The room tensed at the tone Shikaku displayed. Fugaku did not reply. Instead, he handed both Shikaku and Hirotaka a file that summarized the most important intelligence extracted from Danzo.
While they both had an idea of the kinds of things Danzo did, reading about the details they were previously unaware of caused their blood to boil. He had sacrificed far too many clan members through his barbaric Root induction process and worked to undermine the village leadership at every corner.
Although it was not stated explicitly, it was easy for people as smart as them to deduce the motive behind Danzo's actions. He wanted power at all costs. One might argue he genuinely thought being Hokage was the only way to ensure the future of Konoha and save it from perceived weakness, but that could never justify the horrors mentioned in that report.
Shikaku's face was red after finishing the file. Barely held rage burned in his eyes, which was unheard of for a Nara. Fugaku didn't speak for a long time, letting them read and digest the information at their own pace.
Darkness descended in the room as the sun set. Hirotaka finally spoke.
"I knew that Danzo was twisted, but I did not know it was to this extent."
Shikaku agreed with a cold expression appearing on his face.
"I didn't know all the details because the Third always maintained an information wall around Danzo. However, this is beyond dark. How and why the Third allowed this to start and then continue to get worse is beyond me."
Fugaku's voice was deep as he spoke.
"It is very clear that he worked to undermine the Uchiha at every turn. He went after the prodigies of the village simply because they were not on his side. He even worked to make Naruto's life miserable just so the boy's heart would fill with darkness. He wanted Naruto to have no choice but to join Root, since they would conveniently accept him while the rest of the village hated him."
Fugaku saw Shikaku's reaction and felt satisfied. It was important for his new advisor to understand the depth of this systemic mistreatment. He needed Shikaku to lose any bias against his appointment. Having the support of the Nara head would be critical to his future plans.
Hirotaka was equally impressed with how flawlessly Fugaku had executed this shift in Shikaku's mindset. To Fugaku's surprise, Shikaku suddenly stood up and bowed deeply.
"Lord Hokage, please forgive me," Shikaku said. "I was an advisor for the Third, and yet I was oblivious to these atrocities and this unfair treatment. Instead of acting, I just observed and did nothing. The fact that you are trying to fix our old mistakes is admirable. I mean it when I say that I will work with you so nothing like this ever happens again in the village. I will work tirelessly to fix the mistakes that happened under my watch."
Fugaku acknowledged this, appreciating Shikaku's resolve.
"I won't hold it against you. But I agree that we need to work hard together to fix these issues. It is critical that we do so to ensure a bright future for Konoha."
Shikaku stood up slowly. The fire of rage in his eyes had turned into another rare sight. It was burning with duty and responsibility to right the wrongs that had happened during the Third's reign.
Hirotaka spoke up.
"I recommend that we inform only the clan heads of Danzo's unforgivable crimes and the damage he caused to Konoha, then tell them of his execution privately. This will ensure the leadership is satisfied, especially considering what Danzo did to their own clansmen. They will view it as justice for their fallen shinobi, which will improve both the image of the Uchiha and your own standing among the major clans. However, we must withhold this information from the genin, chunin, and the general public. We will need Danzo's death for something else down the line."
Shikaku's eyes narrowed.
"Lord Hokage, all these moves, from restructuring the Police Force so that each clan is mostly policing their own grounds and even giving independent shinobi some power, to improving the armament and training of our Genin and Chunin while giving Jonin missions to hone their skills and fighting spirit, not to mention giving the clans more control over themselves and dealing with Naruto, why are you trying to improve things so fast? What is it that you plan on doing that will need that much support?"
Fugaku expected Shikaku to catch on. Although he wanted to delay sharing this information, he didn't want to lose the trust he had just gained. Shikaku knowing the true plan would indeed help with the preparations.
Hirotaka observed Shikaku carefully before looking at Fugaku, who was thoughtful. In the end, Fugaku leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes.
"What I am about to tell you is top secret. Not even the ANBU are aware of it, so do not inform even the clan heads. They will come to know when the appropriate time comes."
Shikaku gulped. If the Hokage asked him for that, it meant whatever he was planning was huge.
Fugaku stood up and walked to the windows of the Hokage office with his back to the room.
"We are building towards annexing the Land of Water."
Shikaku's mind almost shattered. This meeting was the most intense he had ever had. He was so overwhelmed that he started chuckling uncontrollably. He thought the Hokage was joking, however, he turned his head and saw that Hirotaka was all smiles. Shikaku's eyes widened as he stopped, realizing that Hirotaka already knew and that it was true.
With his mouth wide open, Shikaku turned to Fugaku and spoke with a horrified tone.
"Lord Hokage, do you want to start the Fourth Shinobi War?"
Fugaku chuckled mockingly.
"Tell me, Shikaku, when was Konoha ever left alone and not ganged up upon by the other nations during the previous wars even if we did nothing to provoke them?"
Shikaku's mouth closed. His thoughts were frozen, yet he recognized the truth in what Fugaku said. Konoha was always attacked because the other villages feared them getting too strong.
Fugaku spoke as if he could read Shikaku's mind.
"If we will get punished for something that we didn't do every time, then why not do it and gain the benefit since we will get attacked anyway?"
Shikaku tried to speak, but his mind was genuinely stuck. Fugaku made a great point. Shikaku took a deep breath and calmed himself down before asking, "Why?"
Fugaku turned and sat in his chair.
"For many good reasons, you are a man of logical mind so let us think about it logically. The land of water is fractured and tangled in a civil war that is already eating its strength. For morals, we can easily side with the rebels against the Mizukage's cruel actions. That would earn us a lot of goodwill with the land of water people and with decent people in general. We can intervene under the guise of stopping the massacre of bloodlines. It should not be hard to take over the resistance and make sure its leaders are puppets to us."
Shikaku somewhat understood the logic, however, his question was not yet answered. Hirotaka spoke, grabbing Shikaku's attention.
"Controlling the Land of Water means we control a huge share of the marine trade, not to mention missions to secure those trade routes. Both our civilians and our shinobi would benefit immensely from this."
Again, the words he heard made sense. Fugaku saw the conflicted look on Shikaku's face and continued.
"It is a land full of resources and powerful shinobi. I am not planning on subjugating them and stealing everything. I want them to later be integrated into the Land of Fire so we can have those bloodline shinobi join us and strengthen Konoha against the constant aggression of the other villages."
Shikaku finally grasped a thought, though his voice was shaking.
"But Lord Hokage, if we did that and started to intervene in the land of water civil war, the other villages will surely intervene, not to mention the resources needed like ships and weapons."
Before he continued, his eyes widened as he looked at Hirotaka, who was grinning.
"The weapon and armor deal you arranged with the Daimyo for our shinobi, that was the true purpose."
Hirotaka gave an affirmative look as he spoke.
"As for the fleet, we already have many ships but more are being prepared as we speak. I have already spoken to the Daimyo and he is very pleased at the influx of money and trade that would come from this. He will agree soon enough once he is satisfied with our preparations."
Shikaku's nails dug into his hand almost drawing blood at how ludicrous what he was hearing was, however, he could not deny that it made sense. His heart was pounding at the thought of Konoha practically going to war.
Fugaku spoke with a voice clear and resolute.
"That is why we need you, Shikaku. What comes next are our preparations. It will take a year or two but we should be ready. Please help us make sure that we do not lose our shinobi and gain victory, glory, wealth, and strength for the Land of Fire and Konoha