Danzo watched Hiruzen in silence, a thought slowly taking shape in his mind.
The villagers are already dissatisfied with Hiruzen after the concessions in the ceasefire agreement.
His reputation has taken a hit.
And now he’s prepared to sacrifice the Hyuga’s interests as well…
Perhaps I can bring the Hyuga over to my side.
With their support, I might finally have a chance to become Hokage.
The possibility sent a long-dormant heat through Danzo’s chest.
Even his normally sallow complexion seemed to gain a little color.
Root had no names.
No emotions.
No past.
No future.
Only missions.
They were the roots buried deep beneath the earth, supporting the great tree that was Konoha from within the darkness.
Danzo had once accepted that role.
He had even taken pride in it.
But after spending so many years in the shadows, he had grown tired of remaining there.
He wanted to become Hokage.
He wanted to stand in the light and be revered by the people of Konoha, not spend the rest of his life hidden underground while someone else received their admiration.
Hiruzen turned toward him.
“Danzo. What’s your opinion?”
Danzo’s expression immediately became grave.
“I disagree.”
The room fell silent.
Danzo continued, his voice firm.
“Konoha is the strongest shinobi village in the world. If we surrender our interests to Kumogakure now simply to obtain peace, what will the other villages think?”
His gaze swept across the room.
“What happens when Kirigakure decides to pressure us next? Or Sunagakure? Do we continue making concessions every time another village threatens us?”
Every word sounded righteous.
Patriotic.
Completely devoted to Konoha.
But Hiruzen had known Danzo for far too many years to be fooled by appearances.
Behind those words, he saw ambition.
Hiruzen’s brow tightened.
This is going to become a problem.
News of the meeting did not remain secret for long.
Before long, it reached the Hyuga compound.
Hiashi sighed as he looked toward Tenriki.
“Exactly as you predicted. Danzo has made his move.”
Tenriki sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, maintaining his chakra training.
“We don’t need to do anything.”
Hiashi studied him for a moment before releasing another weary sigh.
“The Third has disappointed me.”
He paused.
“Though I understand why he’s making these decisions.”
Understanding a decision and accepting it were two very different things.
Then the first rumor exploded across Konoha like a thunderclap.
“The explosion the other night was caused by Cloud shinobi trying to kidnap the young master of the Hyuga Clan?”
“What?!”
“Those Cloud bastards actually infiltrated Konoha?”
“That’s outrageous!”
“They really don’t respect us at all.”
“I’ve seen that Hyuga boy before. He’s such a polite child, and they actually tried to abduct him?”
“First they pressure us into reducing the war reparations, and now they’re attacking one of Konoha’s clans inside the village itself?”
“Kumogakure has gone too far!”
Pride ran deep among the people of Konoha.
They lived in what they believed to be the strongest shinobi village in the world.
Whether they admitted it or not, many of them looked down on the other great villages.
And now Kumogakure—a village that had only recently emerged from war against Konoha—had supposedly sent shinobi directly into their home and attempted to seize a Hyuga child.
The insult was impossible to ignore.
Anger spread rapidly.
But that was only the beginning.
Soon, another piece of information began circulating through the village.
Kumogakure had refused to admit responsibility.
Worse, they had turned the accusation around and demanded that Konoha explain why Cloud shinobi had died inside the village.
Konoha erupted.
“Shameless!”
“They invade our village and somehow we’re supposed to apologize?”
“We’re Konoha! We’re not some tiny village they can bully whenever they please!”
“The Cloud has gone too far!”
“If I run into a Cloud shinobi after this, I’ll teach them exactly what happens when they underestimate Konoha!”
Taverns, restaurants, streets, and gathering places filled with furious discussion.
More than a few hot-blooded shinobi were already talking as though they would gladly march straight back onto the battlefield.
Yet another rumor soon followed.
And this one turned their anger inward.
“The Third Hokage intends to sacrifice Konoha’s interests and seek peace with Kumogakure so that the Cloud will stop pressuring the village.”
The reaction was immediate.
“What?”
“They humiliate us, and we’re the ones making concessions?”
“Is this really still the Konoha we used to know?”
“The whole village feels… tired.”
“We give up our interests and bow to our enemies? That’s disgraceful.”
“The Third Hokage has changed.”
“He wasn’t like this when he was younger.”
Under the quiet influence of the Hyuga, Danzo, and the Uchiha, criticism of Hiruzen spread relentlessly throughout the village.
The Hokage’s reputation began to suffer.
Even shinobi who had once admired him without question found themselves disappointed.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Kakashi and Guy sat side by side, bowls of ramen in front of them.
Neither seemed particularly interested in eating.
The voices of villagers arguing outside drifted into the shop.
Guy frowned.
“Kakashi, what do you think about all of this?”
“It feels like someone is deliberately trying to damage Lord Hokage’s reputation.”
Guy nodded immediately.
“Exactly. There’s no way Lord Hokage is the kind of man they’re making him out to be. Someone must be pushing these rumors from behind the scenes.”
Kakashi didn’t respond.
Deep down, he wasn’t entirely convinced.
If Kumogakure truly threatened another war, Hiruzen might very well make concessions.
Kakashi understood why.
The Nine-Tails’ attack had weakened Konoha far more severely than most villagers realized.
Another major war could cost the village dearly.
From a purely rational standpoint, avoiding war made sense.
Kakashi could even agree with it.
But emotions were rarely rational.
Obito’s death had left him with one belief that had become impossible to ignore.
Those who abandoned their comrades were worse than trash.
And after Kumogakure had violated Konoha’s borders, attacked one of its great clans, and attempted to abduct a child, the idea of sacrificing Konoha’s interests to appease them left a bitter taste in his mouth.
That wasn’t the shinobi path Kakashi believed in.
He would follow the Hokage’s orders.
He would support the village.
But somewhere inside him, a small distance had begun to form between himself and the man wearing the Hokage’s hat.
Kakashi was far from alone.
Many Konoha shinobi found themselves caught in the same contradiction.
Their minds understood Hiruzen’s reasoning.
Their hearts rejected it.
Human loyalty was complicated that way.
At the Hyuga compound, an unusual visitor arrived.
The Third Hokage himself.
Under normal circumstances, Hiruzen had little reason to personally visit the Hyuga estate.
If matters of clan business required discussion, Hiashi would report to the Hokage’s office.
Today was different.
Hiruzen needed to come himself.
The Hyuga had been attacked.
Kumogakure was applying pressure.
And now rumors were spreading that Konoha’s leadership intended to sacrifice Hyuga interests for peace.
Whatever decision came next, Hiruzen could not afford to let one of Konoha’s most powerful clans believe it had been abandoned.
“Lord Hokage.”
“Hiashi.”
Hiashi waited outside the entrance to the Hyuga compound to receive him.
Hiruzen’s gaze passed over the estate.
The difference was obvious.
Security was far tighter than usual.
Hyuga clansmen stood at key positions throughout the compound, their expressions guarded and tense.
Anger lingered behind more than a few pairs of pale eyes.
Hiruzen quietly sighed.
This won’t be easy.