Compared with the unspoken understanding between Arashi and Minato, the atmosphere between Danzo and Hiruzen was far less pleasant.
After leaving Minato’s office, the two separated to avoid attracting attention.
Arashi had loudly exposed Root in the street, and Konoha’s unruly villagers were already spreading the story.
At a time like this, Hiruzen naturally needed to distance himself from Danzo.
“That damned brat…”
After returning to Root’s base, Danzo could barely contain his fury.
To be honest, he had never intended to assassinate Arashi.
Otherwise, he would not have sent only one subordinate.
His plan had been to monitor Arashi, gather information, and decide his next move based on what he discovered.
He never imagined his operative would be caught almost immediately.
Being caught should not have mattered much.
All Root members bore curse marks on their tongues, so no one should have been able to trace the man back to Danzo.
Yet Arashi had taken one look at the seal, declared it belonged to Root, and exposed everything in the middle of the street.
The matter had spread so widely that it could no longer be suppressed.
Danzo was already furious after being forced to apologize to a junior like Arashi.
Having the Uchiha discover his Sharingan filled him with even greater shock and anger.
The bandages around his eye normally contained a sealing barrier, making the Sharingan difficult to detect.
However, when he was summoned to Minato’s office, Danzo had felt uneasy.
He feared Arashi might expose everything, that Minato had prepared a trap, or that Hiruzen would discard him now that Konoha possessed a Fourth Hokage.
Perhaps Hiruzen would finally dispose of the man who had carried all his blame.
Deep down, someone like Danzo trusted only himself.
Schemes and ambition occupied his entire mind.
Bonds and trust held no place within it.
Therefore, he had released the seal on his bandages in advance.
If the situation turned against him, he planned to use Izanagi and escape.
He never expected an Uchiha who normally refused to even raise his head before him to stare directly through the bandages with the Sharingan.
“That brat must have…”
Because Danzo knew nothing about the impossible existence known as transmigrators, he naturally reached the wrong conclusion.
‘He must have planted a spy inside Root!’
‘Who is it?!’
Danzo had spent years planting spies within other factions.
He had personally discovered and cultivated Yakushi Kabuto, so he was especially sensitive to infiltration.
Combined with his inability to trust anyone, the more he thought, the more frightened and furious he became.
Suddenly, every person around him seemed suspicious.
There was no one he could trust.
Danzo dismissed everyone and sat alone in his office, writing one plan after another.
He swore that his next scheme would repay Arashi for this humiliation many times over.
For a long time, the only sound in the dimly lit room was the scratching of his pen against paper.
Eventually, the door was thrown open.
Hiruzen strode inside and immediately noticed the plans Danzo had failed to hide on his desk.
His expression darkened.
“You were caught red-handed in the street, yet you’re still plotting this nonsense?”
Hiruzen snorted, crumpled the papers, and threw them into the wastebasket.
“Behave yourself for a while.”
Danzo’s face turned gloomy.
“Hiruzen, you weakened my authority in front of those two brats and brought the Uchiha into our meetings.”
“Are you planning to kill the hound once the hunt is over?”
“You committed such a foolish act.
What was I supposed to do?”
Hiruzen spoke coldly.
“Should I have allowed the Uchiha to begin a fight to the death with you?”
“Why do the Uchiha oppose you so fiercely?
Because you are greedy and stupid!”
“You dare call me stupid?!”
Danzo did not care about being called greedy.
However, he could never accept being called a fool, especially by the man who had taken the Hokage’s position from him.
Everything Danzo had done was meant to prove that he was superior to Hiruzen and more qualified to become Hokage.
Compared with Danzo’s agitation, Hiruzen remained completely composed.
“If you weren’t stupid, why would you remove the seal from your bandages at a time like that and allow yourself to be exposed?”
“Were you afraid I intended to deal with you?”
Danzo’s expression twisted, but he could not answer.
“To become Hokage, you need perspective.”
Hiruzen’s voice grew solemn.
“If I entrusted Konoha’s darkness to you, then naturally, I was prepared to tolerate your ambition.”
“You appear cautious, yet you possess no tolerance for others.”
“The moment you discover a possible threat, you immediately try to erase it.”
“Over time, you create countless enemies and leave weaknesses everywhere.”
“If I hadn’t constantly cleaned up your messes, do you believe you would still be alive today?”
“Do not look so unconvinced.”
“Homura and Koharu proposed eliminating you long ago.”
“I protected you because of our old friendship and because you genuinely contributed much to Konoha.”
“But stop acting without restraint.”
“The Uchiha now know you possess a Sharingan.”
“Seal your bandages properly and keep a low profile until the attention fades.”
Danzo’s lips trembled with resentment.
“Kaeda Arashi is openly winning over the Uchiha and building a private army.”
“Are you truly going to ignore it?”
“You tolerated Root.
Will you also tolerate the ‘Branch’ that brat is creating?”
“Sooner or later, he will threaten your precious Konoha, standing proudly beneath the sunlight!”
“You are still here, are you not?”
Hiruzen took another puff from his pipe.
“By binding himself to the Uchiha, Arashi has ensured that he will remain your enemy.”
“The conflict between the Root and the Branch cannot harm the Leaves.”
“But do not underestimate him.”
“Stop acting on your own.”
