"What did you just say?"
Danzo's voice didn't rise. It didn't need to.
The room went still.
The kneeling ROOT agent bowed deeper. "An Uchiha child, sir. Aizen Uchiha. He entered the Hatake compound. Spent nearly half a day there."
"A child or not, he's still an Uchiha," he muttered, more to himself than the agent. "And he walked freely into that man's home?"
An Uchiha… inside the White Fang's domain?
His eye narrowed, breath shallow with suspicion. For a moment, the gears in his mind whirred violently behind his still facade.
The air in the room grew heavier with every passing second. Danzo's mind was already racing.
The White Fang. Sakumo Hatake.
Not just a Kage-level shinobi.
Not just a veteran of countless wars.
But also the commander of the ANBU, and Hiruzen's right hand.
In Danzo's eyes, that made him an obstacle. A loyalist to Hiruzen's idealistic view.
And more dangerously, an unpredictable one.
And now, of all clans, an Uchiha boy seeks him out?
Danzo's mind snapped through possibilities.
Is it espionage? Grooming? Some clever new move by the Uchiha?
Or worse… has Sakumo grown sympathetic to their cause?
That idea made Danzo's lips tighten. To him, the Uchiha were a ticking time bomb. And Sakumo, by his status alone, was a pillar holding up Hiruzen's power structure. If even that pillar began to lean…
"Keep eyes on the Uchiha boy at all times," Danzo said coldly, voice low now. "And double surveillance on the Hatake compound."
Without wasting another second, Danzo turned on his heel, his cloak billowing behind him as he exited the ROOT command chamber.
"Inform Homura and Koharu," he ordered crisply. "An Uchiha made contact with Sakumo Hatake. I want their presence at the Hokage Tower immediately."
If Hiruzen wouldn't listen to reason, then he would have to be forced to.
He moved swiftly through the underground passages and emerged into the streets of Konoha under the veil of dusk. Civilian chatter, laughter, the smell of fresh mochi—it all irritated him. The village was blind to its coming rot.
By the time he reached the Hokage's Tower, he didn't even knock.
BANG.
The door slammed open.
"Hiruzen!" he barked. "The Uchiha are moving! One of their brats entered the Hatake compound freely, without resistance. This isn't some innocent playdate. He's making connections with the White Fang."
His one visible eye gleamed with accusation.
"You're being too soft, again."
Hiruzen, behind his desk, set down his pipe slowly. "Danzo—"
"No!" Danzo cut him off, his voice sharp and rising. "You refuse to act, so I will. With the Elders' support, I'll stamp this out before it festers. Give me full jurisdiction and I'll end this threat from the root."
The air in the Hokage's office was already thick with Danzo's accusations when the door swung open again.
"Hiruzen! Did you hear? An Uchiha boy visited Sakumo!" Koharu Utatane's voice rang out, shrill with urgency as she stormed in.
Homura Mitokado followed close behind, face stern. "Was this sanctioned? Did you know about it, Hiruzen?"
Hiruzen let out a slow breath and rubbed his temples. Of course they'd all come charging in. The fear was always the same—the Uchiha.
The Third Hokage looked at the three elders, eyes narrowing. They were overreacting, but not without reason. The Uchiha were volatile, proud, and wounded. And Sakumo was a pillar.
The thought of those two forces intersecting, without his knowledge, unsettled even him.
Just what was that boy doing?
Suddenly, an ANBU appeared in a silent swirl of chakra.
"Report," Hiruzen said quickly.
"Sir. Aizen Uchiha… he's already left the Hatake compound."
"Tch." Danzo clenched his fist.
"Understood," Hiruzen said with a nod. "Get me Sakumo Hatake. Immediately."
The ANBU vanished without a sound.
A few minutes later, Sakumo Hatake stepped into the room. As he looked around and saw all the elders present—Hiruzen, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura—he understood. This wasn't just a casual summon.
Hiruzen Sarutobi offered a gentle smile. "Sakumo, how was your rest? Has your injury healed?"
He was referring to Sakumo's last mission, where he'd taken a serious wound while rescuing comrades. That bravery was part of why Hiruzen admired him. And, though he wouldn't say it out loud, part of why he envied him.
Because more and more, the younger generation praised Sakumo. Some even whispered he was Hokage material.
Sakumo gave a small nod. "Yes, Hokage-sama. I'm ready for the next mission."
