The air inside the cave turned cold. The ANBU surrounding Danzo tightened their formation—then the figure dissolved into smoke. A shadow clone.
Several ANBU stiffened, realising they hadn't sensed the deception of the shadow clone. If this were a real battle, they would already be in trouble.
Only the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, remained calm, his gaze fixed on the shadows behind him.
The real Danzo stepped forward from the darkness, walking toward Hiruzen with measured steps. His cane tapped softly against stone. The sound echoed through the cave.
Hiruzen turned his head slowly. "Good to see you, old friend."
"Hiruzen, what is the meaning of this?" Danzo said coldly. "You are interfering with Root operations—sabotaging a mission crucial for the good of the village."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward. "Attacking my direct subordinates counts as 'good for the village' now, does it?"
Danzo's expression didn't flicker. "These individuals are connected to Orochimaru. They were in contact with a traitor. That association alone justifies my actions. It grants me the authority to detain and interrogate them."
"Authority?" Hiruzen repeated the word. "So that gives you the right to attack my ANBU?"
Danzo's jaw tightened, a subtle grinding of teeth the only sign of his frustration. He turned to his Root operatives. "Release the ANBU. Take others into custody."
"That won't be necessary," Hiruzen interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. "I will take it from here."
"You are making a mistake," Danzo protested, his voice rising slightly. "These people have connections with Orochimaru. I need to investigate them."
Hiruzen met his gaze evenly. "You and I are also 'connected' to Orochimaru, Danzo. We were his teachers. His colleagues. Should I investigate you as well?"
Danzo stiffened. "That is diff—"
"The leader of this clan has negotiated a deal with the Leaf," Hiruzen cut in, silencing him. "They are under my protection now."
Danzo's eye narrowed. "I was not informed of any such deal. Who conducted these negotiations?"
"Someone I trust," Hiruzen replied simply. "All you need to know is that their past is of no concern to you. Orochimaru's lies led many people astray; mere contact is not a crime. They were victims, not willing accomplices."
He stepped closer to Danzo, lowering his voice to a dangerous quiet.
"They have been promised sanctuary by my emissary, and it will not look good upon me if I do not make good on his promises."
Hiruzen's eyes briefly travelled to Kakashi, who was currently receiving assistance from a fellow ANBU, before returning to Danzo. The conviction in his eyes was absolute.
"I know you better than yourself, Danzo—you were after this clan's bloodline and his eye. Don't even try to fool me."
"I promise you this: if my ANBU are targeted again... that day will be the last day Root is operational."
The threat was not shouted, but it echoed with the force of a thunderclap.
"I know who was spreading rumours about his father," Hiruzen continued, his voice laced with a cold fury. "And I know why. He could have been a fine Hokage."
Danzo bristled. "I didn't intend—"
"I don't care what you intended!" Hiruzen snapped, the sudden volume making the Root operatives flinch. "Get this straight: Kakashi is off-limits."
Silence stretched, taut and brittle.
Kakashi, still catching his breath, processed the words. The rumours about his father—the whispers that had driven Sakumo to despair—had a source. Danzo. The revelation settled into his chest like a stone, cold and heavy.
Danzo exhaled slowly, regaining his composure. He signalled to his men. "We are leaving." He turned to the young Wood Release user, Kinoe. "You as well."
"Not so fast," Hiruzen called out.
Danzo paused, his eyes narrowing as he turned back slowly, a glint of defiance in his gaze. "He is my subordinate."
"He is one of the children Orochimaru experimented on," Hiruzen corrected, his eyes hard. "One who survived. You failed to disclose this to the village."
Danzo remained silent, his grip on his cane tightening.
"The only survivor of the Lord Hashirama's cell experiments," Hiruzen continued, his tone deliberate. "Wood Release—a power the village has not seen since the Lord First."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words settle in the air.
"The son of the Fourth will one day become a ninja. We do not know the long-term effects of the seal placed on him. We don't know what will happen if the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style weakens or breaks as he grows older."
The implication was clear: Naruto Uzumaki carried the Nine-Tails within him, referring to the Tailed Beast. And Wood Release was the only known power capable of suppressing a Tailed Beast.
"This child's ability," Hiruzen said, looking at Kinoe, "will be crucial when that day comes. His power is not yours to hoard, Danzo. It belongs to the village."
Danzo's jaw clenched. "Why not entrust the fox to me, then? I can ensure he becomes an excellent ninja. Under my guidance, the seal will never be an issue. He will be ready."
