible armor of the Ape King had prevented that final strike from being fatal.
But even the Ape Demon could not withstand such punishment forever. Exhausted, the mighty guardian retreated to Huaguo Mountain to recuperate, leaving Hiruzen completely vulnerable.
Physically, the old Hokage bore no crippling wounds, but the truth was harsher: his chakra reserves were nearly empty, his muscles heavy with exhaustion. He lay paralyzed, unable to stand, his breath ragged.
---
Kakashi Appears
Whoosh!
A shadow descended. A single figure appeared in front of the helpless Hiruzen, and the Third's heart plummeted.
"Hey now," came a lazy yet mocking voice. "Isn't this Elder Hiruzen? Still clinging to life, I see."
It was Hatake Kakashi. One hand tucked casually into his pocket, the other raised in greeting, his single exposed eye curved in a playful smile.
"Perfect timing," Kakashi continued lightly. "I'll take you to a very special place."
Before Hiruzen could muster a word, Kakashi bent down, grabbed him by the ankles, and with insulting ease hoisted him upside down. The once-revered Hokage dangled like prey in the hand of his former subordinate.
"Wait—!"
But it was too late.
Swish!
In a blink, both vanished from the battlefield.
---
Chaos Among the Anbu
"Elder Hiruzen!"
The Anbu directly under the Third Hokage's command, who had been tailing the battle, cried out in alarm.
Panic spread through their ranks. They scattered in all directions, preparing to track down the missing Hokage. No one knew what Kakashi intended—but none of them trusted his mercy.
"Stand down!"
A firm voice stopped them in their tracks. From the shadows emerged another squad—the Anbu under the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
"By order of Hokage-sama, no one is permitted to leave this place until Kakashi returns," the leader of Minato's Anbu announced.
Tension exploded instantly.
The two Anbu forces clashed in presence, eyes sharp as blades.
"Step aside!" the Third's men growled.
But Minato's Anbu didn't flinch. Their strength was equal—if not superior.
The truth hung heavy in the air: Sarutobi Hiruzen had abdicated. Technically, his personal Anbu no longer held any official authority. To push further would make them nothing more than illegal private soldiers.
"You dare?" spat one of Hiruzen's men. "What is the meaning of this, Minato?!"
---
Advisors Confront Minato
From the side, the Hokage advisors—Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura—stepped forward, their faces dark with fury.
"If anything happens to Elder Hiruzen, Minato, can you shoulder the responsibility?!" Koharu demanded.
"Yes," Homura added coldly. "Do you understand what you're doing?"
Minato's expression hardened. His usual warmth vanished, leaving only a chilling resolve. "Hokage advisors?" he said, his voice sharp. "Not anymore."
Behind him, Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward, bowing respectfully to Minato before turning to face the two elders. His eyes glimmered with stern authority.
"Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura," he began, his voice like steel, "based on the evidence our Anbu have collected, you stand accused of abusing your office for personal gain and embezzling village assets. Worse, you provided shelter and support to Danzo, a traitor and criminal. You acted as his shield countless times, profiting from his evil."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Fugaku continued, relentless. "We have more than fifty pieces of irrefutable evidence already, with hundreds more under review. According to the laws of the village, you are required to cooperate with the Security Department's investigation. From this moment on, you are forbidden to contact outsiders or tamper with evidence. Resistance will result in harsher punishment."
His eyes narrowed, and he deliberately emphasized the next words: "Former advisors, please come with us."
---
Outrage
"You dare!" Koharu shrieked, her voice shrill with fury. "This is an abuse of power! We are Hokage advisors! Even the Hokage cannot dismiss us without the Elder Council's vote—"
"Oh?" Minato cut her off, his voice cold as winter. "Did you conveniently forget the law? During wartime, the Hokage holds supreme power. I have the right to appoint or dismiss advisors and even members of the Elder Council directly."
His eyes burned with determination. "Danzo's rebellion threatens the village as gravely as war itself. Therefore, in the name of the Hokage, I hereby declare Konoha at level-one combat readiness. As of this moment, you are officially dismissed."
"You… you abuse your authority!" Koharu stammered, horror flashing in her eyes. She knew the truth: the moment she and Homura entered the Security Department, their so-called retirement would vanish. They would rot there forever.
