Chapter 31 — Hiruzen Sarutobi Remains Completely Unaware
Beneath the forest's shadows, two figures—one tall, one slight—stood facing each other, exchanging words in hushed tones.
When one of them vanished from sight as if into thin air, Uchiha Itachi was left leaning dully against the trunk of a tree, unable to recover himself for a long while.
Everything that had happened tonight left him disoriented and at a loss.
The part he found hardest to face was the long conversation at the very end.
In that exchange, Aizen had drawn out for him a path—one that would allow the Uchiha to fully merge into Konoha.
So long as he could bring himself to make the decision.
The village.
The clan.
Blood ties.
These tangled bonds churned relentlessly in his mind, coiling into an unbearable weight of emotion.
Itachi clenched his fist tightly and slammed it into the ground.
"Damn it…"
He hissed through gritted teeth, his body trembling.
No matter how unwilling he was to face it, the overwhelming, utterly irresistible power Aizen had displayed—almost casually—had already convinced his subconscious to believe those "lies."
His thoughts in chaos, Itachi sat there motionless, like a statue.
After an indeterminate amount of time, he finally staggered to his feet.
I'll try it first.
If things don't unfold the way he said they would… I can still turn back.
Itachi pressed his lips together, as though steeling his resolve.
Even now, he had yet to realize what kind of treacherous ship he had unknowingly stepped aboard.
---
Under the moonlight, Aizen Sōsuke quietly watched Itachi's retreating figure, his expression gentle.
Hyūga Hizashi stood respectfully at his side.
Only after Itachi's silhouette disappeared into the depths of the forest did Hizashi lower his voice and ask cautiously,
"Aizen-sama… is it really all right to let him go like this?"
If one were to speak honestly—
If there was anyone in Konoha, aside from Aizen himself, who most wished for the village to be fundamentally changed, it would be Hizashi.
As the head of the Hyūga branch family—and a man who had once "died" in his brother's place under the coercion of power—he yearned more than anyone for this world to change.
And so, seeing Aizen release the boy so easily, unease inevitably welled up in his heart.
For a fleeting moment, even a trace of killing intent flickered within his pale Byakugan eyes as he looked in Itachi's direction.
"Don't worry, Hizashi," Aizen said calmly.
"Itachi-kun has no other choice."
Aizen's voice was, as always, serene and unhurried—untainted by the slightest hint of anxiety.
Unlike most who merely observed him from the outside, Aizen Sōsuke had spent more than twenty years quietly watching this village.
In some ways, he understood its people better than they understood themselves.
Uchiha Itachi was one such example.
So too were Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura.
At times, all it took was the slightest nudge for him to accurately predict their ultimate responses.
Tonight had been nothing more than a small, preliminary step—his first move onto the stage.
Hearing this, Hizashi immediately withdrew his gaze and bowed deeply.
"Yes."
There was not the slightest hesitation in his reply.
The reason was simple.
Up to this very day, Aizen-sama's judgments had never once been wrong.
Absolute correctness naturally bred absolute obedience.
Aizen paid little heed to Hizashi's reaction.
He turned his gaze toward the heart of Konoha—toward the Hokage Tower.
Now, all that remained was to see whether the Third Hokage's performance would live up to expectations.
...
"After being attacked last night, my injuries were too severe. I withdrew to the clan compound for treatment first, which is why I was delayed until now."
The next day.
Uchiha Itachi knelt on one knee in the center of the Hokage's office, reporting—precisely and methodically—the entire course of last night's ambush by Root.
Behind the desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened in silence, drawing steadily on his pipe. His expression was clearly dark.
"Root again," he murmured hoarsely.
"And not just one team—three full squads."
A flicker of anger burned beneath his lowered gaze.
That kind of deployment could have had a fair chance even against an S-rank missing-nin—yet it had been used on their own people.
Worse still, it happened after he had "fully taken over" Root and stripped Danzō of his authority.
What that implied, Hiruzen understood all too well.
He looked up heavily. Itachi's wounds were plainly not fully healed; even standing, he still staggered slightly. The danger he had faced was obvious.
"Itachi-kun," Hiruzen said gravely,
"That something like this could happen in the village is my failure."
