**Chapter 15: Danzo's Uchiha Revival Plan**
Not long ago, in the Hokage's office.
"He will be Konoha's... true hope for the Uchiha."
Danzo's words instantly disrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi's carefully rehearsed script of "Danzo has an unreasonable demand, Hiruzen refuses, You will regret this Hiruzen!, Danzo I am the Hoe-Kage!, Danzo slams the door shut, Hiruzen sighs and charges Danzo for the bill"
Is this your line? Did you grab the wrong script?
Hiruzen's expression froze as he stared at Danzo in shock—this completely contradicted his understanding of his old rival.
Danzo glanced at Hiruzen's incredulous face, the corner of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly. Ignoring it, he continued gravely:
"Hiruzen, you heard me right. At all costs, we must keep Rubik in Konoha! The Uchiha clan's destruction benefits Konoha on the grand scale, but the loss of their power is an irrecoverable blow to the village.
This young man is the starting point for the Uchiha's rebirth! As the last Uchiha bloodline, even if we must destroy him, we absolutely cannot let him fall into enemy hands!"
Hiruzen grasped Danzo's intent, but his doubts deepened. He demanded:
"Danzo! You've always seen the Uchiha as a threat to Konoha. Even after decades of me urging you to drop your prejudices, you never did—instead, you teamed up with Koharu and Homura behind my back to order Itachi to exterminate the Uchiha!"
At this point, the elder suppressed his rage, his sharp gaze scrutinizing his old friend-turned-rival.
"The one most wary of the Uchiha—why the sudden change? What's your real purpose?"
"Hmph, is that all you think of me, Hiruzen?" Danzo snorted dismissively.
"I admit, I have no fondness for that 'innately evil' Uchiha clan. I still believe the judgment back then was the best choice for Konoha—I'll never regret my actions!"
"But my target has always been the Uchiha that threatened Konoha! Don't feed me those grand principles. You're a survivor of that era too—ask your heart: do you truly have no reservations about the Uchiha clan?"
Hiruzen fell silent.
Danzo pressed on:
"Since Konoha's founding, there's one thing we've all tacitly understood: the Uchiha didn't join by invitation. They were defeated by the First Hokage and the Senju clan, then forced to accept the proposal to build Konoha! In other words, their alliance with the Senju was just the compromise of the vanquished."
"Enough about ancient history. But after the village was founded? What did the Uchiha do? Madara Uchiha defected, leading to the First Hokage's early death! The Second Hokage had just stabilized things when Uchiha Setsuna and his cronies plotted a coup to seize power!
The Nine-Tails incident a decade ago reeks of Uchiha involvement everywhere! We tolerated them time and again for their status as founding elders, only to face their growing ambitions! The Uchiha's hearts never truly belonged to Konoha! Narrow-minded and clan-obsessed, they're not the power Konoha needs!"
"Enough, Danzo!" Hiruzen slammed the table and stood, roaring, "No matter the past, the Uchiha are Konoha's members! I won't allow you to insult the dead like this!"
"We still have Sasuke! The Uchiha bloodline hasn't ended! Protecting the final hope Itachi entrusted to us, letting him grow into an excellent ninja and revive the Uchiha—that's what we should do!"
"And have him turn around and threaten Konoha again?" Danzo shot back sharply.
"Danzo, your prejudice against the Uchiha runs too deep!"
"It's not prejudice—it's fact!" Danzo refused to yield.
"You think assigning Kakashi to train him, letting the Nine-Tails fox and that little girl play house with him, will make him prioritize Konoha over the Uchiha? Naive!
The kid may be young, but he's a pure Uchiha at heart! Even if he revives the Uchiha in the future, that narrow, fanatical clan mentality won't change—he'll repeat the same mistakes! Keeping him preserves the Sharingan bloodline and stabilizes Itachi. But now—"
A glint flashed in Danzo's eyes. "We have a superior option in Rubik. Sasuke Uchiha's importance has plummeted."
"You're planning to target Sasuke? Have you lost your mind?!" Hiruzen exclaimed.
"Just preparing for a rainy day."
Danzo's tone turned icy. "I know now's not the time. While Itachi lives, I won't touch the brat—that's my agreement with him."
"So you have no qualms about Rubik?" Hiruzen fixed Danzo with a stare.
He didn't answer Hiruzen's question, instead countering:
"Don't tell me you haven't considered what Sasuke will think of Konoha once he learns the truth about the massacre."
Hiruzen fell silent again.
"I've just investigated Rubik's background. His mother is a Uzumaki remnant, his father some nameless Uchiha—likely the product of a sordid fling... Hmph, typical filthy Uchiha." Danzo sneered with disdain.
"But the kid's talent is extraordinary. He's awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan and even defeated Kakashi. At such a young age, he already has Kage-level strength—his potential is limitless!
Most crucially, he's untainted by the Uchiha's rotten ideology, with weak ties to the clan. He won't turn against Konoha over the massacre."
Danzo's voice grew fervent, ambition burning in his eyes:
"The new Uchiha he starts will be utterly different! No longer a millennium-old, decayed, insular clan—but one rooted in Konoha, acknowledging from blood to soul that they are part of the village—a brand-new Uchiha clan!"
Hiruzen rubbed his temples in thought. He had to admit Danzo's proposal was tempting. Rubik's value to Konoha was immense; as Hokage, standing on the village's behalf, he couldn't outright refuse.
"...What exactly do you plan to do?"
Hiruzen's voice carried fatigue, then hardened. "I warn you, Danzo! That child is Jiraiya's disciple, my grandstudent! Even if he's not officially a Konoha ninja yet, I absolutely won't allow you to harm a hair on his head!"
"Rest assured, I'm not foolish enough to challenge a Kage-level fighter head-on." Danzo smirked disdainfully, then called toward the door:
"Come in."
A slender girl wearing a fox mask entered the Hokage's office silently.
"Who is this?" Hiruzen asked Danzo, puzzled.
"Shen, remove the mask," Danzo ordered.
The girl complied, her slender, pale fingers slowly lifting the fox mask. An exquisitely bewitching face emerged—skin flawless like a nobleman's daughter, untouched by a ninja's hardships. Her large eyes sparkled with seductive allure, a small beauty mark at the corner of her right eye adding a captivating, seductive charm.
"Rubik is already so powerful as a Uzumaki-Uchiha hybrid..." Danzo's voice was low and laced with temptation.
"What kind of terrifying monster would emerge if we added the Senju' Bloodline to the mix...?"
"Wait... this girl is..." Hiruzen realized instantly, his face changing dramatically.
"Exactly." Danzo confirmed. "Though only her grandmother carries Senju blood, it's still Senju Blood—pure enough. The Senju went into hiding after the First Great Ninja War, blending into the village. Finding her took considerable effort."
Danzo turned to the girl, issuing his cold, ruthless command:
"Shen, from this moment on, your name is Senju Momoki. Your mission: use any means necessary to get close to Rubik, keep him in Konoha forever. And—get pregnant with his child as quickly as possible!"
"Danzo!!!" Hiruzen's furious roar echoed through the office.
Danzo ignored Hiruzen's rebuke completely. He cast one final deep glance at the Hokage seat symbolizing ultimate authority, then left the office without looking back, Senju Momoki in tow.
***