He felt that the leader of Root understood only anger, while a Hokage had far more to weigh.
Kumogakure's move instantly pushed Konoha into a dilemma.
At this point, Konoha had only two choices.
The first was to mobilize its forces and fight Kumogakure to the bitter end.
The second was to sacrifice Hyuga Hiashi to appease Kumogakure.
Reigniting the war would mean countless deaths.
Although Konoha had been severely weakened and was no longer at its peak, its foundations were still intact. If it truly went to war with Kumogakure, it had a decent chance of winning—but the damage would be catastrophic.
More importantly, if other ninja villages took advantage of the situation and attacked together, Konoha would be completely unable to hold them off.
And the most crucial point—
Kumogakure had deliberately given Konoha another option.
Hand over the body of Hyuga Hiashi.
This choice effectively held the Hokage hostage, along with all the major ninja clans.
Human nature seeks benefit and avoids harm. At its core, it is selfish.
As long as their own interests were not directly involved, no clan would cut away its own flesh and risk everything for the sake of the Hyuga Clan.
The conference room remained silent.
Only after the air grew thick with secondhand smoke, and Danzo Shimura's expression darkened further and further, did Hiruzen Sarutobi finally speak.
"The Village needs time to recover. We cannot afford another war."
As his words fell, the expressions in the room varied.
Danzo snorted coldly, his displeasure written plainly across his face.
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu could only sigh helplessly.
Nara Shikaku remained expressionless from beginning to end.
He understood Hiruzen Sarutobi too well.
Hiruzen had pursued stability his entire life, to the point of appearing weak and indecisive.
This decision was completely within Shikaku's expectations.
He cast a helpless glance at Hyuga Hiashi, whose face had turned ashen, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly continued,
"Of course, the Hyuga Clan are comrades of the Village. The Village will never allow comrades to be sacrificed. This matter will be set aside for now. We will negotiate with Kumogakure later and reason things out properly."
The moment those words were spoken—
The conference room fell into a deathly silence.
Hyuga Hiashi's pale face twitched with barely restrained anger.
On the surface, Hiruzen's words sounded like protection for the Hyuga Clan.
In reality, the choice had already been made.
He intended to sell Hyuga Hiashi out to quell Kumogakure's fury.
Kumogakure was a village that worshipped strength—it was not a place where reason held any meaning.
That was a conclusion everyone in the room had already reached.
Hoping to resolve the issue through negotiation was nothing but self-deception.
Hiruzen's words were merely a way to smooth things over and avoid taking responsibility.
He was the Hokage.
If he openly prepared for war and fought Kumogakure, the Village would inevitably be gravely weakened.
When that happened, Hiruzen Sarutobi would bear the blame—and might even be forced to step down once again.
Yet he also could not openly force the Hyuga Clan to hand over the body of "Hyuga Hiashi," as that would irreparably damage the Hokage's dignity.
"The Will of Fire… utterly ridiculous!!!"
Hyuga Hiashi slammed his palm on the table, stood up, and left the conference room without looking back, his expression ice-cold.
Neither Homura Mitokado, nor Utatane Koharu, nor even Danzo Shimura reproached him for his rudeness.
In truth, Danzo had already guessed before the meeting that Hiruzen would tacitly allow Hyuga Hiashi to be sacrificed.
But hearing it implied so clearly still filled him with disappointment and sorrow.
Konoha was the strongest ninja village.
It once was—and in many ways, it still was.
Yet now, its Hokage was silently allowing the sacrifice of a comrade in exchange for peace.
In Danzo's eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi was old.
He had lost his edge.
He was no longer the Hiruzen of the past.
As the meeting dispersed, Danzo looked at Hiruzen and said coldly,
"Hiruzen, our teacher sacrificed himself to protect his comrades. If it were him, he would never make such a choice."
Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his pipe between his lips and slowly closed his eyes.
To him, Danzo was blinded by momentary anger and humiliation, unable to see the bigger picture.
"Danzo," Hiruzen replied, "you say that our teacher would sacrifice himself to protect his comrades—and you're right. He would never betray a comrade. But I don't have his ability. I don't have his means. That's why I have no choice. Do you understand?"
"Hiruzen, you will regret this."
"Danzo, don't act rashly. I am the Hokage!"
Bang!
"…."
Soon, only Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the conference room.
He turned around, gazing at the second stone face on the Hokage Rock, and murmured softly,
"You never know how hard it is… until you stand here yourself."
"Teacher, my entire life has been like walking on thin ice. Do you think I can ever reach your height?"
Whoosh!
A white-haired ninja suddenly appeared in the room.
"Hokage-sama… why?"
It was Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi was an ANBU directly under Hiruzen Sarutobi and someone Hiruzen held in high regard.
When this meeting was convened, Hiruzen had specifically arranged for Kakashi to listen from the shadows.
Kakashi had thought he'd already seen enough darkness during his years in ANBU.
He never expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Hokage who constantly spoke of the Will of Fire—would actually bow to Kumogakure's unreasonable demands.
"Kakashi," Hiruzen said, "come. Sit here."
He removed his pipe, pulled Kakashi forward, and pressed him into the chair he himself had been sitting in.
Kakashi's entire body stiffened.
That seat belonged only to the Hokage.
Hiruzen packed fresh tobacco into his pipe and spoke slowly.
"You are the Hokage now. Think as the Hokage would."
"Kakashi, tell me—if you insist on going to war with Kumogakure, and when the war ends, the elderly of the Village ask you for their sons, the women ask you for their husbands, and the children ask you for their fathers… how will you answer them?"
"…."
Kakashi was stunned, unable to respond.
Hiruzen continued,
"If sacrificing one person can save thousands of ninja, would you, as Hokage, refuse?"
Kakashi closed one eye, forcing the words out slowly.
"If it were me being sacrificed, I wouldn't hesitate."
He spoke with absolute resolve.
Hiruzen believed him.
He believed Kakashi truly had the determination to give his life for peace.
"But if it were my teacher… or my closest comrades," Kakashi continued, "I would never allow it."
Hiruzen thought of Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara, and the late Minato Namikaze and his wife.
One by one, their deaths had dragged Kakashi into an endless darkness he had never truly escaped.
"If it were someone else…" Kakashi paused. "I… can't find a reason to refuse."
"That's right," Hiruzen said quietly. "You have to understand—this is already the better choice."
Kakashi fell silent for a long time, then slowly nodded.
It felt as though all his spirit had been drained away.
Suddenly, he thought of something.
"Hokage-sama… then what about the Will of Fire?"
Hiruzen's expression darkened. He turned his back to Kakashi.
"Kakashi, you're too tired. I'm granting you one month of leave. Go and rest properly."
Kakashi frowned deeply.
Hiruzen had avoided the question.
Clearly, either the Will of Fire—or the sacrifice of Hyuga Hiashi—had to be wrong.
But what could he do?
Nothing.
Just like back then, when his father had been driven to death by those same people.
So what role had the Hokage played in his father's death?
The thought sent a chill through Kakashi.
He shook his head, exhausted.
"Hokage-sama… during this time, I want to look after the child, Naruto Uzumaki."
Hiruzen was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Very well. You may go. But remember—Naruto is first and foremost the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. Only after that is he Minato's son."
"…I understand."