"You grandfather once cut down my father…"
Such an unusually down-to-earth exchange between the Hokage and the Hokage's assistant
left the Inuzuka and Aburame momentarily stunned.
Even Uchiha En, who had been craning his neck stiffly, could not help but stretch his ears to listen.
"There was something like that, but wasn't that during the Warring States Period?"
Danzō narrowed his eyes. "If you put it that way, your father once burned my uncle with Fire Release as well!"
Hiruzen's father was named Sarutobi Sasuke.
Though he could not be compared to figures as mythic as Madara and Hashirama,
he was still a man of considerable renown.
Back in the Warring States Period, Danzō's grandfather had already set his sights on Sarutobi Sasuke, wanting to strangle that genius before he had fully matured.
The story between Sarutobi Sasuke and Danzō's second uncle was roughly the same.
After all, during the Warring States Period—without blood ties serving as a bond of trust, it was all too common for ninja clans to kill one another.
Those who were allies last year might become enemies hacking at each other this year.
And even blood relations were no guarantee.
Within a single clan, cousins turning their blades on one another was nothing new either.
"Hehe. The Warring States Period—wasn't it exactly like that?"
"That's precisely why the meaning and value of the village stand out so clearly…"
Hiruzen said with a sigh, "Whether it's Konohagakure or any other hidden village, if you examine the ninja clans one by one, who among them hasn't had a history of hostility with someone else?"
"But now, everyone has built a community where we help one another."
Uchiha En could not help but nod slightly.
The Uchiha may have fought the Senju most fiercely, but that did not mean they had good relations with the other ninja clans.
The arrogant, warlike Uchiha—under the high-pressure environment of the Warring States Period—would sometimes kick even a roadside dog when they saw one. Once they were driven into a blood frenzy, they would not even spare their own people.
During the period when Izanagi was at its height, the Uchiha even began killing one another, in order to seize the other's Sharingan and strengthen themselves.
What Hiruzen had just said was making it clear that the hatred between the Senju and the Uchiha was not all that special…
The clans of the Hokage and the Hokage's assistant had also once borne hatred—yet weren't they getting along quite well now?
"The grudges and obsessions of the Warring States Period should be buried along with that cruel era."
"Standing united and looking forward—that is the conviction we should hold fast to today…"
"I won't dare to boast about anything grand as Hokage, but I can promise this: to treat every shinobi of Konohagakure fairly, and, within my ability, to make life a bit better for everyone—this is something I dare to pat my chest and say."
Hiruzen took out a pack of cigarettes and unhurriedly tore it open.
He had swiped it from his eldest son, Shinnosuke…
Though his pipe had already become one of his trademarks, when he was out and about, cigarettes were still more convenient.
Uchiha En fell silent.
If other Uchiha heard Hiruzen's words, they might still argue back…
But as someone who had joined the patrol unit, he had personally experienced the village's support and the importance it placed on him…
Whether it was Hatake Sakumo paying a personal visit, or the respect shown by the Inuzuka and Aburame, all of it made this Uchiha from the Warring States Period feel respected.
En had also heard from others that the patrol unit's funding had been donated to the village by Hiruzen…
The stiffness in his neck had long since eased. En nodded silently, then spoke in a hoarse voice, "Third Hokage, what you said is right…"
"I only hope that you can always remain this way."
"I will." Hiruzen drew two cigarettes from the pack. "Care for one?"
En accepted it. With proper courtesy, a flame flickered at his fingertips as he lit Hiruzen's cigarette.
Hiruzen shielded the flame and patted En's hand.
The two of them simply stood there, puffing away. As the smoke drifted upward, the heavy, tense atmosphere from moments before seemed to disperse along with it.
From afar, En and Hiruzen looked like a pair of old friends who had run into each other by chance, stopping to chat casually.
Off to the side, Danzō ground his teeth in irritation.
This Hiruzen—he really was slick with words, wasn't he?
Even an atmosphere this bad, and he could still smooth it over…
Yet for some reason, watching Hiruzen and En smoking together made Danzō inexplicably irritated.
You are the Hokage, and he is an Uchiha!
Do you have no awareness at all of being Tobirama-sensei's disciple?
"Hiruzen, you should still smoke less," Danzō interjected abruptly. "Even if you have pressure as Hokage, you ought to exercise restraint."
"Smoking isn't a good thing."
"Mm-hm, got it, got it—you're right." Hiruzen replied with a smile.
Danzō's expression darkened as he spoke again to En: "I'm not singling anyone out, but as a patrol unit, carrying an unusual odor while on duty is dereliction of duty!"
And then, he suddenly realized a blind spot.
Right—Fire Release could light a cigarette, couldn't it?
He absolutely did not believe that with Hiruzen's fire nature—capable of burning flames to a white-hot state—he couldn't manage something like that…
So when Hiruzen had been explaining the concept of a "buffer layer" to him earlier, and had put on an act searching for a lighter—was he deliberately whetting his appetite, just to get him to light the cigarette for him?!
Damn it—he'd only just realized it now!
What Danzō had not expected, however, was this—
En nodded very seriously and did not refute him at all: "Assistant Danzō is right. This is my fault. I will write an explanation together with Sakumo-sama and request punishment, and I guarantee there will not be a next time."
En's way of thinking was very simple.
Right was right, and wrong was wrong.
Pointing it out at this moment might seem like provocation, but since the issue raised was objectively real, then there was no problem.
The corner of Danzō's mouth twitched slightly.
You old Uchiha—why are you being so well-behaved about this?
"This matter—I should also reflect on it…"
Hiruzen stuffed the entire pack of cigarettes into En's hands.
"It did indeed affect normal work. I won't do it again."
En accepted them and replied in agreement, "Thank you, Third-sama!"
Inwardly, he thought: Exactly how the village treats the Uchiha, I will report truthfully to the clan, without omission.
A pack of cigarettes won't buy me off. I'll use my own eyes to see all the truth…
—yet the movements of his hands were careful as he neatly put the pack of cigarettes away.
En and Hiruzen exchanged a glance unintentionally, and the two suddenly laughed.
Who knew what they were laughing about…
But Danzō's face darkened even further at the sight.
Are you two that familiar?
And after En and the others continued on with their patrol and walked off into the distance, Hiruzen spoke, "Danzō, the resentment in the Uchiha clan's hearts, and their unease toward the village, won't be dispelled in the short term."
"What I said just now was for the occasion. Although killing and conflict were the norm in the Warring States Period, the influence Tobirama-sensei brought truly belonged to the era of villages and nations."
Danzō froze for a moment.
Wait—weren't those the words I was planning to say?
You said them first—what am I supposed to say now?
And here I thought you really believed all that!
"We have to proceed step by step. Our vigilance toward the Uchiha cannot be relaxed, but we must act more intelligently… Having the ANBU bluntly monitor the Uchiha is both useless and crude."
"Let the patrol unit, the ANBU, and the police force interact under the guise of official duties. That way, our people can naturally gather intelligence, while also further strengthening the village's security."
At that moment, an unbidden thought rose in Danzō's mind.
The one who seemed more like Tobirama-sensei… might actually not be himself, but Hiruzen…
"No—it's me. I'm the one…" Danzō muttered to himself.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing…" Danzō let out a long breath, warning himself once again that he must not admit defeat—this was all something he could learn from.
"I said—it's the Hokage."
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