The Hokage's Office in Konoha was shrouded in a heavy silence.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, sat behind his wide wooden desk, a long pipe resting idly between his fingers. Smoke curled faintly into the air, yet the usual calm it brought him felt hollow. His expression was unusually grave.
The intelligence that had just reached him from Kakashi was nothing short of terrifying. He had thought the village would finally have a brief moment of respite—Jiraiya and Tsunade had returned safely, and even Kakashi had survived his strange encounter. But the latest revelations reopened old wounds in his heart and filled him once more with dread.
"Rinnegan…" Hiruzen muttered, his brows knitting tightly. "And Orochimaru as well…"
He leaned back in his chair, feeling the weight of his years pressing against him. As the Hokage, he had long grown used to hearing dark news, yet this particular report chilled him to the bone.
The Rinnegan—an eye technique of legend, whispered about only in myths. The tales claimed it was the progenitor of all ninjutsu, the eye once possessed by the Sage of Six Paths himself. For centuries, it had been dismissed as nothing more than a story told around campfires.
But if Kakashi's words were true, then the Akatsuki Organization truly possessed such a power.
The thought made even the battle-hardened Hokage's heart tremble.
Uchiha Itachi, he already knew, had infiltrated Akatsuki as a spy. That alone had been a dangerous gamble. But the existence of a Rinnegan within the organization changed everything.
Hiruzen's hand trembled slightly as he set down his pipe. His voice was low, almost unwilling to accept the reality.
"What exactly does Akatsuki seek to accomplish? What could they possibly gain from destroying the entire Ninja World?"
His words were directed at no one, but Kakashi, who stood at his side, answered quietly after a pause.
"Their objective… is twisted, but not without its own logic. They believe that only by erasing everything—by destroying the world itself—can true peace be born from the ashes."
The room fell silent. The words lingered like poison.
That simple explanation captured the essence of Akatsuki's madness. It was a philosophy born from deep scars, from lives defined by war, grief, and endless cycles of revenge.
And it struck directly at Jiraiya's heart.
The Toad Sage had been leaning silently against the wall, his arms crossed. At Kakashi's words, his shoulders stiffened. His eyes darkened with a pain only he could understand.
For in those twisted ideals, Jiraiya heard an echo of the children he once loved as his own.
His thoughts drifted unwillingly across the years, back to the war-torn streets of Hidden Rain Village. He saw again the faces of three young orphans—Nagato, Konan, Yahiko.
They had been bright-eyed, filled with hope despite their suffering. Jiraiya had taken them in, trained them, and believed that one day they would bring peace to the world.
But now…
In his mind's eye, their innocent smiles warped into masks of pain and cold determination. Nagato's frail frame, his strange Rinnegan eyes. Yahiko's unwavering passion. Konan's quiet resolve.
Had they truly walked this dark path?
Jiraiya clenched his fists. A wave of guilt and sorrow washed over him, heavy enough to steal his breath.
But he did not let it drown him.
Slowly, he straightened, his voice resolute.
"I must go to Hidden Rain Village myself. I need to see with my own eyes what has become of them."
Hiruzen's head snapped up. "Jiraiya, you…"
"Master," Jiraiya interrupted firmly, "only I am suited to go. If this Rinnegan truly belongs to Nagato, then this burden is mine to carry. I trained him. I raised him. If he has strayed, then I must be the one to face him."
His gaze softened slightly as he glanced toward Tsunade. "And besides… she is far more suited to stay in the village and succeed as the Fifth Hokage."
"Idiot!" Tsunade barked immediately, slamming her fist onto the desk. The wood groaned under the force. "Don't go assigning roles on your own, you fool!"
Her golden eyes glared daggers at Jiraiya, though beneath her anger there was a flicker of unease. She understood, perhaps better than anyone, that Jiraiya was right.
The village was at a crossroads. Someone had to shoulder the mantle of Hokage. And though she hated the thought, Tsunade could no longer deny that the responsibility was hers to bear.
The room's atmosphere grew heavier.
Kakashi, who had been silent all this time, lowered his gaze. His heart was caught in a storm of contradictions.
