"Naruto: Ice God"Chapter 160: Evidence? Justice?
Even though he was no longer Hokage, Hiruzen was still accompanied by ANBU loyal to him.
Striding quickly to the Root base entrance, Hiruzen was unsurprisingly stopped by the Root ninja at the gate.
"I want to see Danzo."
Hiruzen's voice was loud; from his tone, the Root ninja could tell he came with hostile intent.
Danzo, who was currently instructing Asuma in Wind Release training, immediately wondered which of his past actions had left loose ends for Hiruzen to discover upon receiving the news.
Somewhat panicked, he even considered having his subordinates claim he wasn't present.
At least not for the immediate future.
But then he realized that Hiruzen, like himself, now served as an advisor among the village leadership.
The other could no longer utter those words: "I am the Hokage."
With this thought, Danzo's back instantly straightened, and he calmly signaled his subordinates to allow passage.
Just another advisor at his level—what was there to fear?
Soon, Hiruzen saw Asuma and Danzo on the training field.
Noticing his father's arrival, Asuma's face showed disdain, but his hand seals quickened as he performed Vacuum Great Sphere with a hint of showing off.
But Hiruzen's gaze never fell upon Asuma; his sole target was Danzo, standing not far away.
Slowly approaching Hiruzen, Danzo's tone was unprecedentedly lighthearted as he looked at this old friend he'd known for years.
Finally, the other was no longer Hokage.
What a pity that the one occupying that position wasn't himself, nor his son.
But that was fine—there would always be opportunities.
"Shall we talk here, Danzo?"
Seeing Danzo remain silent, Hiruzen, unwilling to play guessing games, got straight to the point.
"I think this place is quite nice, but if you'd prefer somewhere else, that's fine too, Advisor Hiruzen." Danzo spoke these words with great satisfaction, then turned to lead Hiruzen to a room that could barely be called a reception area.
The cramped room had only one light source—a small window high on the southern wall.
In the center sat a tea table with a complete set of tea implements, flanked by kneeling cushions on either side.
After taking his seat, Danzo only poured tea for himself, with no intention of attending to Hiruzen.
"So, what brings you to see me?"
"Danzo, you should understand—now that I'm no longer Hokage, there are certain things you can no longer do as recklessly as before."
Hiruzen was determined to create an excellent environment for Sakumo, but this meant he had to directly confront certain consequences resulting from his own indulgence.
"Hiruzen, what are you talking about?"
Though inwardly panicked, uncertain what past misdeeds Hiruzen might have uncovered, Danzo maintained his stubborn facade, appearing completely innocent.
"See for yourself!"
Handing over the documents he'd brought, Hiruzen picked up the teapot and poured himself tea while waiting for Danzo's response.
Danzo nervously took the documents, and after reading their contents, nearly cursed aloud.
Which bastard had done this?!
North Central Town's Fujiwara family—by heaven and earth, though the methods were identical to his own, he had absolutely never targeted this family.
Stunned by this unexpected accusation, Danzo momentarily didn't know what to say.
What alarmed Danzo even more was that his supposedly well-concealed noble assassination operations had somehow been seen through by his old friend.
Yet this loyal lapdog of the daimyo hadn't arrested him—what was this about...
Danzo's silence was interpreted by Hiruzen as guilt, further stoking his anger.
He had indeed been too lenient with Danzo.
With different thoughts occupying their minds, both men fell into silence.
However, it was during this silence that Danzo remembered something.
Among those who knew of his actions, aside from subordinates who would never leak information, there was one other person.
Realizing this, Danzo narrowed his single eye, his aura suddenly shifting: "Hiruzen, don't come to me with such ambiguous matters. Are you suspecting that I did this?"
Caught off guard by Danzo's sudden assertiveness, Hiruzen was momentarily stunned—he hadn't expected such a response from Danzo.
"Hiruzen, you're now a Konoha advisor just like me. I advise you not to come to me with baseless accusations."
Seeing Danzo's confident demeanor, Hiruzen's resolve began to waver.
Perhaps this incident truly wasn't Danzo's doing—maybe the family really was just raided by passing bandits?
"That would be for the best." Hiruzen decided to trust Danzo's character this once.
"If I ever encounter the mastermind behind this, I want to tell him that Konoha is now in the Fourth Hokage's era. Once he shows even the slightest trace, only execution awaits him."
Leaving these warning words, Hiruzen drained his now-lukewarm tea and rose to leave the room.
Danzo remained kneeling in place, unperturbed by the threat.
While passing through the training field, Hiruzen finally remembered his son was also here, but by then the training ground was empty.
After a brief pause, Hiruzen walked straight toward the exit, taking his long-waiting ANBU escorts and leaving this shadowy base together.
"Ryōma."
"Danzo-sama, the Third Hokage has departed." Hearing Danzo call his name, Ryōma emerged from the shadows.
Reaching for the teacup before him, Danzo shifted his gaze to the documents Hiruzen had left behind.
Noticing Danzo's gesture, Ryōma nodded knowingly and picked up the files.
"Investigate this thoroughly, then report the truth to me."
"Yes."
...
The Fujiwara family welcomed two new stewards.
One was a tall, imposing man who clearly looked capable in a fight; the other was a delicate, slender young woman.
The officials sent by the daimyo's office didn't care about the stewards' identities—their only concern was confirming whether the sole surviving infant was truly a Fujiwara descendant.
After three days and nights of investigation, the daimyo's officials finally confirmed that the baby before them was indeed the Fujiwara family's sole surviving heir.
"Who knows whether this is fortune or misfortune—in any case, everything the Fujiwara family built over the years has fallen into this infant's hands."
"Tsk tsk tsk, though Fujiwara Kōya's death is probably for the best. That old bastard never treated the townspeople as human beings."
"Keep your voice down—the magistrate's people are still nearby."
The commoners, who had never seen daimyo officials in person, watched the long procession depart before quietly dispersing with hushed discussions.
"Mr. Kaku, the daimyo's office has already ordered Konoha to send ninja to investigate this incident. Those ninja will surely bring you—and the Fujiwara family—justice."
The magistrate looked up at this steward who towered two heads above him, his face showing a fawning expression while inwardly grumbling.
Just a servant who got lucky enough to survive and become the Fujiwara family's steward—why couldn't he have such good fortune?
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