"From what I have seen about this phenomenon...both of you were pushed to the same edge, mentally speaking, despite your different lives and paths." Hiruzen said, looking out of the window, as if he was remembering something.
At that moment, Shinichi entered the room. He had his usual stoic expression, but for a moment his eyes softened looking at Satoru, before returning to their regular sharp look.
"It doesn't matter what you saw within that place...It is a very, very dangerous state to be in. Not due to you sharing your memories with someone from an enemy country, but because you did it while fighting. To the death, as it seemed." Hiruzen's eyes scanned Satoru, although it was unknown what he was truly looking for.
"It means that someone in an enemy country achieved it by thinking the same as you...as violently as YOU!"
"Lord hokage...I, from my firsthand experience, can assure that Satoru is not what you think of him. Yes, he is ruthless and precise in his actions, but he is not a violent person." Shinichi said,
He slowly walked to face the hokage while putting himself between him and Satoru. His words made Hiruzen raise his eyebrows in curiosity.
"What difference is there between those two? Do you mind explaining, how a person like him is not violent?" Hiruzen's words made Shinichi, clear his throat before saying...
"During the fight, you saw it just as clearly as I did. Satoru could end the match at many different occasions...or use a different method to end the fight. But he didn't do it and won without killing." He paused before speaking again,
"You know that even if Satoru had killed that boy, he wouldn't have been imprisoned for it because the exams happened in our country. Satoru chose the harder choice despite gaining nothing from it."
Shinichi felt the back of his neck become wet with sweat, with how the Hokage looked at him.
"It's true! Lord Hokage, the blood reports showed that Satoru's antidote was greatly helpful to save that boy. Without Satoru injecting it, he would have died." Mitsuki said, standing beside Shinichi.
"You mean the antidote for the poison which Satoru used? The same poison which caused great pain to a six year old? The antidote for that poison?" Hiruzen wasn't having any of it.
"I don't care if Satoru used the antidote created by his own body to save his opponent. Poison may be legal, but it DOES NOT match our values, our way of doing things! We. Are. Not. Sunagakure..." Hiruzen said slowly, emphasizing each word.
Satoru couldn't find the courage to look at the Hokage, it felt like even breathing wrong would result in death.
Hiruzen stared straight at Satoru, not even bothering to pay attention to the two people standing between him and Satoru.
"Look at me boy." He said, it was a deathly calm tone.
Satoru's every instinct fired up, as he couldn't move a muscle.
"LOOK AT ME!!!"
Satoru looked up to see Hiruzen staring him right in the eyes.
"You think I don't know what you have done? The kind of person you are? If it wasn't for Danzo interfering and stopping me..." Hiruzen paused before continuing. "And that clan actually being guilty, I would imprisoned you...or would have you executed by now!"
Hiruzen walked past them both, pushing them aside and he forced Satoru to look at a photo. Who glanced at it for a moment and closed his eyes in rejection.
He didn't want to face that part of his life again.
"Open your eyes and look! Look at what you have done!"
Hiruzen's back made sure that Shinichi and Mitsuki couldn't see what he was showing.
Satoru slowly opened his eyes and saw the photo. It was Keiko's. Her clan that was wiped out.
He turned away momentarily, before Hiruzen held his face and made him look.
"And this!"
It was a photo of the the Yotsuki clan.
"..."
Satoru shrunk in posture, as he tried go move in his bed, trying to get away from him.
Hiruzen grabbed his broken ankle and pulled him and the bed closer. There was no escape.
"And, how about this..."
It was the photo of the man in the alley.
Satoru's reaction to all those photos made one thing clear to Hiruzen...
Satoru was guilty.
Satoru lay there in his bed...unable to do anything...unable to say anything.
He raised his head just enough for the hokage to see him. His eyes were wide in shock, as if they wanted to know how he knew.
"You don't need to know, but what you do need know is...I do not trust you and I will be keeping my eye on you!"
"Lord Hokage, Satoru was too young at that time to know any better. He meant for Keiko to not be ostracized!" Mitsuki said,
She couldn't see the photos but deep down she knew what they were showing.
"And Yotsuki?" Hiruzen asked, turning to face Mitsuki.
"Satoru at that time was regularly meeting with Lord Danzo...he would often teach Satoru about his methods." Mitsuki felt like a chill settling on her back, badmouthing Lord Danzo in front of the man who considered him a brother.
"And you let him preach his methods?" Hiruzen asked, deciding to keep up the pressure on them.
"Yes...but I won't anymore!" Her eyes displayed resolve. "I am adopting Satoru! I will keep watch over him...I will teach him the difference between good and bad. I take full responsibility for him." Mitsuki said looking at the Hokage in the eyes.
