Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand rested on Danzo Shimura's shoulder.
The Lightning Style Chakra still clinging to it was hot enough that even a veteran like Danzo instinctively pulled his neck back, his body reacting before his mind could catch up.
But the physical unease didn't come close to what churned in his chest.
When did Hiruzen get the Hidden Cloud's nintaijutsu to this level?
Blue B's body had been sent to the analysis unit, the report had been compiled and distributed. Even if the Hokage got it early, that was… what, ten days at most?
And you still have talent like this?
Shouldn't you be drowning in paperwork, crushed under the pressure of being Hokage? Even if some secret technique kept you looking like you were in your prime, the truth should've been the opposite. Balancing the clans, pulling strings, drafting new systems, holding the village together, that was supposed to bleed you dry.
So when did you find time to train?
Danzo's thoughts sank into doubt and unease. His eyes stayed slightly wide, and for a moment he didn't even answer Hiruzen, like his mind had stalled out.
"Back then, Konoha had plenty of geniuses," Hiruzen had said. "But they all used to call me a genius."
How was that not aimed straight at him?
Danzo had been praised as the Shimura Clan's prodigy as a child, right up until he met Hiruzen Sarutobi. No matter how many times they sparred, Danzo never beat him.
His thoughts drifted further, pulled by something old.
Don't look at me like that. I'm confident I'm the strongest among you. I'll stay behind.
Words buried deep in memory, spoken on the day Tobirama Senju died.
Hiruzen didn't press him. The lightning around his body faded, slow and quiet, until the room felt normal again.
He set both hands on the back of Danzo's chair, shook his head with an amused sigh, and said to the others, "Our Advisor is exhausted. We should let him get some proper rest."
"That trip to the Hidden Cloud Village wasn't easy. He personally led the team, captured tongues, planted spies, ate dust and slept rough."
The room broke into warm, good-natured laughter.
And the moment Danzo heard the word "rest," something in him snapped awake.
"No," he blurted. "I don't need rest!"
Rest?
If he let himself slack off even a little, he'd fall farther behind. Farther and farther, until he couldn't even see Hiruzen's back anymore.
That was harder for Danzo to accept than any clear, brutal truth about never becoming Hokage.
"You rest when you need to," Hiruzen said, still smiling. "If you don't pace yourself, you burn out."
"I'm counting on your Wind Style to help me temper my nintaijutsu, too."
He leaned in a little, tone casual, almost friendly.
"So what do you say? Find a day, and we finally trade hands again, like the old days?"
Danzo clenched his back teeth so hard it hurt.
Temper your nintaijutsu?
I'd love nothing more than to blow you into the dirt with a Wind Style Vacuum Wave.
But on the surface, he forced out a stiff smile. "Heh. Hiruzen… people did call you a genius back then. Even Lord Tobirama said it."
"And my Wind Style isn't weak," he added dryly, scrambling for a shred of dignity. "Watch yourself. I might even win."
Hiruzen didn't let the moment hang. He nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Of course. In my eyes, you're the strongest Wind Style shinobi in the shinobi world. Those Hidden Sand Village people aren't even close to you."
That made Danzo freeze.
He… backed me up?
Hiruzen, what are you trying to do?
Forgetting the fact Hiruzen had just used him to set an example, was Danzo really supposed to keep plotting against him like that?
And, if he was being honest, Danzo had started the provocation first.
The realization hit like a stone in his gut.
For the first time in a long time, Danzo felt something that looked uncomfortably like regret.
"Danzo," Hiruzen said, still not returning to his seat. His hands stayed on the back of Danzo's chair, his posture loose, like they were talking over tea. "I saw what you can do on this mission. Your ability to coordinate and organize."
"From now on, you'll be the Anbu captain. Do the job well. Don't let the village, or me, down."
Danzo straightened without thinking. His spine snapped upright.
"Yes, Third Hokage!"
Jiraiya let out a quiet laugh and rolled his eyes on instinct.
So much for being stubborn. Sensei hits him with one insult and one compliment and he folds.
Honestly, he's worse than me.
In the past, with that so-called "Anbu training department," meaning Root, the positions of Anbu captain and vice-captain had been left vacant for a long time. The divisions ran mostly on squad leaders.
After all, Root was Anbu in name, but its commander was the Hokage's Advisor. That made the structure a mess.
In Hiruzen's eyes, Danzo did have real talent for Anbu work.
Danzo could hold the title.
The problem was everything else. The hunger. The ambition.
So Hiruzen's solution was simple.
He would keep the authority to appoint the four division leaders, and the personnel control of each squad, firmly in his own hands.
"Hizashi," Hiruzen said, turning his attention, "I've been watching your performance. Think you can take on a little more?"
Earlier, Hizashi had tried to feed Hiruzen a line or two at the right moment. The Hokage had noticed. Of course he had.
The kid had ability, the right attitude, and a position that mattered. There was no reason not to use him.
As for experience…
Let Sakumo Hatake teach him.
"Hokage-sama!" Hizashi shot to his feet so fast his chair almost scraped. His voice rang out, clear and forceful. "Your will is the direction Hizashi walks. I would die a thousand times for it!"
"Not my will," Hiruzen said, clearing his throat, correcting him. "For the village."
Then he spoke, crisp and formal.
"Appointment: Hizashi Hyuga as captain of Anbu's Second Division."
He glanced toward the others. "Koharu, Homura, Danzo, any objections?"
All three expressed none.
On another day, they might've discussed whether Hizashi, still relatively new, had the seniority for it. He worked hard, but his time was short.
But not today.
Not with this atmosphere.
Orochimaru sat lower down the table, watching Hiruzen's effortless control. His tongue slid across the corner of his mouth without him noticing.
Like he was chatting about nothing, and he'd just taken Anbu fully into his hands.
And Danzo's expression…
Was that… gratitude?
No, Orochimaru thought, eyes narrowing. That has to be a trick of the light. That man doesn't look grateful.
But one thing was certain.
Sensei's words carried more weight every day.
And Orochimaru was watching, learning the method, piece by piece.
One day, when he became the Fourth Hokage, these were exactly the kinds of moves that mattered.
"From now on, we tighten village security," Hiruzen said, voice turning practical again. "The Hidden Cloud Village will send spies in droves to trace the source of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki incident."
"We stop them outside the village. We don't let them breathe."
He looked to Sakumo Hatake. "How's the Patrol Unit coming along?"
Sakumo, who hadn't participated in the Hidden Cloud operation and had been listening quietly through the meeting, stood.
"We've started trial operations. The Inuzuka, Aburame, and Uchiha shinobi have been very enthusiastic."
"Per your instructions, I selected experienced shinobi who have old injuries, or who can't handle high-intensity frontline work anymore because of age. They're grateful for a stable position."
"Inuzuka scent tracking, Aburame insects, Uchiha sensing, plus Hizashi's Byakugan support."
"I'm confident we can raise the village's security to a new level."
Hiruzen nodded, then smiled and teased, "Hizashi, you really are a busy man."
Hizashi smiled back. Being needed by the village felt good. It felt right.
And he'd caught the message hidden in Sakumo's words.
One set of Byakugan wasn't enough.
As someone in Anbu who was practically Sakumo's student, Hizashi also knew the Patrol Unit still had empty slots.
Who those slots were being saved for…
It didn't need to be said.
Hang in there, Hizashi thought, something fierce and hopeful cutting through him. Branch house brothers. I'm coming.
After the meeting ended, Orochimaru stayed behind and sought Hiruzen out.
He pulled out a small piece of tissue from the Eight-Tails, Gyuki, and held it up.
"Sensei," he said quietly, eyes bright. "Look at this."
.....
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