The moment Danzo's words grew increasingly outrageous, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Danzo, I've told you before the Uchiha are still part of this village. Things haven't reached the point you're implying."
He spoke slowly, his tone carrying the weight of both restraint and authority. "The recent actions taken by Lance Shen are internal to the Uchiha. He's bringing change, not rebellion. It isn't something you or I should interfere in."
Were the Uchiha truly a threat deserving destruction?
Hiruzen doubted it.
He knew that Danzo's obsession with the clan was not born purely from caution. Part of it stemmed from his greed for the Sharingan those eyes of legend. The other part was his thirst for influence. By painting the Uchiha as a looming danger, he made himself indispensable to the village's leadership.
Hiruzen understood this game well. He didn't condone it, but neither could he dismiss it entirely. The Uchiha were not a group one could afford to provoke recklessly. As the strongest visual jutsu clan in the world, their power was undeniable.
If they were ever cornered, if they ever united completely, the cost of crushing them would be catastrophic. Even if the village managed to annihilate them, Konoha would bleed heavily in the process.
The Uchiha weren't mere pieces on a chessboard to be discarded. Dozens of elite jonin and hundreds of skilled shinobi made up their ranks. That wasn't a force to take lightly.
And that Hiruzen knew was exactly what fueled Lance Shen's confidence. So long as the Uchiha stayed united and refrained from outright rebellion, neither Danzo nor the Hokage himself could move against them without consequences.
If anyone dared, they would risk igniting a civil war. And if the village's strength faltered, the great powers like Iwagakure and Kumogakure always eager for expansion would seize the opportunity to strike. The Land of Fire was a rich prize, and the vultures circling it would never hesitate to tear off a piece.
"Hmph."
Danzo's cold snort filled the office. He leaned forward, his lone visible eye narrowing. "Then tell me, Hiruzen, what exactly do you mean by 'change'? Shisui Uchiha has been cast out by his own people. Who will gather intelligence for us now? Without someone inside, how will we know if the Uchiha are plotting treason?"
Hiruzen could hear the deliberate exaggeration in Danzo's voice. That was how he worked by twisting the truth until fear did the rest. The more monstrous the Uchiha seemed, the more the elders and council would rely on him, Danzo Shimura, the self-proclaimed guardian of Konoha's stability.
"I'll handle it," Hiruzen finally replied after a pause.
The words were calm, but his eyes darkened. As much as he hated to admit it, Danzo's provocation struck a nerve. The Uchiha had always been a source of tension, and memories of that night the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage still haunted him.
No matter how much he tried to rationalize it, that tragedy had broken the village. The Fourth Hokage's death, the destruction caused by the beast, the endless reconstruction it had all been too much. And worse, his own wife, Biwako, had lost her life that night.
Hiruzen exhaled heavily. The weariness of years seemed to settle on his shoulders. Finally, he gave a slight nod, signaling a reluctant concession.
Danzo's single eye gleamed with satisfaction. That was the opening he'd been waiting for.
"Then I will personally monitor Lance Shen," he said, his voice low and venomous. "That child reeks of danger. He's a corrupt influence, and if the chance presents itself, I will have him restrained immediately. Someone that defiant cannot be allowed to roam free."
Hiruzen's expression hardened. He knew exactly what Danzo meant by "restrained." Once someone entered the shadowy grasp of Root, they rarely resurfaced.
He wanted to object but then he hesitated.
Lance Shen had indeed stirred up the entire Uchiha clan lately. Like a catfish tossed into still waters, he'd churned the pond until every fish within it was forced to move. The stagnation that had plagued the Uchiha for years was breaking apart because of him.
Was that truly a bad thing?
If Danzo's surveillance could prevent another crisis, perhaps it was better to let him try. At least, that was what Hiruzen told himself.
While the Hokage's tower brewed with tension, the Uchiha compound had its own unrest.
After a long day of chaos and paperwork, Lance Shen finally left the Police Force headquarters, stretching his arms as the night air brushed past his face. He was just thinking of going home to rest when two figures stepped out of the shadows to block his path.
Danzo wasted no time. Action was his creed. The moment his talk with Hiruzen ended, he had dispatched agents from Root to find Lance.
Unfortunately for them, the timing couldn't have been worse. With the recent reorganization of the Police Force, Lance had been buried in extra work. As a squad leader, he couldn't leave early, especially with Clan Head Fugaku personally overseeing operations.
If this were any other night, Lance would have already been long gone. But now, by sheer bad luck or perhaps fate he had walked straight into Danzo's snare.
His eyes flickered briefly over the pair. Root operatives. Of course.
Whether they were Root or Anbu didn't really matter. They were standing close to Police Force territory, a dangerous place to pick a fight with a Uchiha. If a scuffle broke out, it wouldn't take long for reinforcements to flood in.
And if that happened, the fallout would be disastrous.
The two agents waited for him to speak first, their posture brimming with the cold authority that came from years of intimidation. They were used to people shrinking under the weight of Root's presence.
But Lance just kept walking.
They blinked, momentarily stunned.
Did he just… ignore them?
Since when did a Uchiha have the audacity to walk past them like they were invisible?
"Lance Shen."
They called out, their tone sharp.
"Lord Danzo requests your presence. Come with us."
Lance stopped, slowly turning his head. His voice was calm, almost curious. "Is that an invitation or an arrest?"
"What?"
The two masked men frowned, clearly unprepared for that response. Normally, no one dared question Root's commands. They would simply obey, trembling if necessary.
Lance's faint smile didn't reach his eyes. He already knew the answer. Danzo's impatience was legendary.
"If it's an arrest," Lance continued, "you'll need a warrant signed by the Hokage's office. If it's an invitation, then I decline. I have no interest in meeting your Lord Danzo."
The Root agents exchanged a glance. They weren't used to being refused.
He wasn't going?
That made things complicated.
They moved in unison, stepping to block his path, hands already on the hilts of their blades. "Lord Danzo insists. You will come with us."
Lance's eyes narrowed slightly, but his tone remained relaxed. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Something about his voice steady, unhurried, but laced with quiet confidence made the air around them feel heavier. His gaze shifted lazily between them, more amused than threatened, as though he were watching two actors on a stage playing out a doomed script.
They hadn't realized it yet, but several Uchiha shinobi nearby had already taken notice. From the shadows, more figures appeared, their red Sharingan eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
The night was about to get very interesting.