Jin knew Hiruzen would come.
He just hadn't expected him to come this quickly.
That very night, Hiruzen and Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear silently within Uchiha territory, leaving no trace of their arrival.
With their level of skill, avoiding detection was trivial. They moved without a ripple and soon stood outside Jin's residence.
They knocked.
They did not enter uninvited.
That alone was a gesture of respect—acknowledging Jin not merely as a clan head, but as a political equal.
Jin opened the door in a loose night robe and ushered them into the reception room. None of the three spoke on the way inside.
"Please."
Jin took the seat of honor and gestured for Hiruzen and Minato to sit.
Just as Hiruzen prepared to speak, the door creaked open.
A woman in a night robe entered quietly, carrying a tray of tea.
Hiruzen swallowed his words mid-breath.
When he saw her face clearly, his composure slipped.
"Yakushi Nono?!"
His eyes narrowed instantly.
He had been Hokage for decades. Of course he knew her.
Yakushi Nono—the "Walking Shrine Maiden."
One of Konoha's finest intelligence operatives.
For years she had supplied critical information to the village. Though she operated under Root's banner, Hiruzen was aware of her value. Their few direct interactions had been in her public identity as director of the Konoha Orphanage, requesting funding from the Hokage's office.
But why—
Why was she here?
His mind raced.
The Uchiha had donated heavily to the orphanage. It wasn't strange for them to know each other.
But this atmosphere…
This familiarity…
Was this genuine?
Or had Danzo ordered her to infiltrate Jin?
If it was infiltration, then this meeting had already become a mistake.
He had come in secrecy.
Now one of Root's top operatives had seen him.
"Nono, please."
She set tea before Hiruzen and Minato, then calmly seated herself at Jin's side.
At Jin's side.
Jin spoke first.
"Sarutobi-dono. Minato-dono. It's late. I assume you didn't come for small talk."
Hiruzen hesitated, eyes flicking toward Nono.
The implication was clear.
He could not speak freely until he understood her position.
Jin smiled faintly.
"You may rest assured. Nono is my person."
"In every sense."
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened.
"You're certain?"
In his mind, Jin was brilliant—but young.
Young men underestimated shadows.
The wars fought in darkness were far more brutal than those in daylight.
Jin did not argue.
He simply looked at Nono.
She spoke evenly.
"I severed ties with Root long ago."
"I am no longer the 'Walking Shrine Maiden.'"
"I am merely the orphanage director."
Hiruzen's gaze flickered.
If Jin had allowed her to reveal that openly, it meant he trusted her absolutely.
And if she truly had left Root…
Then Danzo was in serious danger.
A spy of her caliber did not merely carry enemy secrets.
She carried her own side's.
And if she had turned—
Danzo would be walking across thin ice.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, suppressing the thought.
He had come for something far more urgent.
"Uchiha Jin."
"There's no need to pretend."
"I don't know what price Danzo offered your clan."
"But I believe this surpasses anything he promised."
He produced a document and slid it across the table.
Jin caught it mid-air.
For the first time that night, genuine curiosity crossed his face.
He opened it.
And stilled.
His pupils contracted.
Beside him, Nono leaned closer—and froze.
It was simple.
Just a letter of appointment.
An official document appointing Uchiha Jin as:
Konoha Elder. Hokage Advisor.
Every required seal and signature was present.
Department approvals.
Elder endorsements.
All complete.
Except one line.
The Hokage's signature.
There, written clearly—
Minato Namikaze.
And the effective date?
Five days from now.
Hiruzen spoke calmly.
"No matter how many promises Danzo makes, they remain promises."
"Whether he can fulfill them is uncertain."
"But this—"
He tapped the document lightly.
"—is real."
"Of course, it becomes valid only if Minato wins the election in three days…"
"And receives the Fire Daimyō's recognition within the following two."
"In other words—"
"If Minato becomes the Fourth Hokage."
Silence filled the room.
This was not a verbal offer.
It was a pre-signed future.
A guarantee.
Hiruzen had come prepared to bleed.
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