Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere had shifted from polite civility into something heavy—like air sealed within amber.
A sharp scrape.
A match flared to life.
Sarutobi Hiruzen lit his pipe, a thin line of smoke rising and twisting in the sunlight streaming through the window.
The warmth in his eyes was gone.
What remained was a sharp, hawk-like focus—locked firmly onto the Uchiha clan head across from him.
He searched that weathered, resolute face for the slightest sign of hesitation.
There was none.
The Uchiha clan head met his gaze calmly.
Eyes that had endured the Warring States and two great wars—
Deep as ancient wells.
Unmoved.
His demands had already been stated.
The Uchiha would go to the eastern front—
As commanders.
With independent authority.
And—
An investigation into Shimura Danzo and Root's covert actions against the clan.
After speaking, he had fallen silent.
Returning all pressure to Hiruzen.
It was not a submission.
It was a confrontation.
Backed by a united clan—
His posture before the Hokage had never been straighter.
Hiruzen understood this.
He took a slow drag from his pipe, the smoke burning through his lungs before escaping in a long sigh.
Leaning back slightly in his chair, he broke the suffocating silence.
"Command of the eastern forces… independent authority…"
His voice was low, roughened by smoke.
"You understand what that means, don't you?"
"Since Konoha's founding, no clan has ever operated outside the Hokage's command system on the main battlefield."
"Let alone leading an entire front."
"Hokage-sama."
The clan head's voice remained steady.
But unyielding.
"The Uchiha are not an ordinary clan."
"We possess the strength to face Kirigakure alone."
"A unified command will only maximize our effectiveness."
A slight pause.
Then—
Barely veiled intent.
"…And entrusting our backs to 'allies' we cannot trust is far more dangerous than facing enemies head-on."
"We cannot fend off Kirigakure's blades while guarding against kunai from behind."
"This… you should understand better than anyone."
Again—
Danzo.
Root.
Unspoken—
But unmistakable.
A blade laid between them.
Hiruzen's eye twitched faintly.
Of course he knew.
Missing Uchiha jōnin.
Unresolved cases.
Secrets buried too deep to expose—
At least, not now.
"Danzo is one of Konoha's elders," Hiruzen said firmly.
"Root exists to protect the village. It would not act against it."
He chose his ground carefully.
But his tone hardened.
"In times of war, distrust within is more deadly than any enemy."
"Trust is mutual, Hokage-sama."
The clan head did not yield an inch.
"When one side is constantly suspected, suppressed—even targeted—"
"To demand unwavering loyalty in return…"
"Is that not unreasonable?"
He leaned forward slightly.
His aged eyes sharpened—
Like a lion surveying its domain.
"I did not come here to ask."
"I came on behalf of the entire Uchiha clan to state our conditions."
"We are willing to bleed for Konoha."
"But every drop must have value."
"Not as sacrifices to political games—"
"Nor as victims of betrayal from behind."
"Our strength must be used to defend the clan and the village."
"Not wasted on internal strife."
"That is our bottom line."
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Hiruzen's fingers tapped lightly against the desk.
His gaze lowered, watching the faint smoke curl upward as his mind raced.
He needed the Uchiha.
If the eastern coast fell to Kirigakure—
The consequences would be catastrophic.
But their demands—
Especially command authority—
Would carve out something dangerously close to autonomy within Konoha's military structure.
And their relentless focus on Danzo—
Was a direct challenge to his authority as Hokage.
Agree—
And the future would be uncertain.
Refuse—
And the eastern front might collapse.
Worse—
There was no telling what the Uchiha might do.
"Was Danzo right…?"
"Are the Uchiha truly a threat that must be removed?"
"Or has he gone too far this time…?"
After a long moment—
Hiruzen raised his head.
The sharpness in his eyes softened.
"The Uchiha's strength is valued."
His voice slowed.
Measured.
"But the eastern front is too significant."
"Even I cannot decide this alone."
He deliberately avoided the matter of Danzo.
As though it had never been spoken.
"Return for now."
"Wait for my decision."
The Uchiha clan head listened in silence.
No change in expression.
Only when Hiruzen finished did he rise.
His tall frame cast a long shadow across the room.
"In that case…"
"On behalf of the Uchiha clan—"
"We await good news."
No bow.
Only a slight nod.
Then he turned—
And walked toward the door.
As it opened—
Light and noise flooded in from outside.
A stark contrast to the suffocating stillness within.
Hiruzen watched his back disappear.
At some point, his pipe had gone out.
Leaning back, he pressed his fingers to his brow.
A shadow lingered in his heart.
The Uchiha eagle had spread its wings.
And the chains binding it—
Were snapping, one by one.
"…Troubled times."
His quiet sigh dissolved into the empty office.
Moments later—
The heavy door opened again.
Utatane Koharu stepped inside.
She had already reached her conclusion—
The Hokage faction's money must be returned in full.
But the Uchiha's profits—
Would be split.
Three to seven.
Hearing from Hiruzen that the Uchiha were pushing for control of the eastern forces—
Her expression changed instantly.
It felt as if the sky itself had collapsed.
In her mind, she could already see it—
Uchiha shinobi running wild along the eastern coastline like unleashed beasts—
Swallowing up mission rewards, wartime profits—
Even the region's resources—
All of it diverted away from the Hokage faction.
"Hi ru zen—!"
Her voice rose sharply.
"We absolutely cannot agree to this!"
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