[T/N: F4 — a pop-culture term for four leading men.]
Konoha.
The Hokage’s office.
“Hiruzen.”
“Wake up!”
“He even dared to attack the ANBU.
Do you think he still respects you as Hokage?”
“Once someone like him fully matures, he’ll become the greatest threat to Konoha!”
“Only Root can control him.”
“Hand him over to me.”
“I’ll erase his emotions and make him accept the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.”
“I want to dissect his body completely and uncover the secrets of the Senju Clan’s bloodline!”
Danzo stated his objective once more, greed flickering in his single eye.
It was a craving for immense power.
He did not believe for a second that Chiba had awakened Wood Release.
How could such godlike power appear in someone so young?
Since the death of the First Hokage, no one in the Senju Clan had been able to wield that power.
In Danzo’s view, Chiba had simply been extraordinarily fortunate.
He had merely experienced a rare case of atavism, giving him a far purer bloodline than an ordinary person.
If Danzo could drag Chiba into Root, he could extract Chiba’s cells and use them to perfect the arm implanted with the First Hokage’s cells.
He would gain a longer life and even greater power!
“No!”
Although Danzo’s reasoning had brought cold sweat to his brow, Sarutobi Hiruzen still gritted his teeth and abruptly rose to his feet.
The aura of a Kage-level powerhouse instantly erupted from him.
He stared straight into Danzo’s eye, refusing to yield an inch.
“I said absolutely not!”
“As long as I’m the Hokage, don’t even think about laying a finger on Chiba!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen was no fool.
He understood that Chiba posed an enormous threat, but he understood even better that Danzo was a greedy, venomous snake.
Handing Chiba over to Danzo would be no different from drinking poison to quench his thirst.
If Danzo discovered something useful or used Chiba’s power to launch a coup, Konoha would truly be beyond saving.
“Hiruzen!”
“You’re pushing Konoha into the abyss!”
Danzo was furious.
His chakra surged, and cracks appeared in the floor around his cane.
The two locked into a tense standoff, neither willing to give an inch.
The air in the Hokage’s office seemed to solidify.
At that critical moment, steady footsteps came from outside the door.
“Enough.”
A slightly aged yet dignified female voice rang out.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura entered the office side by side.
Clearly, news about Chiba had already reached them.
Utatane Koharu frowned and glanced first at the bloodstains on the floor, then at the tense Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo.
“Look at yourselves.”
“What kind of behavior is this?”
“The ANBU and Root are both watching outside.”
“Do you want the entire village to see you make fools of yourselves?”
Utatane Koharu reprimanded them without hesitation.
Mitokado Homura adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
His usually expressionless face now held unprecedented gravity.
“Hiruzen, Danzo.”
“This isn’t the time for your power struggles.”
Mitokado Homura’s voice was calm, but he went straight to the heart of the matter.
“We’ve already learned about Chiba’s situation.”
“A descendant of the Senju Clan whose identity remained hidden for sixteen years.”
“A dangerous man who can severely injure elite ANBU with his aura alone.”
“He’s currently occupying the former Senju Clan compound.”
“What will shouting at each other here accomplish?”
Mitokado Homura raised his head and swept his gaze over Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo.
“That’s right.”
“Whether Chiba is loyal or treacherous, and what his attitude toward the village may be…
you can’t determine that by sitting here and guessing.”
“Since he refuses to come and see the Hokage…
we’ll go and see him.”
Utatane Koharu took over, her tone coldly rational.
“Only by speaking to him face-to-face…
can we confirm his true intentions.”
“And decide…”
Utatane Koharu paused, killing intent flickering in her eyes.
“What action to take next.”
Those words made the other three fall silent at once.
Everyone understood what they meant.
If Chiba was willing to submit to the village leadership’s arrangements, they would continue using his ties to the village to bind him.
If he displayed even the slightest hint of rebellion, he would face the merciless might of Konoha as a whole!
Even if he possessed the Senju Clan’s bloodline.
Even if he was Tsunade’s disciple.
As long as he threatened Konoha’s stability, he had to be eliminated!
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep pull from his pipe.
He had picked up the pipe that had fallen earlier, though the tobacco inside had long since gone out.
He drew in a breath of cold air, trying to calm his racing heart.
“Fine.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe against the corner of the desk, producing a sharp sound.
He turned toward the ANBU squad leader waiting outside the door.
“Pass on my orders.”
“Mobilize five ANBU squads.”
“Have the Barrier Team and Sealing Team stand by.”
Determination flickered in Sarutobi Hiruzen’s eyes.
If Chiba was willing to soften his stance, Hiruzen would not mind playing the kindly old man.
After all, Chiba was Tsunade’s disciple and his own grand-disciple.
But if Chiba intended to drop all pretense and confront them, Hiruzen had to prepare for the worst.
Danzo snorted coldly and gestured to the Root ninja behind him.
“Notify Root.”
“Grade-A combat readiness.”
“Everyone is to move toward the Senju compound.”
Danzo’s plan was simple.
If the negotiations broke down, he had to seize Chiba before the ANBU did!
Capturing Chiba alive was now his primary strategic objective.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged glances.
Neither of them objected.
They could not be too cautious when facing a monster of unknown strength.
A few minutes later, a dark mass of ninja gathered like ghosts beneath the Hokage Building.
There was no noisy chatter, only the occasional light clang of weapons striking one another.
An air of murderous intent instantly enveloped Konoha’s entire central district.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had changed into the combat uniform he had not worn in years: tight black clothing covered by special armor.
Though he was old and his face lined with wrinkles, dressed in that gear, he was still the legendary shinobi who had once shaken the entire shinobi world!
Shimura Danzo stood beside Sarutobi Hiruzen.
As always, he leaned on his cane, his cold gaze sweeping over the assembled forces.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura stood behind them.
Surrounded by elite ninja, the four elders at the very pinnacle of Konoha’s power marched imposingly toward the southeastern corner of the village.
Along the way, every civilian and ordinary ninja sensed that something was wrong.
They hurriedly moved aside and stared at the terrifying procession in alarm.
“What happened?”
“Why has Hokage-sama mobilized in person?”
“…”
Whispers spread along both sides of the street, but no one dared speak loudly.
Everyone could feel the intensely oppressive killing intent.
Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored the surrounding gazes.
His eyes remained fixed toward the southeast.
That was where the former Senju Clan compound stood.
Once, it had been the most prosperous and sacred place in Konoha.
But after the First and Second Hokage died one after another, the Senju Clan had voluntarily dissolved its clan structure to integrate into the village.
Countless members of the Senju had concealed their identities and blended in among the civilian population.
The vast compound gradually fell into disrepair, becoming an untouchable scar in Konoha’s history.