"The Jinchuriki... Naruto?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback. He never expected the conflict between Danzō and Uchiha Akainu to involve Naruto. However, facing Danzō's one-sided account, Hiruzen wasn't entirely convinced. After all, Danzō always viewed the Uchiha clan through biased eyes.
"Akainu, you..." Hiruzen looked at Uchiha Akainu, only to realize that Akainu was still walking toward Danzō, the murderous intent in his Sharingan undiminished. Hiruzen's head began to ache. He remembered that once Uchiha Akainu fixated on someone and started to act, he'd relentlessly pursue them until the enemy in his sights was completely "eradicated." He would only stop if he encountered a truly unavoidable force.
"Akainu! Wait!" Hiruzen's heart tightened, and he immediately shouted, "There must be some misunderstanding here. The village has rules; ninja aren't allowed to engage in overly violent private fights! You and Danzō are both Konoha ninja. How can Konoha ninja be fighting amongst themselves?"
He had no choice but to position himself and a dozen Anbu ninja between Uchiha Akainu and Danzō, separating the two.
"Akainu, do me a favor. Let's first clarify what happened," Hiruzen said patiently, looking directly at Uchiha Akainu.
Uchiha Akainu glanced at the red box floating above the Third Hokage's head, his eyes narrowing slightly. "So, is Lord Hokage trying to use his power to protect a villain who is obstructing the execution of justice?"
Hiruzen found Akainu's words a bit harsh, but he kept a straight face and said patiently, "Akainu, this is just a misunderstanding."
The dozen or so Anbu ninja had already subtly surrounded both Uchiha Akainu and Danzō.
"The Hokage is abusing his power for personal gain, shielding someone who obstructs justice. I'll remember this," Uchiha Akainu deactivated his "Lava Release Chakra Mode," and the flowing magma on his body slowly receded. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan also reverted to normal black eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..." He had a strange feeling that Uchiha Akainu's words weren't a joke; they were completely serious. But... he was the Hokage of Konoha. How could Akainu hold him accountable for this? At most, it would just be forgotten over time.
Hiruzen sighed in relief, then turned back to glare at Danzō. "Danzō! Put away your kunai! Do you want to escalate this unnecessary conflict further?"
Danzō: "???" Why is the 'Monkey' so polite to that inherently evil Uchiha, but so aggressive with me? This extreme double standard... Danzō's fists clenched. After giving Uchiha Akainu a dark, deep look, Danzō put away his kunai and said coldly with a grim face, "Hiruzen, you want to clarify what happened? The evil Uchiha tried to control the Nine-Tails. I stopped him, and I even sacrificed two capable subordinates for it. It's as simple as that."
With that, Danzō couldn't help but grit his teeth angrily. "If you hadn't shown up suddenly, I would have killed that evil Uchiha brat in just one minute!" Damn it, I was forced to use up a Sharingan, and then this 'Monkey' suddenly shows up, making my one-minute 'Izanagi' completely useless. And... he even exposed one of my trump cards to Uchiha Akainu!
Hiruzen didn't know what Danzō was thinking; he only focused on Danzō's words about "two subordinates dying." "Akainu, why did you..." Just as he was about to question Uchiha Akainu, Akainu calmly spoke, "Those who obstruct justice are my enemies, and they should be purged with absolute measures!"
"Root attempted to take the troublesome Naruto Uzumaki. In my eyes, their obstruction of justice is encouraging the growth of 'evil.' That's why I acted. If Lord Hokage believes this reason isn't sufficient, you can dismiss me from the Military Police Force at any time."
Hiruzen fell silent. It was just like before. Even before he could ask his question, Akainu already knew what he wanted to ask and directly gave the answer. This feeling... it was as if talking to him, the Hokage, made Akainu incredibly impatient.
He selectively ignored Uchiha Akainu's last sentence. His focus was on the phrase, "Naruto committed an offense."
In that case, Akainu's account conflicted with Danzō's. Danzō thought Akainu intentionally wanted to control the Nine-Tails. Akainu, however, seemed to have no such intention; he simply thought Naruto had caused trouble and was going to apprehend him.
"Where is Naruto?" Hiruzen pondered for a moment, then asked the Anbu ninja.
Soon, the Anbu ninja responsible for monitoring the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki quickly brought the frightened Naruto over. Hiruzen crouched down and ruffled Naruto's golden hair, attempting to comfort the child.
"Naruto, what happened just now? Why did this Military Police Force officer suddenly grab you?" Hiruzen tried to keep his voice gentle.
Naruto instinctively glanced at Uchiha Akainu, but the cold gaze made him quickly lower his head in fright. Naruto's face was pale, and he trembled, saying, "Grandpa Hokage, I, I think I broke the law..."
"Today, I pulled a prank..." He recounted the entire incident, from beginning to end. In front of Uchiha Akainu, Naruto dared not lie a single word, because the man would truly throw him in jail! Even though he'd pulled so many pranks before and nothing had ever happened, dattebayo!
Clearly, Uchiha Akainu's previous words about arresting Naruto and locking him up for several months had thoroughly terrified the child.
Naruto's narration was surprisingly clear, and as Hiruzen listened, the expression on his old face grew increasingly strange. Danzō, meanwhile, remained dumbfounded where he stood.
"...Danzō." Hiruzen looked at Danzō with a deep gaze. "Indeed... this was all just your malicious speculation, wasn't it? The source of this entire conflict began with you, didn't it?"
Danzō's expression was worse than if he had eaten dirt. He clenched his fists, his face dark, remaining silent.
"This farce is over, Danzō!" Hiruzen said, his face slightly cold. "I will absolutely not tolerate you looking at loyal ninja like Akainu through such biased eyes!"
Danzō gritted his teeth. "Then what about my two guards who died?"
Hiruzen countered, "Isn't all the fault yours?"
Danzō's fists clenched until they cracked, his chest heaving, his eyes shifting with changing emotions.
"Hmph!!!" He turned angrily and walked away.
Hiruzen didn't try to stop him. After a sigh of relief, he promised Uchiha Akainu, "Akainu, Root certainly went too far. To accuse you without giving you a chance to explain. Don't worry, I'll deal with them later."
Hiruzen paused. He cleared his throat and said, "I will compensate for the damage caused by Naruto's prank. As for sending him to the Konoha prison... let's drop that. He's still a child; we can teach him a lesson in other ways."
Uchiha Akainu's eyes narrowed slightly. He then said something that completely caught Hiruzen off guard: "Is Lord Hokage also going to obstruct the execution of justice?"
For some reason, Hiruzen felt the atmosphere become heavy.
Uchiha Akainu slowly said, "Lord Hokage, gentle methods won't educate a child whose thinking has gone astray like this. Only through absolute justice—strictness, with no leniency—can his mind be set back on the right path and allow him to turn over a new leaf."
"This way..."
"Wouldn't that honor the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice, wouldn't it?"