Sarutobi Dan fell silent in thought.
He needed a new surname—one that would conceal his past while carrying with it a hidden hope and a lasting remembrance.
After a long pause, he finally raised his head. His eyes were resolute as he spoke slowly.
"Then... we'll be known as the Shimura Clan."
He paused again, as though bidding farewell to his former self while swearing an oath to the future.
"From this day forward... my name is Shimura Dan."
"Shimura... to set one's resolve upon the village, so that our clan may one day be reborn within it. A good name... an excellent name."
Sarutobi Hi quietly savored the meaning behind the new surname, relief flickering across his face.
He firmly patted his younger brother's shoulder.
"Dan. Never forget—no matter what happens in the future, you'll always be my little brother."
"Take care."
Within that dimly lit room, the two brothers completed the most tragic—and most helpless—division in their clan's history.
One chose to remain behind, facing what was almost certain death in order to buy the clan one last chance at survival—or to bear Kaguya's wrath alone.
The other carried away the clan's final spark and a new family name, disappearing into the shadows to gamble everything on an uncertain future.
Beneath the Heavenly Curtain, throughout the shinobi world—
It felt as though a thunderbolt had struck everyone's mind.
Every clue and lingering question from before suddenly connected, pointing toward a shocking "truth" that left them simultaneously stunned... and thinking, So that's why.
"Sarutobi Hi... Shimura Dan... and the origin of the Shimura Clan..."
A Konoha Chūnin muttered the names to himself, his face filled with utter disbelief.
"What the hell..."
The shinobi beside him rubbed his eyes, then cleaned out his ears as though he suspected he was hallucinating.
"I've got... a really, really bad feeling about this."
A Special Jōnin from another department—someone who rarely dealt directly with Konoha's leadership—turned visibly pale.
His gaze instinctively drifted toward Hokage Rock before quickly looking away, as though simply staring at it had become uncomfortable.
Whispers rapidly spread through the crowd like water splashed onto boiling oil.
"Don't tell me..."
"Is this implying that Konoha's Sarutobi Clan and Shimura Clan are actually connected?"
"...It really could be!"
"Think about it!"
"Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi... and Danzō Shimura!"
Someone immediately picked up the thought, his voice trembling with excitement.
"We always assumed their relationship was built on deep camaraderie—that they were comrades-in-arms, with one serving as Hokage while the other protected the village from the shadows."
"I used to admire that kind of trust."
"But now..."
"My god!"
"It turns out they were originally the same family?! Blood relatives from the same clan?!"
"No wonder..."
"Amazing!"
A shinobi from one of Konoha's noble clans, who understood the village's political structure, slapped his thigh in realization.
"I've always wondered what kind of Hokage would tolerate an organization like Root operating right under his nose."
"A completely independent force outside the normal chain of command, answering only to Danzō Shimura."
"The entire power structure was completely abnormal."
"So this is why!"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura weren't merely superior and subordinate—or even political partners."
"They were members of the same bloodline!"
"This was simply an internal division of authority within one family."
"One branch upheld justice in the open as Hokage..."
"...while the other wielded the blade from the shadows through Root."
"That's one sophisticated arrangement."
"Hah! So Root and the Hokage's faction were basically two branches of the same family all along."
"One carried the name Sarutobi."
"The other became Shimura."
"But both originated from those ancient brothers—Sarutobi Hi and Shimura Dan—the men who dared to scheme against the Sage of Six Paths."
Several people laughed bitterly.
Those who had previously dismissed the similarities in their names as mere coincidence found themselves wavering.
Combined with Hiruzen Sarutobi's extraordinary tolerance toward Danzō over the years—even when Danzō repeatedly overstepped his authority or acted against Konoha's interests—many long-standing mysteries suddenly seemed to have an obvious explanation.
Family ties.
Shared blood.
That was why Root had been allowed to exist with such sweeping autonomy.
That was why Hiruzen had so often turned a blind eye to Danzō's actions.
"It has to be true!"
At last, someone declared with absolute certainty, speaking for what had become the prevailing opinion among many in Konoha.
"This isn't just exposing ancient history."
"It's revealing the true origins of Konoha's entire power structure."
Not only Konoha, but every major force throughout the shinobi world that kept an eye on the Hidden Leaf found itself forced to reevaluate everything.
It was as though the dust of history had crossed the centuries before falling squarely onto the chessboard of the present.
Pieces that had once seemed unrelated suddenly fit together perfectly.
And, through the lens of this supposed family secret, people believed they had finally gained unprecedented insight into Konoha's highest levels of power.
All because of two ancient brothers shown upon the Heavenly Curtain—
Sarutobi Hi...
...and Shimura Dan.
Inside the Hokage's Office, the atmosphere instantly became subtle and tense.
Arms folded across her chest, Tsunade leaned forward slightly.
The sharp eyes that had once read countless opponents across gambling tables were now fixed unblinkingly on the retired Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who sat completely dumbfounded after this astonishing "family history" had seemingly been exposed.
The corners of her lips curled into a meaningful smile tinged with unmistakable sarcasm.
"Old man..."
she drawled.
"You've been hiding quite a lot, haven't you?"
At that moment, "dumbfounded" wasn't nearly enough to describe how Hiruzen felt.
It was as though a bolt of lightning had traveled across a thousand years just to strike him squarely in the forehead.
His mind had gone completely blank.
What... did I just hear?
The ancient clan leader in the Heavenly Curtain—the one who had sacrificed his own daughter and split apart his family to preserve the clan—
...was named Sarutobi Hi?
And his younger brother, who carried away the clan's final spark and took on a new surname—
...was called Shimura Dan?
The Shimura Clan...
...actually originated as a branch of the Sarutobi Clan?
The two clans had once shared the same bloodline?
What kind of absurd story was this?
Hiruzen Sarutobi had lived a long life.
He had served as Hokage for decades.
He knew his clan's history inside and out.
He had practically memorized the family records.
Yet he had never once heard of an ancestor named Sarutobi Hi.
Nor had he ever seen any record stating that the Shimura Clan had split off from the Sarutobi Clan.
As for that old rascal Danzō Shimura—
They had grown up together.
Fought side by side for decades.
Although Danzō's methods had become increasingly extreme and ruthless, he had never mentioned anything remotely like this.
And these names appearing in the Heavenly Curtain...
Weren't they just a little too suspicious?
An overwhelming sense of absurdity washed over Hiruzen.
The worst part was...
He had absolutely no way to explain himself.
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