"Then why don't we trust the Uchiha? Like the Third Shinobi war!? They laid their lives down for the village to fight against the forces of Kirigakure before! Why not trust them once again? Let's ask the Uchiha to include more from their clan in the three man team after graduation instead of sending them all to the police force!?"
Danzo's nostrils flared like an angry hippo. "The Uchiha!? You're ready to trust those filthy corpse bringers!? They'd rather kill their teammates to awaken their eyes and weaken the village! And once the village is weakened, take over it through a rebellion!"
"How can you say that about the Uchiha, Danzo! Sensei said they were a clan of love!!" Koharu argued.
"But he also said they were extreme in their ways! Or have you forgotten!? Even now there's an Uchiha lying in the hospital because he was injured after he killed his own teammates and cannibalized them!! And what did Hiruzen do? He hid all this knowledge from you! Hid it so that he could continue bending his back like a coward to the Uchiha in hopes that they would become his political pets!"
There was a deafening silence in the office as Danzo finished his rant.
Homura and Koharu were both stunned by the information that Danzo had just revealed to them.
An Uchiha had killed his own teammates and Hiruzen was giving him treatment?
Was Danzo lying?
No… Danzo wouldn't lie to them, they were his oldest friends in this village, among the only few that remained alive from his era, they had studied together under the Second Hokage Tobirama.
So they trusted Danzo fully and quietly backed away.
"Hiruzen was running the village by teetering it towards a full blown collapse. He was inefficient and dull. He was past his prime. Give me five years! Merely five years and I'll show you just how thick the branches of the tree called Konoha can really grow!"
Koharu and Homura looked at each other momentarily, sharing a glance as they shared mutual understanding.
Five years wasn't a lot in the big picture. After all, the Shinobi world at large was in a time of peace right now since most countries were still recovering from the third great shinobi war.
Danzo couldn't start a war even if he wanted to, so five years was not a long time to give. Who knows what could happen in another five years, maybe Tsunade would be cured of her hemophobia and she would become willing to be the next Hokage.
So they both turned back at Danzo and nodded silently.
"Alright, if that's all you came for, then you're dismissed." Danzo said politely as he went back to the papers on his desk.
After a while, once Homura and Koharu had left, Danzo spoke to the seemingly empty air.
"Call a Jonin meeting, I want every Jonin present there regardless of if they already have a team they are leading or not. Regardless of if they are in the ANBU or not."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." An ANBU member knelt in front of him before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
***
"Now that the Third Hokage's burial has finished… Can we summon him here?" Kushina asked innocently.
"Is that possi-" Izuna's words died in his mouth because the very next instant, much like how Sakumo formed out of globules of light earlier, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen appeared.
Hiruzen was automatically on guard as soon as he appeared.
His eyes scanned around warily until they landed not on Hashirama but on Tobirama. He shivered slightly before speaking with a stammer, "Teac- Teacher?!!"
"Took you long enough…" Tobirama said with a frown.
"Teacher! That disappointment in me! I can't mistake it for anyone else! It really is you!!"
Mito smiled warmly as she spoke kindly, "Welcome monkey… we've been waiting for you."
"Oh! Mito-sama!! First Hokage-sama!!! Minato!! Kushina!! Sakumo's here too!!!! Everyone!!! Where am I? Is this pure land?"
"As much as I'd like it to be…" Tobirama started as he continued to explain, "It is not… we are in a room that allows us to freely spectate the point of view of a shinobi of Konoha."
"Huh? Who would that be? Is it Kakashi? Why are we doing that? Is this another one of your jutsu sensei?" Hiruzen said his guess out loud while looking at Sakumo.
But Sakumo shook his head as Tobirama elaborated further, "No, we're spectating the point of view of a shinobi named Haruto Hayashi."
"Haruto Hayashi… Haruto-kun!?" Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise, "But why?"
"Wouldn't we all like to know…" Tobirama said before explaining to him everything Haruto had done until now causing Hiruzen's already wide eyes to grow even wider.
"It seems Haruto-kun's secrets are very deep…" Hiruzen could only say, causing everyone to nod at his words.
But before things could progress any further, Kushina blurted out a question that had been on the tip of her tongue ever since Hiruzen had arrived in this enigmatic place.
"Hokage-sama, how's Naruto!? Is he eating well? Does he sleep on time? Does he have good friends? Does he still live in our little house? Did he ever get hurt badly while growing up? Does he have any trouble reading and writing? Does he-"
"Calm down Kushina! You're overwhelming Monkey." Mito said calmly, putting her hand on Kushina's shoulders.
Hiruzen's expression on the other hand was priceless. After calming down a little, Hiruzen started to list the answers to questions slowly under the scrutinizing gazes of everyone.
"Naruto's doing fine."
"Really!?" Kushina asked again, her lips curving up into a smile. "I knew it! Who could've resisted such a cutie pie."
"Yes, Naruto's doing fine." Hiruzen reiterated, "After he's grown up from this October, right before I died, he started living alone. I give him about ten thousand ryo each month for food and other necessities. He currently lives in your old home. He never got hurt while growing up much unlike other kids. He learnt to read and write just fine! In fact I taught much of it to him myself!"
"Is that so…" Kushina sighed dreamily before speaking again, "I just wonder when we'll see him again… right Minato?"
Minato nodded, "I can't wait for it too."
***
Kakashi was on his way to the I.T department when he saw a messenger hawk flying in the air up above Konoha.
'A Jonin meeting? At this time?'
Kakashi changed his directions and quickly made his way towards the Hokage tower.
Kakashi reached the Jonin meeting room and greeted several friends of his like Asuma, Kurenai and Hayate before standing in line silently at the position after the ANBU commander Shikaku.
The Hokage seat was currently empty but Koharu and Homura were already in their seats. They looked weary and tired much unlike their usual selves, as if they had just fought a long hard battle.
Just as someone was about to ask the venerable elders for the reason this meeting was called, the door opened and Danzo walked in, silencing everyone with his cold gaze.
After Danzo sat in his place he looked at everyone once before speaking sharply.
"From today, effective immediately, you are to take up an able ninja student on your missions along with yourselves."
***
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