---Previously---
"Come on," a new voice, calm and laced with a profound, almost insulting, boredom, echoed through the clearing. "You're bullying fledgling Konoha-nin?"
"HUH!?" The original Zabuza, his concentration on the water prison momentarily broken, snapped his head to the left, where the voice had come from. There was no one there.
"I'm here, though."
Zabuza spun to his right. The tall, crimson-coated man, the other client, was standing there, his arms crossed, a look of mild annoyance on his face. In his hand, appearing from nowhere, was a simple, sturdy-looking wooden bat. "What!?"
Alaric sighed.
BONK!
---Now---
The sound was a solid, almost comical thwack that echoed through the suddenly silent, misty clearing.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
'Who is he, really?' Kakashi thought, his mind struggling to process the scene.
"How did he..." Naruto murmured, his own earlier paralysis forgotten in the face of this new, baffling development. "WHAT!?"
Sasuke was silent, but his dark eyes were wide, a flicker of something almost like fear in their depths as he stared at Alaric, who was now casually holding the unconscious Zabuza by the ankle, dragging the missing-nin's body across the muddy ground like a sack of potatoes. 'I didn't even see him move.'
Before anyone could react, a new figure dropped from a high branch, landing silently between the Konoha team and Alaric. The newcomer wore the standard attire of a Kirigakure hunter-nin, their face obscured by a white mask with red markings.
"Thank you," the hunter-nin said, his voice a soft, melodic, and distinctly androgynous sound. He bowed slightly. "I have been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to finally take him down."
Kakashi, his mind still reeling, forced himself back into the role of a jōnin. "By your mask," he said, his voice strained from within the prison, "you must be a hunter-nin from the Hidden Mist."
"Impressive, and well-informed," the hunter-nin replied, his tone cold and professional.
"Ugh, a hunter!" Naruto, his courage returning, immediately dashed in front of Tazuna, his kunai held in a shaky but determined grip.
"Naruto, you don't even know what that is," Sakura sighed, a new, almost weary confidence in her voice. "Hunter-nin have a special role. When a missing-nin breaks away, he carries all kinds of village secrets with him. Hunter-nin are specially trained to hunt them down and eliminate them, ensuring the secrets of their village remain secret."
"That's correct," the hunter-nin agreed. "I am a member of the elite tracking unit of Kirigakure. It is my duty to stop Zabuza."
Kakashi narrowed his eye, observing the hunter-nin. 'From their size and voice, they must be the same age as Naruto. Yet, he's an elite assassin? This is no ordinary kid.'
Alaric, who was still holding Zabuza by the ankle, a bored expression on his face, smiled. 'I'm actually curious about Haku's face. Would he really look like a femboy?'
A tense silence fell over the clearing, broken only by the sound of dripping water.
"Urghhh, what is this!?" Naruto finally exploded, his frustration and confusion boiling over. He spun around, pointing a trembling finger at Alaric. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?"
"Huh?"
"Did you hear me!?" Naruto yelled, his face a mask of pure, unadulterated indignation.
"Easy, Naruto," Kakashi warned from his prison. "He's our client, not the enemy."
"That's not the point! Did you see what he did!? Just like that!?" Naruto's voice cracked. "Zabuza was huge and powerful, like some kind of monster! And this man, who's not even a shinobi, brought him down with one move, like it was nothing!"
He turned to his sensei, his own feelings of inadequacy and helplessness pouring out of him. "I mean, what does that make us!? We're just fumbling around! We don't know anything! HOW CAN I ACCEPT THAT!?"
Kakashi sighed, a sound that was barely audible through the water. "Even if you don't accept it, still, it did happen, Naruto. In this world, we can never judge someone by their appearance." His gaze flickered to Alaric, then to the hunter-nin. "There are even kids younger than you, and yet… stronger than me."
Sasuke let out a quiet grunt, while Naruto just grumbled and looked away, his anger deflating into a familiar, bitter shame.
The hunter-nin flickered, reappearing in front of Alaric. "If you don't mind," he said, his voice still cold and professional, "I will take Zabuza now. It will be up to the Mizukage to decide his fate."
Alaric just smiled and nodded, dropping Zabuza's ankle to the ground with a dull thud. "Sure."
"Thank you," the hunter-nin said, effortlessly slinging the unconscious Zabuza over their shoulder. He looked at Alaric, then at Kakashi. "Your struggle is over for now. I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body that must not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands." He formed a single, one-handed sign. "Please excuse me. Farewell."
And with that, he vanished in a swirl of leaves.
"Huh? He disappeared!" Naruto yelled, while Kakashi, finally released from the now-dissipated water prison, collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
Tazuna let out a long, shaky sigh, scratching the back of his head. "Hehe… sorry I caused all this trouble," he said, a weak, nervous laugh escaping him. "But, uh, you can all rest at my house when we get to the village."
"...Alright," Kakashi managed, pushing himself to his feet. "Let's get a move on."
They were all about to follow, their bodies aching, their minds reeling, when Alaric, who had been watching the entire exchange with a detached amusement, shook his head.
"This is my stop."
---
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his wide desk, the scent of ink and paper mixing faintly with the smoke curling from his pipe. His shadow clone moved silently to the side, quill scratching neatly against parchment as it finished the endless pile of mission reports, budget allocations, and requests.
