The air between them grew heavy. Kakashi's sharp words lingered like blades cutting into the silence.
"Well, you'll have to ask your good friend, Danzo," Kakashi said coldly, his single visible eye narrowing.
Hiruzen froze. The name stabbed deeper than a kunai. Danzo? Could this matter really be tied to him? How many deeds had Danzo carried out in the shadows without his knowledge?
Confusion, disbelief, and a creeping dread swirled through Hiruzen's mind.
Kakashi continued, voice steady and merciless, each word exposing a buried truth.
"Originally, Akatsuki was an organization led by Jiraiya-sama's three disciples. They sought peace, not by violence, but by dialogue and unity. Their dream was to end the endless cycle of hatred."
Hiruzen's expression softened slightly at this. He remembered Jiraiya's idealism, his stubborn hope for peace. But Kakashi's next words darkened the memory.
"But Danzo… Danzo wanted to stir unrest in the Land of Rain and profit from the chaos. He deliberately killed Hanzo's men and made it look like Akatsuki's doing. He painted them as murderers."
Hiruzen's heart dropped.
"Hanzo, already a suspicious man by nature, was easily swayed. He came to believe Akatsuki's talk of peace was nothing more than a front for expanding their power. To him, they became a threat to his rule. So, instead of cooperating with Akatsuki as he once considered, Hanzo plotted to eliminate them. He tricked their leader into a false meeting, and there… he struck to kill."
The weight of the tale pressed harder with every passing moment. Hiruzen listened, numb, yet unable to look away from Kakashi's hardened gaze.
"But what Hanzo didn't expect was this—" Kakashi's voice deepened, sharp with anger. "The death of the Akatsuki leader awakened the true monster hidden among them. The boy who carried the Rinnegan rose in fury. He slaughtered Hanzo's men and tore free from the trap."
A shiver crawled down Hiruzen's spine. The name Rinnegan alone carried with it the echoes of ancient legends.
"From that day forward, Akatsuki was reborn. No longer an organization of peace, but one baptized in blood. They began to embrace violence, to believe peace could only be enforced through terror and overwhelming power. And Konoha… the village that had slain their leader… became the thorn they could never forgive."
Kakashi's voice, calm but laced with fury, trailed into silence. For a moment, the world seemed to stop. The chirping of distant cicadas, the rustling leaves—all faded away.
Hiruzen stood in stunned silence. His breath caught in his throat.
Danzo…
That name echoed like a curse.
Danzo—his friend, his comrade, his most loyal supporter through decades of leadership. And yet, behind every act, every secretive maneuver, Danzo's hand had twisted fate in the shadows.
"Danzo, Danzo…" Hiruzen muttered under his breath, his face a mask of disbelief. "Is there something wrong with your mind? Why… why must you meddle in everything?"
Hiruzen's fists trembled. Danzo had always spoken of sacrifice, of doing what was necessary for Konoha's future. But here he had only created enemies, weaving hatred that would now haunt the village for years.
He could almost hear Danzo's voice echoing in his memory: 'Everything I do, I do for the sake of Konoha.'
But what legacy had that left? A greater enemy than any other.
Even as his closest friend, Hiruzen found himself unable to defend him. He knew immediately what Danzo's true aim must have been.
"It was to overshadow Minato… wasn't it?" Hiruzen whispered to himself. "To carve his own name in glory, to compete for the seat of Hokage."
The realization filled him with bitter sorrow.
Promising. Ambitious. Ruthless.
Why couldn't Danzo have simply been content to serve the village faithfully, to support rather than sabotage? Why did he always have to reach for power through blood and betrayal?
Kakashi's silence weighed heavily on him.
Finally, Hiruzen straightened his back, his face regaining a grim calm. "So… you want me to infiltrate Akatsuki, to gather intelligence from within."
His voice was steady. This, at least, was something he could do. He had once been Hokage, a man who carried the will of fire at the heart of Konoha. Such missions were not foreign to him.
Kakashi nodded once. "Yes. We need to track their movements constantly, to guard the village from the threat of sudden attack. But…" His eye grew sharp, his tone heavier. "If you take on this mission, your identity will be…"
Hiruzen cut him off, his voice unwavering. "I'll become a rebel ninja, won't I? So be it. I accept."
Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Elder Hiruzen, you need to think carefully. Once you're branded a traitor, there is no turning back. You'll bear the hatred of your fellow villagers, their curses, their contempt. There will be no redemption in their eyes."
Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly. In the depths of his memory, he saw the faces of villagers who once smiled at him, who once bowed with respect when he passed. He saw children running, calling his name with admiration. He had lived in the light, basked in their faith.
And he had failed them many times.
"I know," Hiruzen said at last, opening his eyes. His voice was steady as steel. "But the village needs me. I once stood in the sun, basked in their admiration, but I made too many mistakes. Now, I want only to do one thing right. Even if I must sink into darkness, even if I bear every curse and accusation, if I can protect Konoha from the shadows… it will be enough."
The frailty of age seemed to peel away in that moment. For the first time in years, the aura of the once-legendary "Professor of Ninjutsu," the Third Hokage, radiated from him again.
Kakashi felt it. He exhaled quietly, then nodded. "Very well. From this moment forward, I'll be your only contact. Only I and Lord Minato will know of this. No records, no traces. Everything will pass through us."
He drew a summoning contract scroll from his pouch. "Take out your Summoning Contract from Mount Huaguo. From now on, all intelligence will pass through your summon and mine. For safety, it's the only way."
"And one more thing…" Kakashi's gaze sharpened. "If this is truly atonement, then you will need a name. From today, your code name will be Sin. As for me, you may call me Fox."
The words were heavy with finality.
Hiruzen let out a dry chuckle, though his eyes softened. "Yes. That will do."
He moved his hands through familiar seals, producing the scroll with the Ape King's crest upon it. His heart ached at the thought—this contract was something even his own son had not been allowed to inherit, yet here he was, passing it to Kakashi.
What irony, he thought with a twinge of bitterness. But his hands did not hesitate.
Soon, Kakashi's name was written alongside his.
The contract was sealed.
Moments later, Kakashi undid the Four Symbols Seal that bound Hiruzen's chakra. Power returned to his limbs, the heaviness lifting. Hiruzen stretched, rolling his shoulders.
"You aren't worried I might take this chance to kill you?" he asked with a sly grin.
Kakashi didn't flinch. "A sneak attack? Against me? I've copied over a thousand jutsu. You wouldn't stand a chance."
"…Hmph." Hiruzen could only laugh bitterly. The boy was confident, but perhaps he had earned that right. Heroes were meant to rise from the younger generation. Looking at Kakashi, Hiruzen felt both humbled and relieved. Yes… the village will endure with him.
Suddenly, Kakashi produced a small ornate box and tossed it toward him.
"What's this?" Hiruzen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Orochimaru's latest work. An improved Hashirama cell injection," Kakashi explained. "Far stronger than the unstable one Danzo used. It's still incomplete, with risks—but if you find yourself cornered, if your life's on the line, this may be your last chance."
Hiruzen gazed at the box in silence, the weight of it heavy in his palm. "Orochimaru, huh… you truly are my most talented student," he muttered with a sad smile.
Before he could say more, Kakashi stepped forward and pressed his hand briefly against Hiruzen's back. A faint glow appeared, the seal of the Flying Thunder God technique embedding itself.
Hiruzen didn't resist. He understood. It was a lifeline, a precaution—one last tether to Konoha.
Finally, he turned, his eyes lingering on the distant outline of the village. His village. The place he had given his youth, his strength, his life.
"Then I should go," he said softly.
His steps were steady, but his heart was heavy. With each movement away from Konoha, memories flooded his mind. Laughter. Festivals. Missions. The cheers of villagers when he was first named Hokage.
He didn't look back. If he did, he feared he might not be able to leave.
"Sin," Kakashi called quietly, his voice trembling despite himself. "Take care."
Hiruzen paused mid-step. Slowly, he answered without turning.
"Don't worry. I will. I leave the village to you and Minato."
Then, with the grace of a monkey leaping through the trees, Hiruzen vanished into the forest, swallowed by shadows.
Kakashi stood alone, his chest heavy. He whispered to himself, "So in the end, Hiruzen takes the same path he once forced Itachi onto. Is this the law of cause and effect?"
He closed his eye, shaking his head with a sigh.
But there was no more time to dwell. His gaze hardened, filled with resolve. "If Hiruzen chooses atonement… then I must deal with those parasites who still cling to his name to harm the village. Tonight, the four great families will not sleep."
A cold gleam flashed in his Sharingan. Then, with a flicker of light, he vanished into space with the Flying Thunder God.
The shadows of Konoha stirred once more.
patreon (Obito_uchiha)