[Land of Iron]
Harumi and Hiroto looked at Danzo in a new light. Rather than disgust, or betrayal, they looked at their leader with relief.
'So this is the secret underlying his departure...If his only defect is greed for power, then...I don't mind it', Harumi smiled
'To think a man could betray everything for the sake of power', Hiroto thought, 'Only a man of such decisiveness can be trusted'
"Thank you, Hiruzen", Danzo spoke, "Truly, thank you for giving me the one piece of puzzle I was lacking. Tobirama was right. The Uchihas cannot be trusted. And it looks like I was the only one heeding his warning"
Hiruzen was about to retort, but suddenly, the belief he had integrated as ground truth vanished. Why would the Uchiha lie to him? What is the Uchiha's specialty? How come no one but the Uchihas notice Byakuro, despite Hyuga patrols coming and going. As for the ANBU captain's corpse, it disappeared right after the dreadful night.
There were too many suspicious elements that he had forgotten to use his critical thinking. When he saw Danzo, he felt betrayed.
"You...Danzo, I never suspected them to be so-"
"Brazen? You knew Kagami. You knew the rest of the clan...They grow stronger and more emotional as time goes. How do you think they would react if two kage-level figures, inheriting the legacy of someone opposed to their interests, came to power? This is the threat I posed. I wish I could have been your shadow, Hiruzen, but it was never possible. One of us would have suffered anyway"
"It is not too late. The Uchiha patriarch was killed, their forces depleted. With your current strength, you have no enemies to fear!", Hiruzen shouted, angry at his old friend for his silence, angrier at himself for failing his duty as Hokage and Sarutobi patriarch.
Danzo shook his head: "You know the weight of the responsibility that comes along being a Kage. I did not begin to wear this mantle for show. Otogakure is my new home. The past is the past, Hiruzen. The future, however, now this is something we can work towards. I have high hopes for you, Sandaime Hokage. My actions, as rash as they are, did offer everyone a way out. Now, it is up to you to make it happen. Pay the compensation without negotiating too much, and invest in the future generations"
Hiruzen's eyes flashed with understanding: "Understood, Otokage. Does that mean there is room for a potential alliance between Konohagakure and Otogakure in the future?"
Danzo: "There is room for everything. As the Otokage, I will always follow the interests of the village. Hiroto, a Sunagakure rat has been eavesdropping on us for quite some time now. Could you take care of him?"
Hiruzen, Koharu and Homura's eyes widened. They had not felt anything. The squad of Otogakure jonins was shaken too.
Hiroto, however, merely nodded.
Using his flute, sound waves immediately come crashing onto the tree. Seconds later, a man collapsed, his eyes wide open, his body lifeless.
"How?", Koharu muttered in shock, "This clearly was not ninjutsu!"
Hiroto scoffed, checking the pulse of the man. However, shinobi had numerous arts, including some allowing to fake death. Hiroto took no bad bets, as his hand gently thrust a kunai in the man's throat.
"Genjutsu is a mean of chakra use. Trauma, however, if it is strong enough, can shatter an untrained human's soul to fragments, stop their heart or worse, leave him soul-less"
Danzo squinted.
'Hiroto only displayed elite jonin strength until now but this...This is clearly not something he should have been able to do. Did my speech convince him to become loyal?'
Harumi, too, was surprised. The Kinzoku clansmen were tight-lipped, and their patriarch was often described as the greatest genius of their clan since their founder. Little did they know, for Hiroto was actually a semi-kage level figure!
"The journey is long. I hope we see each other again, Hiruzen, under different circumstances, that is", Danzo spoke.