"Divine Technique…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured the words under his breath.
It was a power beyond comprehension—something capable of overturning the very foundations of the existing power system.
Faced with such strength…
Could he truly maintain his original intentions without harboring even the slightest ulterior thought?
He couldn't help but place himself into the shoes of the future self shown by the Sky Screen.
Outside the village: Sasuke Uchiha, inheritor of the Uchiha's hatred, wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan and Susano'o, vowing to destroy Konoha.
Inside the village: Sakura Haruno, possessor of an unknown Divine Technique, boundless in potential, yet whose stance might waver because of Sasuke.
Internal strife and external threats. Enemies on all sides.
If it were for the village's absolute stability—
If it were to eliminate all potential, uncontrollable threats—
What would I do?
Would I choose trust and guidance…
Or resort to methods that were more effective, even if they were no longer entirely righteous?
Hiruzen ran through countless possibilities in his mind, his brow knitting tighter and tighter.
To his own shock, he realized he couldn't give himself a firm, unquestionable answer.
In extreme circumstances, under the iron rule that the village comes before all else, some of the principles he had always upheld seemed to blur and waver.
That doubt—directed at his own beliefs—left him shaken and deeply weary.
"…Sigh."
In the end, all Hiruzen could do was let out a longer, heavier sigh. He lowered his face into the shadow of his palm and murmured softly:
"In the future… which path will I walk?"
Even he could no longer see himself clearly.
The Sky Screen shifted, revealing Sakura's next choice after being threatened by Danzo.
Uneasy and unsettled, she ultimately went to the Hokage's Office, seeking an audience with the Third Hokage.
Inside the office, Hiruzen set aside his documents. Wearing his familiar, reassuring smile, he asked gently:
"Sakura, is something the matter?"
Taking a deep breath, Sakura recounted everything—being taken away by a masked shinobi, meeting the elder named Danzo, and being threatened to hand over her secret technique or be branded a missing-nin.
Her voice carried grievance and lingering fear as she looked at the Third Hokage with hope, yearning for a fair judgment.
Hiruzen listened quietly from beginning to end, his expression never leaving that comforting smile.
When she finished, he chuckled lightly and shook his head, speaking in a tone as if soothing an anxious child:
"Sakura, the person you encountered was Elder Danzō Shimura. He is also a senior figure among Konoha's leadership, someone who has worked tirelessly for the village's stability. How could he possibly threaten a junior or attempt to seize a secret technique? That would go completely against his usual conduct."
Sakura's brows instinctively furrowed.
Danzo's cold gaze, his merciless attack, and his naked threats were still vivid in her mind. She simply couldn't believe it was all a misunderstanding.
Seeming to sense her doubt, Hiruzen continued in a placating tone:
"There must be some confusion here. Perhaps Elder Danzo's methods are a bit too direct, leading you to misunderstand his intentions. How about this—I'll personally speak with him and clarify the matter. Don't worry. The village will never wrong a loyal shinobi."
Hearing that the Third Hokage would intervene personally, the tight knot in Sakura's chest finally loosened a little.
She bowed deeply. "Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
"Heh, there's no need for thanks. This is simply my duty as Hokage."
His smile grew gentler as he rose and walked to the window, gazing out at the bustling village.
"Protecting the village's young shoots, guiding you as you grow, and passing on the Will of Fire—that is the responsibility of us elders…"
He went on to speak of how where the leaves dance, the fire burns on—of protection, inheritance, and responsibility.
Listening to these familiar words, words that still stirred her heart despite how often she had heard them, Sakura felt her anxiety and anger gradually replaced by a sense of warmth—of being understood and protected.
A smile returned to her face. After thanking him once more, she left the Hokage's Office in lighter spirits.
The door closed slowly.
Almost the instant it did, the kindly smile on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face drained away like a receding tide.
He returned to his chair, his expression turning heavy and complex, his gaze fixed on the door.
He sat in silence for a long moment, fingers tapping the desk unconsciously.
At last, in a voice so soft that only he could hear it—half resolute, half self-admonishing—he murmured:
"Konoha's leadership… does not covet a comrade's secret techniques."
The words sounded like a statement of fact.
But after saying them, Hiruzen took a deep draw from his pipe and then—
Did nothing.
He did not summon Danzo for questioning.
He did not issue any order for investigation.
He did not even say another word on the matter.
He simply picked up a report on border patrols, as if everything that had just occurred were nothing more than a trivial interruption, and returned to the endless paperwork before him.
Yet that brief silence, that fleeting gravity, transmitted through the Sky Screen an oppressive sense of an approaching storm.
He chose to understand—
But took no concrete action.
That attitude cast a deep shadow over the hearts of everyone watching.
On the Sky Screen, Sarutobi Hiruzen's shift—from kindly reassurance, to solemn thought, and finally to silence and inaction—was like a bucket of icy water poured over the last remaining hopes of those who still believed in Konoha's leadership.
After a brief, stunned silence came a far greater surge of anger and malicious speculation.
"Did you see that?! He didn't plan to do anything!"
"I knew it! They're all in it together!"
"What Will of Fire? He talks prettier than he acts!"
"Maybe the Divine Technique info was leaked to Danzo by the Third Hokage himself! One plays the good cop, the other the bad cop, forcing that girl into submission!"
"Exactly! Otherwise how would Danzo know so much? It had to be with the Third's tacit approval!"
"He's scared! Afraid Sasuke will come back and tear Konoha apart again, so he wants the Divine Technique as a bargaining chip!"
"For power, he's thrown away all shame! Protecting seedlings? Looks more like strangling them!"
Across the shinobi world, curses rang out with barely a single good word spoken.
Within Konoha, many ninja and civilians felt humiliated and heartsick.
They had no way to refute the accusations—because the "evidence" shown by the Sky Screen lay plainly before them.
"How… how did Konoha become like this…"
An elderly ninja closed his eyes in pain.
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