After an entire day of stirring up trouble, Uchiha Kei finally had time to eat a proper meal and get some sleep.
He slept soundly that night.
The rest of Konoha did not.
Once Konoha’s shinobi began questioning the righteousness of the war, everything they had previously believed suddenly seemed absurd.
Kei’s speech hadn’t been an official declaration.
But once doubt had taken root…
Faith was no longer so easy to maintain.
If the shinobi couldn’t sleep…
Neither could Konoha’s leadership.
Root Headquarters Deep within Root’s underground headquarters, Danzō Shimura stood in the entrance hall, brush in hand.
With bold, vigorous strokes, he completed a line of calligraphy.
“My heart and my actions are utterly clear, like a polished mirror.
Everything I do is justice.” He admired the finished work for a long moment.
First came melancholy.
Then resolve.
Finally, he sighed.
“What a pity he’s an Uchiha…” “And thank goodness he’s an Uchiha.” Unlike many others, Danzō wasn’t worried in the slightest about the unrest spreading through Konoha.
What was there to worry about?
Shinobi were merely tools.
Why should tools have so many thoughts?
If someone became disobedient…
One Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was all it took before they obediently fell back in line.
Hiruzen is too soft.
Growing old has made him care too much about his reputation.
A shinobi who seeks praise will never accomplish anything.
I’ve been called the darkness of Konoha my entire life.
I’ve sacrificed everything for this village.
My conscience is clear.
Even if Konoha never understands me…
Even if history remembers me only as a monster hiding in the shadows…
Someone still has to do the things no one else is willing to do.
He had spent half his life opposing the Uchiha for Konoha’s future.
Yet unexpectedly…
The person who understood him best had turned out to be an Uchiha.
What a pity.
The Uchiha were destined to disappear.
That was the wish shared by nearly everyone in Konoha.
No individual’s feelings could change it.
After all…
No one wanted an “ancestor” standing above them forever.
Only a Konoha without either the Senju or the Uchiha could truly belong to everyone.
“When that day finally comes…” “For the sake of these words…” “I’ll personally see you off, Kei.” He waved a hand.
Several Root operatives instantly appeared before him.
“Hang this calligraphy in the center of Root Headquarters.” “And submit a request to the Hokage.” “Root will receive new uniforms.” “On the back of every flak jacket…” “Embroider the word—” Justice.
Handing the scroll to his subordinates, Danzō turned away.
From behind, his voice rang out with unwavering conviction.
“From this day onward…” “Root shall carry justice upon its shoulders…” “From the shadows.” The declaration filled Danzō with a profound sense of satisfaction.
It was time to give his subordinates something to believe in.
Surely…
That speech had moved them.
The Root shinobi, however, kept their heads lowered beneath the control of their seals.
They couldn’t help noticing something strange.
Today…
Lord Danzō sounded remarkably similar to Uchiha Kei.
What’s with all the important people today?
Why is everyone suddenly talking about justice?
Those who had witnessed enough darkness weren’t easily inspired by lofty words.
Someone who had seen ghosts…
Wouldn’t readily accept a scientific explanation.
Still…
Their lives belonged to Danzō.
Whatever they thought…
They would never say it aloud.
So they answered in perfect unison.
“Yes, sir!” Danzō smiled.
At that moment…
He felt that Root itself had been elevated.
Hokage Tower Unlike Danzō’s self-congratulatory theatrics…
The lights inside the Hokage Tower remained lit as well.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s day had been a roller coaster from beginning to end.
After perfecting the Telescope Technique, he had believed his control over Konoha had become more complete than ever.
Today, however…
He discovered its greatest weakness.
It could show him what was happening.
It couldn’t let him hear a single word.
Ordinarily…
Whenever something happened within Konoha, Hiruzen could piece together the whole picture through experience alone.
Of course…
That didn’t apply to the compounds of the great clans, where barrier and sealing techniques blocked surveillance ninjutsu.
Still…
As the famed Professor, there were few tricks among shinobi that could truly surprise him.