He should have spoken up now. He should have told them the truth—that the Masked Man was Obito, his former teammate. That the Akatsuki's schemes were even more complicated than they realized.
But every time the confession rose to his lips, it stuck there. Something within him refused to let it escape.
Why am I protecting Obito?
The question gnawed at him, yet the answer was always the same, whispered from the deepest part of his heart.
Because Obito was his comrade.
Even after everything, even after the lies, the betrayals, the years of bloodshed—Kakashi could not bring himself to abandon him.
Those who break the rules are scum… but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum.
The words rang in his ears, the memory of a boy with wild hair and an unshakable grin.
Perhaps he was no longer pure. Perhaps his loyalty was misplaced. But he could not betray that part of himself. Not yet.
His inner turmoil was suddenly interrupted by Jiraiya's casual remark:
"Oh, by the way, Old Man—on the way back, Kakashi told us he wants to become Hokage."
Kakashi's head jerked up, startled. "Jiraiya—!"
Hiruzen's eyes softened with relief. He looked at Kakashi with something like pride.
Ever since the Fourth's death, Kakashi had isolated himself in guilt and grief. Yet here, perhaps, was a sign that he had finally begun to move forward.
Meeting the Third's gaze, Kakashi lowered his head, guilt tugging at his chest. He didn't deserve such trust. But still… he said nothing.
The meeting concluded with decisions made.
Jiraiya would go to Hidden Rain to uncover the truth. Tsunade, though reluctant, would remain and prepare to take up the mantle of Hokage. Kakashi would be withdrawn from Anbu and appointed as Hiruzen's personal guard, a role that clearly marked him as a Hokage candidate.
One by one, they departed, leaving the office in silence once more.
Hiruzen sat alone, exhaustion settling into his bones. For the first time in years, the burden of the Hokage's hat felt unbearably heavy.
Two days remained before the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron. There, he would have to face the leaders of every other village and navigate the storm that threatened the entire Ninja World.
He turned the possibilities over and over in his mind, planning, calculating, preparing for every scenario.
But his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
A chill crept into the room. A familiar, unsettling aura seeped through the walls like a shadow.
"Hiruzen…"
The voice was low, cold, and filled with restrained malice.
From the darkness emerged a figure half-wrapped in bandages, a single sharp eye gleaming beneath them. Shimura Danzo.
Hiruzen's brows furrowed immediately. He did not bother to hide his irritation.
"What are you doing here, Danzo?"
Danzo's lips curled in a faint smile, though it carried no warmth. "So. Tsunade has returned?"
The question made Hiruzen's blood boil. His patience snapped.
"This has nothing to do with you, Danzo. Why are you asking?"
Danzo's gaze sharpened, his tone hardening. "Do you truly believe Tsunade is suitable to become Hokage?"
Hiruzen rose to his feet, his eyes burning with anger. "Danzo, do not forget—I am Konoha's Hokage. My decisions do not require your approval."
"You?" Danzo sneered. "Hiruzen, you are too soft. Too sentimental. The world now demands an iron fist, not the indecisive weakness you call leadership."
Hiruzen stared at him coldly. "I have always known exactly what I am doing. Danzo, if you had any sanity left, you would reflect on yourself. The Hokage stands in the light of day. But you—"
His voice cut sharper, each word deliberate.
"—you belong only in the shadows."
The words struck deep. Once, they might have enraged Danzo. But now he only stared back, his eye glinting with icy detachment.
"Hiruzen…" he said quietly, "you will regret this. Sooner or later."
His voice carried no heat, only a chilling certainty.
With that, Danzo turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving the office colder than before.
Hiruzen watched him go, unease gnawing at him. For years he had tolerated Danzo's methods, believing that even shadows had their place in protecting the village.
But now…
Something in Danzo felt different. Twisted.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, muttering under his breath.
"Strange… his temper, his aura… Danzo feels more and more unnatural. Is it just age… or something darker?"
The office fell silent once more. But in that silence lingered a foreboding weight, a shadow creeping ever closer to the heart of Konoha.
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