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"Madara took Izuna with him…" Manji frowned as he considered the news.
He planned to step in if Izuna's life was at risk. But before he could do anything, Madara showed up and took his younger brother away.
Manji sighed and gave up on the idea of getting involved.
"Forget it. I'll let Madara handle this. Let's see what those three come up with."
In the end, he decided not to interfere.
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The council chamber inside the Hokage Building had never felt so tense.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the table, wearing the formal robes of the Fifth Hokage. Mito Uzumaki and Hyūga Tennin sat on either side, ready to advise Konoha's new leader.
Mito had enough seniority and influence to take over the meeting if she wanted. She was Hashirama Senju's widow, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and one of the most respected people left in the village.
Still, she didn't try to take control from Hiruzen. She came as an overseer and let the new Hokage make his own choices.
"Our first order of business is Kumogakure," Hiruzen announced. "They murdered my teacher during a peace summit. Konoha will march north, hold them accountable, and collect that debt."
He had only recently taken over the Hokage's office, but there was no hesitation in his voice.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku had carried out the attack.
As far as Konoha was concerned, that distinction meant nothing. The brothers were Kumogakure shinobi, backed by Kumogakure troops, and they had struck Izuna while he sat across from the Second Raikage to negotiate peace.
No one in the village believed the assault was the work of two men acting alone.
"..." The clan heads glanced at each other, looking uneasy.
Kumogakure was the toughest military power in the shinobi world. The village controlled two tailed beasts and could send either one into battle.
Konoha still had the Nine-Tails, but Kurama was sealed inside Mito, and she remained the village's last line of defense. Sending an aging Mito through hostile mountain territory would leave Konoha dangerously exposed.
Worse, if Kumogakure managed to capture her, Konoha would lose both Mito and the Nine-Tails in one blow.
Then there was the Hidden Cloud itself. Kumogakure had spent years stockpiling weapons and training its shinobi, giving it the strongest military among the Five Great Villages.
Konoha, meanwhile, was still rebuilding after the last war.
Even reaching the Land of Lightning would be difficult. An invading force would have to push through steep mountain trails, narrow passes, and hostile territory while somehow keeping food, medicine, and weapons flowing to the front.
Konoha lacked both the manpower and supplies for a campaign like that, especially against an enemy fighting on familiar ground.
No one around the table could honestly say they would win.
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"The routes into the Land of Lightning are brutal, and some of those mountain paths can barely handle a wagon," one clan head said. "How are we supposed to keep an army supplied that far north?"
"A campaign like this will drain what little the village has left," another argued. "We should follow Kirigakure's example. Close the borders, keep our heads down, and rebuild."
"All four previous Hokage are dead," a third added. "Who exactly do we have left who can command a northern campaign?"
Objections kept coming. In minutes, the meeting turned into a mess of arguments about manpower, supplies, money, and the risk of another big war.
Danzō sat quietly, growing angrier by the minute. These men called themselves leaders, but when Konoha needed them to take a risk, they all found excuses to hide behind the village walls.
"Cowards…" His hands closed into fists beneath the table.
The room grew louder until Danzō stood up suddenly and slammed both hands on the table.
"Who says no one can lead the campaign? I can! We inherited the Will of every Hokage who came before us. Are we supposed to honor them by hiding inside Konoha? Our teacher was murdered under a flag of peace. If we let that stand, then every drop of blood shed for this village means nothing. I, Danzō Shimura, volunteer to command the northern campaign!" His challenge cut through the room and killed every other conversation.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Danzō stayed standing, his hands still on the table as he waited for someone to speak up. No one did. He wanted to lead, and he was ready to risk his life for it.
Mito and Tennin exchanged a look. Common sense told both of them that Konoha could not afford another major war.
Danzō, however, had said aloud what they had both tried to bury. Izuna had been their friend, and neither was willing to let his murder pass unanswered.
Hiruzen almost wanted to hug Danzō right then.