“If you stumble again, even I may not be able to protect you.”
After saying that, Hiruzen turned and walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, he stopped without looking back.
“I don’t care what you and Orochimaru are researching.”
“But nothing can go wrong at a time like this.”
“ANBU will be present throughout Arashi’s meeting with Orochimaru.”
“Do not attempt any tricks.”
“Hiruzen…”
Danzo ground his teeth.
“Do you no longer trust me even that much?”
“If I give you an opportunity, you will undoubtedly cause trouble.”
Hiruzen sneered.
“We have worked together for many years.
I still possess that much ‘trust’ in you.”
“And do not forget, Danzo…”
“I am the Hokage.”
“I have the right to interfere in everything that happens within this village.”
Bang!
Hiruzen slammed the door behind him.
Within a single day, Arashi had mocked Danzo, Shisui had directed killing intent toward him, and Hiruzen had reprimanded him.
Danzo finally lost his calculating composure.
With an enraged shout, he swept everything from his desk, displaying the table-clearing mastery of certain television drama villain.
‘However…’
Hiruzen appeared calm as he departed, but his mind was also filled with calculations.
‘That Arashi has indeed become far too reckless lately.’
‘It’s time to discipline him and teach him that Konoha isn’t a playground where clever tricks allow him to act without consequences.’
…
The leadership meeting began as scheduled the following day.
“Today’s discussion will primarily concern the reform plan proposed by Arashi.”
Hiruzen produced the document that should have remained on Minato’s desk.
“Following his suggestion, future meetings will also include a recorder responsible for organizing and documenting the proceedings.”
“I believe the proposal has merit.”
“Does anyone wish to recommend a candidate?”
This was clearly a mere formality.
Arashi waited several seconds.
When none of the elders spoke, he smiled and offered his recommendation.
“I believe Uchiha Fugaku would be an excellent candidate.”
“The Uchiha lead the Military Police Force and have contributed greatly to the village.”
“His experience and character are trustworthy.
Recording our meetings should be well within his abilities.”
Danzo immediately snorted.
“Fugaku is already extremely busy as captain of the Military Police Force.”
“He may not have time to organize meeting records.”
He was clearly trying to provoke Arashi and display their hostile relationship.
Arashi remained completely unconcerned.
“Which person here is not occupied with countless responsibilities?”
“Everyone has made time to attend this meeting for Konoha’s sake.”
“I’m certain Fugaku-san would not begrudge the village such a small amount of effort.”
“That is reasonable.”
Hiruzen nodded.
“Then let us vote.
I believe Fugaku is suitable.”
He raised his hand first.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu naturally followed him.
As expected, Danzo voted against the proposal.
Arashi possessed the right to speak but not to vote.
Before the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, could even state his position, the proposal had already passed.
Logically, the meeting should have ended there.
The chief advisor’s guards and the Hokage’s small independent budget were hardly important enough to discuss before the entire council.
However, Hiruzen continued.
“Next is an exceptional proposal from the reform plan.”
“Reducing redundant middle-ranking positions.”
Arashi’s eyelid twitched as he sensed trouble.
“Third Hokage-sama, didn’t you previously say that such reductions could cause considerable resentment?”
“Heh.
Konoha is hardly ruled by my word alone.”
Hiruzen smiled mysteriously.
“We are merely discussing whether the proposal is practical.”
“What does everyone think?”
“I believe it is feasible.”
Unexpectedly, Danzo was the first to support it.
The corner of Arashi’s mouth twitched.
‘You old bastard.
You’re deliberately trying to make my life miserable, aren’t you?’
“I also support it.”
Minato finally expressed his opinion.
“It would be an excellent opportunity to improve efficiency and reduce financial pressure.”
‘Damn it, Minato!
This is not the time to help me!’
Arashi already understood what was happening.
Unfortunately, given his position, he could never openly oppose his own proposal.
“Young people are certainly bold.”
Koharu smiled.
“Since Arashi proposed the reform, he should naturally take responsibility for implementing it.”
‘Who wants a job with almost no benefits that only creates enemies?’
‘Why don’t you do it yourself, old woman?’
Arashi cursed wildly inside while forcing out a strained smile.
“H-Haha…
I’m still young and lack experience.”
“I also have little understanding of the structure among Konoha’s middle-ranking shinobi.”
“That will not be a problem.”
Of all people, Danzo spoke again.
“This old man will naturally provide you with assistance.”
‘You’re joining in too, you shameless old bastard?!’
Arashi was nearly losing his mind.
He finally understood their entire plan.
Hiruzen intended to use this task to discipline him.
Arashi enjoyed proposing reforms, didn’t he?
The elders would not need to offend anyone.
He could personally remove members of every clan from their comfortable positions and see who still supported him afterward.
Moreover, when discussing redundant middle management, the Uchiha Military Police Force was the largest target of all.
Would Arashi reduce its personnel or protect them?
Either choice would create enemies.
Danzo’s intentions were even worse.
Under the excuse of helping, he would undoubtedly cause trouble and perhaps place Root operatives into the newly opened positions.
Arashi would handle all the work and absorb everyone’s resentment.
If the reform succeeded, the credit would naturally belong to the wise and righteous elders who approved it.
And so, the proposal Arashi had considered least likely to be implemented passed with unanimous support.