Chapter 40: The Hokage's Charisma
"Your grandfather cut my father..."
The sheer, blunt honesty of the conversation between the Hokage and his Assistant left the Inuzuka and Aburame ninjas stunned. Even En Uchiha, who had been bracing for a fight, found his ears perking up in disbelief.
"It happened, yes. But that was the Warring States Period," Danzo said, his eyes narrowing. "If you're going to bring that up, your father once used a Fire Style jutsu that nearly turned my uncle into a charcoal briquette!"
Hiruzen's father was the legendary Sasuke Sarutobi.
While he wasn't a mythological figure on the level of Madara or Hashirama, he was a titan of his era. During the Warring States, Danzo's grandfather had specifically targeted Sasuke Sarutobi, hoping to assassinate the genius before he could reach his prime. Sasuke's retaliation against Danzo's uncle was just one more drop in an ocean of blood.
In that era, without a village to call home, blood was the only currency of trust. Clans killed each other as naturally as they breathed. Allies today, mortal enemies tomorrow—it was the status quo for a thousand years. Even within a single clan, internal purges and cousin-on-cousin violence weren't unheard of.
"Heh. The Warring States... it was exactly like that, wasn't it?"
"Which is why the village is so precious," Hiruzen said, his voice full of a weary, lived-in wisdom. "If we look at every clan in Konoha, or any other village for that matter—who among us doesn't have ancestors who tried to kill one another?"
"But today, we've built a community. We've built a home where we protect each other instead."
En Uchiha found himself nodding involuntarily.
The Uchiha had fought the Senju the hardest, but that didn't mean they were friendly with anyone else. The prideful, bellicose Uchiha of the Sengoku era would have kicked a stray dog if it looked at them wrong. At the height of the Izanagi craze, they had even started killing their own kin just to steal Sharingan eyes to fuel their "extra lives."
Hiruzen's point was clear: the hatred between the Senju and the Uchiha wasn't some unique, cosmic tragedy. It was just one of a thousand old grudges that the village was designed to heal. If the Sarutobi and the Shimura could work together, why couldn't the Uchiha?
"The grudges and obsessions of the Warring States belong in the ground with that era," Hiruzen said firmly.
"Looking forward as one—that is the only belief we have to hold onto. I won't make grand, empty promises to you. But I will tell you this: as Hokage, I will ensure every shinobi is treated fairly. I will put my reputation on the line to make sure our people live better lives. That, I can promise."
Hiruzen pulled out a pack of cigarettes and tore it open with practiced ease.
He had "borrowed" them from his eldest son, Shinnosuke, earlier that morning. While his pipe was his trademark, modern cigarettes were much more portable for a day of field inspections.
En Uchiha remained silent.
If any other leader had said this, he would have scoffed. But as a member of the Patrol Net, he had felt the village's support firsthand. He'd seen Sakumo Hatake's personal respect, the deference of the younger Inuzuka and Aburame recruits, and the steady paychecks.
He had also heard the rumor that the patrol budget was coming out of Hiruzen's personal pocket.
The "rebel bone" in En's neck finally softened. He gave a slow, raspy sigh. "Lord Hiruzen... you speak the truth. I only hope you continue to walk this path."
"I will." Hiruzen pulled out two cigarettes. "Want one?"
En took it. In a display of perfect shinobi manners, he ignited a small flame on his fingertip and lit Hiruzen's cigarette before his own.
Hiruzen shielded the flame with his hand and gave En's wrist a friendly pat.
The two men stood there for a moment, exhaling twin plumes of smoke into the morning air. The suffocating tension from moments ago drifted away with the clouds. To a bystander, they looked like two old war buddies catching up on a street corner.
Beside them, Danzo Shimura was practically grinding his teeth into powder.
Hiruzen... you silver-tongued snake! How do you always manage to talk your way out of a disaster?
But more than that, Danzo felt a flare of irrational jealousy. You're the Hokage! He's an Uchiha! Do you have no dignity as the Second's student?
"Hiruzen, you should cut back on the smoking," Danzo snapped, his voice uncomfortably stiff. "As Hokage, you have a duty to maintain your health. Tobacco is a vice."
"Yes, yes. I know. You're right as always, Danzo," Hiruzen replied with a breezy, dismissive smile.
Danzo's face darkened. He turned to En. "And as for you—this is an active patrol! Carrying a foreign scent like tobacco while on duty is a lapse in protocol! It's a failure of professionalism!"
Then, a sudden realization hit Danzo like a lightning bolt.
Wait. Fire Style can ignite cigarettes...
Danzo knew Hiruzen's Fire Style was so refined he could burn white-hot. There was no way the man "forgot" a lighter.
The 'Buffer Layer' lecture... when I lit his pipe in the office... he was playing me! He was making me his servant just to see if I'd do it!
Danzo felt his face heat up with embarrassment and rage.
However, to his surprise, En Uchiha didn't snap back. The old veteran gave a respectful nod.
"The Assistant is correct. That was my oversight. I will submit a formal disciplinary explanation to Commander Sakumo and ensure it doesn't happen again."
En's logic was simple: Right was right. Danzo was being an ass, but the point about "scent discipline" for a scout was a valid military critique.
Danzo blinked. Why is this Uchiha being so... reasonable?
"I'll have to take some blame for that too," Hiruzen added, tossing the whole pack of cigarettes to En. "I'm the one who tempted you. Don't work too hard, old-timer."
En caught the pack and offered a small, rare smirk. "Thank you, Lord Hiruzen."
Internally, En thought: I'll tell the clan elders exactly how the Hokage treats us. One pack of cigarettes won't buy my soul... but I'm going to keep these eyes open and see the truth for myself. He carefully tucked the pack into his vest.
En and Hiruzen shared a brief, knowing look and both let out a small chuckle.
Danzo's scowl deepened. Are they in on a joke together? Do they have a secret handshake now?
As En's squad moved off to continue their patrol, Hiruzen's expression shifted. The warmth vanished, replaced by the cool, calculating gaze of a statesman.
"Danzo, the resentment in the Uchiha clan won't vanish in a week," Hiruzen said softly. "My speech earlier was 'Scene-Talk.' PR for the masses. The Sengoku era was bloody, but the real damage was done by the policies of the last twenty years."
Danzo froze. Wait, wasn't that my line? Why are you saying what I was going to say?
"We have to move in stages," Hiruzen continued. "Absolute vigilance is necessary, but the Anbu's blatant surveillance is crude and ineffective. It only breeds more rebels."
"By having the Patrol Net, the Anbu, and the Police Force interact under the guise of 'professional cooperation,' our people will get the intel we need without making them feel like prisoners. We strengthen the village's walls while thinning the clan's secrets. It's a cleaner way to work."
In that moment, a thought occurred to Danzo—one he hated to admit.
The person who acts most like Lord Tobirama isn't me... it's Hiruzen.
"No! It's me! I am the one!" Danzo muttered under his breath.
"Did you say something?" Hiruzen asked, looking back.
"Nothing..." Danzo exhaled, calming his heart. He reminded himself that he could learn these tactics. He could adapt.
"I said... I understand. Lord Hokage."
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