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Danzo spoke slowly, his tone calm but cold.
"The only ones in Konoha capable of controlling the Nine-Tails are the Uchiha. It's been over a year since the incident, and they still haven't proven their innocence."
"On top of that, forcing them to relocate to the outskirts has only worsened their relationship with the village."
"Tobirama-sama once said the Uchiha are a clan of evil. Instead of waiting for them to rebel, it's better to wipe them out early."
As he spoke, Danzo casually dragged a finger across his throat.
He had always despised the Uchiha.
And he wanted them gone as soon as possible.
Hearing this, Hiruzen frowned deeply.
The Nine-Tails incident from a year ago…
The Uchiha truly couldn't clear themselves of suspicion.
He shook his head and rejected the idea, explaining calmly,
"The Uchiha are one of Konoha's founding clans. They've produced powerful shinobi like Uchiha Kagami and Uchiha Shisui, people who were willing to sacrifice everything for the village. If we move against them, it'll chill the hearts of clans like the Hyuga and Ino-Shika-Cho. We can't do that."
Danzo slammed his cane against the ground, anger flashing across his face.
"As Hokage, you can't afford to be soft. Eliminating the Uchiha is the best way to protect Konoha!"
Hiruzen clasped his hands behind his back.
He knew the Uchiha were a threat.
He fell silent for a moment, thinking, before muttering,
"It's not time yet. And even if we do eliminate them… the blame can't fall on us. Understand?"
A glint flashed in Danzo's eyes.
It sounded like a hint.
A scheme began to take shape in his mind.
"I understand."
Even without a direct answer, the implication was clear enough. Hiruzen had given his tacit approval.
Danzo continued,
"There's one more thing I came for."
His gaze burned with undisguised desire.
"Hokage-sama, hand the Nine-Tails jinchūriki over to me. I'll train him into the village's strongest weapon."
Hiruzen turned sharply, his eyes cold.
"Don't be ridiculous. Absolutely not."
He didn't hesitate for even a second.
First, the Nine-Tails' power was dangerously unstable.
If mishandled, it could trigger another disaster like the one a year ago.
Countless lives would be lost.
And other hidden villages might take the opportunity to attack Konoha.
Second, Hiruzen knew Danzo far too well.
If he gained control over the jinchūriki's power, it wouldn't just threaten the village.
It would threaten Hiruzen's own position.
That was something he would never allow.
Danzo pressed on,
"So you're just going to let the jinchūriki grow up like this? Go to school and become some ordinary ninja?"
"The disaster already cost us the Fourth Hokage and his wife, two of our strongest fighters. Konoha is facing trouble both inside and out. Give him to me, and I'll turn him into a weapon that obeys the village completely."
Hiruzen let out a cold chuckle, a trace of mockery on his aged face.
"Obeys the village… or obeys you?"
Old as he was, he wasn't a fool.
Handing Naruto over to Danzo would be like raising a tiger only to be devoured by it later.
He would never agree to that.
Hiruzen added a warning,
"If anything happens to the jinchūriki, I'll personally lead Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the ANBU to wipe out your Root."
"You—" Danzo's face flushed red with anger.
He hadn't expected Hiruzen to be this stubborn.
"Guards, see him out," Hiruzen ordered.
Two sharp whooshes cut through the air.
In an instant, two ANBU appeared inside the office.
"Danzo-sama, please leave."
They gestured politely, but the threat was obvious.
If he made a move, they would act.
"Fine. Hiruzen, remember this," Danzo snapped before turning and leaving.
All these years, he had handled countless dirty tasks for Hiruzen behind the scenes.
And now he was being thrown out of the Hokage's office.
Rage burned in his chest.
Just before stepping out, he paused, turned slightly, and spoke word by word, his expression blank.
"The Nine-Tails is the embodiment of evil. Letting it run free will only bring disaster to the village. Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
"It's an enemy. It shouldn't be treated kindly. It must be controlled. And if it can't be controlled, it should be destroyed. Everything I do… is for Konoha."
With that, he left.
Hiruzen gazed out toward the distant Hokage Rock and scoffed.
"You think you can control the Nine-Tails?"
"Ridiculous."
...
Late at night.
Deep beneath Root headquarters, inside a dim underground chamber—
"AAAGH—!"
Screams echoed intermittently.
Inside, a tall, pale middle-aged man stood over a living body, scalpel in hand, cutting it open with meticulous care.
Blood pooled across the operating table.
His golden, slit-pupil eyes gleamed with excitement, almost inhuman.
The anesthesia had worn off.
The Konoha ninja strapped to the table let out agonized screams.
Orochimaru remained expressionless, completely focused on his dissection.
Before long, the screams faded.
The ninja's breath grew faint.
Life was slipping away.
"Orochimaru, we're running low on test subjects. Try to conserve them."
Danzo watched the brutal scene without the slightest change in expression.
"A ninja's purpose is to be useful," Orochimaru replied casually. "Konoha never lacks people. If we need more, just have Root capture a few, right?"
"That sounds about right, doesn't it, Danzo-sama?"
Danzo didn't argue. He only let out a soft snort.
Orochimaru's research was invaluable.
It wasn't worth clashing over something so trivial.
Besides, Orochimaru wasn't wrong.
Konoha never lacked people.
Even if hundreds disappeared in the shadows, it meant nothing to Danzo.
Suddenly, he said,
"Orochimaru, I heard you've been looking into bloodline limits lately."
"Oh?" Orochimaru licked his lips slowly, his crimson tongue flicking out. "Do you have a suggestion, Danzo-sama?"
"What about the Uchiha?" Danzo said lightly.
"The Uchiha!?"
A sharp light flashed in Orochimaru's golden eyes.
During the Third Shinobi War, he had witnessed firsthand the terrifying power of the Sharingan through Fugaku.
He had long wanted to study it.
But bloodline limits were the foundation of a clan.
Every Sharingan was priceless.
On top of that, the Uchiha were few in number and fiercely protective of their own.
If even one went missing, Fugaku would tear the village apart searching for them.
Orochimaru's experiments were already in the shadows.
For safety's sake, he had avoided touching the Sharingan.
And yet…
Danzo was offering it to him.
Of course, Orochimaru had no objections.
If he got exposed, he could always leave Konoha.
He had simply been avoiding trouble before.
Looking at Danzo, Orochimaru smiled.
"Then I'll be in your care, Danzo-sama."
Danzo gave a small nod and turned to leave. Soon, he arrived at an open area and spoke into the darkness.
"Codenames B and D."
"Danzo-sama, we're here."
Two Root operatives wearing animal masks leapt out of the shadows, their voices cold as ice.
Danzo issued his command:
"Capture Fugaku's child and bring them to Root. Deliver them to Orochimaru for research."
His plan was simple.
Kill someone dear to Fugaku.
Drive him into madness.
Force him into war with the village.
The Uchiha, even with the Sharingan, were powerful.
But compared to Konoha, they were still far weaker.
Sure, Hiruzen and Danzo had argued earlier over the jinchūriki.
But if the Uchiha truly rebelled…
Hiruzen would join hands with him without hesitation.
In their youth, they weren't just comrades.
As leaders, they worked in perfect sync. Hiruzen in the light, Danzo in the shadows.
"The evil Uchiha… should've been erased long ago."
"....."