"Tell me, Danzo," the Third Hokage's eyes sharpened, his voice like tempered steel, "where was Root when the village was under attack?"
Danzo's face didn't even flicker. "Naturally, we were fighting the invaders," he replied, calm and cold as ever.
"You'd better hope that's true," Hiruzen said, the weight of his authority pressing against the room. "Remember this Root was founded to protect the Leaf, not to become your personal army. If I ever suspect you've lost sight of that, I'll dissolve Root permanently."
Danzo didn't flinch. "Everything I do is for the protection of the Leaf," he countered, voice steady but laced with defiance.
"Hmph. Enough. Leave. Naruto's safety is none of your concern."
Danzo turned sharply, his cloak sweeping behind him. The door slammed hard as he exited, the sound echoing through the office.
"Remember," Hiruzen's voice drifted after him, low and resolute, "I am the Hokage."
The old war hawk's footsteps faded, but the door still quivered from the force. The Third sighed, staring at it with weary eyes. Perhaps it was time to step down and to bring the old guard down with him.
Tsunade had Jiraiya at her side and experience to match. She didn't need another council of elders watching over her shoulder.
Minato had been different. When he became Hokage, he'd been barely in his twenties brilliant, but too young to carry the full weight of the village. A Hokage had to manage everything from politics to peacekeeping, and Minato's power had still been growing. He needed support back then.
But Tsunade wasn't a prodigy in her prime. She was a master at her peak. She didn't need the same scaffolding Minato once did.
If only I hadn't rushed him, Hiruzen thought. If Minato had just a little more time to grow… maybe the tragedy of the Nine-Tails Night could've been avoided.
Meanwhile, in the hospital, the quiet hum of chakra monitors filled the air.
Sakura and Ino had heard the news Sasuke was injured. They dropped everything and rushed over, breathless from running.
During the invasion, they'd been assigned to lead villagers to the shelters. Now that things had settled, their hearts raced for a different reason.
But the moment they burst into Sasuke's ward, what they saw stopped them dead in their tracks.
A red-haired girl sat beside Sasuke's bed, gently feeding him slices of apple.
The sight was enough to light a fuse.
"Hey! Who are you?!" Sakura's voice cracked with fury as her pink hair bristled. "Get away from Sasuke!"
Ino was right behind her, golden ponytail whipping over her shoulder like a banner of war. "Yeah! Who do you think you are? Sasuke doesn't need some stranger fawning over him!"
The red-haired girl Lily froze for a heartbeat, caught mid-motion, the apple slice still hovering near Sasuke's lips.
Then her temper ignited.
The Uzumaki bloodline was known for two things ridiculous chakra reserves and an even more ridiculous temper.
Lily had behaved like an angel back at Sasuke's house, but that was because Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata were her saviors. Here, she wasn't about to be pushed around.
Adjusting her glasses, Lily stood up slowly, her crimson eyes flashing.
"'Your Sasuke?'" she sneered. "What a joke. Who I take care of is none of your business. I was the one who dragged him back from the battlefield while you two were hiding in a shelter!"
Her finger jabbed toward her own chest. "So why don't you stop meowing like scared cats and get out if you're not helping?"
"You what did you just say?!" Sakura's fists clenched, veins popping on her forehead.
Ino's anger flared too. "You think you're better than us? You don't even know Sasuke like we do!"
Lily took a step forward, her glasses glinting dangerously. "Better than you? Oh, sweetheart, that's not hard. Sasuke doesn't need noisy little birds chirping around him. He needs someone who actually does something."
Sakura trembled with rage. "You how dare you! We were helping evacuate villagers while you were were "
"Were what?" Lily interrupted, crossing her arms. "Actually being useful?"
Ino shot forward, her voice sharp. "We've been with him since the Academy! We grew up together! You think you can just walk in and "
Lily smiled, slow and smug, the kind of smile that could start a war. "Oh, you grew up together? How cute. Then tell me " she paused for dramatic effect, then dropped the bomb
"Do you live with him?"
The air froze.
"What?!" both girls shouted in unison.
Lily pushed her glasses up, eyes glinting like a predator's. "That's right. I live with Sasuke. Same house, same roof. I see him every day. I cook for him, train with him, take care of him. You don't even know which direction his front door faces."
Sakura and Ino's jaws dropped. Their brains went blank.
Live together? That meant something entirely different. That meant closeness. That meant intimacy.
Their carefully built dreams every blush, every daydream crumbled to dust in an instant.
Sakura's eyes went red as tears welled up, her lips trembling. Ino's usual confidence shattered into disbelief.
Lily, sensing victory, pressed her advantage. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? If you really cared about him, you'd leave him to rest instead of making a scene."
She pointed at Sasuke, who lay there with his eyes closed. "See? You're stressing him out. You call this love? Looks more like you're just annoying him."
Sakura's mouth opened, but no words came. Her fists shook, tears threatening to spill.
Ino, barely keeping her composure, tried to reason. "L-live together? That's… that's impossible. Sasuke wouldn't Naruto lives there too "
But Lily cut her off, relentless. "We're under the same roof, deal with it. I know his routines, his injuries, his limits. You only show up when it's convenient. So tell me, which of us really cares more?"
Of course, the irony was that Lily herself was still the one who needed the most care. But neither Sakura nor Ino knew that.
Her words landed like knives, sharp and merciless.
"Live together."
"One roof."
"I know him better than anyone."
Each phrase stabbed deeper into the girls' hearts, until both stood frozen in stunned silence.
Lily adjusted her glasses again, satisfaction glimmering behind her lens.
One girl against two rivals and she had completely dominated them with nothing but words.
On the bed, Sasuke's brow twitched slightly.
Then, in a voice colder than steel and filled with annoyance, he muttered, "You're all too loud. Get out."
His words sliced through the air, freezing all three girls where they stood.
For a moment, no one moved. Then, seeing the exhaustion on his face, the three exchanged heated, venomous glares each silently promising revenge another day.
But for now, they turned and left the room in silence, the unspoken tension crackling behind them like static.
And Lily, victorious but slightly flushed, couldn't help but smirk.
Sasuke Uchiha might've wanted peace and quiet but in the war for his attention, peace was the one thing none of them were willing to give.
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