Most schemes devised by clever shinobi…
Were things Hiruzen himself had long since mastered.
Nothing felt new anymore.
But today…
He was genuinely at a loss.
To the various ninja clans…
Today’s welcoming ceremony had merely been another opportunity to embarrass the Uchiha.
Even Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane had proposed it with exactly that intention.
Yet Hiruzen’s calculations ran much deeper.
Politics was never about childish acts of spite.
So what if the Uchiha felt insulted?
Hadn’t they endured that for years already?
Had any of it actually weakened them?
No.
Quite the opposite.
External pressure had only made the clan more united.
The current Uchiha might not possess the overwhelming strength of the previous generation.
Back then…
Powerhouses and elite shinobi had made the clan so formidable that even the Second Hokage had viewed them as a threat.
But there had been one crucial difference.
They hadn’t been united.
With a little manipulation…
The clan could easily descend into internal conflict and exhaust itself.
Now…
The balance had reversed.
Konoha held the upper hand over the Uchiha.
Yet internally…
The clan had become more united than ever before.
Under those circumstances…
Petty provocations were meaningless.
If an enemy couldn’t be destroyed from the outside…
Then the only solution was to break them apart from within.
Unfortunately…
His two old advisors never understood that principle.
Thanks to the political legacy left behind by the Second Hokage…
They constantly made decisions that complicated Hiruzen’s own plans.
If we weren’t all holding each other’s secrets…
I’d have gotten rid of those two fools long ago.
Fortunately…
Time had solved many problems.
The clever people involved in the old affairs were long dead.
The fools remained.
Which meant Hiruzen still controlled the direction of Konoha.
That was why he had allowed today’s spectacle to proceed.
He wasn’t acting out of spite.
He was merely making use of circumstances.
Long ago…
Hiruzen had already accepted one painful truth.
Konoha was no longer the invincible village it once had been.
Most people inside the village…
Hadn’t.
And that disconnect was the true source of Konoha’s growing unrest.
The death of Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, had been the final straw.
The village desperately needed a decisive victory to restore morale.
Unfortunately…
The other hidden villages refused to cooperate.
That was what truly frustrated Hiruzen.
After establishing the Ninja Academy and producing countless civilian shinobi…
He had imagined the great villages understood the unspoken rules.
Konoha pushes forward with superior numbers.
The enemy retreats.
Konoha stabilizes public opinion.
Then the enemy launches another offensive.
Back and forth.
Everyone puts on a good show.
Afterward…
We all go to our respective daimyō and demand larger military budgets.
Wouldn’t everyone benefit?
Unfortunately…
Konoha had dominated the shinobi world for too long.
The moment the other villages sensed weakness…
War could no longer be controlled by politicians.
The shinobi who had once been defeated three against one by Konoha’s elite suddenly discovered…
“Wait.” “These Konoha jōnin…” “They’re weak.” “So are their chūnin.” “And even their genin.” “Quick!” “Collect a few forehead protectors as trophies!” Later…
Back in their own villages…
They could boast.
“You three nearly lost fighting one Konoha shinobi?” “I took on three by myself…” “And even killed one.” “Pretty impressive, right?” Under those circumstances…
Konoha’s defeats at the front became inevitable.
Fortunately…
They still had Minato Namikaze.
Minato was a fascinating shinobi.
Against opponents stronger than himself…
He struggled even to buy time.
But against anyone weaker…
It didn’t matter how many came.
He could defeat them all.
Single-handedly…
He stabilized the front lines.
And in doing so…
He became a legend.
Perhaps…
He had simply been born to stand in the spotlight.
Throughout an entire campaign…
The only opponent capable of matching him had been the future leader of the opposing side.
Both men understood why they had been sent.
Neither intended to fight to the death.
They exchanged blows.
Stopped at the appropriate moment.
Complimented one another.
Strengthened their respective reputations.
And completed the assignment.
Thus…
The campaign to create a hero…
Came to a successful conclusion.