In the Hokage's office, Kakashi delivered his report with honesty, recounting everything he had witnessed at the Security Division. Yet when it came to the matter of the White Fang, he chose silence. That truth, he decided, was better left buried.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly, his gaze finally settling on the young shinobi standing beside Kakashi. The boy, shackled and silent, lowered his head. With a heavy sigh, the Hokage stepped forward.
"Child… what is your name?" Hiruzen asked.
The boy said nothing. His lips pressed tightly together, his silence heavy with years of pain. Hiruzen didn't scold him. Instead, he crouched down and gently unfastened the bindings with his own hands.
"No name? Then from today onward, you'll be known as Tenzo." His voice softened. "The past is behind you. Danzō is dead. From now on, live as a ninja of Konoha."
Tenzo froze. The name echoed in his ears, unfamiliar yet strangely comforting. His heart clenched as he stared at the man Danzō had once ordered him to assassinate years ago.
"Since you carry the Shodaime-sama's Wood Release," Hiruzen continued, "then inherit his will—protect this village."
Tenzo's body trembled. Words rose to his lips but died before leaving his throat. He glanced once at the Hokage, then turned to Kakashi, as if searching for an anchor.
"Kakashi," Hiruzen said gravely, "I entrust this child to you. Guide him well."
"Understood," Kakashi replied with a firm nod. He placed a reassuring hand on Tenzo's shoulder and led him out of the office.
When the door shut behind them, silence filled the room. Hiruzen leaned back into his chair and lit his pipe, the smoke curling slowly toward the ceiling.
Uchiha Douhuan's decision to return a Wood Release shinobi unsettled him. If the Uchiha truly harbored rebellion in their hearts, why would they hand over such a treasure? Could this clan leader be… loyal?
The thought gnawed at him, leaving the Third Hokage restless. That night, sleep eluded him.
---
The next morning, Uchiha Douhuan arrived at the Hokage's office with Yamanaka Fū in tow—though the man was now a hollow shell, his once-sharp mind reduced to drooling incoherence.
The office was crowded. The two advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, stood stiffly at Hiruzen's side. Beside them was Nara Shikaku, newly promoted to Hokage's assistant after Danzō's fall.
Douhuan smiled faintly. So, Hiruzen doesn't dare meet me alone. He gathers his council to fortify his courage. All the better—an audience only makes my performance grander.
"Hokage-sama," Douhuan said smoothly, bowing. "Vice-Captain of the Guard, Uchiha Douhuan, reporting as requested."
"Welcome, Douhuan," Hiruzen greeted with a practiced warmth.
Before the Hokage could speak further, Mitokado Homura slammed his cane against the floor. "Uchiha Douhuan! You've used this investigation as an excuse to eliminate dissidents and slander innocent men! How do you explain yourself?"
Douhuan's eyes slid over the old advisor with open disdain. These relics cling to power by seniority alone. Pathetic.
"Is that the Hokage's view as well?" he asked, turning to Hiruzen with measured calm.
"Douhuan… the Uchiha's methods are rather… extreme," Hiruzen replied, unwilling to condemn outright but still aiming to temper him.
"Extreme?" Douhuan's voice sharpened. "When facing a cancer like Shimura Danzō, is there any choice but severity? Softness would only let rot spread. In just these few days, the evidence uncovered is already staggering!"
He withdrew a scroll and laid it heavily upon the Hokage's desk.
"Danzō Shimura murdered fourteen Uchiha during the Third Shinobi War, all to seize our bloodline. Fourteen! And even after the Hokage's own decree forbidding human experimentation, he colluded with the traitor Orochimaru—kidnapping orphans for experiments. The youngest was only two years old."
Douhuan's gaze cut toward the advisors, his words like steel. "Tell me—will you still defend such a monster? Are you worthy of the Will of Fire? Of the First Hokage's dream to shield children from war's flames?"
"You—!" Koharu's face flushed with fury, but the weight of Douhuan's accusations left her breathless.
"Enough," Hiruzen interjected with a weary sigh. "They knew nothing of Danzō's crimes." He picked up the scroll, scanning its contents. His eyes widened with every line. Even knowing Danzō's ambition, he had never imagined such depths of depravity.
"These confessions," Douhuan continued, tugging Yamanaka Fū forward, "came from this man—a core member of Danzō's faction."
At the name, Nara Shikaku's sharp eyes flicked toward him. Douhuan met his gaze, smiling faintly.
"Unfortunately, he resisted interrogation," Douhuan went on, voice deceptively calm. "He attempted to counter our Sharingan illusions with the Yamanaka clan's secret arts. The clash left him severely brain-damaged. But before that… he confessed everything."
"Abba… Abba…" Fū drooled mindlessly, his head lolling on his shoulders.
Shikaku's heart sank. He understood instantly: this was not just testimony—it was a warning. A silent threat from the Uchiha to the Ino-Shika-Chō alliance. Forcing down a sigh, he bowed his head. Interfering further would only drag his clan into disaster.
"Hokage-sama," Douhuan said, breaking the silence, "to prevent such failures, I suggest assigning ANBU specialists to assist in interrogations. The Security Division lacks such refined methods."
Hiruzen thought briefly, then nodded. "Very well. I'll send operatives to aid your work."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Douhuan's eyes gleamed.
Perhaps Hiruzen intended to plant watchers within the Uchiha ranks, but Douhuan cared little. Whether they stayed or vanished would depend entirely on his hand.
As the Hokage flipped to the final section of the report, his face stiffened. His eyes lingered on the damning account of the White Fang incident.
"Douhuan… this part…"
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