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NOTE :- 1 Chapter on P@treon is 2 chapter here.
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"What the hell is going on?"
Danzo's eyes narrowed as he examined his surroundings "This is Konoha... but not the Konoha I remember. This is Konoha from forty years ago!"
He had somehow returned to the past as if Someone had given him another chance at life.
"Whoever did this must possess incredible power. They didn't just bring me back to life. They returned me to a point in time when I could still change the course of history."as Danzo's mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation.
Meanwhile,
Hiruzen waited for his friend's response and When Danzo remained silent for a little too long, Hiruzen glanced over his shoulder.
"Danzo? Is something wrong?"
"What's gotten into him?" Hiruzen couldn't help feeling a little suspicious.
After all, this was the period when Danzo had begun questioning his ability to protect Konoha. He had been using the ongoing conflict with Amegakure as an excuse to argue that the current Hokage's methods weren't enough to protect the village.
Danzo had even proposed establishing a separate ANBU training department, claiming that Konoha needed shinobi who could operate in the shadows and handle missions that the regular ANBU couldn't.
Of course, Hiruzen understood the importance of having capable shinobi who could carry out dangerous missions. However, he also knew that Danzo had his own ambitions.
His old friend had even brought Homura and Koharu into the discussion. Both of them were sitting on a couch nearby, watching the two men carefully.
Hiruzen sighed and turned back towards the window.
He didn't want to make things difficult between himself and Danzo. They had been Best friends for a long time, and he still valued that friendship Very much.
However, Danzo's actions were beginning to cross a line.
"Ah, that's right, Hiruzen," Danzo finally replied as He forced himself to remain calm, hiding the excitement and disbelief bubbling inside him.
"I've really been given another chance..." and Then, he remembered what had happened the first time around.
He had used this very proposal to establish his own secret force, Root. Under pressure, Hiruzen had eventually agreed to his request.
At the time, Danzo had convinced himself that he was doing what was necessary to protect Konoha, but Root had gradually become a tool for his personal ambitions. Instead of serving the village alone, it had carried out operations that created even more problems for Konoha.
Perhaps this had been one of the first steps towards the darkness that eventually consumed him.
"Not this time" Danzo's expression remained calm, but his resolve had changed "I'll still establish Root, but it won't become the same organization it was in my previous life. This time, I'll make sure it serves Konoha without repeating the mistakes that destroyed so many lives."
"Danzo, why do you think we need a separate ANBU training department in the first place?" Hiruzen asked.
His voice brought Danzo back to the present.
"The current ANBU is already organized according to Sensei's teachings. We select capable shinobi from the Ninja Academy and various clans, train them, and assign them missions based on their abilities. There's nothing wrong with that system."
Hiruzen paused before continuing "Although I can guess what you're trying to achieve, I don't think creating another organization is the right answer."
He deliberately brought up Tobirama Sensei's teachings, hoping to remind Danzo of the principles their former teacher had followed.
Danzo listened quietly and Then he spoke "You're the Hokage, Hiruzen. Your strength lies in standing in the light. You represent the village, and your hands should remain as clean as possible."
As he spoke, Danzo remembered the words he had used in his previous life "Hiruzen, you are the leaf that stands in the sunlight, while I will be the root hidden in the darkness."
This time, however, he wasn't planning to use those words to manipulate his friend into giving him unlimited power.
"Have you ever considered what people might say about you in the future?" Danzo continued. "What if they start calling you weak or incapable of making difficult decisions? What if they believe you can't protect the village because you're too concerned about maintaining peace?"
Hiruzen frowned slightly "Danzo..."
"Don't misunderstand me," Danzo interrupted. "I'm not saying that your methods are wrong. But you aren't Tobirama-sensei. You don't possess his strength, his decisiveness, or his ability to keep the various clans under control through sheer authority."
His words were harsh, but there was a strange sincerity behind them.
"You can't expect to manage the entire village the same way he did. Times have changed, Hiruzen. Konoha has grown, and so have its problems."
Danzo took a breath before continuing "Konoha can't rely on the light alone. There are threats that even the Hokage can't deal with openly. There are enemies who hide among our allies, secrets that must remain buried, and missions that cannot be carried out by ordinary shinobi."
He looked directly at Hiruzen "The village needs someone willing to take responsibility for those things. Someone who can work in the darkness so that the Hokage can continue standing in the light."
Homura nodded thoughtfully "Danzo has a point. If he's willing to take responsibility for this department himself, perhaps we should at least consider his proposal."
Koharu adjusted her position on the couch and nodded "He's right about one thing. The Hokage cannot handle every problem personally. Having a specialized force for dangerous and sensitive missions could prove useful."
Hiruzen fell silent as He understood their argument. As Hokage, he had to consider the village's security above everything else.
Still, something about Danzo's proposal bothered him.
"Is this really about protecting Konoha, or does Danzo have another goal in mind?" he thought
He knew his friend's personality well enough to understand that Danzo rarely did anything without a reason.
Yet, despite his doubts, Hiruzen also knew that Danzo was a capable shinobi who genuinely cared about the village, even if his methods often went too far and that was precisely what made this decision difficult.
"All you need to do is sign this document, Hiruzen," Danzo said as he stepped forward. He pulled a scroll from inside his robes and placed it on the Hokage's desk. "Leave the rest to me. I'll take responsibility for establishing the department and training its members."
Hiruzen looked down at the document and then he looked at Danzo seeing that His old friend wasn't backing down he With a tired sigh, Hiruzen rubbed his forehead.
"Honestly, Danzo, You never make things easy, do you?" as He picked up the document and read it once more.
After a moment, he reached for his pen.
Watching him, Danzo let out a quiet sigh of his own "Just as I expected. You're still the same, Hiruzen. You're willing to compromise as long as the other person doesn't cross a line you refuse to accept".
But Danzo no longer felt the same frustration he once had as He understood that Hiruzen's kindness wasn't necessarily a weakness. It was simply part of who he was.
The problem was that Danzo had spent his entire life trying to force Hiruzen to rule the way he believed a Hokage should rule and whenever Hiruzen refused to follow his expectations, Danzo had taken matters into his own hands.
" Perhaps I was wrong to think that Konoha could only survive if someone like me controlled everything from the shadows." as His thoughts drifted towards the Hyuga incident that would take place in the future.
Hiashi Hyuga would be forced into an impossible situation after the death of a Kumogakure shinobi who had attempted to kidnap Hinata Hyuga. To prevent a war, the village would demand a sacrifice, and Hizashi Hyuga would ultimately die in his brother's place.
Danzo remembered how he had opposed the way Hiruzen handled the situation. He had believed that Konoha should have stood firm rather than allowing Kumogakure to dictate the terms.
Yet Hiruzen had chosen to avoid a full-scale war and At the time, Danzo had considered that decision another example of his friend's weakness.
"That's why I believed you weren't suited to be Hokage, Hiruzen."
But now, after witnessing the future and everything his own actions had caused, Danzo wasn't so certain that his old way of thinking had been right.
"Still, I won't pretend that every decision you make is correct. You have your weaknesses, just as I have mine."as He glanced at Hiruzen, who was still reading the document "But this time, I won't try to take the Hokage's position away from you."
Danzo's eyes hardened with determination "You can keep the title, Hiruzen. I don't need to become Hokage to make a difference and My goal is to make Konoha stronger than it has ever been. I'll protect the village, strengthen its defenses, and prepare it for the threats that await in the future and this time, I won't allow my own ambition to destroy the very village I claim to love."