Early the next morning, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the Hokage's office. He took a slow, deliberate drag from his brand-new smoking pipe—his thirteenth this month.
Despite the Anbu's plummeting reputation and the Uchiha Military Police's ongoing strike, Hiruzen forced himself to maintain a serene composure.
Hiruzen's Internal Monologue: I cannot crush Jin Uchiha with military force without destroying Konoha's infrastructure in the process. Therefore, my only logical strategy is attrition. I will stall the Uchiha, let them grow arrogant, and wait for my former students—the Sannin, Jiraiya and Tsunade—to return. They may be rebellious, but their foundational loyalty to the village is absolute. Once they return, the balance of power will shift entirely back to me.
He smiled slightly, feeling in control. Patience was the weapon of a seasoned leader. He resolved not to let anger cloud his judgment anymore.
The heavy oak doors creaked open. Shikaku Nara, the Jonin Commander and the Hokage's chief tactical advisor, walked in. He held a sealed envelope.
"Lord Hokage," Shikaku began carefully.
"What is the bad news today, Shikaku?" Hiruzen asked, his tone light and magnanimous.
Shikaku hesitated. "The Uchiha Clan just delivered this to the administrative desk. It is a formal letter of resignation."
Hiruzen froze. The words did not process logically. "A resignation? Submitted by the Uchiha?"
He reached out and took the letter. As his eyes scanned the contents, the color rapidly drained from his face. It was signed by Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy.
Sensing the volatile shift in the room's atmosphere, Shikaku bowed sharply. "I will take my leave now, Lord Hokage."
Shikaku exited the office without waiting for a dismissal. He possessed a genius-level intellect, and that intellect told him to get out of the blast radius of the Hokage's impending rage.
Once the door clicked shut, Hiruzen slammed his hand down.
Crack.
The thirteenth pipe snapped in half against the mahogany desk.
"Anbu!" Hiruzen barked, his voice devoid of its earlier warmth.
A masked operative materialized from the shadows, kneeling immediately. "Lord Hokage."
"Give me a full report on Kakashi's movements last night," Hiruzen demanded coldly. "Why did he resign, and why are the Uchiha acting as his intermediary?"
The Anbu kept his head bowed, reciting the intelligence strictly. "Last night, Kakashi Hatake attempted to assassinate Elder Danzo at the Root base ruins. He failed and was nearly executed due to chakra exhaustion. Might Guy intervened, killed fourteen Root operatives, and rescued Kakashi. Following the battle, both defected to the Uchiha Clan compound to seek political asylum."
Hiruzen's Internal Monologue: Impossible. Kakashi has spent years in the Anbu. I systematically conditioned him with the 'Will of Fire'—the village's core ideology of self-sacrifice. I believed he had let go of his father's unjust death. His loyalty was the ultimate proof of my successful ideological leadership. And now, not only has his thirst for vengeance reignited, but I have also lost two elite, Kage-caliber military assets to my greatest political enemy.
The sheer magnitude of the strategic catastrophe, combined with his violently suppressed anger, triggered a severe spike in his blood pressure.
Cough.
Hiruzen hacked, spitting a mouthful of dark blood onto the floor. He gripped his chest, his breathing ragged.
"Lord Hokage!" The Anbu operative panicked, starting to rise. "I will call for the medical corps—"
"No!" Hiruzen snapped, wiping his mouth with a trembling hand. "Do not call the medics. If the village learns the Hokage is collapsing from stress, panic will ensue. I am fine."
He steadied his breathing, his eyes burning with a dark, terrifying intensity.
"Issue an S-Rank priority recall order immediately," Hiruzen commanded. "Locate Jiraiya and Tsunade. Tell them the village is on the brink of collapse. They must return."
"Yes, sir!" The Anbu vanished instantly, deeply relieved to escape the suffocating tension of the office.
Alone in his office, Hiruzen slumped back into his chair. His mind, unable to accept his own administrative failures, spiraled into bitter, hypocritical rationalizations.
Hiruzen's Internal Monologue: Kakashi... Guy... you traitors. Have you forgotten the Will of Fire? Danzo made mistakes regarding Sakumo Hatake, yes. But for the sake of the village's overall stability, you should have forgiven him! Everyone makes mistakes. Why couldn't you endure the grievance for the sake of Konoha? Even if you felt wronged, you should have come to me, your Hokage, to arbitrate the dispute.
He glared at the broken pipe on his desk.
Hiruzen's Internal Monologue: Instead, you chose to discard your loyalty and defect to the Uchiha. I misjudged you both. You have chosen to become the enemies of the village.