Hokage Office.
Minato and Shikaku sat side by side in silence, the room sinking into a long stretch of quiet.
"Shikaku... do you think what we're doing is right?"
Minato leaned back in his chair, his blue eyes glinting with something unusual.
"It's clear the Third has no intention of admitting that Danzo acted against Saitama first. His attitude just now made that obvious enough."
Shikaku offered a somewhat strained smile. He was a sharp man—immediately grasping the intent behind the Third's decision.
After all, Danzo had served Konoha for decades, no matter what he had done during his life. In death, the Third wished to preserve a dignified legacy for his longtime comrade.
As for Saitama Uchiha, while Danzo did strike first, it was ultimately Saitama who ended his life.
And given the current situation, there was no way Saitama would ever turn back now.
So in short, the Third chose to let a condemned man take the blame for a relatively minor offense.
"Minato, we still need to respect the Third's stance. After all, Danzo was his comrade-in-arms for several decades," Shikaku reminded, worried Minato might not see things clearly.
But how could he not have figured that out already? During the meeting, Minato had deliberately avoided directly stating that Danzo targeted Saitama first—precisely to protect the Third's dignity and that of others involved.
Yet Minato knew full well that the Third must have caught that subtle implication from his words.
"I'm afraid this handling might once again wound the Uchiha emotionally. After all, relations between the village and them have improved greatly over these years. If something like this happens..."
Minato hesitated, genuinely surprised that the Third was truly willing to bury certain truths for the sake of Danzo's posthumous reputation.
"But at this point, Saitama has already chosen a path the village must distance itself from. So the Third's approach isn't necessarily wrong," Shikaku said insightfully, his gaze deep.
He and Saitama used to get along pretty well.
He and his Ino–Shika–Cho teammates had even shared many laughs and conversations with this young man in earlier days. But now, reason told him that although the Third's method seemed cold-hearted and unjust, it wasn't without merit.
"We need to sort out a plan for handling the Uchiha situation—fast. I'll personally talk to Fugaku and explain everything, trying our best not to offend them."
After a long pause, Minato gave a reluctant nod. Truth be told, when he decided to discuss this matter with Shikaku, he had already leaned toward supporting the Third's decision.
Morally speaking, burying the truth beneath dust felt unbearable.
Yet ultimately, for Saitama, the outcome wouldn't really matter anymore—he probably didn't care about such things either.
Now that he'd decided to join [Akatsuki], there was no turning back for Saitama.
"Alright, I'll handle the arrangements," Shikaku said, stroking his small beard thoughtfully.
...
Inside the Uchiha District, headquarters of Konoha's Military Police Force.
In Fugaku's office, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.
Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha, and Minato Namikaze were all gathered inside the relatively spacious office.
"Minato-sama, you're not joking, right?"
Fugaku didn't speak. The one who asked was Shisui. He stared at Minato with a look of disbelief on his face.
A bitter smile lingered on Minato's face, as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
He hadn't expected Saitama Uchiha to hold such a revered place in their hearts—no sooner had he voiced his thoughts than the atmosphere turned frosty.
Glancing toward Fugaku, who sat silently in his seat, Minato realized things had truly become complicated.
"I understand Saitama can't return to the village anymore, but at least before that, he did many things for the village. He shouldn't have to accept this kind of ending!"
Itachi broke the silence once again, maintaining his usual calm demeanor.
Originally, neither Shisui nor Itachi qualified to attend a meeting like this, but Fugaku still brought them here.
Because Saitama had a particularly close relationship with both of them, they also represented the clan's outstanding new generation.
"This must be Danzo's doing, huh."
Fugaku wasn't someone easily fooled—he stayed silent for a long time before finally speaking up.
Minato said nothing, but as he looked at them, his silence spoke louder than words.
The office was on the second floor, the window directly behind Fugaku. Minato sat opposite him on the sofa, while Itachi and Shisui occupied seats to the left and right.
The four of them sat around a coffee table holding several cups of tea.
It was afternoon, and the warm sunlight filtered through the windows, falling gently on Fugaku's back and shoulders.
"We can accept that we won't push for official recognition for Saitama. Let's just leave it at that!"
What Fugaku meant was regarding the matter between Saitama and Danzo: they could choose not to argue over who was right or wrong, allowing the village to let the issue fade into ambiguity.
They had no intention of letting this single matter damage their relationship with the village. This decision came only after careful consideration by Fugaku.
After all, thanks to the current Hokage's leadership, the clan's relationship with the village had finally started to mend—after so much struggle.
If tensions were to freeze over again because of this single incident, it would definitely not be desirable.
"Lord Fugaku, but..."
Shisui seemed unwilling, his expression darkening as he opened his mouth to speak—only to catch sight of Fugaku's grim expression and raised right hand.
Itachi remained silent, maintaining his usual calmness. His eyes flickered between Fugaku and Minato, revealing a maturity far beyond his years.
"Thank you for your understanding. I'm deeply sorry about Saitama."
Minato gave a bitter smile, his blue eyes filled with complex emotions.
Who'd have thought he, who gave everything to the village, would slowly turn into the kind of politician he used to loathe?
"There's no need to say more, Minato-sama. I'll take my leave now."
Fugaku extended his hand toward the office door, making his meaning unmistakably clear.
As Anbu members—direct subordinates of the Hokage—Shisui and Itachi stayed rooted in place without moving.
"Alright then," Minato cast his gaze around the room, taking in Shisui and Itachi, then shook his head slightly. "I'll be taking my leave now."
Shisui's personality was no mystery to him. The young man had always been a bit too transparent with his emotions, so the displeasure on his face already spoke volumes.
As for Itachi, Minato realized he had never truly managed to hear what Itachi really thought. He couldn't find in Itachi's expression what he had expected to see.
Right now, Itachi looked at Minato with calm eyes and an utterly blank face, appearing extremely cold and detached.
Sighing inwardly, Minato rose to his feet, opened the door, and quietly left.
As Hokage, he couldn't help but feel this decision had broken the trust of the Uchiha Clan.
However, he still needed to consider the views of elders like the Third.
"Just keep their connection vague. This whole thing's such a pain!"
Minato decided to follow Fugaku's suggestion—keep the relationship between Danzo and Saitama ambiguous.
Whether it was one or the other, both were heroes of Konoha who had done many things for the village.
Regardless of how things turned out, both of them had once given everything to protect the village.
After exiting the ANBU headquarters, Minato looked toward the distant sun at the horizon, yet suddenly found its light painfully blinding.
He had just done something he'd never done before—something that made him feel deeply uneasy.
...
"So this is what you brought back not long ago?"
Saitama stood in front of Orochimaru, eyeing the frail-looking boy behind him with a look of amusement.
"That's right. He's a rare awakened user of the [Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse)], quite an impressive child!"
Orochimaru placed a hand on Kimimaro's shoulder and pulled him forward, letting his tongue slide slowly around his lips.
"He sure looks decent enough," Saitama said, observing the firm determination in Kimimaro's eyes while sensing the reasonably abundant chakra within his body.
"Have you been free lately?" Orochimaru asked Saitama. Recently, Saitama had been coming over often, discussing development of certain Kinjutsu with him.
"Not bad," Saitama shrugged. With no recent missions from the Organization, he really had nothing better to do. So naturally, he followed the address Orochimaru had previously given him and came looking.
"Since you're here anyway, let me show you something!"
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