"Damn him!"
The moment Danzo Shimura stepped out of the Hokage's Office, his face twisted into a sinister snarl. His outwardly civil relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi was a complete sham. For Danzo, life was meaningless unless he could one day overthrow Hiruzen and claim the title of Hokage for himself.
Even now, the memory of the test their teacher, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, had given them decades ago burned in his heart. They had been ambushed by the Gold and Silver Brothers of the Hidden Cloud. To decide his successor, Tobirama asked which of them would volunteer to stay behind as a decoy—a certain death sentence. Danzo, ever the pragmatist, had hesitated. But Hiruzen had stepped forward without a second thought, earning their master's approval. Though Danzo eventually found his courage, the moment had passed. He had lost.
Hiruzen had returned to Konoha and, with cunning that Danzo had gravely underestimated, consolidated his power, marginalizing the Uchiha and Senju clans to secure his position. Danzo now understood that Hiruzen had been playing the long game from the very beginning. To maintain a balance of power, Hiruzen had allowed Danzo to form his Root organization, letting him do the dirty work from the shadows. But in Danzo's twisted mind, this was not a privilege; it was simply Hiruzen paying a debt. After all, he had stolen the Hokage title that rightfully belonged to him.
A cold, cruel smile spread across Danzo's face. Sarutobi, you fool. This isn't some rogue ninja you've provoked. This is a god who once brought the entire shinobi world to its knees.
He remembered the Nine-Tails attack, an incident that had cost Konoha its Fourth Hokage. If this crisis can kill another Hokage, he thought, his smile widening, then my Root organization can finally step out of the shadows and into the light. No one wants to live their entire life as a rat in the dark, least of all Shimura Danzo.
"That man is becoming more outrageous by the day!" Hiruzen fumed inside his office. Danzo's insolence was infuriating. Yet, he knew that Danzo and his Root organization were a necessary evil. They handled the clandestine operations that kept Konoha safe, taking on the blame and the darkness so that Hiruzen could maintain the village's honorable facade.
"But the immediate problem is… Lord Tsukihiko!"
Before he could think further, a figure blurred into the room. "Dad! We have a huge problem!" It was a young, frantic Asuma Sarutobi, his face pale with distress. "The village barrier… there's something wrong with it! Quick, you have to come see!"
At that very moment, a shift occurred that was felt by every person in Konoha. From the Hyuga to the Uchiha to the members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, every shinobi felt an immense, terrifying power descend upon the village, locking it in a suffocating grip. Konoha's legendary barrier, a defense thought to be impenetrable, offered no resistance at all.
The bright afternoon sky instantly turned to an unnatural, starless night.
"What's happening!?" "Why did it get so dark? Are we being attacked!?"
Panic erupted on the streets. It had only been a little over a decade since the Nine-Tails' rampage, and the fear of that day was still fresh in the minds of many. Was another catastrophe about to befall their home?
"That… that's the Divine Moon Anomaly," the head of the Nara clan whispered, his face grim as he stared at the sky.
High above the village, specks of light began to appear in the blackness. One by one, twelve distinct, ethereal moons materialized, each one pulsing with a profound and ancient power. The sight sent a wave of terror through the civilian population. But for the shinobi who knew the old histories, it was a vision of absolute despair.
Twelve Divine Moons. It could only mean one thing.
Lord Tsukihiko.
They couldn't comprehend it. Why was the god-like being who had once been unrivaled in the entire shinobi world returning now? And why was he making Konoha his first target? Even the combined strength of legends like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had been nothing to him. Now, he hadn't even appeared himself, but the presence of his Twelve Divine Moons was already overwhelming.
As they watched in horror, two of the twelve moons began to glow with blinding intensity. Two black-robed figures descended from the heavens, landing silently on the roof of the Hokage tower. An unfathomable aura washed over the village, forcing weaker ninja to their knees.
Their voices then boomed across Konoha, speaking as one. It was a sound like a great bell, resonating not in the ears, but in the very soul of every listener.
"We are the Twelve Divine Moons, servants of Lord Tsukihiko."
"In three days, our lord will personally arrive in the Village Hidden in the Leaves to interrogate the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
The words hung in the air, followed by a moment of complete, stunned silence before the entire village erupted into chaos.
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