Chapter 4
Several dozen Uchiha clan dead lay on the table, as Danzo's men harvested their fabled sharingan for themselves. Hiruzen was all too happy to lay the blame for this massacre on him publicly, but everyone with some semblance of sense knew that such a mission could never be sanctioned without the Hokage's blessing.
But it had always been like this. Hiruzen would always bask in light and glory while Danzo would be delve into the pits of darkness and depravity to protect their village.
The Uchiha clan had always been a liability, and their sensei had been the first to see it. Their kekkei genkai made them useful but their pride and emotions made them weak allies, and a chain was only as strong as its weakest link.
With the Uchiha clan dead, they had no use of these eyes and he would made far better use of them than those fools ever could.
"Lord Danzo," a masked nin called him up and Danzo stepped forward, as a young girl's body lay on the floor.
"Her eyes. They are already gone...," but before Danzo could say anything a loud explosion rocked the entire underground area.
BOOOOOM! BOOOOM!
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KAKASHI HATAKE
The trio were now all gone, as Kakashi found himself in his brother's eatery once more. He had closed up the place to give them both some privacy, as Kakashi raised a brow and complained.
"Was that truly necessary?" he asked, as his younger brother simply shrugged away his complaint.
"Of course it was. I wanted to see how good of a teacher you are?" and he did not know Gojo had any interest in his career as a teacher.
"And?" he sought his verdict, and his brother was happy to give it out with a bright smile on his face.
"I was right. You are a shit teacher," and that was a scathing review of his methods.
"They couldn't even last a few seconds against me," and now Kakashi eyed him strangely.
"I doubt there are more than a handful shinobi within the village who can do that," and he doubted if even he would last more than a few minutes if he were to face him, even though such a thing would never happen.
"What are you talking about? I am retired," Gojo was quick to retort back, as Kakashi scoffed.
Still, this was one reason he had brought the trio here in the first place. Kakashi may be a prodigy, but his brother was a genius.
"Then help me train them," Kakashi asked, and Gojo stopped eating and his expression shifted in an instant.
"You know well that I hate the idea of putting literal children on battlefield," and Kakashi knew that well, and this was the one reason why his brother was not as famous as him for in many ways Gojo hated the life of a shinobi.
He loathed it, and yet the village could not afford to let such a talent go to waste.
"I know, but this is not war," and his brother was not convinced.
"Yet their lives will still be in danger, and we will all make a spectacle of their deaths," and Kakashi had no delusion about the life that lay ahead of them, but the three of them had made their choice the day they had donned that hitai ate.
"This is their choice," Kakashi countered, and his brother sighed.
"Only because they don't know any better," and what could he say to that.
"Still, I don't think that the three of them should suffer because of my failings," and Kakashi was not wholly unaware of his own failings as a teacher. The truth was that he had never needed much mentoring as a student himself, and he did not know how to teach when he had never been taught himself.
From chakra control to most basic jutsus, he had figured out of most of the things by himself and while his three students all possessed enormous talent, they were not geniuses like him.
"Yeah, it honestly pretty idiotic of that old geezer to give you students like this," and by now Kakashi had long given up on trying to make his brother respect the Sandaime-sama.
The truth was that his brother had little love for the village, and the only reason he had defected was because he wanted to kill a certain a shinobi within the village.
"Still, I did not expect anything better out of that old geezer," and Kakashi sighed at the insults.
"Can you not call Lord Hokage an old geezer?" and while Naruto used the term as a form of endearment, his brother used it to mask his hatred for the man.
"Nope," Gojo was quick in his denial as Kakashi rolled his eyes.
"Still, you have to help me. Please," and his brother's shoulders slumped.
"I will take the pink haired one out of your hand," and that was better than he had hoped.
"Sakura?" he asked, and his brother nodded.
"Yes, she is the weakest of the three and I can tell that you have no idea how to deal with her," and he was right in that for while Sasuke and Naruto both had their unique talents and circumstances, in comparison to them Sakura was simply ordinary.
She had no kekkei genkai, or family jutsus to rely on and he did not have much to teach her as well.
"Still, I am surprised that you did not choose Naruto," Kakashi added, as he gave him a nod.
"Naruto's too simple minded. The Old Geezer has corrupted him too much," and Gojo's tone was somber as he spoke of Minato-san's son.
"I could never get along with someone like him," which was strange, especially since his brother was rather close with his sensei and his wife.
"Plus, the boy does not need me. He will find a legendary teacher of his own soon enough," and now Kakashi's interest was piqued.
"Who?" he asked.
"Jiraiya-sama," and he had heard nothing about that yet.
"He is coming back?" and Gojo nodded.
"Indeed," and that was a surprise in and of itself. The legendary Sanin had been out of the village for some years now, which made him wonder why exactly was he coming back now.
He would have to look into the matter a bit.
