Simu had no objections to Danzo's punishment. After all, a thing like solitary confinement was practically no punishment at all for him. Once the sentencing for this matter concluded, a Root ninja immediately found Danzo.
"Lord Danzo, the Hokage is looking for you."
"I understand."
There was no surprise on Danzo's face. Since his subordinates and a ninja from the Uchiha Clan had traded blows with large-scale ninjutsu in the middle of the street, the impact was bound to be massive. This was especially true considering that the decaying Hiruzen was always preoccupied with maintaining a balance.
Danzo had every reason to believe that Hiruzen simply didn't have the resolve to move against the Uchiha. He wouldn't act unless the Uchiha Clan actually launched a rebellion. However, if they waited until the Uchiha were fully prepared to officially revolt before taking action, the Hidden Leaf would inevitably suffer horrific losses.
As the Root of the Leaf, Danzo could not allow this. Before leaving the Root headquarters, he glanced toward the room where Simu was being held.
The things the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, doesn't dare to do, I, the Shadow of the Underground, Danzo Shimura, will do!
Upon arriving at the Hokage's office, Danzo, as expected, encountered a stern gaze from the Hokage.
"I didn't realize your Root still had such excellent prospects," the Third Hokage said slowly. No trace of anger could be heard in his tone.
However, Danzo knew his old friend well. This ruler of the Hidden Leaf was showing great dissatisfaction with Danzo's hidden activities. To prevent his ongoing research into Hashirama's cells from being exposed, Danzo had not informed Hiruzen about the existence of the Wood Style users Jia and Yi. He had even left them off the rosters submitted to the Anbu.
If Simu hadn't intentionally exposed himself today, Hiruzen Sarutobi might never have known these two existed. This lack of transparency gave Hiruzen a sense of losing control.
Root had become entirely Danzo's territory. The Hokage's reach could not penetrate it, leaving him unable to even grasp the personnel within the organization. More importantly, the talent shown by that Root youth today had caught the Third Hokage's attention.
In fact, when the conflict between Simu and Uchiha Inabi erupted, Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen everything clearly through his crystal ball. He had even dispatched Anbu ninjas to the scene, though they remained in the shadows. They hadn't intervened because the villagers hadn't been harmed.
"Instantly defeating an Elite Jonin of the Uchiha Clan in a single exchange... such talent is terrifying," Hiruzen Sarutobi remarked while smoking his pipe.
Danzo nodded, showing no surprise. From the moment the incident occurred, he knew Hiruzen would be watching closely. This old friend wasn't as clean as he appeared on the surface. After all, Hiruzen had hinted at Danzo performing plenty of dirty work over the years.
"Yi is indeed a fine prospect. He will surely become a sharp blade for Root and, by extension, a blade for the Leaf."
This sentence was a way of showing loyalty to Hiruzen as the Hokage. It implied that while he had hidden the genius's existence, what belonged to Root belonged to the Leaf, so there was no need for fine distinctions.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi was clearly not satisfied with this stance.
"Danzo, I hope you understand what Root's mission is. Do not overstep your bounds."
After all, disputes among villagers were the responsibility of the Police Force. Root's job was to eliminate unstable factors that could threaten the security of the Leaf. They were not supposed to usurp authority. In this matter, however, Danzo clearly had something to say.
"Hiruzen, the Uchiha Clan is an unstable factor that will inevitably harm the Leaf."
With that, he immediately placed a pre-prepared intelligence report on the desk. For a ruler, the best way to appease their anger is to demonstrate your value. As long as your value is high enough, certain mistakes can be overlooked.
This was Danzo's strategy. The intelligence he presented to the Third Hokage was internal information regarding the Uchiha Clan. After reading the report, the Third Hokage's expression grew solemn.
The documents detailed the extreme dissatisfaction some Uchiha members felt toward the village. It even revealed that someone had suggested a coup d'état during a clan meeting! Although Fugaku had forcibly suppressed it, he had not informed the village higher-ups. He had only punished the proposer in private.
Did such a light punishment prove that Fugaku himself harbored certain ideas? The Third Hokage felt a headache coming on. The relationship between the village and the Uchiha had always been a thorny issue.
This problem had worsened as the friction between the civilians, the ninjas, and the Uchiha intensified. Then there was the Nine-Tails incident from a few years ago. Everyone had seen that massive Sharingan clearly. Even today, many people believed the Uchiha Clan was behind it.
The old friend standing before him was the leader of that particular theory. Furthermore, Danzo choosing this moment to hand over the files was a subtle way of saying, If the Uchiha really rebel, you'll need the help of Root. As the Hokage, Hiruzen had to find a proper balance.
"Hiruzen, make a decision. If we wait until the Uchiha are ready, the damage to the village will be even greater!" Danzo urged.
As a master of shadows, Danzo knew that such matters required swift action. Making a mistake was better than doing nothing at all! However, Hiruzen Sarutobi would not agree immediately.
"This matter requires further deliberation."
"Besides, the two geniuses of the Uchiha's new generation, Shisui and Itachi, have shown an affinity for the village leadership. Let's wait a bit longer. I believe that with these young people, the Uchiha Clan will change."
Seeing his old friend maintaining this non-committal attitude, Danzo finally lost his patience. He said in a low voice, "Hiruzen, if this continues, the village will definitely fall into a civil war!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Hokage, gave Danzo a cold look and said sternly, "Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
That phrase again! Every time they had an argument, this old man used that sentence to shut him up! It was infuriating!
Why am I not the Hokage!
Danzo couldn't help but think of his previous dream. If he had possessed such great power back then, wouldn't the Leaf be different now? If he were the Hokage, those evil Uchiha would have already become eyeballs on his own body!
But things had reached this point, and he could only leave behind a harsh parting shot: "You will regret this, Hiruzen!"
With that, he slammed the door and left.