He paused, then asked, "Aside from those three Root teams, did you notice any other clues?"
Itachi hesitated.
For an instant, an image flashed through his mind again—the single finger that had stopped his all-out strike.
And the terror behind that effortless gesture, a power no mortal could hope to oppose.
Hidden behind his ANBU mask, his gaze grew complicated. But after that brief pause, his voice turned firm.
"I did not."
"I see…" Hiruzen replied softly.
That answer was understandable. Itachi was a prodigy without peer, but surviving—and even annihilating—the encirclement of three Root squads was already extraordinary.
Back in his day, even Kakashi had only managed feats of that level.
To expect careful observation after such a battle would be unreasonable.
When the tobacco burned down, Hiruzen tapped his pipe, his expression resolute.
"Kakashi."
"Yes," came the reply.
Hatake Kakashi emerged from the shadows behind them and knelt beside Itachi.
"Take a squad and accompany Itachi-kun to inspect last night's battlefield."
"Yes," Kakashi answered calmly.
Hiruzen then turned back to Itachi, his tone sincere.
"Itachi-kun, even the Hokage cannot rule the village with absolute authority. That is simply reality."
"But since this has happened, I will see that justice is done."
"As long as I remain Hokage, I will not allow such villains to run rampant in this village."
"Thank you, Third Hokage," Itachi said, bowing deeply, his gratitude seemingly heartfelt.
Behind the mask, however, his expression barely changed.
He had grown tired of these words.
Hiruzen nodded solemnly.
"You may go."
"Yes."
After the two departed, Hiruzen slowly refilled his pipe and lit it once more.
Beneath the broad brim of his Hokage hat, his eyes looked weary.
In truth, ever since the search of Root's bases had yielded nothing, doubt had already taken root in his mind.
He simply hadn't yet identified its target.
Was Shisui's Kotoamatsukami never as powerful as claimed, allowing Danzō to break free without Shisui realizing it?
Or had Uchiha Shisui, from the very beginning, woven elements into Kotoamatsukami that Hiruzen himself did not know?
In his twenty years as Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—however unwilling he was to admit it—had long since been transformed into a creature of power, incapable of fully trusting anyone.
He knew Danzō's selfishness well.
And though Shisui appeared loyal, he was still an Uchiha—and had even reported changes in Itachi's mindset to him before.
So whose thinking had truly changed?
Now that Root had attacked Uchiha Itachi outright, his suspicions only deepened. No one could be trusted—not in the slightest.
Who stands to gain enough from attacking Uchiha Itachi?
Frowning, Hiruzen pondered the question—then suddenly remembered something.
He opened a drawer in his desk and took out a letter.
On the envelope was a single name:
Uchiha Fugaku.
Ever since rumors of a coup began within the Uchiha clan, he had maintained frequent contact with Fugaku.
Though the escalating tension had proven impossible to restrain, he had made many personal assurances to Fugaku.
Among them was the safety of Fugaku's family—especially Itachi.
The condition was simple.
The coup faction must fail.
If Itachi were to die, the final line of safety between the village and the Uchiha would be severed completely.
Had this promise been exposed?
Was someone—Danzō or Shisui—trying to force him into open war with the Uchiha?
The thought weighed heavily on him.
To strike at his old friend Danzō based on suspicion alone—or to sacrifice the loyal Shisui—both were choices he could not bring himself to make.
He could not decide.
And when he could not judge, only one conclusion remained.
"Shinnosuke."
"Yes."
Another shadow slipped out behind him and knelt in the center of the office.
Hiruzen placed the envelope before him, his voice low and grave.
"Tell Fugaku—"
"Proceed as he wishes."
"The Uchiha problem has reached the point where it must be resolved."
"Yes," Sarutobi Shinnosuke answered, bowing deeply.
If he could not identify the one who might be at fault, then he would simply resolve the problem itself.
After all, that was how he had handled things for years.
Hiruzen Sarutobi rose from his seat and turned his gaze toward the distant Hokage Monument.
So long as he pushed these painful decisions into others' hands, he could remain—
The gentle, benevolent, yet utterly unaware Third Hokage,
Forever reacting passively, forever lamenting with regret.