Hiruzen himself didn't bother with the paperwork today. He simply leaned back in his chair, pipe balanced loosely between his fingers, a half-empty cup of tea steaming faintly nearby.
The office was quiet, peaceful even, with only the sound of the clone's steady writing and the occasional chirp of birds from outside the open window. Hiruzen stared past the desk, past the shelves of scrolls, out into the village he had sworn his life to protect.
The door creaked open without a knock.
"Hiruzen, what is it you need?"
Danzo stepped inside, his cane tapping softly against the wooden floor. His single eye fixed on Hiruzen with its usual guarded sharpness, lips pressed into a thin line.
Hiruzen didn't move right away. He drew in the smoke of his pipe, let it out in a long stream toward the ceiling. When he finally turned his gaze back to Danzo, there was no smile, no softness... just the weight of quiet years.
"Address me properly, Shimura-dono" Hiruzen said, his voice calm but carrying an edge.
Danzo's eye widened, just a flicker, before his features returned to their usual impassivity. For a moment he simply stared at his old comrade, then inclined his head slightly.
"I apologize… Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen sighed, setting his pipe down against the ashtray. "Sit, Danzo."
Danzo's steps were deliberate as he crossed the room, his cane clicking each time it struck the floor. He lowered himself into the chair opposite the desk, his posture stiff and controlled as always.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The clone kept working quietly, ignoring the heavy atmosphere settling between the two men.
"The weather in Konoha is beautiful this season," Hiruzen said at last, turning his gaze back toward the window. The sunlight spilled across the rooftops outside, catching on tiled eaves and the rustle of trees swaying in the breeze.
Danzo frowned. "Did you call me to talk about the weather?"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly, but he stopped himself, drawing another deep breath. Calm, he reminded himself. This was not a matter to be rushed with anger. He exhaled and returned his attention to his tea, lifting it slowly and taking a sip before setting it down again.
"No," he said softly. "Not the weather."
Danzo waited, expression unreadable.
Hiruzen's fingers tapped once against the desk. "Tell me… why did you kill Shisui Uchiha?"
The question landed without any flourish, delivered so evenly it almost sounded like idle curiosity. But Danzo's grip on his cane tightened.
"You're imagining things," he said flatly. "I did no such thing."
Hiruzen's eyes drifted back to him. "I already know, Danzo."
"You accuse me without proof," Danzo countered, voice steady. "Why would I harm an ally of the village? Why would I harm one of our most gifted?"
Hiruzen didn't answer at once. He drew his pipe back up, lit it with a match, and let smoke rise again. "Because Shisui stood in the way of your ambitions. His ability could have ended the Uchiha's discontent without bloodshed. But you could not accept that… could you?"
Danzo's jaw tightened. "Even if what you say were true, Hokage-sama, the Uchiha were planning a coup. Do you deny this?"
"The coup…" Hiruzen said slowly, staring at the swirling smoke. He set the pipe back down and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "The coup wouldn't have taken root if you hadn't spent years alienating and demonizing the Uchiha clan. You drove them into isolation, Danzo. You gave them no path but resentment."
Danzo's eye narrowed, his lips pulling into a thin sneer. "Don't twist the truth. The Uchiha chose treachery. I only saw the threat for what it was. You, as always, saw nothing."
Hiruzen's gaze grew heavy with disappointment. "And so you turned to a boy... Itachi Uchiha. You forced him to massacre his own clan. Children, Danzo. Innocent children." His voice didn't rise, but there was weight in it, a sorrow so heavy it nearly pressed into the silence of the room. "Was that truly the only way?"
"It was necessary," Danzo said coldly. "You hesitate, Hiruzen. You cling to ideals. But someone must make the choices you cannot. I did what had to be done to protect the village."
Hiruzen shook his head slowly. "No, Danzo. What you did was not for the village. It was for yourself. To strengthen Root, to grasp for power from the shadows, to prove that your way is the only path."
Danzo's grip on his cane whitened, his knuckles pressing tight. "Stop spouting baseless lies. You're only looking for excuses to strip me of my place among the elders."
The Hokage's clone paused in its writing at that, glancing briefly toward the original before continuing. Hiruzen, however, did not rise to anger. He simply leaned back, reaching for his cup of tea again, and sipped quietly.
"You still haven't disbanded Root," Hiruzen said after a long silence. "Even after I ordered it."
Danzo's lips curved into the barest shadow of a smirk. "...Root exists because it is needed. The world beyond Konoha is not kind. The other villages do not share your sentimentality. Without Root, Konoha is weak."
"Without Root, Konoha is weak?" Hiruzen sighed deeply, almost weary. He set the cup down, rubbing at his temples. "You have deceived, manipulated, and killed in the name of the village… but what you've truly done is carve away at the soul of Konoha. Do you not see that?"
Danzo's expression didn't change. "You may it deceit but I call it sacrifice."
The Hokage studied him for a long time, then shook his head. "No… I call it failure."
Silence fell again. The clone's quill scratched faintly on the paper, the only sound in the office besides the faint breeze through the window. Hiruzen looked down at his hands, then back up at the man he had once trusted as his closest comrade.
"I am… disappointed, Danzo." His words were quiet, but they carried a finality that struck harder than any anger could have.
Danzo's face remained unreadable, but his hand on the cane trembled faintly before he tightened his grip again.
Neither of them spoke further.
.
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