Although what Hiruzen said was perfectly logical and grounded in reason, Danzo was far from satisfied. His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing with that familiar, cold determination. He wanted—no, he needed—to push forward with the plan to completely destroy the Uzumaki. In his mind, the matter was already clear: the Uzumaki had openly declared that they wanted no friendly relations with Konoha. They had chosen to stand as enemies, and Danzo believed enemies should be erased before they could grow stronger.
But Hiruzen did not share this view. His thoughts moved along a different current. The moment Shanks had shown goodwill toward Kushina Uzumaki, something had stirred in him—an inspiration, or perhaps a deliberate signal meant for him to notice. Shanks doesn't hate Konoha, Hiruzen realized. He hates me. That distinction mattered. It meant there was still space for diplomacy, for a future where the Uzumaki might not be lost to hostility.
And then there was the matter of succession. Hiruzen knew he could not remain Hokage forever. If, in the future, someone else were to take the mantle—especially Minato, Kushina's lover—then perhaps the village would find a new balance. Hiruzen had already begun to consider Minato seriously. The truth was, few others were qualified, and those who were had no desire to shoulder the burden of Hokage. That made the choice all the more difficult, weighing heavily on his mind.
Still, Minato had begun to master the Flying Thunder God technique, a feat that set him apart. It was only a matter of time before his reputation spread across the shinobi world, and when that happened, his image would shine brightly enough to make him a natural candidate for Hokage. Hiruzen could already see it: Minato standing at the helm of the village, his loyalty unwavering. And as long as Minato remained loyal, Hiruzen himself would never truly be out of power.
So while Danzo seethed with his own ruthless ambitions, Hiruzen stood quietly with his calculations, the faintest shadow of a plan forming behind his calm expression. The future may not belong to me, but I can still shape it.
It was not as though Hiruzen was entirely unwilling to consider the destruction of the Uzumaki village or the Uzumaki Clan. What he had spoken earlier carried its own truth, and in his mind it was almost a certainty that such an outcome might one day come to pass. Yet, though Danzo pressed hard in that direction, Hiruzen was equally capable of making such a decision himself if he chose to. The difference was that he had his own plans, his own calculations, and he would not be rushed into Danzo's vision of ruthless finality.
Slowly, Hiruzen turned his gaze toward the Hokage building. The sight that met him was grim. The proud structure stood scarred, its lower levels heavily damaged, stone fractured and scorched. The great crest of the Uzumaki Clan—once carved boldly into the building—had been split in half, the symbol of alliance now marred and broken. Dust still clung to the cracks, and the faint smell of smoke lingered in the air. This ruin was the result of one of Shanks' devastating strikes during their clash, a reminder of the raw force that had shaken the very heart of Konoha.
Hiruzen's expression hardened, though his voice remained calm as he spoke. "Let's commence the meeting somewhere else. We'll go to the Ninja Academy." His tone carried quiet authority, the kind that left no room for debate.
Then, with a measured turn of his head, he addressed one of the masked Anbu standing nearby. "Begin the process of repairing the Hokage building immediately. I want the work started as soon as possible."
The Anbu bowed sharply and vanished in a flicker of movement, leaving.
The meeting was convened in the halls of the Ninja Academy, the air still heavy with the tension of recent events. Hiruzen stood before the gathered shinobi, his expression calm but grave, and informed them of what had just transpired. He spoke plainly, without embellishment or exaggeration—only the truth of what had occurred, and the clear, unwavering determination of the Uzumaki clan to withdraw from their alliance with Konoha.
He emphasized this point with deliberate weight: it was the Uzumaki who had chosen to sever ties, not Konoha. The village was being forced into this position by the actions and behaviour of the Uzumaki clan, not by its own will. His words echoed through the chamber, steady and measured, yet beneath them lay the sting of betrayal.
Still, the reaction was immediate. Murmurs rippled across the room, and many of those present could not contain their anger. The destruction wrought upon the Hokage building, the lives of so many Anbu cut short—these were not wounds easily ignored. Several voices rose, calling for retaliation, for war against the Uzumaki to avenge the blood spilled. The atmosphere thickened, sharp with the scent of outrage and the restless shifting of shinobi eager for battle.
But Hiruzen raised his hand, silencing the room. His gaze swept across them, steady and unyielding. He reminded them that the Second Ninja World War had ended barely a year ago, and the scars of that conflict were still raw. Konoha was weary, its resources strained, its people in need of time to heal. To plunge into another war so soon would not only devastate the village further but also risk drawing the attention of rival nations eager to exploit their weakness. I cannot be the one to lead Konoha into another war so soon, he thought, the weight of responsibility pressing against his chest.
He explained further, his tone sharpening with logic. The Uzumaki possessed dangerous abilities—space-time techniques that allowed them to summon allies or retreat instantly from any battlefield, much like the Flying Thunder God. To strike at them directly would be futile; the core members would escape, and in their escape, they would unleash devastation upon Konoha. Such chaos would open the door for other great villages to strike, turning Konoha's vulnerability into their opportunity.
This reasoning, laid out with clarity and precision, settled over the assembly like a cooling wind. Even Danzo, who had been bristling with his usual hunger for decisive action, found himself conceding to the logic. He knew, as Hiruzen did, that to truly confront the Uzumaki, they would need something more—a sealing technique capable of binding space itself, cutting off the clan's ability to vanish or summon reinforcements. Only then could the Uzumaki be faced on equal ground.
…
The final decision had been made. The meeting came to an end, and one by one, everyone began to leave, until only Hiruzen, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura remained in the small, tense room.
Hiruzen turned his gaze toward Danzo, his expression stern. "Don't talk about killing the Uzumaki so often and so openly. If you were to leave Konoha, and the Uzumaki happened to learn of this, they would definitely hunt you down and kill you. They are not known for mercy. At that time, I won't even be able to protect you."
Danzo listened, a faint, almost arrogant twitch at the corner of his lips. "I know how to protect myself, so you don't need to worry about me." Without another word, he pushed himself out of his chair and walked out of the room, the heavy wooden door closing with a soft, final thud behind him.
Only Koharu and Homura were left with the Hokage. Koharu spoke first, her tone pragmatic. "Your decision to first prepare the space-sealing technique and then attack the Uzumaki clan is for the best. But we need to execute it as soon as possible. It will be very hard for us to keep the Uzumaki contained otherwise." Homura nodded in agreement.
"Shanks hasn't even reached the prime of his life and he is already this powerful," Homura added, his gaze troubled. "When he reaches his prime, the strength he will attain is totally unimaginable. Not to mention, his marriage to the Uchiha clan is now set in stone."
Koharu sighed, running a hand over her tightly bound hair. "A few of the Uchiha clan members are naturally dissatisfied by the fact that an Uchiha is marrying someone outside the clan, but there is little they can truly do. With the overbearing nature of Shanks, he will definitely marry Mikoto. I actually hope the Uchiha try to hinder the marriage, because if they do, they will certainly lose the goodwill of Shanks Uzumaki. That would be the best outcome we could have asked for."
Hiruzen listened, inhaling slowly, the scent of stale pipe smoke still lingering faintly in the air. He nodded slowly in acknowledgment of their points. "You are right. Very well. Let's end this meeting here. I also want to have some time alone to consider the next steps."
Koharu and Homura nodded, understanding the gravity of the task ahead, and then they too walked out of the room, leaving the Third Hokage alone in the sudden silence.
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