Faced with the night's bewildering turns, countless thoughts swirled within Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind. Yet, no flicker of emotion marred his composed expression. Years in the Hokage's seat had honed his ability to control his emotions, to bury his true thoughts deep within his heart.
In the silent night, lights, which had briefly flickered out, now blazed back to life, illuminating the entire Hokage's Office, now bustling with people. Tsunade, accompanied by the ninjas of the Anbu's Second Assassination Squad, stood before Hiruzen, the recovered Scroll of Seals displayed prominently, along with the grim evidence of the enemy's corpses. Until this matter was resolved, they would not leave.
"Sarutobi, were you looking for me?"
In the hushed silence, the office door creaked open. Shimura Danzō stepped inside, his voice cold, laced with a hint of ill will. A closer look would reveal the pallor of his face, the sheen of sweat on his forehead, even a slight unsteadiness in his gait. Though he had activated Izanagi to evade Ren's deadly Ice Release ninjutsu earlier, the lingering chakra imprint and blade energy of the ice still caused significant internal damage. And no sooner had he retreated from the battlefield and returned to his clan than he was met by Anbu ninjas summoning him here.
The moment he entered the office and his gaze fell upon the large scroll propped on the back of an Anbu ninja, his face instantly contorted into an ugly grimace. What happened? He had used the "Turn the Tiger Away from the Mountain" tactic to draw Ren away. So why were his Root subordinates still unable to secure the Scroll of Seals? Useless! Just a bunch of trash! A flicker of bitter resentment passed through Shimura Danzō's eyes.
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen's calm voice cut through the tension. "Danzō, do you know anything about what happened tonight?"
"Tonight? What's the matter?" Danzō scoffed, his voice dripping with feigned ignorance.
Crack!
Tsunade's palm slammed onto the desk again, and she shot up from her chair. Her eyes blazing with ferocity, she demanded, "Hey, old man, don't play stupid here! Tonight, I personally dealt with those who tried to steal the Scroll of Seals. The Torture and Interrogation Unit has already extracted information! Those people were from your Root and the Shimura clan! How do you explain this?!"
The moment Shimura Danzō had seen the Scroll of Seals upon entering, he had already deduced that his plan for the night had utterly failed. So, facing Tsunade's direct accusation, his expression remained largely unchanged. He genuinely couldn't comprehend why he had encountered Tsunade tonight when he sent his subordinates to steal the Scroll of Seals. Was it truly just a coincidence? There must be some trickery at play, but Danzō didn't have much time to ponder it now.
Faced with Tsunade's fiery questioning and Sarutobi Hiruzen's scrutinizing gaze, Shimura Danzō's eyes remained cold, showing no hint of retreat. "Hehe, I don't know what happened, so what do I need to explain to you? Do you have clear evidence that can prove I instructed them to do this behind my back? Hehe, Tsunade, I'm letting your public slander slide this time, considering you're the First Hokage's granddaughter. But young people, it's best not to be so brash!"
One had to admit, older gingers were indeed spicier. And individuals like Shimura Danzō, who had long resided in Konoha's upper echelons, possessed a mastery of deflection and rhetoric that was incredibly difficult to counter.
"You…" Tsunade seethed with furious rage. If this weren't the Hokage's Office, she would have already charged forward to deliver a brutal beating to the old scoundrel. Seeing his hypocritical face made Tsunade's stomach churn with revulsion. A large part of her reason for leaving Konoha had been her belief that after her grandfather and grand-uncle had passed, Konoha's leadership had fallen into the hands of petty individuals, skilled only in political maneuvering. It had made her feel there was no point in staying in Konoha. If she hadn't met that intriguing brat Ren, she wouldn't have bothered to return to see these old faces.
A sneer played on Tsunade's lips as she mocked him. "Hehe, Danzō, who in Konoha doesn't know that Root was formed by you, and that all its people are your subordinates? And there were people from the Shimura clan in that group. As the patriarch of the Shimura family, you don't expect me to believe that none of this has anything to do with you at all, do you?"
But against Shimura Danzō, Tsunade's verbal attacks still seemed a little immature. Such words had no effect on Danzō, whose skin was as thick as a city wall.
Shimura Danzō's eyes remained cold, yet a faint smile touched his lips. "Of course, it has nothing to do with me. Although the Root organization was disbanded at Sarutobi's request a few years ago, they were my former subordinates. Moreover, as the patriarch of the Shimura clan, if people in our clan are involved in this kind of thing, of course I must investigate it thoroughly! Perhaps someone is interfering, trying to provoke a rift between me and Sarutobi?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen brought the pipe to his lips and took a slow, deep drag. He had remained silent throughout, his expression unchanging. The dispute between Tsunade and Danzō had been entirely within his expectations. After all, all the information they had gathered came from the Torture and Interrogation Unit. While the evidence strongly implicated the Shimura clan, there was no definitive proof that Danzō himself had orchestrated all this from behind the scenes. Besides, what Danzō said wasn't entirely unreasonable in Sarutobi Hiruzen's view. After all, Danzō was still a member of Konoha's senior elders. What if someone really was setting all this up… trying to incite conflict between him and Danzō?
At last, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke. He squinted at Danzō, who stood before him, and slowly asked, "Danzō, since you plan to investigate this matter, do you have any ideas for the time being?"
Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's question, the tense expression on Shimura Danzō's face softened considerably. Indeed, Sarutobi was still as hesitant as he had been for so many years. An imperceptible smile touched the corner of Danzō's mouth, and then he declared to everyone, "There's no need to investigate this matter further. Because I already know who the mastermind behind this incident is!"
"What???"
For a moment, everyone in the crowded office was stunned, a ripple of shock passing through the room.