Uchiha Akainu's mention of the Fourth Hokage, who sacrificed himself on the night of the Nine-Tails attack, momentarily stunned Hiruzen Sarutobi. He hadn't expected Akainu to bring up the Fourth Hokage in front of Naruto. But seeing Naruto's head bowed, seemingly not having noticed, Hiruzen inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
He lowered his voice slightly and said, "Akainu, you should be very aware of this child, Naruto's, special circumstances. Being locked up in prison just for a prank will traumatize him."
"So..." Hiruzen spoke in a negotiating tone, earnestly saying, "Occasionally giving the young sprouts of the village some room to grow is also the perfect embodiment of Konoha's Will of Fire."
However, Hiruzen noticed that despite his heartfelt pleading, Uchiha Akainu's eyes remained completely unwavering.
Uchiha Akainu said expressionlessly, "Hokage-sama has already abused his power for personal gain, going against justice by choosing to protect Danzo Shimura, who inexplicably possesses the Uchiha clan's Sharingan."
"And now you wish to continue abusing the Hokage's authority to protect Naruto Uzumaki, a child who should be properly disciplined but has somehow been left to his own devices, leading to a twisted worldview."
"Hokage-sama's actions are tantamount to splashing filthy stains upon the very word [Justice]."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "!!!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt like he had been lectured, and directly to his face at that.
But, the amount of information contained in Uchiha Akainu's words was too immense, so much so that Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze became serious.
"Akainu, what do you mean by Danzo's Sharingan?" Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately changed the subject and asked.
Uchiha Akainu didn't hesitate to expose Danzo's secret, stating coldly, "He used the Sharingan's secret technique, 'Izanagi,' when fighting me."
"Why does Danzo Shimura, who is not of the Uchiha clan, possess the Uchiha's Sharingan, and why can he use a forbidden secret technique of the Sharingan? Hokage-sama, it's very 'hard' to guess, isn't it!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression subtly changed. He knew that Danzo had secretly conducted many human experiments with Orochimaru, and he also knew that Danzo had researched the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. But Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't expected Danzo to be so obsessed with the Uchiha clan's Sharingan as well.
Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled Uchiha Shisui, who had been classified by the village as "deceased, cause of death unknown." He had long suspected that Shisui's "unknown cause of death" was highly likely connected to Danzo's Root. After all, Shisui's incredibly unique Sharingan... given Danzo's personality, he would absolutely not leave it be.
Hiruzen Sarutobi also thought about how, during the Third Great Ninja War, the Sharingan of some fallen Uchiha clan ninjas mysteriously disappeared, allegedly stolen by enemy village ninjas. Could it be that Danzo had secretly sent people to dig them out?—a sudden, outrageous thought popped into Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.
He believed the possibility was extremely high! He knew Danzo too well. Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that the probability of Danzo doing such a thing was at least ninety-nine percent or higher. Moreover, this child, Akainu, had never wrongfully accused anyone. Although he didn't entirely agree with some of Akainu's methods and his belief in [Absolute Justice], feeling they were too extreme, it didn't hinder his trust in him.
"Akainu, regarding Danzo... this old man will give you, and the Uchiha clan, an explanation," Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone stiffened slightly, suddenly feeling a hint of guilt about "protecting" Danzo. But in the blink of an eye, that so-called guilt vanished. And he vaguely realized that he had somehow inexplicably accepted the "protection" label Uchiha Akainu had placed on him?
No! As the Hokage, he was merely trying to prevent infighting among the village's ninjas. How could that be protection?
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed. "But this child, Naruto..."
"No discussion." Uchiha Akainu, under the watchful eyes of the Anbu ninjas, once again lifted Naruto. This caused a stir among the Anbu ninjas. But Uchiha Akainu didn't care. He looked directly at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "I will not let go of Root, which obstructs the execution of justice. In Konoha, either I remain, or they remain."
"I will definitely find the location of the 'Root' deep within Konoha, and I will thoroughly eliminate the Root, which is filled with darkness and evil, to uphold the belief of [Absolute Justice]."
"You can stop me once, twice... but can you stop me forever?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
He felt that his mediation had not successfully resolved the conflict. Instead, the conflict between Akainu and Danzo had escalated to encompass the entire Root organization. Akainu would never speak without cause. His words meant that he truly intended to destroy Root! He genuinely wanted to relentlessly pursue Danzo!
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and looked at Naruto, who had given up struggling and wore a look of pleading and misery. He frowned and said, "Akainu, your methods are too extreme. What if I, as Hokage, were to order you to drop your conflict with Root, and to release Naruto?"
Uchiha Akainu replied, "You can try, Third Hokage."
Click— Suddenly, an Anbu ninja subtly drew his ninja blade an inch.
"Uchiha Akainu, the Hokage-sama's orders are not to be defied," the Anbu ninja warned. "And you should address him as Hokage-sama, not Third Hokage."
Uchiha Akainu glanced at him.
[Sarutobi Jounin — During the Third Great Ninja War, out of selfish anger, he took out his rage on civilians, killing a large number of ordinary enemy townspeople and claiming credit for their deaths.]
The Anbu ninja who attempted to draw his blade suddenly felt a chill in his heart. For some reason, he felt that Uchiha Akainu was looking at him as if he were already dead.
Uchiha Akainu, casually carrying Naruto, walked away as if nothing had happened.
"Uchiha Akainu! You—"
"Wait." Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped the Anbu who wanted to act. He stared at Uchiha Akainu's retreating back, his expression shifting slightly, and finally said in a deep voice, "Let him go."
"Hokage-sama, but that's Naruto Uzumaki..." an Anbu ninja reminded him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his hands behind his back, stating quietly, "In his eyes, this old man is no different from Danzo. If I stop him again, the target of a physical confrontation will become this old man and Akainu. As his strength grows, it will become increasingly difficult for this old man to suppress him."
The Anbu ninjas were bewildered. Uchiha Akainu was actually willing to confront the Hokage-sama? How dare he? What gave him the right?
At this point, Kakashi, who had been silently observing, finally spoke, "Hokage-sama, do you already have a plan for the Jinchuriki?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, saying, "Akainu taking Naruto is his duty as a member of the Police Force, and it is his right. And as Hokage, I have the authority to pardon Naruto."
"Kakashi, take an Anbu squad and stay behind to handle the aftermath. The rest of you, follow this old man to the Root base!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
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