"Only a fool would entrust a child to you," Hiruzen replied bluntly.
The words hung in the air.
"And I will never," Hiruzen added, his voice dropping to ice, "entrust a safeguard for the Fourth Hokage's son to a man like you."
"Hiruzen," Danzo said, his voice taking on a persuasive edge. "Whatever you think of me... all my actions... they are for the village. For stability. For survival."
"Don't make excuses," Hiruzen said, waving him off.
"Sacrifices," Danzo insisted, leaning forward slightly on his cane. "Necessary sacrifices for the greater good."
"Sacrifices are only 'sacrifices' when it's you making them," Hiruzen shot back, his voice filled with a weary disappointment. "I used to believe you, once. I believed you acted out of duty. But now... I don't."
He stepped closer, his voice quiet but cutting.
"You have never sacrificed a day in your life, Danzo. Except perhaps your humanity."
The remarks are quite personal and impactful. The atmosphere around Danzo grew frigid and more brittle, yet his emotional mask remained intact.
"The boy stays with me," Hiruzen declared. "If you need a bureaucratic reason, let's say he is connected to Orochimaru and I am taking him into custody for evaluation. Since you failed to disclose his existence, you have forfeited jurisdiction."
Danzo stared at him for a long moment, the silence stretching like a taut wire. Finally, he spoke. "I will not lift the curse seal."
It was a petty act of defiance, a final grasp at control.
"Fine. You can leave now. I won't interrupt you anymore," Hiruzen said, his patience spent.
Danzo gritted his teeth, turning sharply. "Let's go."
He swept out of the cave, the Root ANBU melting into the shadows behind him like ghosts receding into the dark.
The cave fell silent save for the quiet breathing of the injured and the faint drip of water somewhere deeper in the stone.
Hiruzen let out a long breath, the imposing aura fading into the posture of a tired old man. He turned to the Iburi Clan members, who were watching with wide, fearful eyes.
"I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf," he said gently. "You are safe now."
The clan leader, Gotta, stepped forward and bowed low. "Thank you... Lord Hokage. We... we did not expect..."
"You were promised protection," Hiruzen interrupted kindly. "And I keep my promises."
Gotta looked up, tears gathering at the edges of his eyes. "We have lived in fear for so long."
"No longer," Hiruzen assured him. "I will honour the agreement you have with the boy. Land will be allocated for your clan. The Hamura clan has taken on the task of building a safe home—a facility designed specifically for your condition."
Gotta's voice wavered. "A... a home? Not a cave?"
"A home," Hiruzen confirmed. "A proper home inside a village. You will no longer need to hide. You will live in the light, as part of the village."
The words seemed to break something in Gotta. He bowed again, deeper this time, unable to speak.
Hiruzen then turned his attention to the boy—Kinoe.
"What is your name, son?" Hiruzen asked, his tone warm.
The boy hesitated. "Kinoe... It was the code name given for the mission." He looked down at his feet. "I... I have no name now. My mission is over. I am no longer Root."
Hiruzen's expression softened. "Every child must have a name. A real name."
Kakashi spoke, "We need something strong. How about... Sosuke?"
Yukimi, the young Iburi girl who had been tending to Kinoe earlier, shook her head. "That sounds stiff. Like a title, not a name."
She looked at the boy, studying his face thoughtfully. "What about... Tenzo?"
The boy blinked, testing the sound in his mind. "Tenzo?"
"It sounds strong," Yukimi said with a small, hesitant smile. "Like someone who could grow into something... important."
The boy looked at her, then at the Hokage. "I... I like it."
Hiruzen smiled, a genuine warmth reaching his tired eyes. "Then Tenzo it is. Welcome to the Leaf, Tenzo."
Gotta, watching the exchange, felt a pang in his chest. His own son, also named Tenzo, had been lost. And now, in a strange twist of fate, a new name had been given to this boy who would inherit a new future.
"All promises will be fulfilled shortly," Hiruzen addressed the room at large. "Supplies will be delivered daily. A team of my personal guard will protect you round the clock until the new home is ready."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Gotta said, bowing deeply.
Hiruzen's gaze shifted to Tenzo. "You'll stay with Kakashi for the time being."
The boy nodded silently.
Without another word, Hiruzen turned and walked toward the exit, his silhouette fading into the shadows, leaving Tenzo with Kakashi in the cave.
##PoWeR StOnEs PLeaSE##
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