In the brightly lit Hokage's Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze settled on Shimura Danzō. "You already know who's behind the scenes? Who is it?" he asked, his voice calm but firm.
Every eye in the room, from Tsunade's piercing stare to the unreadable visages of the Anbu ninjas, fixed on Shimura Danzō. A heavy silence descended before Danzō spoke, his voice deep and deliberate.
"It's the great elder of our family, Shimura Egawa."
"What?"
The word hung in the air, a collective gasp. A ripple of shock passed through the room. Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tsunade, and even the Anbu ninjas – all knew of the Shimura clan's elder, Shimura Egawa. Even without direct contact, they had heard whispers of his past. He was a formidable Jōnin in his youth, a strength not to be underestimated. It was only later, during a mission, that he had been ambushed by enemies, suffering almost fatal injuries. He was fortunate to escape, though his heart had been nearly severed. Even after recovering, he could no longer serve as an active ninja, turning instead to the world of commerce. There, he had revealed a shrewd business acumen, managing the Shimura family's finances and their vast family businesses for years. The financial power he wielded was immense.
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, a faint suspicion surfacing. "Danzō, if you say that… what evidence do you have?"
"I have it," Danzō replied, nodding slowly. His eyes were impossibly deep, revealing nothing of his thoughts. Though he knew this move was far from ideal, the immediate priority was to distance himself from tonight's debacle.To sacrifice a pawn to save the king – that was the most common tactic for those who played the political game. As long as he remained a member of Konoha's Elder Council, he would endure; where there's life, there's hope.The previous score… he would always have a chance to settle it slowly!
"Why do you have these things?" Sarutobi Hiruzen pressed, his suspicion evident.
"I noticed something amiss with Egawa before, but I never expected him to dare to try to steal the Scroll of Seals," Danzō stated, adopting a look of righteous indignation. With an unblemished expression, he handed Sarutobi the documents he had already prepared. "This is some information I've collected during this period about Egawa's secret cultivation of his own power. Sarutobi, take a look!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi removed the pipe from his mouth and quickly scanned the contents of the documents. His brows furrowed deeper with each passing line, his expression gradually hardening. What Shimura Egawa had been doing behind the scenes was far worse than he had imagined! Colluding with casinos, wantonly collecting money, and then secretly using his vast financial resources to covertly cultivate his own power, both within the village and even throughout the Land of Fire… No matter the village, such actions were a grave taboo for any Kage! Seriously, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to accuse him of harboring rebellious intent! Such behavior was a direct challenge to Hiruzen's authority as Hokage!
Sarutobi Hiruzen set the documents down, his eyes turning cold as he instructed his Anbu subordinate, "Bring Shimura Egawa here!" A faint, chilling murderous intent flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze.
Soon, led by the Anbu, Shimura Egawa – a man a few years older than both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō – was escorted into the Hokage's Office.
"Lord Hokage, I heard you summoned me?" Shimura Egawa greeted, his eyes darting around. Seeing so many people standing in the Hokage's Office in the middle of the night, a chilling premonition suddenly rose within him. Of course, he knew a thing or two about tonight's plan. His own son had personally participated, declaring he would definitely crush that brat Ren. He looked around, noting the numerous Anbu ninjas present, but there was no sign of the young man named Ren, codenamed Hayabusa. Did the operation succeed tonight?
As he mused internally, his eyes landed on Shimura Danzō, standing calmly in the room. A wave of relief washed over him. If the patriarch is here, everything should be fine, right?
However, just as that thought crossed his mind, Danzō, who was standing not far away, strode forward. Without a word, without any warning, even as Shimura Egawa still held a welcoming smile, about to utter the word "Patriarch," Danzō's hand swung.
Clap!
An incredibly loud, ear-splitting slap echoed through the room. It landed mercilessly on Shimura Egawa's face.
"Elder!" Shimura Danzō exclaimed, his voice laced with feigned heartache. He put on an expression of utter devastation. "The face of our Shimura clan is about to be utterly humiliated by you!" He wrung his hands, his voice laced with false anguish. "If the evidence wasn't so conclusive, I truly wouldn't have expected you to do such a thing!"
"Ah? Me, what's wrong with me…" Egawa stammered, covering his stinging face, pain forgotten. His eyes were completely blank, stunned by the unexpected blow.
"Still won't admit it? Check for yourself!" Danzō narrowed his eyes, tossing the incriminating documents at Egawa.
Egawa quickly caught them and his gaze darted over the pages. His face instantly went cold, and a trickle of cold sweat ran down his forehead. The more he read, the more fear gnawed at his heart, especially as he stood directly before the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Privately cultivating power – this was absolutely forbidden for any Hokage! In just a few minutes, the back of Egawa's clothes were completely soaked with cold sweat.
"Ho-Hokage-sama, I, this is…" Egawa, now as pale as paper, raised his head to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his mouth faltering, utterly lost for an explanation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply, his voice solemn. "Egawa, we've known each other for so many years. If Danzō hadn't told me all the truth, I truly wouldn't have expected you to do such a thing. If it were merely the selfish cultivation of power, I'd still be willing to listen to your explanation. But I truly did not expect that you would actually attempt to steal the Scroll of Seals. Such behavior is enough to put you in prison, for the rest of your life!"
Boom!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words struck Shimura Egawa like a thunderclap, exploding above his head. In that moment, Shimura Egawa, wide-eyed and reeling as if struck by lightning, turned his gaze towards Shimura Danzō, his face etched with incredulity.
He never would have imagined… the person who had betrayed him was none other than his own patriarch, Shimura Danzō! In that instant, everything replayed in his mind, and he finally understood what had truly transpired! It must have been exposed tonight, so this bastard wants to pin everything on his head! No wonder Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, knew that he had used his money to cultivate power privately. Besides the group of ninjas leaking secrets, how else could Hiruzen know so much about this?!