After leaving the underground room beneath the Hokage Tower, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others split up.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado went their separate ways—each had their own affairs and no reason to linger.
Only Hiruzen and Danzō remained together.
They entered a small teahouse.
It was crowded, lively, and noisy—so noisy, in fact, that it seemed utterly unaffected by the arrival of the Third Hokage and the head of ROOT.
People chatted. People drank. People laughed.
No one even flinched.
"Hiruzen," Danzō said, not bothering to lower his voice, "you were too impatient this time. What you said will make that brat wary."
"I know," Hiruzen replied calmly, pouring himself a cup of tea. "And I also know what I should do."
He took a sip before continuing.
"If the Senju child were still the same as before, I wouldn't be thinking much. But things are different now. That child has… significant potential."
That was the core of it.
What Hikaru had displayed wasn't enough to overturn the village on its own—not yet.
But the growth curve was dangerous.
Once you included a summon capable of resisting a Kage-class opponent, Hikaru's "influence" had already reached an uncomfortable threshold.
Give him time. Let talent turn into power.
Then that child would become truly troublesome.
Normally, Hiruzen wouldn't rush.
A Senju producing a talented shinobi wasn't inherently a problem—he'd even allowed the boy into ANBU. In truth, Hiruzen wanted Konoha to become stronger.
But stronger under his control.
And there was also Tsunade to consider. If Hiruzen pushed too hard against the Senju again, Tsunade's displeasure could deepen—and losing her support, even indirectly, would be devastating for Konoha's medical infrastructure.
Hiruzen understood timing.
When to reach out.
When to pull back.
But this time, the variable wasn't just Hikaru's potential.
It was the fact that Hikaru had interacted with Minatobefore revealing this level of promise.
Hiruzen didn't know what they'd discussed. Intelligence suggested Minato had been "guiding" the child in some capacity.
If that bond solidified—if Hikaru came to see Minato as benefactor and patron—then a high-potential Senju ANBU captain could end up fully aligned with the Fourth Hokage.
That, Hiruzen could not accept.
It was the same irritation he'd felt when Minato—under a perfectly reasonable justification—sent Kakashi into ANBU.
Your only remaining disciple, placed into the very structure I use as a blade?
Even if the logic is sound, isn't that still a signal?
Now, not only Kakashi.
Now you're also "collecting" a young ANBU captain.
So you're really that eager, Minato?
Eager to take everything?
That was why Hiruzen's tone earlier—his "future belongs to you"—had been sharper than usual.
He didn't believe in coincidences.
He believed in outcomes. In benefit. In direction.
"Hmph." Danzō set down his cup, eyes cold. "Your method is crude. I have a better solution—"
"Enough, Danzō." Hiruzen cut him off. "I won't approve your approach."
"Why?" Danzō slammed the table, his voice rising. "Do you not understand how important ROOT is? ROOT is rebuilding, but we don't have enough manpower. You know what that Senju boy is. Bringing him into ROOT is the best option!"
Hiruzen didn't answer immediately.
He just tapped a finger on the table.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The crisp sound spread—soft at first, then oddly commanding.
And then the teahouse went silent.
Every guest froze, as if struck by a binding technique.
In neat order, they stood.
One by one, they filed out of the teahouse like puppets on strings.
In moments, the room was empty.
Only Hiruzen and Danzō remained.
Hiruzen looked at him evenly.
"ROOT is important," he said. "But I have my own arrangements."
He paused, took another sip of tea, and let the fragrance linger before he continued.
"I know what you want. I've always known."
His gaze sharpened.
"Don't think I don't understand Namuki's case. You want Hikaru to become ANBU's second Namuki, don't you?"
Danzō's face tightened.
Hiruzen went on, voice still calm—but every word landed heavier than the last.
"I allowed you to do something like that once. You need to learn restraint."
Namuki had been the kind of "bridge" Danzō desired—someone tied to ROOT who could tilt ANBU's balance.
That bridge was now dead.
And with it, Danzō's older hope—using the ANBU command structure as a step toward the light—had fractured again.
Hiruzen knew Danzō wanted to be Hokage.
And the fastest road from the shadows to the throne was simple:
Control ROOT.
Then control ANBU.
Then step forward.
Back when Hiruzen hadn't committed to a successor, he'd tolerated the drift.
But now he had chosen Minato.
Which meant he would not allow a man who already held ROOT to also tighten his grip on ANBU.
Danzō was Hiruzen's shadow—Hiruzen's "darkness," turned into a person.
Some of what Danzō did could be seen as Hiruzen's unspoken will.
And that was precisely why Danzō could never be allowed into the spotlight.
The village already labeled him "the darkness of shinobi."
Hiruzen would not place that label on the Hokage's chair.
Danzō's mouth twisted. He forced himself to contain his anger and stood abruptly, as if leaving now would stop his temper from spilling out.
"Don't pretend you don't share my concerns," he snapped. "If you didn't, Yamanaka Inoichi wouldn't have gone to see the brat."
"I told you," Hiruzen said, unmoved. "I have my own intentions. This ends here. He is Senju. He will not enter ROOT."
Danzō's teeth ground together.
"So it's Tsunade," he hissed. "Always the same hypocrisy. You'll regret this, Hiruzen."
"You've overstepped," Hiruzen replied, finally lifting his eyes fully.
His voice remained level—yet it carried a cutting clarity.
"Don't think I can't see your two-birds plan. You want to use the boy to sink hooks into ANBU and angle for Tsunade's support."
He rose as well.
And when he did, his presence changed.
The teahouse air seemed to compress.
The pressure of a man once called Professor, once called Shinobi no Kami by those who feared him—the "Ninja Hero" aura—poured out, heavy and undeniable.
Danzō's expression darkened to iron.
Hiruzen looked at him without heat, without rage—just certainty.
And then he spoke the words that ended the argument completely.
"Also… don't forget."
His gaze was steady, his tone flat.
"I am the Hokage."
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