Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was expressionless.
Only after watching Nara Shikaku leave did he finally let out a cold snort of anger.
Yes.
Even if he had no solid evidence, how could he possibly be completely unaware of the little tricks the Ino–Shika–Chō clans were pulling?
But still—
With so few loyal people left at his disposal, Shikaku was too useful, and the remaining Ino–Shika–Chō were a significant source of support.
So, fine.
Even if he wanted to hold them accountable, it would have to wait until the overall situation had stabilized.
With that thought, he spoke coldly:
"ANBU."
"Lord Hokage."
"Go summon Lord Danzō."
"Yes!"
An ANBU operative appeared, dropped to one knee, and left the Hokage's office at once.
About ten minutes later, Danzō walked in with a dark face. Compared to before, his gaze at Hiruzen was far more vicious and cold.
No courtesy, no outburst, not even kicking the door.
He simply stood there, looking at Hiruzen with indifferent eyes.
"You called me. What for?"
Danzō spoke blandly.
As for this morning's battle between Root and ANBU—since Hiruzen hadn't mentioned it first, he couldn't be bothered to bring it up either.
The masks had already come off.
Pointing it out now meant little; both sides knew the truth.
The rest would be decided by each other's methods.
On the other hand, Hiruzen also chose not to mention it.
After all, even if he himself was innocent and had not ordered Shisui, what good would it do to argue?
Shisui was ANBU, and he had indeed once given that order. If he were to sell Shisui out now, who would ever dare serve under him again?
More importantly—
Danzō was just an elder, while he was the Hokage.
For the Hokage to bring this matter up himself would look like weakness.
So, absolutely not!
Instead, he looked at Danzō deeply and said in an even tone:
"No need for polite words between us.
You know the village's situation. The Uchiha are becoming harder to deal with.
And to deal with the Uchiha, first we must end the war. But right now, Hidden Cloud Village refuses."
"Just now, Shikaku proposed a plan. But to make it work, I'll need your help."
Without hesitation, Hiruzen laid out Shikaku's plan in simple terms, making clear that he couldn't execute it himself—that only Root had the means.
He left much unsaid, but he trusted Danzō would understand.
The core message was simple:
Even if they would eventually turn on each other, even to the death, that had to wait until after the Uchiha and Hyuga were dealt with.
For now, they had to cooperate.
And to deal with the Uchiha in earnest, the war had to be ended first.
So—would Danzō do it or not?
Danzō fell silent.
Although he hated Hiruzen, he had to admit the Hokage was right.
On his own, he couldn't crush the Uchiha.
And after considering Shikaku's proposal, he saw it had some chance of success.
The Third Raikage, A, was indeed a formidable problem.
If they could take this chance to eliminate him, it would benefit himself, Konoha, and even the entire shinobi world.
Having reasoned it out, he finally nodded slowly.
"Fine. No problem.
Root will handle Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud Village."
"But I expect you to send Namikaze Minato—and even persuade Uchiha Kai.
One Flying Thunder God, one Mangekyō Sharingan.
With the two working together, the chance of killing the Third Raikage is highest.
With only Ōnoki, even if we trick A into coming, the likelihood of success isn't great.
Any problem with that?"
Danzō's voice was flat.
Clearly, after killing Hiruzen's son last night and clashing with ANBU today, their so-called friendship was already gone.
Since they couldn't fight outright yet, everything was strictly business.
"Minato—no problem." Hiruzen frowned slightly. "But Uchiha Kai…"
That gave him a headache.
Minato was easy. Even with some estrangement, his love for the village meant he'd accept for the greater good.
But Uchiha Kai—that would be hard.
As an Uchiha elder, head of the Police Force, and retired from active shinobi duty, convincing him to act would require a heavy price.
Still, the importance of ending the war left Hiruzen no choice. He took a deep breath.
"Fine. No problem. I'll handle it. Danzō, do your part quickly.
Delays bring change—sooner is better."
Danzō nodded.
He didn't need Hiruzen's reminder; he already knew what to do.
Without further word, he turned and left the office without even a farewell.
Yes.
To him, Hiruzen was no longer a friend or ally—just a temporary partner.
Hiruzen's face remained calm at the slight.
He knew well enough: with things as they stood, not openly breaking yet was already the best outcome.
With the power Danzō commanded, Hiruzen couldn't suppress him anyway.
So without complaint, once Danzō left, he summoned ANBU again and ordered them to fetch Namikaze Minato.
Half an hour later, Minato walked in, smiling like a little sun, and bowed.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Yes, Minato, you've come."
Looking at him, Hiruzen's expression grew complicated.
In truth, not only Hiruzen—Minato himself also felt awkward.
Yes.
Too much had happened in the village in the past two days.
Though he'd mostly stayed home, sometimes going out to keep ties alive, his position meant he couldn't remain ignorant.
Those who truly followed him would come and report everything of importance.
Thus, he knew.
The death of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Shisui's feigned defection, the Ino–Shika–Chō affair, the clash between Root and ANBU…
He knew it all.
In the past, with his personality, he might have intervened.
But after speaking with Uchiha Kai and seeing the village's true darkness, he had lost all interest.
Dogs biting dogs. He wanted no part.
"Lord Hokage!" Minato took a deep breath before asking, "You summoned me—what mission do you have for me?"
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