Hokage eting Room.
Hiruzen Sarutobi set the Hokage hat aside and sat alone at the head of the table; the dim yellow light etched his wrinkles into even grimr lines.
A pipe rested between his fingers, white smoke curling upward and veiling half his face —only his eyes, razor-sharp behind the haze, remained clear.
Creeeak—
The door was pushed open.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane walked in side by side.
The instant their eyes landed on Hiruzen, both of them froze mid-step.
The "familiar" Hiruzen Sarutobi before them was not the kindly, compromising Hokage of everyday life, but the Sandai who had once strode across the Third Great Ninja War and been hailed by every nation as the "Shinobi Hero."
Homura and Koharu's hearts sank in perfect unison; they traded a quick glance —this was trouble.
Danzo had truly touched the dragon's scale this ti.
Even if they wanted to diate, Hiruzen's manner tonight made it clear the matter would not end easily.
Homura adjusted his glasses and spoke first, probing:
"Hiruzen, it's so late —did sothing urgent happen on the border for you to summon us?"
He steered the topic outward, hoping to soften the internal conflict.
Koharu followed his lead at once, a perfectly tid look of concern blossoming on her face:
"Yes, unless a major incident occurred, why call us out at this hour? Has so village made a move?"
Hiruzen's pipe exhaled wisps of smoke that masked his expression. He didn't answer directly; he rely pointed to the chairs beside him.
"Sit." His tone was hard. "We'll speak… once Danzo arrives."
Homura and Koharu obeyed, exchanging another heavy look.
Hiruzen's posture stripped every pre-prepared argunt of its weight.
Monts later the office door opened again.
Danzo Shimura, leaning on his cane, entered slowly.
The mont his single eye crossed the threshold it locked onto the figure at the head: back straight, gaze like a torch, staring straight through the smoke.
The long-absent "Shinobi Hero" stance sent Danzo's heart plumting.
Unpleasant mories surfaced; Danzo knew exactly how terrifying Hiruzen beca in this mode —yet when his peripheral vision caught Homura and Koharu sitting rigidly nearby, his taut nerves slackened a fraction.
With those two present, at least… matters could not slide to the worst outco; their earlier secret talks now beca Danzo's sole psychological support.
With that thought he reached his seat, cane tapping the floor with a crisp "thunk."
Danzo raised his head, his lone eye eting Hiruzen's as he feigned ignorance:
"Hiruzen, an ergency eting? What for?"
Hiruzen finally lifted his eyelids, his gaze raking across Danzo's bandage-wrapped body and fixing on that single eye. No pleasantries —he cut straight in, voice icy:
"Good —you're here."
He paused, letting the suffocating silence hang for several seconds before continuing,
"Now that everyone's present… let's begin."
Those words instantly snagged the breath of the other three.
Homura adjusted his glasses; Koharu unconsciously straightened her spine, while Danzo's lone eye narrowed… They had assud tonight would end in the usual scolding.
But Hiruzen's every move draped a storm-brewing heaviness across their hearts.
Without giving them further ti to brace themselves, Hiruzen hurled the bombshell:
"Last night, Konoha Genin Tejima Shinichi, while carrying out a C-Rank mission within the Land of Fire, was ambushed by five unidentified, highly trained, and perfectly coordinated Ninja. The enemy employed the Yamanaka clan's secret Mind Transfer Jutsu in an attempt to capture or kill a Leaf shinobi!"
With every sentence his tone grew heavier, his eyes sharper.
"Danzo —do you have anything to explain?"
Danzo's eye flickered, his face expressionless: "Unknown assailants —what have they to do with ? Perhaps spies from another village."
"Oh? Is that so?" Hiruzen slamd a report onto the desk. "Then how do you explain the Root-standard cloth fragnts left at the scene, and Yamato's statent that their tactics and use of the Yamanaka secret art mirror Root's exactly?!"
Seeing the tension, Homura intervened: "Hiruzen, there may be more to this. Danzo handles the village's darker affairs —many enemies could impersonate Root operatives."
Koharu chid in: "Indeed, scraps and descriptions alone aren't conclusive. Besides, Tejima Shinichi returned safely —perhaps it was just a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" Hiruzen's voice rose in fury. "Five elite Ninja —one Jonin, four Chunin —ambushing a freshly graduated Genin! A misunderstanding?! Had Shinichi's strength not far exceeded expectations and had he not fought for his life, he'd be a cold corpse now —or so unspeakable 'tool'!"
Under Hiruzen's fierce questioning Danzo's face darkened, yet he clung to his line:
"Evidence? A few scraps and subjective claims —how do they prove Root's involvent? Hiruzen, as Hokage would you condemn an elder on re speculation? Soone could be framing us to sow internal strife."
He tried to muddy the waters and shift the issue toward an outside conspiracy.
"Speculation?" Hiruzen slamd another report on the table with a thunderous crack. "The Root-standard cloth fragnts match precisely with the material and weave recorded in the Anbu's procurent logs for Root supplies!"
"Yamato personally experienced their tactics —identical to Root's coordination —and the Yamanaka clan's secret Mind Transfer Jutsu, which is impossible for outsiders to mimic! Are these all coincidences? Could anyone simply fake them?!"
Hiruzen, now resolved, pressed his attack relentlessly!
Seeing the deadlock, Homura tried again to diate:
"Hiruzen, even if true, it might rely be unauthorized action by certain Root individuals —not necessarily Danzo's direct order. When one handles the shadows, subordinates can misinterpret…"
Koharu hastily echoed:
"Indeed, Hiruzen. Until the facts are clear, conclusions should wait. The boy did return unhard —no irreversible damage done. An internal inquiry can decide any punishnt later."
User Comments
0 comments from readers