Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow was slightly furrowed as he looked at the report in his hands.
It had just been submitted by Uchiha Kagami, detailing the progress of "Root's" preparations. Personnel from the Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, and Sarutobi clans were all in place and undergoing the first phase of screening and basic training.
And the "Hokage's Direct Guard" reserve, the ten young Uchiha he had personally poached from the Military Police Force, were showing astonishing enthusiasm and talent. Under Kagami's personal guidance and with ample resources, their strength was advancing by leaps and bounds. They were fiercely loyal to him, the one who had given them a new life and honor.
Everything was moving in the right direction.
There was only one person who made him feel a little uneasy.
Shimura Danzo.
Since being soundly beaten by his series of overt schemes, Danzo had been much quieter on the surface. He came to report on his work on time every week and strictly carried out all of Hiruzen's arrangements, looking like a tamed beast.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that for someone like Danzo, the ambition and paranoia in his bones would not change so easily. He was just biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to prove the necessity of his "dark methods."
"I hope you don't do anything stupid," Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly.
He had too much on his plate right now and really didn't have the energy to keep an eye on Danzo every day. As long as he didn't cross the line, Hiruzen was willing to give the leader of "Root" some face.
However, his fears were realized.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the cold, mechanical voice sounded in his head without warning.
[Warning! It has been detected that the actions of the key figure, Shimura Danzo, will have a serious negative impact on Konoha's future!]
[Initiate future simulation?]
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart sank.
"Damn it! This guy!" he cursed inwardly, his expression instantly turning ugly.
"Simulate!"
[Initiating future simulation...]
[Simulation Scenario: Shimura Danzo acts without authorization.]
The scene before his eyes changed rapidly.
[Scene 1: In a dark underground base, Danzo looks at a secret intelligence report with a cold smile. The report indicates that the group of Iwagakure rogue ninja, recently defeated by Team Sarutobi on the border of the Land of Fire, has connections to a high-ranking elder in Iwagakure. They seem to be planning a larger-scale border disturbance.]
[Scene 2: Danzo sees this as a perfect opportunity to prove the value of "Root" and that his own abilities far surpass Hiruzen's. He decides to bypass the Hokage, without any report, and secretly dispatches several of his newly trained confidants to infiltrate the border of the Land of Earth, attempting to capture the liaison between the rogue ninja and the Iwagakure elder to obtain direct evidence.]
[Scene 3: Half a month later, bad news arrives. The men Danzo sent walked right into a carefully laid trap by Iwagakure. Two "Root" members are captured alive on the spot.]
[Scene 4: The Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Onoki, uses the captured Konoha ninja and the "Root" organization's tokens found on them to directly confront the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. He accuses Konoha of treachery, sending spies to gather intelligence in another country during peacetime, with the intention of starting a war.]
[Scene 5: The Daimyo of the Land of Fire is furious and puts immense diplomatic pressure on Sarutobi Hiruzen. Konoha is put in an extremely passive position before the entire ninja world, its reputation plummeting. As the instigator, Danzo not only fails to achieve merit but becomes a criminal of Konoha. His prestige is ruined, and the legitimacy of his establishment of "Root" is questioned by all the higher-ups.]
The simulation ended.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in the Hokage's seat, his fingers digging into the edge of the desk, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.
"Danzo! You useless fool, good for nothing but causing trouble!"
He couldn't believe Danzo could be so stupid.
For the sake of merit, to prove himself, he had forgotten even the most basic ninja principles.
Acting without authorization, bypassing the chain of command—these were major taboos that no organization could tolerate.
This cannot be allowed to happen.
Sarutobi Hiruzen forced himself to calm down. Getting angry now was useless. He had to act immediately to plug this massive hole.
His mind raced.
Since Danzo already had the intelligence, his operation should be within the next two days.
A cold glint flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.
"Someone."
"Lord Hokage!" An Anbu appeared instantly in the center of the office, kneeling on one knee.
"Summon Uchiha Kagami to see me immediately!"
"Yes!"
The Anbu's figure vanished.
In less than five minutes, Uchiha Kagami appeared in the office.
"Lord Hokage, you sent for me."
"Kagami, I have an urgent mission for you." Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was extremely serious.
He spread a map on the desk, pointing to a valley on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.
"According to reliable intelligence, the remnants of the Iwagakure rogue ninja I defeated some time ago are still active here. Their liaison will appear in this valley in three days at midnight for a secret meeting."