Hiruzen nodded, though his fingers briefly tapped the edge of the desk. "Good. Then let me ask—"
He leaned slightly forward.
"Is Kakashi friends with Aizen Uchiha?"
The question was casual on the surface. But everyone in the room understood what was really being asked.
Sakumo nodded slowly, already sensing the intent behind the question.
"They're classmates. Aizen Uchiha. He asked to meet me, said he wanted some guidance in kenjutsu."
There was a brief silence. Sakumo added, "He's working on creating a sword style of his own. Said he wanted to observe mine to broaden his understanding."
Hiruzen's brow lifted ever so slightly. "Creating a sword style?" he murmured. That wasn't what he had expected to hear.
Sakumo gave a quiet hum. "That's what he told me. According to him, he wants something original, something that doesn't follow the traditional forms."
Koharu frowned openly. "Can a child even do that? At his age?"
"I had doubts too," Sakumo admitted. "But when he explained it, the concept wasn't copied. It was something I've never seen before. The logic behind it made sense. It's still raw, but the foundation is unique."
He paused again, then added quietly, with sincerity,
"That boy is a genius."
The room went silent.
Coming from anyone else, such words might have sounded like flattery. But from Sakumo Hatake, a man known for his blunt honesty and towering skill, it landed with weight.
Even Danzo's expression shifted slightly, a rare moment of uncertainty flickering behind his lone visible eye.
"Genius?" Danzo repeated, narrowing his gaze. "You're certain?"
Sakumo nodded. "In combat instinct, in creative reasoning… yes. I've taught enough to see the difference between talent and true genius. This boy is the latter. And what's more—he doesn't boast. He asked intelligent questions. And his mindset was already oriented toward defeating stronger enemies, not showing off."
The implications were already rippling through the room.
A genius Uchiha. Forging his own path. Quietly earning the respect of Sakumo Hatake.
Danzo's jaw tightened.
Hiruzen leaned back, mind deep in thought.
Then he leaned forward slightly, his voice measured.
"Sakumo… tell me, how does this boy view the village?"
The question wasn't casual. It was the core of the meeting.
Sakumo didn't answer immediately. He understood this was no longer just about swords or talent—this was the first real review of Aizen Uchiha in the eyes of the village's highest decision-makers.
He met Hiruzen's gaze and spoke calmly.
"He told me… that he sees the village like a large clan."
That earned a raised eyebrow from Koharu.
"The clans," Sakumo continued, "he described as branches of a single tree. Different in history, in customs, but all part of the same whole. To him, every clan is simply a member of the greater clan: the village."
There was a pause. Even Danzo didn't speak.
Sakumo's tone didn't change, but the quiet pride in his voice was unmistakable.
"He believes in the Will of Fire. Said that while we may come from different roots, we grow under the same sun. We protect the same soil."
Hiruzen let out a slow breath, fingers no longer tapping the desk.
That wasn't something you could fake—not easily. Not in front of Sakumo Hatake.
Danzo narrowed his eye, weighing the words carefully. "A poetic view… for a child born into the most prideful clan in the village."
Sakumo nodded. "Exactly. That's why I took note of him."
The room fell silent again.
For once, even the elders had no immediate objection.
Because this time, there was nothing dangerous in Aizen's words.
"You may take your leave, Sakumo. And remember, resume active duty from tomorrow."
Sakumo bowed respectfully. "As you wish, Hokage-sama."
With a faint swish of his cloak, he vanished from the room in a blur of motion. The silence he left behind was thick with tension.
The moment the door closed, Danzo turned slightly in his seat.
"Hiruzen, should I—"
But before he could finish, Hiruzen cut him off with a rare edge in his voice.
"No need."
Danzo blinked. Hiruzen wasn't done.
"And remember, Danzo. Don't do something foolish."
The Third's tone was quiet, but final.
"You heard what Sakumo said. The boy believes in the Will of Fire. He sees the Uchiha as part of the village, like me. There is no reason to treat him like an enemy."
Danzo's jaw tensed, his eye narrowing, but he didn't respond immediately.
Koharu and Homura exchanged looks. Even they could sense Hiruzen drawing a line in the sand.
But Danzo's mind, as always, was a battlefield of suspicion.
He thought:
Words can be masks. Beliefs can be faked. And the Uchiha—no matter how young—are born with fire too close to madness.
Still, he said nothing.
Hiruzen's warning had been clear.
***************
Who should be reincarnated as Uchiha?