"Danzō!" Homura's eyes were bloodshot as he charged at Danzō and Hiruzen like a madman, roaring, "Hiruzen, I want you dead!"
Earlier, because he felt awkward, he had kept some distance from Danzō, not even willing to personally send him the Hokage hat and cloak. That gave Hiruzen the perfect opportunity to strike.
In other words, to some extent, it was his fault that Danzō was killed.
Although he didn't care for Danzō as deeply as he had for Koharu, Danzō was still his comrade.
And ever since Koharu had died and he'd turned against Hiruzen, Danzō had been practically like his only remaining companion. Now, just like Koharu, Danzō had died miserably at the hands of Hiruzen.
At this moment, he was consumed by overwhelming hatred, he wished he could tear Hiruzen to pieces.
Hiruzen's eyes were equally fierce. With a swift motion, he yanked the kunai out of Danzō's chest and charged at Homura.
Homura hated him, but hadn't Hiruzen hated them too?
All these years as Hokage, he had treated his comrades with almost no limits. No matter what they asked for, as long as it wasn't too outrageous, when had he ever refused?
Even when they were corrupt and greedy, he still tolerated them. In fact, the reason Tsunade had targeted him later on, leaving him anxious and worried, was precisely because they had dragged him down with them.
But first, Koharu tried to betray him, attempting to hand over the account book recording his crimes to Shin.
Then Danzō sent his clansmen to die.
And Homura went so far as to try to ruin his reputation, even conspiring with Danzō to launch a rebellion and overthrow his rule.
Later, Hiruzen had even seen a prophecy that he would be killed in public by someone disguised as his own bodyguard, stabbed through the heart.
Had it not been for that, he wouldn't have been able to fake his death and turn the tables on Danzō just when the latter thought he had won.
Although the plan had succeeded, his heart was still filled with hatred.
In his view, he could have peacefully handed power over to Tsunade and retired cleanly.
But during the time he was presumed dead, Danzō and Homura had done everything in their power to smear his name.
Now, in the eyes of the people, he was no better than Danzō, perhaps even worse.
As a man who valued reputation more than his own life, this was worse than death for him. So, from now on, he no longer cared about what came next. To him, there was only one priority: kill Homura.
Clang!
As their kunai clashed, Hiruzen and Homura slid past each other. While retreating, both of them rapidly formed hand seals almost at the same time.
And it wasn't just the two of them, Danzō's clansmen and subordinates, along with Homura's own people, instantly joined the battle as well.
Hiruzen, even while faking his death, had brought a considerable force with him. The great battle erupted once again in Konoha.
But what he never expected in his wildest dreams was this:
The ANBU members, whom he had believed would instantly side with him and attack Homura upon his return, were now merely observing from the rooftops at a distance.
Even after he shouted to them several times, they remained unmoved, only watching silently from afar.
Why?
He found himself with the same confusion that Danzō once had.
The ANBU had always obeyed the Hokage's commands. Yet now, they listened neither to Danzō nor to himself. Who were they following?
The battle raged on for an hour.
In the end, Hiruzen managed to kill Homura with overwhelming force.
But the men he had brought were outnumbered and outmatched. Danzō and Homura's remaining forces wiped them out completely. Even Hiruzen, though powerful, was severely wounded in the chaos and barely managed to escape.
What no one expected was this:
Just as the remnants of Danzō and Homura's forces prepared to pursue Hiruzen, the ANBU suddenly made their move. With overwhelming numbers and strength, they launched a one-sided slaughter of the demoralized and weakened rebels, wiping them out completely in a matter of moments.
As the Hokage Building lay in ruins, the ANBU showed no reaction. Instead, they all turned and headed straight for the Shimura clan compound.
To root out weeds, one must dig up the roots.
---
High on the Hokage Rock, atop Tobirama's head, Shin watched the scene unfold with great satisfaction.
He had never liked the Hokage Building to begin with, ugly, and tainted by the rule of both Hiruzen and Danzō. Naturally, tearing it down and rebuilding was for the best.
The ANBU were very useful. All his efforts in taking control of them had paid off.
Now, only Hiruzen remained.
As a Hokage, his strength was beyond question.
But even he had suffered greatly against Homura's elite strike force. Now wounded and staggering, he barely made it out of the battlefield.
In a deserted alley, far from the chaos, Hiruzen collapsed unconscious, his head tilting as he fell to the ground.
---
In an underground chamber, in one shadowy corner, Hiruzen slowly regained consciousness, unsure how long he had been out. As soon as he awoke, he quickly got up and looked around warily.
Just as he was about to investigate, a flash of flame lit up the chamber, illuminating a familiar face.
"...Shin?" Hiruzen's pupils shrank the moment he saw him.
After the battle atop the Hokage Building, he had been gravely injured. He'd thought he wouldn't survive, he never expected to see Shin here.
If nothing else, it meant Shin had saved him.
In just a few seconds, his mind was racing.
To him, there was only one reason why Shin would bother to rescue him: he wanted him to hand over his power and ensure a smooth transition to Tsunade.
Though there had been rumors that Tsunade had gone missing, seeing Shin so calm and composed, he realized those rumors were nonsense.
Tsunade's "disappearance" was most likely part of a plan, to manipulate Danzō into making his move today.
Without Hiruzen in the picture, Shin never would have let Danzō succeed as the Fourth Hokage. But now that Hiruzen had returned, Shin didn't even need to act directly.
With this understanding, Hiruzen's mind settled. He deliberately spoke, "What are you trying to do? I'm the Hokage. Detaining me like this is a serious offense. I suggest you don't do anything reckless, you might bring unnecessary trouble upon yourself."
But before he could finish his sentence, Shin vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was already in front of Hiruzen, and his fist smashed into Hiruzen's face, sending him flying mercilessly.
"Even now, you're still playing these little games?"