"I order you to immediately lead your Uchiha Special Response Team to this location."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was cold and indisputable.
"There are two mission objectives."
"First, intercept that liaison, get all the intelligence on him, and then, make him disappear forever."
"Second, and most importantly," Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up, staring directly into Kagami's eyes, "stage the scene to look like the rogue ninja killed each other over a dispute about dividing their loot. Erase all traces of our Konoha ninja's presence."
"I want this matter, from beginning to end, to have absolutely nothing to do with Konoha."
Uchiha Kagami's heart pounded.
He instantly understood the gravity of this mission. This was no longer a simple pursuit of rogue ninja; it involved a much higher level of political maneuvering.
And the fact that Lord Hokage chose to entrust such an important mission to him and his team was, in itself, a sign of unparalleled trust.
"Yes! Lord Hokage! I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Kagami's eyes became incredibly determined.
"Go. Remember, be swift and be covert," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a wave of his hand.
Watching Kagami's departing figure, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly sat back down in his chair.
He knew Kagami would complete this mission perfectly.
Now, all that was left was to wait for Danzo's little show.
...
A week later.
Hokage Building, a small-scale high-level meeting.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzo sat around a table.
The atmosphere of the meeting was somewhat somber.
"...And that's the situation," Shimura Danzo's voice was low. He placed a piece of intelligence on the table, a hint of imperceptible pride on his face.
"According to my Root's investigation, the Iwagakure elder, Ishikawa, was colluding with the previous rogue ninja. They were attempting to create chaos on our border. I was already preparing to send people to investigate further and secure the evidence, but unfortunately..."
Before he could finish, Sarutobi Hiruzen interjected.
"Unfortunately, we were one step too late." A look of "regret" appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
He pushed another report to the center of the table.
"Just three days ago, a team led by Uchiha Kagami discovered traces of this group of rogue ninja while on a pursuit mission at the border. A fierce battle ensued, and the remnants of the rogue ninja were all annihilated."
"According to Kagami's report, there were signs of infighting among the rogue ninja at the scene, seemingly over a dispute about loot. We found this on the body of one of the leaders."
Sarutobi Hiruzen pushed over an evidence bag containing a secret letter addressed to the Iwagakure elder, Ishikawa.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura picked up the report and evidence, examined them carefully, and both breathed a sigh of relief.
"So that's what happened. It's a good thing Kagami handled it in time, otherwise Iwagakure's plot would have succeeded," Koharu said.
"Indeed. Although we couldn't capture anyone alive, obtaining this letter is enough for us to reprimand Iwagakure diplomatically," Homura said, pushing up his glasses.
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled at Danzo and patted his shoulder.
"Danzo, although Kagami beat you to it this time, your insight and Root's intelligence-gathering capabilities are a treasure to Konoha! You deserve praise!"
He praised Danzo lavishly in front of Koharu and Homura.
A flicker of astonishment and unwillingness crossed Danzo's face.
He couldn't understand how it could be such a coincidence. Just as he was about to make his move, Hiruzen's people had already taken care of it.
Was it a coincidence? Or... did Hiruzen... know something?
A sense of unease spread in his heart.
Seeing the look on Danzo's face, like he had just swallowed a fly, Sarutobi Hiruzen was inwardly ecstatic.
You want to compete with me? You're still too green.
After the meeting, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Danzo to stay behind.
"Hiruzen, you..."
Just as Danzo was about to ask something, Sarutobi Hiruzen threw the detailed field report fabricated by Uchiha Kagami about the "rogue ninja infighting" right in his face.
The papers scattered across the floor.
The atmosphere in the office instantly dropped to freezing point.
Danzo's expression froze.
"Danzo."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up, walked step by step until he was in front of him, and looked down at him.
The gentle smile from before was gone.
"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
"'Root' is a tool, not your personal toy!"
"If there is a next time you act on your own..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was not loud, but every word hammered into Danzo's heart.
Danzo's face turned from white to green, then from green to red.
He wanted to retort, to argue, but looking into Sarutobi Hiruzen's all-seeing eyes, he couldn't utter a single word.
Hiruzen knew everything.
A sense of defeat completely overwhelmed him.
After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a few words from between his teeth.
"...Yes, I understand."
After saying that, he didn't even dare to look Hiruzen in the eye again, turned, and left the office.
Watching Danzo's desolate figure, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly sat back down.