After a night of rest, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group were ready to continue their journey toward the Land of Iron.
But just as they finished breakfast and were about to leave the inn, Aburame Torune caught up to them.
"Senju Haruto…"
Torune instantly recognized the man standing beside the Third Hokage—this was the same person who had joined forces with Uchiha Itachi to kill Danzō.
"Torune?"
Hiruzen recognized the newcomer at once as well, and an uneasy feeling rose in his heart. If Torune had chased them all the way from the Hidden Leaf, it could only mean something serious had happened.
"Lord Third Hokage."
"Come to my room. We'll talk there."
Hiruzen glanced at their surroundings. The fact that Torune had come all this way meant the matter involved the village, and as a shinobi, he would never allow sensitive information to be exchanged in public.
"Yes, sir."
Torune nodded, following behind Hiruzen, though his eyes stayed sharply on Haruto.
Hiruzen didn't miss that detail. "You come too," he told Haruto. "This seems to concern you."
The words made Torune's stomach drop. He had intended to request a private audience, but before he could speak, Hiruzen raised a hand, cutting him off.
Haruto looked calm, almost indifferent—unsurprising, since he had already learned the situation from one of his clones the night before. If he guessed correctly, Torune had come to inform Hiruzen about the incident and to warn him to be cautious of Haruto.
Of course, when they dealt with Danzō, Haruto could have killed Torune with nothing more than a flick of his fingers. The only reason he hadn't was simple: even if Torune died, the Foundation still had people like Sai and other capable shinobi who would simply continue Danzō's work. Unless Haruto killed them all, the machine would keep running.
And besides, the Foundation members were, before anything else, Leaf shinobi. Killing them all would only weaken the village unnecessarily.
Most importantly… Haruto had no intention of hiding what happened. In fact, quite the opposite—he wanted the Third Hokage to know that he and Uchiha Itachi had acted together against Danzō.
"Tell me, what happened in the village that would make you chase us in such a rush?" Hiruzen asked once they were back in his room.
Haruto stood lazily by the door, as though this had nothing to do with him.
Torune clenched his fists, then dropped to one knee, not daring to let his guard down for even a moment—just in case Haruto decided to strike.
"Lord Danzō is dead," Torune said gravely, his eyes never leaving Haruto.
"What?!"
The news made Hiruzen freeze. His eyes widened, his mind buzzing into a blank void.
Torune swiftly drew a weapon, positioning himself between Haruto and Hiruzen, adopting a protective stance.
But to Torune's surprise, Haruto's face didn't change at all. It was as if he hadn't even heard the words.
"I thought you'd attack me on the spot…" Torune muttered without thinking.
"Because I killed Danzō?" Haruto shrugged casually. "This was something I'd already agreed on with the Third Hokage."
"What?!"
Now it was Torune's turn to be shocked. On the journey here, he had considered countless possibilities, but never that the Hokage might have known about this.
Hiruzen: "???"
"Lord Hokage, you told me after the Twin Shadows Conference that you'd leave Danzō to me, didn't you?" Haruto smiled faintly, though there was a bitter edge to it. "And I did it for the sake of the village."
Torune: "???"
Hiruzen: "???"
"Don't be ridiculous," Torune shot back, glaring at Haruto. "You and Uchiha Itachi stormed the Foundation and killed Lord Danzō, and you claim it was for the village? Danzō bore all the village's darkness for its sake—he was the Leaf's very roots!"
"What… exactly happened here?" Hiruzen forced himself to remain calm. More than punishing Haruto, he wanted to understand his reasoning.
In truth, Hiruzen had never wanted Danzō to die. He was not only a dear friend but also a man who loved the village deeply. What Haruto had done would only make him seem petty and narrow-minded.
"Torune," Haruto said in a low, pressing voice, "I want you to answer me honestly."
"What?"
"Before Danzō died, he gathered every member of the Foundation. What do you think he was planning to do?"
Torune hadn't expected that question. Danzō had indeed summoned everyone, but before he could speak, Haruto and Itachi had killed him. Even Torune himself didn't know the full plan.
"Just as I thought," Haruto said with a nod. "Something you can't talk about."
"It's not what you think—"
"Then tell me. Why did he call so many shinobi together?"
"I don't know."
"Enough." Hiruzen cut them off. "Haruto—explain yourself."
"It was Itachi," Haruto said after a pause. "Danzō wasn't killed by me. Uchiha Itachi did it. I merely sent a Wood Release clone to assist him."
"Itachi?" Hiruzen's eyes widened again.
"Yes. Itachi told me everything. The Uchiha clan was plotting a coup, and Danzō had found out. The reason he summoned so many people was to wipe out the Uchiha clan entirely."
Haruto's voice grew solemn. "The founding of the Leaf was a symbol of friendship between the Senju and Uchiha clans. The village was named 'Leaf' because Lord Hashirama excelled in Wood Release; its leader was called the Hokage because Uchiha Madara mastered Fire Release.
"Danzō planned to exterminate the Uchiha while you were away, and I stopped him. That's all there is to it."
Hiruzen fell silent. Deep down, he knew Haruto was telling the truth. The Uchiha had entertained thoughts of rebellion more than once, and he had long been searching for a peaceful solution. Danzō, ever the hawk, had indeed suggested striking before the clan could grow stronger—removing what he saw as a threat to the village.
Itachi knew all of this as well.
"Torune, you can return to the village," Haruto said calmly.
Torune frowned, clearly unwilling to accept any of this.
"Light and shadow—neither can exist without the other. The Leaf needs its roots. It needs the darkness," Haruto said with a sigh. "Which is why I'll be taking over the Foundation."