Inside the Hokage Building.
"Those damn clan heads… They actually united and executed Danzō!"
Koharu Utatane's voice rang through the chamber, sharp with fury.
She and Homura Mitokado had just finished hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi recount the events of the previous day.
Homura slammed his cane to the ground, his wrinkled face twisted in outrage.
"Danzō was a village elder! Just like us! If they could demand his death without trial, who's next? Me?"
Koharu's eyes blazed.A dignified elder of the Hidden Leaf—killed on the spot by a cabal of clan heads?! This is rebellion!
"Hiruzen!" she snapped. "How could you agree to something so outrageous? If they dare kill an elder today, what stops them from demanding the Hokage's head tomorrow?!"
Homura nodded grimly."You're encouraging lawlessness. If you keep giving in, their arrogance will spiral out of control."
"Enough!"The Third Hokage slammed his palm down on the desk, silencing the room. His eyes narrowed beneath the brim of his hat.
"You think I wanted to sacrifice Danzō?"
He leaned forward, pipe clenched tightly between his teeth, the smoke curling with agitation.
"The truth came out! He had Hashirama's cells transplanted into himself. Worse—he had an entire arm embedded with Sharingan eyes!"
"Uchiha Fugaku himself stood up and demanded answers in front of the entire council!"
Hiruzen's voice dropped, cold as steel."And then… there was Hyuga Naraku."
Koharu and Homura exchanged looks.
Hiruzen continued, now trembling with rage.
"His Byakugan… has evolved. He can read memories. He exposed everything—everything—Danzō did. Right there. In front of everyone."
"If I hadn't acted… I wouldn't just have lost Danzō—I'd have lost my title as Hokage."
He took a breath, then stared them both down.
"And don't think for a second that the two of you would've been safe either. If Naraku or the clan heads started digging into your connections with Danzō…"
The room fell quiet.
Koharu and Homura lowered their eyes, their silence a confession.
"…It's that Hyuga Naraku again!" Homura hissed. "Every disaster these days, he's at the center of it!"
"And we haven't even dealt with the matter of Kumogakure," Koharu muttered bitterly.
Today marked the fifth day since the Hidden Cloud issued their declaration of war.
They had attacked Hyuga Naraku once—and failed.
They tried again, sending Sarutobi Shinnosuke… and failed again.
Even their attempt to activate the Caged Bird Seal through the Hyuga Main House had been intercepted.
And yesterday, in a last desperate move, Danzō had mobilized the final remnants of Root to kill Naraku.
Still failed.
"Why won't that damn kid just die already?!"Koharu slammed her hand against the table, trembling with frustration.
"Ugh…"The Third Hokage let out a sigh, dragging on his pipe.
He wanted Naraku dead too… but he simply couldn't do it.
"Is there really no way to kill him?" he asked, his voice low.
Homura shook his head."If Danzō were still alive… maybe. He was our only chance."
All three elders sat in sullen silence, knowing the truth of those words.
With Danzō gone, their web of influence was unraveling.
"Honestly, Hiruzen…" Koharu spoke again. "You shouldn't have disbanded Root."
They had long coveted the group Danzō controlled—loyal, elite combatants with no allegiance but his.
When they first heard of his death, both Koharu and Homura had the same fleeting thought:
Could we take control of Root now?
But it was not to be.
"The Root organization no longer exists," the Third Hokage muttered. "Danzō brought all his operatives in that final strike. The rest were just children in training… and they've already been taken in by the clan heads."
"Anbu is also stretched thin," he added darkly.
Originally four teams strong, Anbu had suffered heavily during Shinnosuke's mission. Two entire squads—made up primarily of Sarutobi loyalists—were wiped out.
Now only two squads remained.
He had hoped that after placing Hiashi Hyuga as clan head, he could recruit more Hyuga into Anbu.
But Hyuga Naraku disrupted even that plan.
With options dwindling, Hiruzen made a choice:
He had promoted Sarutobi Asuma—his own son—into Anbu and made him a squad captain.
Just then, the office door burst open.
"Father!"Sarutobi Asuma stormed into the room, his expression furious.
"Why are you appointing Kakashi Hatake as Anbu Commander?! Why not me?!"
The Third Hokage looked at his son wearily.
He understood Asuma's frustration. After all, Naraku had once humiliated him by saying:
'Sarutobi Shinnosuke wasn't worthy to be Hokage. And neither are you, Sarutobi Asuma.'
With Shinnosuke dead, Asuma thought it was his time.
To become Minister of Anbu.Then Hokage.Then finally, to win back Kurenai Yuhi.
But to his dismay, Hiruzen had chosen Kakashi.
"...You're just an Anbu team captain," Hiruzen said calmly. "Kakashi is already a squad leader, and he commands more respect."
What he didn't say:
Even when Shinnosuke was alive, Kakashi commanded more loyalty among non-Sarutobi ninja.
Shinnosuke could barely hold the post.
Asuma?He wasn't even on par with a proper jōnin.
His rank was nominal. His strength… barely Tokubetsu Jōnin level.
Hiruzen looked away, unable to explain further.
And then—
"Hokage-sama!"
A masked Anbu burst into the office, voice tight with urgency.
"Message from the Communications Unit—Kumogakure has launched a surprise attack! They've already crossed into the Land of Fire!"
"What?!"
Everyone in the room froze.
"Didn't we still have two days left before the deadline?!"
Koharu's voice cracked in disbelief.
"Is the report reliable?" Hiruzen asked, his brow furrowed.
"Absolutely," the Anbu confirmed. "The last message we received from the border—our defenses have fallen."
The room fell into a stunned silence.
It had begun.
The war wasn't coming.
It was here.
Hiruzen clenched his pipe so tightly it cracked.
"Summon the clan heads," he growled."Emergency war council—now!"