A gentle, aged hand lightly stroked little Naruto's yellow hair. Naruto couldn't help but stop sobbing, lifting his tear-streaked and snot-covered face to see Hiruzen Sarutobi... He recognized this old man; many times when he hid in a corner to cry, he would encounter him.
"Grandpa..." Little Naruto's voice was full of grievance.
"Mm, good boy..." This little guy really made one's heart ache; he ultimately couldn't hold back and came over to comfort Naruto once again. "Look, the sun is so beautiful right now, don't cry... Tears will blur your eyes, making you unable to see the scenery before you..." Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his pipe, puffing on it rhythmically.
The bowl of the pipe flickered with light as a puff of smoke was exhaled, curling and dispersing in front of them... Naruto asked, "Why does everyone hate me?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi just smoked, saying nothing... After a long time, he finally spoke, "It will get better, everything will get better. Little guy, as long as you work hard to make a change, people will one day change their opinion of you—look, the grass on the ground was originally beneath the soil, but they worked hard, and so they broke through to the surface..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stayed with Naruto for a while before leaving—the Hokage's work was still very busy, and he truly couldn't spare any more time.
As soon as he reached the office, he met someone he absolutely did not want to see at this time: his former partner, Danzo!
One of Danzo's eyes was blind and wrapped in bandages, and he had lost an arm in the war; he now had a prosthetic limb, which was also wrapped in bandages. His aged face bore a gloomy expression, and leaning on a cane, he questioned, "Hokage, where did you just go? You know your actions are causing the Jinchuriki's awakening to be missed step by step... How many times has this been?"
"Danzo..." Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath but could find no words to retort. He was indeed in the wrong on this matter—a momentary softness of heart, a bit of reluctance, always ruined things at the critical moment, causing the awakening of little Naruto's Jinchuriki power to be delayed again and then again. But he... Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "You don't need to concern yourself with this matter!"
"Only by letting him awaken the Jinchuriki power early and mastering it as soon as possible can he truly escape the malice of the Village—Hiruzen, your soft-heartedness will only make him endure pain for even longer!"
A fierce light flickered in Danzo's eyes as he stared directly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This old partner of his no longer had the spirit of the 'ninja hero.' He clearly knew that'short-term pain is better than long-term pain'; as long as Naruto mastered the Jinchuriki power quickly, he could escape the fate of being discriminated against and marginalized, walking in the sunlight of Konoha as the son of the Fourth Hokage.
But he was like an old man doting on a grandson, unable to bear seeing the child suffer for his studies or endure the slightest grievance... But—
Because of this, the current Jinchuriki was not a qualified tool, nor would he receive the status and position he deserved... "Hand the child over to me, Hiruzen—I will make him awaken his Jinchuriki abilities as quickly as possible and become a qualified Konoha Ninja..."
"Danzo, this is not something you should manage... I naturally have my own plans!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's refusal was resolute—he absolutely could not let Naruto go to Root; this was a matter of principle. Whether a Jinchuriki's nature was to be light or dark was a very serious question. Hiruzen Sarutobi said once more, "There won't be a next time!"
Danzo sneered; he had heard this sentence more than once. Every time, Hiruzen Sarutobi would say so, but every time the Jinchuriki fell into grievance and was on the verge of awakening, he couldn't help but go to comfort him.
The aging Hiruzen Sarutobi was no longer the 'ninja hero' of the past, but merely an ordinary old man doting on a child.
Moreover... that was the Fourth Hokage's child, which counted as a grandchild's generation, even separated by two full generations.
"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"
Danzo spoke each word deliberately, and after finishing, he fell silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Speak then, the purpose of your visit—it certainly wouldn't be because of the Fourth Hokage's child!"
"It's the Uchiha... the ambition of this evil clan is becoming increasingly restless..."
The Uchiha Clan's meetings were becoming more and more frequent.
And the Uchiha Clan's spy, Uchiha Shisui, had informed Danzo of a shocking piece of news, as well as a crazy plan... "They have already resolved to pass the proposal for a coup d'état. The entire clan is secretly adjusting their combat personnel and preparing explosive tags, Kunai, and other ninja tools. Uchiha Ninja stationed at the borders have also begun returning under the guise of rest... In addition..."
"Uchiha Shisui proposed a plan..." The fierce light in Danzo's eyes grew even darker. "Hiruzen, did you know? He actually possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan and a Dojutsu that can rewrite a person's will—Kotoamatsukami. He suggested using Kotoamatsukami to control Uchiha Fugaku, thereby resolving this coup from the top down..."
"Mangekyo Sharingan... Kotoamatsukami..."
Eyes that existed only in legends, eyes that within the Uchiha Clan, only Uchiha Madara had ever possessed.
A Dojutsu never heard of before.
"What is your meaning?"
"What if—the person he wants to control with Kotoamatsukami isn't Uchiha Fugaku, but you, or me?"
Danzo did not trust Uchiha Shisui—what kind of emotion in this world could be deeper than kinship and bloodline?
He wasn't Uchiha Shisui's father; what reason did Uchiha Shisui have to stand on the opposite side of his clan to help the Village suppress his own family?
He didn't believe it at all!
People have those close to them and those distant... When the weight of the entire Village was on his shoulders, forcing him to carry the burden through the darkness, he could not allow such an unstable factor to exist—once the 'Light' of the Hokage or the 'Dark' that was himself was controlled, it would undoubtedly be catastrophic for the entire Konoha! Heaven knows what the Uchiha would do.
"Therefore!"
"Before the coup, eliminate Uchiha Shisui! I will handle this matter!"
Danzo left.
Leaving only the Sandaime alone in the office puffing smoke, thinking with a face full of sorrow about the Uchiha Clan... What on earth did they want to do? What exactly was Uchiha Shisui... He smoked bowl after bowl until the entire Hokage Office was shrouded in smoke. The Sandaime hid within the mist, constantly pondering, constantly thinking, and constantly suffering from a headache.
The Uchiha... truly a massive problem! Could it be that the Nine-Tailed incident back then really was their doing behind the scenes?
This time, Danzo might be right. Uchiha Shisui's existence is too uncertain, making it impossible to trust him!
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