Inside the Hokage's office.
Shimura Danzo suddenly barged in, catching Sarutobi Hiruzen—who was searching for a napkin—completely off guard.
At that very moment, a voice suddenly came from the crystal ball…
"Hey, are you blushing? Let me see what you look like."
"No way, you're too annoying!"
Hearing the voice, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally snapped out of his daze. Ignoring his nosebleed, he hurriedly shut off the crystal ball.
Shimura Danzo's expression darkened as he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen. He hadn't expected that, after all these years, Hiruzen's habit of peeping still hadn't changed in the slightest…
Cough, cough. "Danzo, next time you come in, you'd better knock first!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said while covering his nose with his hand.
Shimura Danzo never knocked when entering the Hokage's office. He always pushed the door open and walked right in. Hiruzen had scolded him for this many times.
But every time, Danzo would agree, yet never change his behavior. This time, because he hadn't knocked, Hiruzen ended up in such an awkward situation.
From within the shadows, Black Zetsu muttered to himself:"Wasn't the intel saying that the Third Hokage reacts very quickly? Danzo has been here for quite a while, yet Hiruzen didn't even think about cutting off that broadcast. Was he really that absorbed?"
Ignoring Hiruzen's words, Shimura Danzo spoke in a grim tone:"Hiruzen, Root has discovered signs that the Uchiha clan is planning a rebellion!"
The moment he heard this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face changed drastically. He jumped to his feet in shock and asked in disbelief:"Danzo, is what you're saying true?"
Although his old friend had done plenty of shady things in the past, Hiruzen believed Danzo wouldn't lie about something concerning the village's interests. After all, Hiruzen knew that Danzo loved the village as deeply as he did.
Danzo nodded and said:"In the past, the radical faction within the Uchiha clan made several attempts to push for a coup, but each time, Uchiha Fugaku stopped them.
However, recently, the radicals within the clan have been growing stronger, and now even Uchiha Fugaku himself has begun to waver."
After listening to Danzo's explanation, Sarutobi Hiruzen silently picked up the smoking pipe on his desk. He put it to his mouth, lit it, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring.
The swirling smoke surrounded him as Hiruzen fell into deep thought.
The Uchiha clan was once one of the most powerful families in the Hidden Leaf, famed for their formidable ocular ninjutsu.
But as time passed, their relationship with the village had grown increasingly strained. Now, the news Danzo had brought only heightened Hiruzen's concern.
If the Uchiha truly chose to rebel, the threat to the village would be enormous. Their power was not to be underestimated—if conflict broke out, it would lead to tremendous casualties and destruction within the village.
Hiruzen understood this well, so he had to act cautiously. He could not blindly trust Danzo's one-sided report, but at the same time, he couldn't ignore such a potential threat either.
And at this very moment, the Uchiha clan indeed showed signs of rebellion.
Because of Uchiha Madara's betrayal, suspicions following the Nine-Tails' attack, and the clan's dissatisfaction with their marginalized status within the village, the Uchiha were now considering a coup to change their fate.
Taking another deep breath, Hiruzen removed the pipe from his mouth, looked at Danzo, and said:"I will personally investigate this matter…"
Shimura Danzo frowned. "Hiruzen, the Uchiha's treacherous hearts can no longer be restrained. We should act immediately—wipe them out!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head."No. That would only cause greater chaos. Besides, there are still many innocent people within the Uchiha clan. We must find a more suitable solution."
Hearing this, Danzo's face twisted with dissatisfaction."The Uchiha already have rebellion in their hearts—why not just suppress them with lightning and thunder?!"
To Shimura Danzo, there was nothing more dangerous than someone harboring rebellion while pretending on the surface to be loyal.
If the Uchiha were secretly plotting but outwardly acting normal, that was the most terrifying thing. Because you would never know when they might suddenly launch their coup!
Once again, Sarutobi Hiruzen inhaled from his pipe, exhaled a smoke ring, and said calmly:"The Uchiha haven't acted yet. There's still room for change in this situation…"
Shimura Danzo trembled with fury at his words. Veins bulged on his forehead as he angrily pointed at Hiruzen and shouted:
"You fool! If you tell the Uchiha about this, won't you just alert the enemy? What if they decide to launch their coup immediately?"
He simply could not understand Hiruzen's way of thinking. He was certain that the Uchiha already had rebellion in mind, yet Hiruzen didn't want to suppress them directly—he actually wanted reconciliation!
The more Danzo thought about it, the angrier he became. He slammed his palm on the table, stood up, and roared at Hiruzen:"Are you senile already? Do you think the Uchiha will feel grateful to you?"
"They'll only see you as weak and cowardly, easy to push around! By doing this, you're just letting them grow even more arrogant and overbearing, thinking we're afraid of them!"
Shimura Danzo suddenly burst out laughing in rage, his face full of mockery as he glared at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Haha! Are you trying to play games with me? Do you even know why the Uchiha want to rebel in the first place?"
"It's because they don't acknowledge your decisions! They want to drive you off the Hokage's seat, so that one of their own can become Hokage instead! Don't you see it?"
After being berated by Shimura Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen, normally mild-tempered, finally lost his patience.
Bang!
He suddenly slammed the desk with his palm and shouted:"Enough, Danzo! I am the Hokage!"
His words stunned Shimura Danzo, whose thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the past…
Back when the Second Hokage needed someone to act as a decoy to hold off the enemy, Danzo had wanted to step forward, but fear of death made him hesitate. In that moment of hesitation, Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward ahead of him.
At the time, Danzo felt a sense of relief—since someone had volunteered, he wouldn't have to sacrifice himself.
But what he didn't know was that this was actually a test by the Second Hokage. Tobirama wanted to see who among them was the most resolute, someone who could truly shoulder the role of Hokage.
Because Hiruzen had stepped forward first, the Second Hokage appointed him as the next Hokage. Then, Tobirama himself chose to stay behind as the decoy, covering their retreat—sacrificing his own life in the process.
All these years, whenever Danzo thought back on that moment, he was filled with regret. If only he had been a little more resolute back then, perhaps the title of Hokage would already be his…
Returning to the present, Shimura Danzo looked at the angry face of Sarutobi Hiruzen. He let out a cold snort and said:
"If even you, the Hokage, are this indecisive, then I will personally deal with the Uchiha clan!"
With that, Danzo swung his cloak around and stormed out, seething with anger.
Sarutobi Hiruzen bit down on his pipe, silently watching Danzo's retreating back, unsure of what thoughts were churning in his heart…
plz support me if you can.
patreon.com/Mano99
all the fanfic is 30 chapter a had and you will get 1 chapter everyday.