Danzo gazed at Sarutobi Hiruzen, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado with a look of complete estrangement.
They had once been close allies—but now, everything had abruptly shifted. They had even united with Minato Namikaze against him, attempting to disband his Root division.
What infuriated him most was not a single person had stood by his side or given him a warning beforehand.
He had been utterly abandoned.
If Root were disbanded, he would lose every last bit of power he held within the village.
His role as the Hokage's advisor had already been taken away. Now they sought to remove his command over Root as well. Without that title, he would be no different from any other elderly villager in Konoha.
Danzo shot back sharply, "Root was my creation. As its leader, I have independent command authority. You, Hiruzen, personally agreed to this back then. So my answer is no—I won't accept this!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen replied gravely, "Danzo, it's true I made that promise back then, but the current Hokage isn't me—it's Minato!
And remember, there's only one supreme leader in Konoha—the Hokage! No one's power stands above the Hokage's. The Hokage has final say on all matters!
Now both myself and Koharu and Homura are here to support Hokage Minato. We obey Minato's orders, and we'll push forward anything beneficial for Konoha.
Danzo, although you founded Root and hold independent authority over it, you're still Hokage Minato's subordinate. That's something you must understand clearly.
Moreover, since Minato took office, have you ever reported Root's activities to him? Root isn't your personal organization; it's a department of Konoha. Reporting to the Hokage is your responsibility, Danzo!"
Danzo's face twisted with conflicting emotions.
The situation was clear now—Sarutobi Hiruzen, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado would never take his side.
Today, whether he liked it or not, Root would be disbanded.
But there were many things inside Root that could never see the light of day.
Taking a deep breath, Danzo said, "I understand. I will go to Root to announce this decision myself."
Minato Namikaze spoke up, "That won't be necessary, Elder Danzo. ANBU has already gone to assume control of Root."
Danzo's body trembled slightly as he glared at Minato with a chilling gaze.
So everything had been set in motion from the very beginning.
While he was leaving Root headquarters to come here, Minato's ANBU had already moved in to take over.
They had left him no room to maneuver!
Minato stood up and stepped directly in front of Danzo. "Whatever we find inside Root this time, I will pretend I didn't see it—but this only happens once."
Danzo stared at Minato Namikaze. If glares could kill, that insufferable golden-haired upstart would have been reduced to dust by now.
Was Minato offering him mercy this time—just so he'd owe him gratitude?
Dream on!
"You'll come to regret this!"
Danzo left after uttering these harsh words, though right now, that was all he could do.
After Danzo left, Minato Namikaze exhaled deeply.
Now they could deal with the Uchiha situation without interference.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
After all, Danzo had once been their companion and friend. After today's incident, their relationship was now irreparably broken.
Minato looked at the three of them and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you today for the help from the Third and both Advisors."
Hiruzen sighed, saying, "For the sake of Konoha, these were the right things to do. Danzo and Root have already become destabilizing factors for Konoha."
Koharu murmured, "Danzo was simply too infuriated by what happened back then, believing only by becoming Hokage could he prove himself."
Minato curiously asked, "What exactly happened?"
Homura explained, "Back during the First Great Ninja World War, when Kumo's Kinkaku and Ginkaku suddenly staged a coup at the Raikage and Hokage's alliance ceremony, using the Six Paths' Treasures and Nine-Tails' chakra power, they inflicted near-fatal injuries upon The Second Raikage A and The Second Hokage. Later, the seriously wounded Second Hokage led us out of the encirclement.
However, Kinkaku and Ginkaku led all elite ninja in pursuit. We discussed choosing someone as bait to lure the enemy army so that other comrades could have enough time to escape safely.
At that time, actually, the Second Hokage was secretly testing who would be the correct heir. Though Danzo harbored the thought to volunteer eagerly as bait, at the critical moment, he hesitated out of fear. It was Hiruzen who stepped forward and volunteered to be the bait.
In the end, the bait naturally became the Second Hokage. Before separating, the Second Hokage praised Hiruzen's action and appointed him as the next Hokage. Then, after covering our retreat, the Second Hokage sacrificed himself."
Hiruzen puffed repeatedly on his pipe, his expression nostalgic yet sorrowful.
Koharu continued, "Because of this incident, Danzo remained infuriated, feeling that if he had stepped up then, the Hokage title would have been his. But Danzo didn't understand—actually, the Second Hokage was only testing Hiruzen.
In the Second Hokage's mind, the ideal successor had always been Hiruzen—not Danzo. In fact, Danzo wasn't even considered by the Second Hokage because Danzo acted far too extremely.
History has also proven that Hiruzen did an excellent job as Hokage over the years, and under Hiruzen's leadership, Konoha developed very well.
Danzo's abilities don't need questioning, but he is suited to be the shadow of the Hokage, not the Hokage himself.
Hiruzen is the Hokage forever warming Konoha under sunlight, while Danzo is the decisive force in darkness. Together, they balanced each other—guiding Konoha to its golden age."
"But unfortunately, Danzo was too obsessed with the position of Hokage. He could have been a strong ally for you, The Fourth Hokage."
Minato Namikaze sighed upon hearing this, surprised by what had transpired in the past.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and said, "I believe Minato will do an even better job than I did. Konoha is developing rapidly. Figures like Shikaku and Inoichi, capable of bearing great responsibility, are stepping forward, while the next generation — Kakashi, Obito, and Shindai — continues to grow stronger.
"One generation does its own work. Now it's your time, Minato. We older ones should provide support based on our accumulated experience."
After briefly discussing the future of the Konoha Military Police Force with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were the first to leave the Hokage Building.
Minato stretched lazily. With a major issue now resolved, he felt significantly more at ease.
Hiruzen smiled and said, "Sitting here for so long has tired me as well. Minato, walk with me — young Shindai has opened his new store, let's go take a look."
Minato grinned and nodded. "Sure."
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