As soon as Danzo's words fell, whoosh! Two Root ninjas appeared in the Hokage's office!
One ninja held a kunai, the other a shuriken, each pressed against the necks of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado!
Feeling the cold steel against their skin, the two elders panicked completely!
"Danzo!!! What's the meaning of this?!"
"Danzo! Are you seriously going to kill us?!"
Thud… thud… thud…
Danzo, gripping his cane, slowly stepped out from behind the desk.
"I won't kill you," he said. "After all, you two were once my teammates… But since you both oppose me becoming the Fifth Hokage, I'm afraid you'll have to be inconvenienced for a while. Spend a few days clearing your heads in Root's cells…"
With that, Danzo waved his hand.
"Take them away! Lock them in Root's prison!"
"Yes, Lord Danzo!" the two Root ninjas replied in unison.
"Hm?! What did you call me?!" Danzo's icy tone made the two ninjas shudder, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!!!" they corrected quickly.
Hearing "Lord Hokage," Danzo nodded with satisfaction.
"Good… Go now. Starting today, I'll act as the interim Fifth Hokage. Once the Third Hokage's funeral is over, I'll officially take the title. Then, you two can come out," he said, addressing Koharu and Homura.
Seeing Danzo's domineering attitude, Koharu and Homura grew frantic.
"Danzo! We're elders of the Hidden Leaf! You can't do this!!!"
"That's right!!! Danzo, you'll regret this!!!"
But Danzo's face twisted into a sinister smile. He reached out, picked up the Hokage's hat from the desk, and placed it on his head.
"Regret? Heh… I won't regret a thing! Because I am the Hokage!!!"
Bang!!!
The two Root ninjas dragged Koharu and Homura away, and the office door slammed shut.
Once the room was empty, Danzo reached out, gently picking up the pipe on the desk, gripping it tightly in his hand.
---
Outside, all the Hidden Leaf's ninja and squads stationed elsewhere returned to the village. No one could've imagined that in just half a day, the village had undergone such a massive upheaval!
The Third Hokage, dead?!
Some sharper ninjas sensed a storm brewing. Something was off. Root ninjas had taken control of nearly every key position in the village!
Apart from Elder Danzo, the other two elders, Koharu and Homura, hadn't shown their faces at all. No one knew where they were…
Asuma Sarutobi was in agony, staring at his father's body, his eyes bloodshot. Recently, he and Kurenai Yuhi had confirmed their relationship, thanks to a song Ito Hirofumi had given them. Sometimes, they'd secretly sing it together in private…
Kurenai placed a gentle hand on Asuma's shoulder.
"Asuma… don't be too sad. We know who the enemy is now—Orochimaru! One day, we'll avenge the Third Hokage. But right now, you need to pull yourself together. The Sarutobi clan needs you, and so does your father's funeral…"
Asuma, holding back tears, opened his mouth several times but couldn't speak. Finally, his voice came out, hoarse and broken.
"I know… Kurenai… Don't worry, I'll pull myself together. Not just for my father's revenge, but for the Sarutobi clan—I'll carry it on my shoulders!"
---
Time passed slowly. The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's funeral began, and every ninja and civilian in the Hidden Leaf donned black mourning clothes.
But something puzzled everyone: on such a solemn day, Elders Koharu and Homura were still nowhere to be seen. Only Elder Danzo was present, overseeing everything.
Ito Hirofumi stood among the crowd, watching Danzo take charge. A suspicion grew in his mind… It was likely that the other two elders were either imprisoned or worse, already dead!
Danzo was probably dreaming of becoming the Fifth Hokage right now, wasn't he?
Since Ito Hirofumi was attending the funeral, those in his summoning space could sense what was happening outside. They watched the ceremony, then glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, feeling a strange unease.
Hiruzen himself felt the strangest of all. He was standing there, alive, yet watching his own funeral unfold.
At that moment, a swirl of chakra appeared, and Ito Hirofumi entered the summoning space.
"Lord Third Hokage, what's it like to watch your own funeral and see your body buried?"
Hiruzen was at a loss. What kind of feeling? It was bizarre, obviously! Did anyone expect him to enjoy it?!
The weird looks from everyone around made him restless, unable to sit or stand comfortably.
Why are you all staring at me like that?! Have none of you ever died?! If you haven't, why are you even here?!
You're all dead people too, so what's the big deal about watching your own funeral? Was it that hard to accept?
Hiruzen stayed silent, and Ito didn't press further. Instead, he smirked and said, "Looks like the Hidden Leaf's about to put on a big show!"
Hashirama Senju, curious as ever, leaned in. "Hirofumi! What kind of show? A circus or something? Did they hire performers for Monkey's funeral? Ooh, does that mean there'll be a feast later? Feasts are so fun! Hirofumi, can you summon me out later? I wanna join the feast…"
Whack!!!
"Ow! Madara, why'd you hit me?!"
"Hmph! You idiot! All you think about is eating! And you call yourself a former Hokage? Haven't you noticed something's seriously wrong with the Hidden Leaf right now?!"