Ōnoki's reply still hadn't arrived.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, desperate to blunt the rumors swirling out of the Land of Wind, had the fake Jiraiya out doing public "performances" — smiling, laughing, acting like the two of them were closer than ever. At the same time, his people quietly steered the conversation in the streets.
"Are you kidding? The Hokage would never sell out one of his own!"
"If that were true, would Lord Jiraiya still be so friendly with him?"
"Use your heads, people. Stop believing every rumor you hear."
"Think for yourselves instead of letting outsiders poison your minds."
...
A Root operative sprinted straight to Shimura Danzo.
"Lord Danzo!"
"What is it?"
Danzo had been in an excellent mood lately.
He knew Jiraiya had vanished. He'd also noticed the growing rift between Orochimaru and Hiruzen. In his mind, his moment was finally coming.
"Everything reaches its peak and then declines. Your good days are over, Hiruzen. My situation can't get much worse, so now it's my turn to turn the tables. Everything that's yours… will soon be mine."
He was already picturing Hiruzen and Orochimaru destroying each other while he stepped in to take the throne.
"Lord Danzo, I found this."
The operative handed over a sealed envelope.
"What is it?"
"A suicide note."
"A suicide note? Why would I care about some dead man's letter?"
Danzo frowned.
"Lord Danzo, this one's different. It's Hyuga Hizashi's. I verified the handwriting — it's real. Besides all his complaints about the main family and the Leaf, he also wrote about the Jiraiya situation."
"He was the one who sold Jiraiya's intelligence to Sunagakure. He thought completing the mission would earn him a reward from Hiruzen — maybe even change the fate of the branch family. Instead he got death."
Danzo's pupils shrank.
"Hyuga Hizashi? Jiraiya's information was already being sold that early?"
"Hiruzen really is calculating. He wanted Jiraiya dead even back then? And he used Hizashi to do the dirty work, then killed him to bury the secret forever."
The Root operative nodded.
"Exactly. Even you, Lord Danzo, wouldn't have done something that cold."
Danzo: "...?"
The operative realized his mistake and quickly bowed.
"I didn't mean it like that, Lord Danzo! My loyalty to you is absolute. That's why I brought this straight to you the moment I found it."
Danzo's expression softened slightly.
"You did well. This is a major contribution."
"I always reward loyalty. I can't give you anything right now, but be patient."
"No problem, Lord Danzo. I can wait."
Danzo waved him off.
"Go. I need time to think about how to use this."
Once the man left, Danzo stared at the suicide note, mind racing.
Releasing it would cause chaos. He already knew how Hiruzen would respond — deny everything, claim it was forged by another village. The damage would still land, but Danzo wanted more.
"Just a little scandal? That's far too generous for this letter."
"Hiruzen… since you showed no mercy, I won't either."
He made his decision.
"Send a redacted original to Sunagakure along with samples of Hizashi's everyday handwriting. At the same time, start spreading redacted copies around the outskirts of Konoha."
"I refuse to believe Hiruzen can stay comfortable in that Hokage seat after this."
Danzo looked toward the Hokage Tower, eyes cold and vicious.
"I never would've done something like this before. But you forced my hand. You stripped me of my elder seat. You put me under house arrest in the Shimura compound. If I had any other choice, I wouldn't hurt the village like this."
"I love this village too much. I'd give anything for it. But right now, your existence is the worst thing that could happen to Konoha. Removing you — even if it costs the village a little pain — is acceptable."
"It won't break us. The Hyuga will stay put. They don't have the courage to rebel. This will only hurt you, Hiruzen."
At the exact moment Hiruzen received Ōnoki's reply, Danzo's carefully planted rumors began spreading through the areas surrounding Konoha.
Redacted copies of Hyuga Hizashi's suicide note appeared everywhere.
"What is this?"
"A suicide note?"
"Hyuga Hizashi's?"
"Who the hell is Hyuga Hizashi?"
Danzo's people moved in the shadows, quietly explaining.
They told everyone Hizashi was a branch family member. They explained what he had done — sold Jiraiya's information to Sunagakure on Hiruzen's orders. They said Hiruzen had promised him a reward that would change the branch family's fate… then killed him to bury the secret forever.
The redacted version focused entirely on Hiruzen's betrayal. It left out any complaints against the main family or the rest of the Leaf.
"Why the redactions? Because I'm targeting Hiruzen, not the village. I want the damage to Konoha kept to a minimum."
Danzo smiled coldly, pleased with his own work.
"This level of control is something Hiruzen could never manage. If I were Hokage, the Leaf would never have fallen this low."
"You're the real traitor here, Hiruzen."
People were already whispering.
"If the suicide note exists, it can't be fake, right?"
"I never thought the Hokage was actually like this…"
"Why is Lord Jiraiya still so friendly with him?"
"Maybe Jiraiya doesn't know the truth?"
"Or maybe he's enduring it for the sake of the village… sacrificing himself to keep up appearances?"
"That would be an enormous sacrifice. Truly heroic."