"Chief Fugaku," Minato commanded, his tone brooking no argument, "take them away."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Fugaku turned, his Sharingan eyes cold. "Guards, escort the former advisors. If they refuse to leave with dignity… then force them to."
"Yes, Chief!" the Uchiha guards replied in unison.
"You will regret this!" Koharu spat, thrashing in the grip of the guards. "When Hiruzen returns, he will make you kneel and beg forgiveness!"
Her threats echoed uselessly as she and Homura were dragged away, powerless.
Minato watched them leave, his jaw tight with disgust. Parasites… the village will be stronger without them.
---
The Forest of Death
Meanwhile, deep within the shadowy Forest of Death, Kakashi finally stopped.
He tossed Hiruzen unceremoniously to the ground, then pressed his hand against him. In a swift sequence of seals, Kakashi carved the Four Symbols Seal, locking away Hiruzen's chakra.
The old Hokage struggled weakly, but he was no more than prey now.
Kakashi stepped forward, his face hidden behind his mask, but his lone eye burned with fury. "Elder Hiruzen," he said softly, "it's time you answered for everything."
Then his fist shot forward.
Bang!
The blow smashed into Hiruzen's jaw.
"This punch is for my father—who trusted you with everything!"
Another fist.
Bang!
"This is for Rin—who was nearly sacrificed as a Jinchūriki under your watch!"
Another.
Bang!
"This is for Obito—who was almost stolen away by Danzo's schemes!"
Punch after punch, Kakashi's voice rose, his fury spilling out like a storm.
"This is for Minato-sensei—forced to live as your puppet, his true ambitions shackled!"
"This is for Fugaku—cornered by your cowardice!"
"This is for Shisui—murdered by Danzo's hand while you looked away!"
"This is for Itachi—who deserved a normal life, but was twisted into a traitor by your system!"
"This is for the Senju and Uchiha clans, erased by your indulgence of Danzo!"
"This is for every villager who died in secret by Danzo's schemes!"
"This is for Naruto—mocked as a demon instead of embraced as a hero!"
"This is for Sasuke—robbed of a happy childhood!"
"This is for Neji—who lost his father to your compromises!"
Kakashi's fists rained down endlessly. "Ora ora ora ora!"
---
The Healing Fists
Each strike glowed faintly with green light. It wasn't mercy—it was the refined mastery of Healing Jutsu.
Kakashi wasn't softening the blows. No, he was ensuring Hiruzen couldn't die too easily. Every bone-crunching strike was immediately healed just enough to keep him conscious. The pain was endless, a cycle of agony without relief.
Hiruzen's face swelled and bruised, only to be restored again, over and over. The humiliation was worse than any mortal wound.
He was Sarutobi Hiruzen—the so-called "God of Shinobi." For decades, none had dared so much as challenge his authority. And now, here he was, beaten into the dirt like a common criminal.
---
Reflection
Yet as the fists continued to fall, something began to change.
With each accusation Kakashi hurled, each name spoken, Hiruzen's fury dimmed. Instead, a gnawing doubt crept in.
Have I truly done all this?
Memories began to surface. The early days of his reign, when he was young, burning with the Will of Fire, determined to protect every villager. Then the later years, when compromise piled upon compromise. When he yielded to Danzo, to Koharu, to Homura. When he turned a blind eye to corruption, all in the name of "stability."
Had his cowardice cost lives? Had his indulgence in Danzo's darkness murdered innocents indirectly?
Am I truly worthy of the Hokage's title?
For the first time in decades, Hiruzen stripped away the shining cloak of honor he had wrapped around himself. No longer could he hide behind empty platitudes like "The Will of Fire" or "Everything for the village."
Kakashi's fists shattered his illusions, forcing him to see the truth of his failures.
Even when Kakashi named people Hiruzen didn't know—Naruto, Neji, future tragedies—he no longer resisted. The earlier accusations were enough. His crimes already outweighed his excuses.
---
And as blood trickled from his lips, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, finally confronted the question he had avoided for years.
Had he, the man who claimed to love the village most, actually destroyed it from within?
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