"Who's weak?"
"Who lacks ability?"
"How dare they drag my name through the mud like this?"
Danzo was seething.
He had been quietly enjoying the rumors tearing into Hiruzen. The more damage the old man took, the sooner he would be forced to step down. Even if Hiruzen stubbornly clung to the seat, the village's trust in him was crumbling — just like it had with the Uchiha.
But Danzo never expected the whispers to turn on him too.
They were saying Hiruzen only spared him because he was too weak to be a real threat.
Personally, I may not match Minato, Danzo thought bitterly. But Sakumo Hatake? My Wind Release is no joke. And when it comes to politics and running the village, Minato and Sakumo combined couldn't hold a candle to me. All these years I've been cleaning up Hiruzen's disasters.
An ANBU appeared in front of him.
"Lord Danzo, the Hokage requests your presence at the tower."
Danzo nodded and went.
Inside the office, Hiruzen didn't waste time.
"Danzo, I need you to return to the Land of Wind."
"Spread more rumors?"
Hiruzen nodded. "Rasa has gone too far with these underhanded tactics. Since he wants to play this game, we'll play it better. Spread the rumor we discussed before — that Rasa murdered the Third Kazekage."
Danzo thought for a moment.
"I can do that, but the results might be limited. There aren't many loose ends tying Rasa to the Third Kazekage's disappearance. However… there is one way to end all these rumors about you."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "What way?"
Danzo met his eyes. "You step down as Hokage. All the rumors Sand is spreading about you revolve around your hunger for power. If you retire, they collapse on their own."
Hiruzen's face turned to ice.
"Danzo, you fool. If I step down now, Sand will claim they were right all along. I'd be admitting guilt and surrendering to their lies. Absolutely not."
Danzo blinked, momentarily thrown off. The logic sounded almost reasonable… until the cold wind outside the tower hit him and clarity returned like a slap.
You selfish old bastard.
You won't retire because you can't stand giving up the seat. All that high-minded talk is just an excuse. You're addicted to power, plain and simple.
Danzo glanced back at the Hokage Tower one last time, eyes burning with cold hatred.
Hiruzen… one day you'll pay for this.
While Danzo was still fuming in Konoha, two figures wearing ANBU masks approached Kakashi on the border.
"Kakashi. Hokage's orders. Return to the village immediately."
Kakashi nodded. He understood. The rumor about his father was too closely tied to him. Staying on the battlefield would only cause problems for everyone.
"Fine."
He followed the two masked shinobi.
But after a few minutes, something felt off.
This wasn't the route back to Konoha.
Kakashi slowed. "We're not supposed to go this way."
One of the "ANBU" answered smoothly. "Hokage's orders. The fewer people know you're returning, the better. Especially the Sand forces. Lord Hokage wants to use this opportunity to create some trouble for them, so we're taking a longer route."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
Trouble for Sand? How?
The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
He stopped walking.
"Something's not right. Even if we're taking a detour, this is way too far. Who are you really?"
The lead "ANBU" — actually Rasa in disguise — turned around and dropped the fake voice.
"Not bad, Kakashi. Sharp as expected from Konoha's genius. Since you've already figured it out, I'll give you two choices."
"First: return to Konoha like a good little dog."
"Second: die here."
Kakashi's pupils shrank. He instantly flashed backward.
But Rasa was already moving.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!"
A blade of compressed air screamed straight toward Kakashi.