Late into the night.
Konoha had long since fallen asleep.
Only the Hokage's office still glowed with light.
Bang!
Bang, bang, bang!
"Monkey! Why did you stab me in the back?!"
From the moment he'd been carried back, the rage in Danzō's chest had never once cooled.
Like a lioness betrayed by the male she trusted, disbelief burned in his eyes.
All the way back, he'd been chewing on the same question.
Hearing this, the Third Hokage tapped his pipe against the desk, irritation flashing across his face.
"From the time we got back until now, you've asked that forty-three times already!"
"Have you ever reflected on why the ANBU and I arrived there in the first place?!"
"And another thing—monkey, monkey, monkey! You do realize I'm the Hokage, right?!"
By the end of it, Hiruzen stood up straight, staring Danzō down.
Though age had shortened him a little, the pressure radiating from him was even more imposing.
The sight made Danzō falter.
The aggressive momentum he'd been building collapsed in an instant.
In his vision, an old image surfaced—
That figure who once dominated the shinobi world, hailed as the strongest Kage.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It was precisely this presence that made Danzō both admire and resent him.
In the end, he could only bury himself underground, rooting beneath the great tree, silently supporting the Hokage from the shadows.
But now…
For a fleeting moment, Danzō even felt the urge to just let it all go.
To retire and fade into obscurity.
Seeing his old friend seemingly cowed into silence, the fire in his eyes dimming, the Third Hokage paused, then softened his tone.
"Danzō, after so many wars, my body is already riddled with decay."
"But the next Hokage must be someone who can contribute even more to the village."
"Do you understand what I'm implying?"
As he spoke, he picked up the Hokage cloak beside him and patted Danzō's shoulder with it.
Walking to the window, he murmured,
"The Uchiha issue still needs to be dealt with, but now is not the time."
"Besides, Konoha doesn't only need a Hokage in the light."
"It also needs an unnamed Hokage who protects it from the shadows."
Tap.
That single pat nearly stunned Danzō outright.
Especially the words unnamed Hokage—they practically hooked him like a fish biting bait.
His eye fixed on the Hokage cloak.
Thoughts surged wildly in his mind.
So… Hiruzen means my contributions still aren't enough?
So even if I became Hokage now, the village wouldn't accept me?
Yes.
That must be it.
So as long as I keep contributing to the village—maybe!!!
The faint thought of retiring that had just sprouted vanished instantly.
He was like a cockroach injected with adrenaline and stimulants.
Spinning around to face Hiruzen, his voice rose with fervor.
"I understand!"
With that, he clutched the Hokage cloak and strode out.
Every step was heavy—and resolute.
Only Hiruzen remained by the window, quietly gazing at the night sky, waiting.
Just before the moon dipped low, a long-haired Uchiha youth quietly knocked on the Hokage's door.
"Itachi. I've been waiting for you."
"Did you know? Your brother personally plucked out Shisui's eye today…"
…
"What a shame. That old bastard Danzō didn't even dare lay a hand on the Third Hokage—he just obediently went back?"
"And this is supposed to be the Root leader who once dared to attack the Hokage?"
"Looks like his ambition's gone soft."
At the same time, before the cliff.
Uchiha Ren, who had doubled back, was leaning lazily against a tree, bored.
The earlier scene replayed in his mind.
Danzō had been furious at first, but once he'd seen Hiruzen, he hadn't dared to make a move.
He'd only complained obediently.
That killed Ren's spectator mood completely.
"But still, waiting this long wasn't for nothing."
Murmuring that, Ren turned his gaze toward the moon.
More precisely, toward the masked figure standing under the moonlight.
"You knew I'd come?"
Kakashi put away the book he treasured and walked over slowly, thoughtful.
"I'm getting more and more curious about you."
Kakashi was unquestionably aligned with the Hokage faction.
That much was beyond doubt.
But personally, if he could avoid getting involved, he usually would.
Even when he saw something wrong, he often chose to turn a blind eye.
He only wanted to quietly do his own job.
But…
This young Uchiha boy in front of him unsettled him.
There was a hazy, indescribable sense that he couldn't quite grasp.
As if no secret could truly be hidden from those small eyes.
After hesitating a moment, Kakashi finally asked,
"You… seemed to already know that Lord Danzō would attack Shisui."
Otherwise, he couldn't understand why Ren had gone all-out to reach the cliff so decisively.
"Know?" Ren shrugged noncommittally. "You probably understand Danzō's nature better than I do."
The key to shaking off suspicion wasn't self-justification—
It was throwing the question back.
Clearly, Kakashi hadn't mastered that trick.
Hearing this, he actually started thinking seriously.
"Back then, even this eye of mine… if not for the Third's intervention, I'm afraid…"
In the end, he nodded with difficulty and came to a conclusion.
"I don't want to admit it, but—if Lord Danzō had learned about Shisui's eye's ability, he probably really would've made a move."
Greedy. Insidious. Covetous of the Uchiha's eyes.
That was Danzō.
See? That was the beauty of letting someone self-rationalize.
Ren smiled, then abruptly changed the subject.
"So, Kakashi—do you really want the village and the Uchiha to fight until only corpses remain?"
"Do you want the thriving village the Fourth Hokage envisioned to become nothing but ruins?"
"Do you want the clan of Obito… to die one by one?"
Crack.
Kakashi unconsciously snapped a branch beneath his foot.
The crisp sound hit his ears like a heavy hammer.
One blow after another, pounding his skull until it throbbed.
A long while passed before he touched the left eye hidden beneath his mask and murmured,
"If Minato-sensei were still alive, he wouldn't sit on his hands like the Third does…"
"He would definitely… go personally and sincerely negotiate."
"Obito… would probably hate me even more, wouldn't he?"
"I failed to protect Rin. I also failed to protect his family…"
Thought after thought surfaced in his mind.
And quietly, a seed took root.
Anger toward Danzō.
Dissatisfaction with the Hokage's inaction.
As his fingers brushed the eye behind the mask, it felt strangely hot.
And… painful.
"Obito… is it you who feels this pain for your clan?"
"Don't worry. I'll protect your people."
At that moment, Kakashi's figure seemed to grow taller.
But opposite him—
"Protect?"
Ren looked at Kakashi and couldn't help curling his lips.
"When Obito makes his second official appearance, the Uchiha are already wiped out."
Want More? Get up to +60 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ https://www.patreon.com/MythArcStudio
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
Thanks for the support!