"As his jonin instructor...it is my responsibility that my students grow up to be promising shinobi and remain loyal to our village. I will make sure he never does anything that will deem him a threat to our village and its people." Shinichi said resolutely.
"And what if he does? He already looks like he wants to do it again!" Hiruzen said, glancing at Satoru who couldn't take his eyes of the photos.
Mitsuki gulped, her hand wiped the sweat on her forehead. "We will bear the punishment..." She said, her jaw clenched as she nervously held Shinichi's hand.
"All of it...even if it means death!" Shinichi completed, his grip on her hand was tighter than she would like.
"If you go against the leaf...against me. I will come for them, and then you..." The hokage said before opening the door. "And if you tell anyone about this...they die!"
He left.
---
Hiruzen walked the hallways, slowly making his way to the terrace.
Many looked at him and lit up with bright smiles, waving their hands excitedly to get his attention. The adults immediately bowed in respect.
Hiruzen smiled as he walked by...but his mind was already elsewhere.
He opened the door to the terrace and walked to the safety railings. He eyed the village from the elevated view.
Everyone in his vision seemed the same, rich and poor, man or woman...Innocent or guilty. It almost blurred together, to the point where he couldn't decide who was what.
His hand tightly gripped the railing, denting it with pressure.
He exhaled sharply before quickly taking out a tobacco pipe. He lit it up with a lighter, but his hand just wouldn't stop shaking.
He felt a rush...deep and relaxing. Each inhale stilled his trembling hand till his grip on the railing loosened.
The door opened again and a man in his with bandaged face entered. He leaned on a walking cane, his movements were uneven. Ever since a career altering injury struck him, he had difficulty walking.
He coughed roughly and the sound made Hiruzen turn to face the man.
It was Danzo.
"How did it go with the boy? Are you going to take any action?" Danzo asked only not recieve any reply.
Hiruzen had turned back to face the village, before taking another drag from his pipe.
"I propose that we keep the boy under ROOT supervision. His actions will be monitored at all times and he will recieves any psychological help he needs. He will benefit greatly. He will receive training to control himself and proper he..."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I gave him a chance...if takes it, he lives. If he doesn't then...the village will respond." Hiruzen said, took a drag from his pipe.
"What chance did you give him?" Danzo asked.
"If he becomes something I can tolerate...he gets to live on with his life. Becoming chunin...becoming jonin. If he doesn't..."
"I can make sure he belongs to the Leaf before he belongs to himself." Danzo insisted.
"I'm done with your schemes, old friend." He turned back to face Danzo. "I want your ROOT as far away from kids like him as possible!"
Danzo stayed silent as listened to him continue.
"I will take responsibility...for all of them. They will be closely watched by me and I will keep them in check." Hiruzen said, his eyes showed there was no room for negotiations.
"So, what are you going to do with the Uchiha clan? They were the ones behind it all. And that's just one of the scandal hidden under the rug. They don't deserve a slap on wrist like you are doing with that boy." Danzo said, and it was clear what he meant.
"You want the ones involved to be killed or inprisoned?"
"Yes, with no mercy and NOW."
"No, that won't work. Cut of a head and two more shall take its place. Removing those responsible creates a vacuum. Vacuums breed instability."
"Then what?" Danzo asked, stepping closer to hiruzen.
He burst into a fit of coughs.
Hiruzen watched without doing anything.
"It's better to take their power itself. They hold the law enforcement in their palms...we have to take that away from them. We will open the police force to other clans which are allied to us alongside civilian shinobis."
"And what is supposed to do? Bring greedy civilian shinobis who will do whatever it takes to gain the attention of the Uchiha. Spread the influence of uchiha to outside of the police force?" Danzo took another step closer, looking at him in the eye.
"I hope that the research on hashirama cells actually works...or you'll succumb to whatever that is." Hiruzen eyed Danzo's bloody palm.
"Don't change the subject to my health!" There was a hint of something in his words. Even he knew what Hiruzen meant.
"What you said is true...people will try to cater to Uchiha clan in hopes for their privileges. But other clans will also be present. They will have authority to meddle in important affair which were once completely secret to us.
We will have insider knowledge to their activities, their plans and can watch their actions up close."
"By the time your plan comes to reality, your children will have children. Do you have any idea just how it will take? Are you planning for those people to walk away scot-free? We need something urgent."
"A major systematic change of this level requires time, and time doesn't favor anyone. This will allow us to contain the Uchiha and keep them in check."
"Containment is not control," Danzo said quietly.