"You do know that I will corrupt her?" and Kakashi had already resigned himself to that possibility, but it was a trade off he was willing to make.
He was well aware of his brother's lack of loyalty and patriotism, and the sad thing was that much of this hatred was well deserved.
The village had taken much from him, and had offered him only pain and suffering.
"It will be fine as long as she doesn't commit any treason," and they both chuckled at that, as they clicked their glasses.
"I make no promises here...."
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DANZO SHIMURA
Danzo sat in his compund as he had for years since that day, and though it was his home on paper. The truth was that the place was nothing more than a glorified prison.
There were no seals or iron bars to keep him trapped here yet he would dare not step out for doing so would mean the end for Konoha itself.
He heard the floors creak and burned the report in his hands with a single push of his chakra, and the entire paper turned had turned to ash before the doors to his room were pushed open as he found himself receiving a rather familiar guest.
"It has been sometime Danzo," Hiruzen greeted him as he closed the door behind him, as Danzo stood on the porch, and stared at the small garden infront of him.
"It has been sometime since you have come to visit me," and how could he do that, when he was the one who had put him in this prison in the first place.
Hiruzen may pretend to be noble and kind, but only a fool would believe that. He was Konoha's youngest Hokage and had led the village through two Great Ninja Wars. He was a shinobi through and through and very few people were ever able to understand that.
"You know well the weight of the title that I bear," and indeed he did, and he came and stood beside him and Danzo eyed the white robe with envy.
"The village is set to hold the chunin exams this year," and he knew that already. He also knew of the threat they had received, and knew well of the one behind it.
"A useless spectacle," and the chunin exams were nothing more than entertainment for the nobles and the comoners.
"You say that, but the exams do have their uses," and they could help project power and competence, but their were far better and more efficient ways of doing that.
"But I am not here for the exams today," and he knew that already.
"I have come here because we fear that Konoha may be attacked during the exams," and he raised a brow at that, as he turned his head towards Hiruzen who was already looking at him.
"And what am I to do about that?" he asked.
"I was wondering if you had heard anything about it?" Hiruzen asked, and Danzo scoffed.
"How could I, while I sit here trapped in this prison of your making," he mocked and Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
"Do not blame me for your crimes Danzo. You forced my hand," and that was a lie.
"All I ever did was to protect this village. The Uchiha were traitors, and we are safer with the gone," and he knew that Hiruzen agreed with him on that.
"You know very well that you are not here because of that. The Uchiha may have lost their way, but that was no escuse to desecrate their dead and rob them of their kekkei genkai. You were stealing their kekkei genkai," and his voice grew harder at that, and it was sheer hypocricy of him to mock him for that.
"I only ever did what you did not have the heart to do," and those eyes could have helped the village.
"Yet you did nothing as that Hatake boy walked and destroyed my men. Destroyed all that I had built," and the wounds from that day ached, and the empty socket underneath the bandages covering his face stung deeply as Danzo remembered the events from that accursed day.
"I saved your life," Hiruzen countered and now they stood face to face.
"Gojo Hatake razed the Foundation to the ground. He killed fellow Konoha nin. He threatened the village itself, and yet you still let him live," and rather than killing the traitor, Hiruzen had struck a deal with him and imprisoned him here in this place for as long as he could draw breath.
"I had to protect the village," Hiruzen defended his weak actions, and Danzo scoffed.
"It has been more than five years since that day. I have been trapped here in this prison of your making for all this time and yet that traitor still lives, only because you are too weak to act," and only a handful of his agents had survived that day, and even they were forced into hiding.
"What do you think I should have do then?" Hiruzen asked sharply.
"Kill him," he answered, and that was the most obvious choice then and it remained as such even now, and the silence that came afterwards told him that Hiruzen had considered the option in his head as well.
Danzo knew that it was easier said than done. For all his faults, Gojo Hatake was Sauko's son through and through and the White Fang had been a formidable shinobi whose power was equal to that of the Sanin.
He had inherited his father's talents, and was an elite S-ranked nin.
"It might be difficult to do all by yourself, but with Jiraiya and Tsunade by your side you could tak..."
"NO!" and Hiruzen's words were final, and Danzo had expected nothing less.
"You are a weak man, Hiruzen. A weak and pathetic man," and if he would not do it then, Danzo would find someone else to do it for him.
"Coming here was a mistake," Hiruzen whispered as he turned around and began heading towards the door once more, and just as the door was about to close Danzo spoke once more, as a swift gust rustled through his garden.
"You can only control things for so long, Hiruzen," and he was an old man, and his power was dwindling already.
"We must deal with the boy before it is too late," and he hoped that Hiruzen would see reason, but it no longer mattered.
He already had another ally who saw the boy as the threat he was, and would happily join hands with him to deal with the blue eyed monster, for he knew that just as Hiruzen was protecting the boy from him.
He was also protecting Danzo from Hatake as well, and that protection would end with Hiruzen's death.
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