Danzo acted quickly.
Just as he had ordered Takeshi and the others to return to Konoha's camp, that very night, a noble family with mining rights in a nearby town was raided by mountain bandits.
The massive clan, with hundreds of members, was completely massacred—only a single infant, still in swaddling clothes, survived.
As for the samurai who had been personally guarding the noble—
They were reduced to ashes along with the grand mansion.
The only fortunate thing was that the civilians living around the mansion weren't harmed. The fire was coincidentally extinguished by Konoha shinobi before it could spread to the residential area.
In the end, the sole survivor of the clan, with the help of a steward, successfully inherited the family's power and immediately dispatched a mining team to the Land of Rain.
No one questioned this outcome.
In this chaotic era, nobles' lives were indeed frequently under threat. Against the unpredictable methods of shinobi, the samurai who had served nobles for generations seemed woefully inadequate.
Except for the daimyō themselves, who could enjoy Konoha's free protection, other nobles had to hire shinobi for their own security.
Of course, Takeshi himself knew nothing about any of this. At the moment, after handing over Yahiko and the others' letters and contact information to Jiraiya, he led his squad on the journey back to Konoha.
Danzo had also withdrawn Root from the Land of Rain, abandoning his plans to move against the Akatsuki.
However, when he returned to Konoha slightly ahead of Takeshi, bringing with him his son and the joy of shared ideals, he soon received another "good news" from Hiruzen.
Hiruzen had successfully persuaded Ōnoki, exchanging a promise not to hold Iwagakure accountable in return for an unconditional peace between both sides.
The war with Iwagakure had officially ended.
"This is an insult to those who sacrificed their lives! Hiruzen, I will never accept this condition!"
With a loud slap of his palm on the table, Danzo once again expressed his dissatisfaction with Hiruzen's decision.
His outburst quickly drew the displeasure of the other two advisors.
"Danzo, no matter what, Hiruzen is the Hokage. You're completely out of line!"
They emphasized repeatedly that while they did not oppose Danzo questioning Hiruzen's decision, they would not tolerate such disrespectful behavior.
But Danzo completely ignored the two advisors' objections and stared directly at Hiruzen.
"Continuing the war would be fatal for Konoha, which is already exhausted. This is a necessary compromise for the sake of peace."
Hiruzen's expression remained calm; clearly, he had already anticipated Danzo's opposition.
"Besides, I will take responsibility for this matter."
He had already made all the necessary preparations. Now, it was just a matter of letting things unfold according to his plan.
"And how exactly do you plan to take responsibility?"
Danzo's aggressive tone remained unchanged.
"I will step down as the Third Hokage and pass the position to the Fourth."
Hiruzen's words struck everyone present like a bolt of lightning.
The room fell into silence.
...
"So that's what this is about. Summoning Sakumo back to the village was all part of this plan?"
After the two advisors left, Danzo remained seated, still visibly indignant—but his tone had softened considerably.
"That's right. I've already spoken with him. He'll take over as the Fourth Hokage. I don't imagine you'd object to that, would you?"
Holding his pipe, Hiruzen looked at the seat that had belonged to him for so long, without a hint of nostalgia.
"Hmph. Your departure will allow the decaying Konoha to be reborn. Why would I object?"
Danzo closed his eyes, picked up the teacup on the table, and inhaled the fragrance of the tea as he spoke in a low voice.
"Then all the better."
Seeing Danzo react as expected, Hiruzen finally let out a breath of relief. What he needed to do next was to gradually push the old generation out of the center of power.
And the most difficult one among them was Danzo.
Although Root's official roster was only sixteen members, Hiruzen had long confirmed through various means that his old friend's true forces far exceeded the official numbers.
But for the sake of the village, he had chosen not to intervene all these years.
Now that power would be handed to the new Hokage, he had to find a way to limit Danzo's influence.
His only bargaining chip was naturally that youngest disciple of his.
After finishing his tea, Danzo left the room without a word.
"Next up is Kumogakure and Kirigakure."
Having dealt with the most troublesome Iwagakure, Hiruzen's next task was to drive the Kirigakure shinobi entrenched at the border out once and for all.
...
At the entrance of Konoha.
Takeshi and his team had finally returned.
"Sakumo-san?"
Even before entering the village, he spotted a familiar figure standing at the gate.
"Dad?"
Kakashi also saw the figure and hurried after Takeshi toward him.
"It's been a long time, Takeshi. It's been many years since we last saw each other." Sakumo smiled, reaching out to gently ruffle the now-taller Takeshi's hair.
That same warm smile, and the familiar touch on his head—Takeshi couldn't help but smile sincerely.
Seeing his father focusing only on Takeshi and ignoring him, Kakashi was a little annoyed but didn't show it. He just stood there blankly, living up to his name.
"Oh right! Sakumo-san, look! I've taken great care of Kakashi! I didn't let you down!"
Suddenly remembering Sakumo's own son behind him, Takeshi proudly pulled Kakashi over.
"Who's taking care of who?"
Kakashi had a look of exasperation on his face, but still stepped forward to face Sakumo.
"You've worked hard, Kakashi."
Even after years apart, Sakumo suppressed his emotions well. Still, his slightly reddened eyes betrayed his current feelings.
"Hmph, it was hard—having to take care of two idiots, after all."
Kakashi struck a smug pose. Even though his mask covered his expression, Takeshi could tell exactly what he was thinking and immediately punched him without hesitation, right in front of Sakumo.
"Stupid Kakashi! What are you saying! I'm the captain!"
"Damn you, Takeshi! Get back here!"
"Nyeh nyeh nyeh, not gonna stop! Try and catch me if you can!"
Watching the two goof around, Sakumo chuckled, the lightness in his laughter pushing away some of the melancholy in his heart.
"Sakumo-san, now that you're back, you're not leaving again, right?"
After freezing all of Kakashi's body except his head, Takeshi finally remembered to ask why Sakumo had returned.
"That's right."
Recalling Hiruzen's words, Sakumo nodded. Indeed, barring any unforeseen events, he wouldn't be leaving the village for quite some time.
Assuming he could get past the daimyō, that is.
After all, the failure of his last mission had likely left a lasting impression on the daimyō.