Danzo was waiting.
He was waiting for the moment to turn everything around.
As long as the Nine Tails Jinchuriki had not been rescued, he still had a chance.
However, the Third Hokage raised his hand, signaling Utatane Koharu, seated beside him, to announce the decision.
A bad premonition surged in Danzo's chest. In the past, orders of this magnitude were always discussed among the four of them together. This time, he had not even been notified in advance.
Koharu glanced at Danzo, let out a quiet sigh, then slowly opened the document in her hands.
"Following the final decision of the Third Hokage and the Council of Elders," she read, "the following orders are issued."
"First, the captains of the Third and Fifth Anbu Squads are dismissed and temporarily replaced by their vice captains."
"Second, Shimura Danzo is removed from his position as acting captain of the Konoha Military Police Force."
"Third, Shimura Danzo is removed from his position as leader of Root. The position will be temporarily assumed by Homura Mitokado."
Bang.
Danzo slammed his hands onto the table and stood up abruptly, his face dark with fury as he stared at the Third Hokage.
"What," the Third Hokage said calmly as he also rose to his feet, his pressure immediately filling the room. "You disagree?"
"The safety of Kushina Uzumaki was not my responsibility," Danzo snapped. "Why are you pushing all the blame onto me?"
"Then what about the village's internal security?" the Third Hokage shot back. "The enemy infiltrated Konoha and left safely. Shouldn't you, as captain of the Military Police Force, bear full responsibility?"
"I was at the Daimyo's residence at the time."
"Then are all of your subordinates useless?"
Danzo took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "I admit I bear responsibility for oversight. But what about you, Hokage-sama? Your responsibility for failing to retrieve Kushina Uzumaki is far greater than mine."
The moment those words left his mouth, the heads of the major clans seated below stirred.
Scenes like this were not unheard of in Konoha's history.
When the Third Hokage had first taken office, young and lacking authority, many clan leaders had openly questioned him. However, such confrontations had not occurred in many years.
The Third Hokage's patience finally seemed to reach its limit.
"I do bear responsibility," he said quietly. "However, Kushina has already been safely recovered by the shinobi I dispatched. You need not concern yourself with that."
Danzo's pupils shrank.
Recovered?
When had this happened?
Why had Root received no report at all?
Useless trash.
They deserved to rot for the rest of their lives.
"I have also already written to the Daimyo," the Third Hokage continued, "acknowledging my failures and requesting my removal from the position of Hokage. He refused."
Seeing the faintly self mocking expression on the Third Hokage's face, Danzo cursed inwardly.
Of course he refused. They were in the middle of a war. Removing the Hokage now was impossible.
"Hmph."
With no other choice, Danzo sat back down.
Just when everyone thought the matter had ended, the Third Hokage remained standing.
He slowly scanned the room, his voice heavy with restrained emotion.
"There are six Anbu captains. I have dismissed two."
"Elder Danzo holds three key positions. I have removed him from two."
"Look at them. Each one is in their prime. Each one is a pillar of the village. Each one is someone I value deeply."
"They failed in their duties, and my heart aches for it."
"The Second Hokage entrusted this village to me, yet it has come to this. I am ashamed before Konoha, ashamed before the villagers, ashamed before my subordinates."
"For a moment, I even wished I could dismiss myself."
His gaze then turned sharp.
"And you, clan heads. You sit here speaking righteously, but are you truly clean?"
"I know very well that some of you are more derelict in your duties than those just punished."
"I advise you to bring your hidden problems into the open, air them out, and deal with them properly."
The conference room fell completely silent.
At that moment, the presence of the Ninja Hero was undeniable.
The Third Hokage clasped his hands behind his back and looked toward the Hokage Rock beneath the night sky.
"When I first became Hokage, I believed the village's greatest enemies were the Four Great Nations."
"After the war, I thought it was the Allied Shinobi Forces."
"After the destruction of the Uzumaki clan, Hanzo became a threat. After Rain was dealt with, Sunagakure became a life and death enemy."
"But now, I finally understand."
"Konoha's greatest danger does not lie outside the village, but within it."
"It lies in Anbu, in Root, and within the clans themselves."
"If one part rots, the village weakens. If all of you fail, other villages will seize the opportunity and leave us with no place to stand."
He paused.
"Think about it. How many years has it been since the Warring States Period?"
"Forgotten."
"Yet the statue of Uchiha Madara still stands in the Valley of the End, staring at you every single day."
The Third Hokage glanced at the wall clock. The hands pointed to three in the morning.
His voice softened, carrying exhaustion.
"I have not closed my eyes for twenty hours. There is much I want to say, but words must end somewhere."
"After much thought, there is only one thing I can say to all of you."
"Take care of yourselves."
With that, he waved his hand, dismissing the meeting.
For a moment, no one dared to move.
Then, almost instinctively, many eyes turned toward Danzo.
As if waiting for him to leave first.
Damn it.
Why did no one look at him like this back when the Hokage position was being decided?
Left with no choice, Danzo stiffly rose and walked out.
Once the first person departed, the rest followed quickly, using Body Flicker Techniques to leave one after another. Soon, only the Third Hokage and the two senior advisors remained.
"Hiruzen," Koharu asked softly, "are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he replied. "Just a bit stirred up. I've held those words in my heart for many years. It felt necessary to finally say them."
Koharu sighed. She had always been the most rational among them, yet even she had to admit that Hiruzen's words were relieving.
If the clans had not restrained them back then, perhaps the Uzumaki clan would not have been destroyed, and the chain of tragedies that followed might never have occurred.
Kagami might not have died either.
After a brief silence, Koharu asked, "Was it truly the Cloud Village?"
"Yes," the Third Hokage replied. "Hayashi used the Sharingan to confirm the enemy's identity before killing them. Detailed information should arrive from the front line headquarters tomorrow."
"In that case, Kushina's status likely cannot be concealed any longer."
"If it cannot be hidden, then so be it," he said calmly. "Those who should know already do. Those who should not will not learn of it in the future."
"Then what about the Cloud Village?" Homura Mitokado asked, adjusting his glasses. "Are we declaring war?"
The Third Hokage shook his head.
"I want to fight as well, but a two front war would cripple the village."
"The Third Raikage has already halted his conflict with Onoki and is waiting for us to make the first move."
"Kushina is safe. For now, we let this matter rest. There will be other opportunities."
Homura nodded, though inwardly he could not help thinking that he had heard such words many times before.
"Hiruzen," Koharu asked again, "what about Kushina?"
The Third Hokage glanced at her, slightly surprised by her concern.
"Let her remain at the front line headquarters for now," he answered. "Once village affairs stabilize, I will send someone to escort her back."
"At least she will not be kidnapped there again."
"That's true," Koharu said, then looked at Homura. "The village's security will temporarily fall to you. Do not allow this to happen again."
Homura gave a bitter smile.
Although Hiruzen seemed furious, it would not be long before Danzo returned, and Root would eventually be handed back to him. How much control did he truly have?
Still, he wisely said nothing about it.
Of the once united four, Danzo might have already walked too far away to return.
Had Danzo changed?
Or had the world changed?
Perhaps neither.
It was simply that no feeling could last forever.
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