Inside the Hokage's office.
A heavy pall of despair hung in the air.
Never before had such suffocating hopelessness settled over the Four Elders of Konoha .
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane exchanged glances, e
Danzō Shimura remained hidden in the
But the most helpless of them all—
Was the Third Hokage ,
Hiruzen Sarutobi .
One pipe after another burned away in his hand.
The office was thick with smoke,
They had encountered a problem unlike any before.
Previously, dealing with Qianyu and the Uchiha clan had been a matter of politics—
schemes, power struggles, strategic maneuvering.
But now—
It had become a brutall
They couldn't win.
Uchiha Shisui had been their strongest card.
And he was dead.
Ki
So now—
Who was left that could oppose him?
To be honest, Hiruzen had never truly feared the Uchiha clan itself.
If all-out war broke out, he still had ANBU, the Sarutobi clan, the Shimura clan, Ro
The Uchiha would not stand a chance.
But the problem was—
They weren't facing a clan.
They were facing one man .
And as long as that man lived, everything else was meaningless.
Hiruzen exhaled a long cloud of smoke.
Finally, he spoke.
"I never imagined… that even Shisui woul
What do you all think?
"Danzō?"
Silence.
Danzō had hoped to strike when both sides were exhausted—
to seize Shisui's Kotoamatsukami ,
and if
But every calculation had failed.
Hiruzen saw through him and snorted coldly, turning to the other two.
"And the advisors?"
Koharu sighed.
"We never expected that man to become this powerful…"
"Even Shisui…"
"After Minato's death, Shisui was undoubtedly the strongest ninja in the village."
Hiruzen waved his hand impatiently.
"Enough with useless words."
"Think about what come
"Not only is Shisui dead, but that bastard will never sacrifice himself to appease Kumogakure."
"
"We're facing internal chaos and external enemies at the same time."
Homura spoke calmly.
"Hir
"The situation is grim—but not hopeless."
"Kumogakure may be aggressive, but they won't risk a full-scale war."
"During the Third Shinobi War, they were surrounded by enemies—
Iwagak
"If they truly fight Konoha to the death, they risk being destroyed themselves."
"As for the village..."
"The Uchiha
"They are strong—but they cannot oppose the entire village."
In other words…
"The real problem is only one ma
"Uchiha Qianyu."
Hiruzen scowled.
"You say that as if it's easy."
"He alone is already giving us headaches."
"How do we deal with him?"
Who do we send?
"You two?"
Or should I go by myself?
Koharu shook her head.
"Hiruzen, don't say things like
No one doubts your stre
"But you are no longer in your prime."
"To be honest… without Shisui, there are only three people who might stand a chance."
Hiruzen's heart tightened.
Of course he knew who she meant.
His disciples.
The legendary Three Sannin .
Jiraiya.
Tsunade.
Orochimaru.
If
Things would never have reached this point.
He snorted bitterly.
"Orochimaru is a traitor."
"Tsunade wanders the world and wants nothing to do with us."
"As for Jiraiya—he may be loyal to Konoha, but not necessarily to me."
And he's
"B
Koharu sighed again.
"Orochimaru aside, Tsunade a
"You are their teacher, after all."
"At least… try sending people to find them."
Hiruzen was silent for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"I'll dispatch ANBU to search for them."
"But this is hardly a guaranteed solution…"
At that moment—
Danzō finally spoke.
"Hiruzen."
"I can kill Uchiha Qianyu."
Hiruzen glanced at him and sneered.
"Danzō, I know your strength bet
"Don't exaggerate."
Danzō's face darkened further.
Don't underestimate me.
And I'm not saying I'll do
"Give me time—and I guarantee
How long?
"Not long."
"B
Hiruzen frowned.
He already knew what Danzō wanted.
"You want complete freedom."
"No interference."
Danzō laughed coldly.
"As expected of the Hokage."
Hiruzen said nothing for a moment.
Then—
"Fine."
"I won't ask what you intend to do."
"Just make sure you're clean about it."
"Don't get exposed like Orochimaru."
Danzō snapped.
Dirt
"Do you remember who I do this dirty work
Hiruzen replied mockingly.
"For the village?"
Danzō fell silent.
"...Hmph."
Give me one month.
I will kill Uchiha Qianyu
Hiruzen knew this was his last lifeline.
Even if he hated Danzō's arrogance—
He had no choice.
"Fine."
"But don't fail me."
Danzō turned and walked into the darkness.
"Once you let me act freely…"
"There is nothing in this world I cannot do."
His figure vanished.
Koharu sighed.
"Hiruzen... Danzō will likely contact Orochimaru."
"They're still connected."
Hiruzen knew.
But desperation left h
"As long as Qianyu dies quietly, I don't care what meth
"And if it's exposed—"
"I'll let Danzō take the fa
Koharu and Homu
A chill ran through
But they understood.
If they were in his place—
They might have done the same.
Homura nodded.
"If Danzō abandons all restraint—even cooperating with Orochimaru—"
"They can accomplish anything."
"Even killing Qianyu."
Hiruzen took a deep breath.
Don't worry.
"That man is the real threat."
"As for Kumogakure and the Uchiha clan…"
"I have ways to deal with them."
Koharu raised an eyebrow.
Oh?
"You already have a plan?"
What is it?
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