Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned and allowed the Anbu at the door to come in to clean up the fragments and mop the floor.
Losing a teacup was a small matter for Sarutobi Hiruzen, it wasn't some precious antique.
The real reason for Sarutobi Hiruzen's displeasure was the sudden realization that he was no longer young, appearing to be unable to hold a teacup steadily.
Returning to the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window from which one could see all of Konoha, and sighed slightly.
"Every single one of them is so troublesome, will I ever really be able to retire peacefully?"
From taking on the role of Hokage in times of peril until now, Sarutobi Hiruzen had become somewhat fatigued.
If a suitable candidate appeared, once the Ninja World stabilized, Sarutobi Hiruzen would undoubtedly pass down the title of Hokage without hesitation.
He had stood at the pinnacle long enough and had little lingering sentiment for power.
Compared to being occupied with Konoha's affairs day in and day out, Sarutobi Hiruzen longed more for retirement, having time to fish and occasionally help educate the grandchildren.
Perhaps he could even rejuvenate his teaching career and train his grandson to become an outstanding ninja like Mokgetsu.
The following night.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard someone calling his name, and the voice sounded somewhat familiar to him.
"Old man, get up quickly! Teacher Mokgetsu is calling you." Asuma pushed open Sarutobi Hiruzen's room door and said.
He too had heard the voice from outside and immediately recognized it as Mokgetsu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen swiftly dressed and walked out of the bedroom, as Mokgetsu seeking him at this hour definitely wasn't a minor issue.
Asuma wanted to follow, but was unceremoniously sent back by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Go to sleep quickly!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said sternly.
Had he not thought Mokgetsu had something urgent, he would have reprimanded Asuma for his casual manner earlier.
"I'm not going if you don't want me to." Asuma retorted irritably and returned to his own room.
It wasn't out of fear of Sarutobi Hiruzen, but because Mokgetsu hadn't called him. If Mokgetsu did call his name, he wouldn't listen to Sarutobi Hiruzen's refusal.
Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly walked out of the house and saw Mokgetsu with a sorrowful expression in the courtyard.
Seeing Mokgetsu's expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat, sensing that something was amiss.
Mokgetsu always appeared optimistic and strong in his impression. For Mokgetsu to show such an expression, it definitely wasn't a trivial matter.
"Mokgetsu, are you alright?" Sarutobi Hiruzen first inquired about Mokgetsu's state, then continued:
"Did something happen? It's alright to take more leave from the Observation class, it's not urgent."
Sarutobi Hiruzen valued the training in Observation, but compared to Mokgetsu himself, a training project was evidently trivial.
"Thank you for your concern, Third Lord, I'm alright." Mokgetsu shook his head in reply, then his eyes reddened, "It's Lord Danzo, he... has sacrificed himself..."
After speaking, Mokgetsu lowered his head slightly, his face full of pain.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Mokgetsu incredulously, his oppressing eyes fixed on Mokgetsu, "You said Danzo has sacrificed himself?"
Just the other day they were drinking and chatting, and now he's being told Shimura Danzo has died; how could Sarutobi Hiruzen believe it?
If it were on the battlefield, it would be normal for a friend who drank with you yesterday to die today, but he hadn't dispatched Shimura Danzo to any battlefield.
Who in Konoha had the capability to silently kill a high-ranking official of Konoha?
Mokgetsu nodded silently.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's body slightly trembled, stepping back a bit.
Truthfully, the first time Mokgetsu mentioned Shimura Danzo's death, Sarutobi Hiruzen had rationally accepted it.
Because it was Mokgetsu speaking, Mokgetsu was a representative of the young ninjas of Konoha and was once a member of Root; he had no reason to lie about such news.
But the news was indeed hard for Sarutobi Hiruzen to keep his rationality, hence he instinctively resisted, questioning it.
However, he was eventually the Third Hokage, deceiving oneself wasn't what he should do.
Mokgetsu hurried forward to support Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, signaling he didn't need it, it was just a momentary shock, not because he was truly old.
"Where did he die? Has the body been brought back?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked gravely.
Shimura Danzo couldn't have had an accident in Konoha, and not even in the Land of Fire.
"In the Land of Rain, the body is currently at the Root Base." Mokgetsu answered truthfully.
"Besides Lord Danzo, most of the Root Ninjas have also sacrificed themselves; currently, only one member remains in Root."
Although Mokgetsu and Yamato could be considered members of Root, they weren't listed in Root's registry, and officially they weren't members of Root.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't speak, only rubbed his tightly furrowed brows.
At this moment, he had some suspicions about the cause of Shimura Danzo's death.
Previously, Shimura Danzo had voiced opinions to Sarutobi Hiruzen, emphasizing the importance of the Ninja Sect and the forces in the Land of Rain.
Now, Shimura Danzo died in the Land of Rain.
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought it was highly likely because he hadn't approved Shimura Danzo's proposal, leading Danzo to undertake actions on his own, whereupon he met his demise.
"Do you know how Danzo died? Why did he go to the Land of Rain? Why did he die there?" On the way, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked directly.
Given Sarutobi Hiruzen's understanding of Shimura Danzo, the Root Ninja stationed at the base probably possessed little intel.
Although Mokgetsu wasn't a current member of Root, the situation suggested he might know quite a lot.
"I'm not very clear why Lord Danzo went to the Land of Rain. He never told me the reason, only mentioned there was something very important he needed my help with, and he couldn't inform the Third Hokage." Mokgetsu looked apologetically at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Shimura Danzo was very cautious; in the scroll he gave Mokgetsu, there were only instructions to go to the Land of Rain, without mentioning what needed to be done.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression remained unchanged, it was very characteristic of Shimura Danzo, like something Shimura Danzo would do.
"The one who killed Lord Danzo was Sosuke from the Land of Rain." As Mokgetsu spoke, his eyes reddened again, and his tone became guilt-ridden.
"If I could have arrived earlier, or perhaps shared this matter with the Third Hokage, maybe Lord Danzo wouldn't have died."
"When I arrived, Lord Danzo was already severely injured. Although I used the Flying Thunder God to rescue him immediately, it was too late.
Lord Danzo's injuries were too severe, and my medical ninjutsu couldn't heal him; I could only watch as Lord Danzo died."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply, as if envisioning Mokgetsu's hope of saving him followed by the self-reproach and helplessness upon witnessing Shimura Danzo's death.
After all, Mokgetsu was someone Shimura Danzo had cultivated from childhood, he couldn't be void of feelings towards Shimura Danzo.
"Mokgetsu, it's not your fault." Sarutobi Hiruzen placed his hand on Mokgetsu's shoulder in comfort.
He was deeply mourned by the passing of an old friend, but factually speaking, the wrongdoing lies with Shimura Danzo's actions, not with Mokgetsu's delayed rescue.
"However, even if not about arriving faster or having stronger medical ninjutsu, maybe Lord Danzo wouldn't..." Mokgetsu continued to drown in grief and self-blame.
"No ninja can advance all their skills equally; if there is one, they must be a mediocre ninja. It's not your issue, you're already exceptional." Sarutobi Hiruzen consoled.
Frankly, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought it was the downfall of Shimura Danzo himself.
Even if Mokgetsu couldn't save him, notifying Sarutobi Hiruzen first might not have averted the inevitable outcome. The key to resolution lay in Shimura Danzo himself.
It was Shimura Danzo's own actions that led to his deadly situation, and based on the known information, Sarutobi Hiruzen made this assessment.
The two conversing reached the Root Base, where Sarutobi Hiruzen saw his old friend lying on the icy platform.