His oldest friend knew exactly what he needed. Hiruzen had called for war, and Danzō stepped up to lead. That's what it meant to have someone's back.
"I agree with the Hokage," Mito said as she rose from her seat.
"Kumogakure must pay for what happened. If our Hokage can be murdered and Konoha responds by swallowing the insult, the people will lose faith in this village."
"Seconded," Tennin said. His voice carried none of his earlier hesitation.
"Kumogakure murdered the head of the Uchiha Clan," Naori Uchiha declared. "That blood debt will be paid. The entire Uchiha Clan supports the northern campaign."
With Mito, Tennin, and Naori supporting the plan, the last resistance faded. The same clan heads who had argued against fighting now raised their hands in support.
The vote was unanimous.
Before the day ended, Konoha gave the order to mobilize.
Hiruzen set clear limits: Konoha would go after the rebels who killed Izuna, not invade the whole Land of Lightning or start another Shinobi World War.
Manji let it happen.
As long as Konoha didn't upset the balance of the shinobi world, Kumogakure could be taught a lesson.
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The northern campaign was over in less than a year.
Danzō led Konoha's best shinobi into the Land of Lightning and joined forces with Kumogakure's loyalist army. The two sides closed on Kinkaku and Ginkaku from opposite directions, crushing their rebel forces between them.
By the time the fighting ended, the brothers' army had been wiped out.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku escaped the final trap, but left their army behind. Marked as traitors, the brothers fled the Land of Lightning and never returned.
Danzō came back to Konoha with a victory that silenced anyone who doubted him. He earned Hiruzen's full trust. Hiruzen kept him as his assistant and gave him more power, making Danzō the second most powerful man in the village.
Mito and Tennin watched as Hiruzen managed the war and what came after. He made strong decisions, kept the clans in line, and restored order without relying on either elder.
Once they were sure Konoha was in good hands, both stepped back from power and retired.
Peace returned to the village. Trade picked up, construction started again, and the streets filled with people.
For the first time in years, Konoha was growing instead of just recovering.
As Hiruzen watched a new generation grow up in the peaceful village, he thought about the example Izuna had set. His teacher had taken six students under his wing and trained them to lead Konoha after the old guard was gone.
Hiruzen decided it was time to do the same.
He didn't want to pick children from famous clans just because of their names. Instead, he looked among ordinary families and found two boys whose talent stood out.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru soon caught the Fifth Hokage's eye.
That same year, Manji gave Kakuzu a new job. He took him out of the public eye and put him in charge of the shinobi underworld.
Black markets, bounty stations, illegal brokers, and underground contacts all came under Kakuzu's control.
Bit by bit, he built a secret network that spread across the shinobi world.
After setting all that up, Manji decided to die a natural death. He left the ramen shop he had run for years to a young man named Teuchi.
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The Konoha Cemetery was quiet under a gray sky. Wind moved through the grass and carried a few dry leaves between the rows of stone markers.
"..." Orochimaru and Jiraiya stood before Manji's grave.
Neither boy spoke.
Orochimaru stared at the cold stone. Until now, death had always felt distant, something that happened to strangers or people from another time. Manji's death changed that. Someone he knew was simply gone, and for the first time, Orochimaru understood how easily a life could end.
Next to him, Jiraiya didn't try to hide his grief. His eyes were red and swollen. Tears ran down his cheeks as he struggled to breathe, but every time he tried to speak, he just sobbed again.
Hiruzen stood behind the two boys and rested a hand on each of their shoulders.
"He was a pillar of Konoha and a true philanthropist. Lord Hashirama, the Second Hokage, ate at his shop. So did the Third and Fourth Hokage. Danzō and I were regulars, too." Hiruzen spoke softly.
He remembered the day Manji first opened the shop. Back then, Hiruzen and Danzō were just two noisy kids with empty stomachs and no money.
They had been Manji's very first customers.
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