Chapter 76: Sarutobi Hiruzen
"What is he doing?! How dare he leave the village with his shinobi without my orders?!" Koharu roared, incandescent with rage.
"He must be heading to the Hidden Hot Water Village!" Homura said, his voice laced with panic. "Several of his Root teams have vanished in the Land of Hot Water, and these damaging rumors are spreading... He's definitely going there to make trouble!" He paused, a new horror dawning on him, his expression growing even more desperate.
"The borders between nations are already incredibly tense. If Danzo starts a large-scale conflict, he could single-handedly trigger the Third Great Shinobi War! If that happens, he will be a traitor to Konoha!"
He spun to face Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, this is no joke! Konoha may have recovered from the first two wars, but you haven't forgotten the bloodshed, have you? Even someone as powerful as our master, Lord Tobirama, was killed in the First Great Shinobi War!"
Hiruzen closed his eyes, a look of pain on his face. His closest friend, Shimura Danzo... they had drifted so far apart over the years. It wasn't just their clashing ideologies; it was Danzo's ambition, his all-consuming lust for power, that had grown in his heart.
Danzo... oh, Danzo. After all these years, do you still hate me for taking the Hokage's seat from you? It was Lord Tobirama's decision, what could I have done? And is that title... is it really so appealing that you would risk everything, ignore the danger of provoking the other great villages, just to silence these rumors? Are you that afraid of people knowing your true ambition? Was it worth building your own private army outside my authority?
At that thought, Hiruzen's expression turned dark and dangerous. Konoha was his life's work. He would not allow Danzo to endanger it. Not even the possibility of it.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his fury, and slowly opened his eyes. The room was filled with fear and worry. Everyone was terrified that Danzo's rogue actions would drag the village into a disastrous situation.
Hiruzen's gaze swept over them, and he sighed inwardly. Koharu, Homura, myself... we've all grown so old.
"Hiruzen!" Koharu prompted impatiently, urging him to make a decision. As elders, they advised and managed parts of the village, but they held no true executive power. All of Konoha's decisions came from the Third Hokage.
He nodded slowly. "Send Jiraiya and Tsunade with two Anbu squads. Bring Danzo back. If he dares to disobey... or if he raises a hand against them... tell Jiraiya and Tsunade not to hold back."
"Two squads?" Homura interjected, alarmed. "Hiruzen, the entire Anbu only has four squads, and that's including Root. If we send half of our forces, who will protect the village?"
Hiruzen let out a cold laugh, his eyes narrowing. "The 'official' roster says Root is one squad. Do you really believe Danzo only has seventeen men under his command?"
His voice was icy. "If anything, I think two Anbu squads might not be enough. Danzo is already ignoring my direct orders. Do you think he'll come back quietly if Jiraiya and Tsunade don't bring enough men? As for village security, we'll just have to promote some of the Anbu candidates to active duty."
Homura and Koharu exchanged a look and reluctantly nodded. From their perspective, Hiruzen's decision was sound, even showing a flash of the decisiveness he'd had in his youth. But honestly, neither of them was confident that Jiraiya and Tsunade could actually bring Danzo back.
If only Orochimaru were here... The same thought flashed through both their minds, but neither said it. Orochimaru was, in their eyes, a near-perfect shinobi—a master of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. He was stronger than the other two, and his meticulous, flawless planning would have made him the ideal leader for this mission. But Hiruzen hadn't chosen him, and he must have had his reasons.
Just as Homura was about to leave to find Jiraiya and Tsunade, he remembered something. He turned back, hesitating. "Hiruzen... if Jiraiya and the others encounter the Hidden Hot Water shinobi, what... attitude should they take?" His voice was tinged with killing intent. Root shinobi were still Konoha shinobi. Furthermore, he was convinced that these disastrous rumors were the work of those foolish Hidden Hot Water ninja.
They dared to tarnish Konoha's name. They're asking for death. He conveniently forgot that Danzo had been the one to cause trouble for the Hidden Hot Water Village first.
"Whether the Hidden Hot Water shinobi were involved or not, it doesn't matter," Hiruzen said flatly. "In this tense political climate, we cannot afford to leave any loose ends or give anyone a reason to point fingers. Just send men to suppress the rumors. The only thing damaged here is Danzo's reputation and Danzo's forces... Avoid conflict with the Hidden Hot Water Village at all costs. We cannot give those who are already looking for an excuse a reason to act. And we certainly can't let some black-skinned punk in the highlands accuse Konoha of bullying a smaller nation."
His voice was quiet, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"Understood," Homura nodded. It's just a tiny village. If it weren't for the looming war, Hiruzen would have definitely taught them a harsh lesson.
Homura and Koharu left, and the Hokage's office, which had just been the scene of a heated argument, fell silent once more.
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe, staring out the window at the vibrant, living village below, his expression weary.
"Orochimaru... why must you be just like Danzo, causing me so much trouble...?"
Just a few days ago, he had once again refused Orochimaru's request to view the Scroll of Seals. The meeting between master and student had ended, as it always did, on a sour note. As his teacher, how could he not see his student's true, dark intentions?
"Orochimaru, with your personality, I will never allow you to have the Reanimation Jutsu. You must give up this obsession..."
"As for Danzo..." Thinking of his old friend, Hiruzen rubbed his throbbing temples. "I hope... I hope this serves as a lesson. Maybe now he'll learn to be more careful."
He had been tempted to strip Danzo of his position, but he knew, with a sharp pang of regret, that he—and the village—had become dependent on Danzo, on Konoha's "darkness." There were many things that he, as Hokage, could not do. All the dirty work... he had always been the one to give it to Danzo.
The Hokage must be above reproach. And so, he remained, in the eyes of his people, the beloved Third Hokage.