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Chapter 8 - Chapter 8

Within the Hokage building, the atmosphere was thick.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat back in his chair, unmoving, puffing on his pipe.

The room was filled with smoke, heavy and choking — like a stoppered jar put under pressure.

"Cough, cough!"

Koharu Utatane finally interrupted the quiet with a tiny cough.

"Hiruzen," Homura Mitokado let out a sigh of relief and said, "this time… Danzo simply went too far."

Hiruzen's eyes rose, cold but level. "Too far? He covertly conducted Wood Release tests, concealed the findings, and even had a Wood Release ninja to himself. Is that not far enough?"

Homura's expression hardened. He looked at Danzo, who stood stiff and immovable.

Yes — a Wood Release ninja. Even he'd doubted it initially.

Had they not pursued Orochimaru's betrayal, they never would have learned that Wood Release had returned.

Danzo's growing control over the Foundation made even Homura uneasy.

"Root is part of Konoha," Hiruzen said, voice low. "It's part of the ANBU. But now… it hides things from me, the Hokage. Tell me, Danzo — has it become your personal army?"

Danzo didn't flinch. "Everything I've done is for Konoha."

Hiruzen said nothing. He drew in a deep puff from his pipe. Smoke blurred his face, leaving his expression unreadable.

"Hiruzen…" Koharu started quietly.

"Stop." Hiruzen held up his hand, silencing her. He didn't want to hear apologies.

Following the death of Tobirama at the hands of Hidden Cloud, he had become Hokage.

But Hokage was far from the ideal of his youth. War and clan conflicts shattered any illusions he may have had.

Initially, both the Hyūga and Uchiha clans had opposed him.

It was only thanks to the backing of the Sarutobi clan and the Ino-Shika-Cho faction that he had been able to maintain power.

So he'd employed a combination of pressure and manipulation — even pitting the Hyūga and Uchiha against one another — to gain the Hokage's power.

And the Foundation, once merely an ANBU training unit, had become something sinister over time.

He'd let Danzo take care of the dirty stuff that ANBU couldn't be caught doing — spying, killing, quieting threats.

But Root had become too big, too autonomous.

If this continued, it would no longer benefit the village — it would benefit Danzo.

"Enough of the Wood Release candidate," Hiruzen said at last. "He's already being monitored by ANBU. There's something more."

He turned to the three elder kage. "Reports from the front indicate the Hidden Cloud is mobilizing troops once more. Perhaps they're up to something."

"What do you think?"

Koharu and Homura scowled.

"Again?" Homura grumbled. "Ugh."

"No matter what, we can't be impulsive," Koharu added. "We can't give them any cause to wage war."

Hiruzen's attention turned to Danzo. "And you?

Danzo's gaze became narrow. His voice was chill and gravelly. "We should attack first. Let them remember fear."

Hiruzen didn't answer. He inhaled for a long while, then let it out slowly.

Even though the Third Great Ninja War was done, peace was tenuous.

Konoha had lost too many — White Fang's suicide, the Fourth Hokage and Kushina killed in the Nine-Tails assault.

Their military power had not yet recovered.

Cloud and Stone understood that, and both were pushing Konoha's borders repeatedly, each time harder.

Hiruzen understood — one slip, one misstep — and war would start anew.

He couldn't afford that. Konoha couldn't keep going through another war.

"Send reinforcements to the border," he commanded. "But no assaults. We wait."

Danzo scowled. "You're just making them more arrogant.

Hiruzen turned his eyes to him. "Then send some of my Root to the border. You'll handle it."

Danzo froze. "What?"

"Is there a problem?" Hiruzen asked. His tone was calm, but the message clear — disobey, and lose Root.

Danzo's face twisted with frustration. After a moment, he grunted. "Fine. But remember this, Hiruzen — you'll regret today's decision."

"Watch your tone," Hiruzen said quietly. "I'm the Hokage."

Danzo's jaw clenched. "Then be a good Hokage."

He spun around and slammed the door.

The explosive bang startled Koharu.

Homura exhaled. "He's still under your control, at least. Perhaps he'll remain silent now."

Then, he furrowed his brow. "By the way, Hiruzen… with the village so thin stretched, is it wise to send Jiraiya roaming outside?"

Hiruzen's expression softened for an instant. "He'll return when the time comes.

Homura and Koharu shared a glance and moved out in silence.

As the door shut, there was just silence.

Hiruzen stood, gazing out the window.

The village was serene after the rain — rooftops sparkled with beads of water, the streets glimmered with sun, the trees and walls sparkled like tiny mirrors.

He remembered all that Konoha had lost and what was left — Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade ruining herself in gambling, the orphan left behind by Minato and Kushina, the Hyūga child who had looked up to him with such innocent reverence.

He took a breath. The smoke seared his lungs.

"It's okay," he whispered to himself. "No matter what I must give up… I'll defend this peace."

At the same time — The Forest of Death

Sunlight passed through the leaves of Training Ground 44, casting gold on two figures.

"From the ground up, use your spine to drive the force — balance strength and softness…"

"Ah-ta!"

Both Nael and Might Guy stood in front of broken training posts.

Nael's post had burst from the inside; Guy's was smashed by sheer force.

Seeing Guy's berserker pummeling, Nael fought hard to maintain a steady smile.

"Whew…" Guy wiped sweat from his forehead, breathing hard. "Nael, your new version of Gentle Fist is tough."

"Well, you've trained Iron Fist for over ten years," Nael replied. "Changing habits takes time. That's enough for today."

He was attempting to combine the strength of the Iron Fist with the accuracy of the Gentle Fist — to construct a style all his own, one that could some day outgrow the Eight Gates.

"Alright, then—"

Nael's body froze before Guy could complete the sentence. A shiver ran down his spine.

His instincts shrieked — peril.

Instinctively, his Byakugan burned open.

Whsh!

A soft hiss of air sliced through the silence.

An assassination attempt — lethal and quick.

Too close to avoid. No time to react.

Nael's vision stabilized. He breathed out and shut his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, his perceptions changed.

No breathing. No heartbeat. No sound.

Time itself froze.

And then — he saw something.

A kunai behind him, bound in wind chakra — Wind Release: Vacuum Blade.

The one who had perfected it was so swift even Guy had not caught the movement.

But in Nael's thoughts, the blade slowed.

He could see its trajectory, as plain as day.

He lifted his hand, fingers spread like a crane's wings. The sunlight illuminated the calluses on his knuckles.

Clang!

He intercepted the kunai in midair. The wind blade cut his palm but halted, cold, as if it had struck an invisible wall.

Nael opened his eyes. Calm. Cold.

Guy's taut face mirrored in his white irises.

Then Nael whispered,

"Return to sender."

He spun and hurled.

The motion was fluid — a burst of motion like leaves falling.

The kunai ripped through the air with a shriek of high-pitched sound.

Leaves burst off around them, whirling in the shockwave.

A moment later—

Thud.

A muffled, wet thud.

The kunai had hit its target.

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