Late into the night.
Konoha had long since fallen asleep.
Only the Hokage's office still glowed with lamplight.
Bang!
Bang bang bang!
"Monkey—why did you stab me in the back?!"
The moment Danzo was escorted back, the fury he'd been suppressing finally erupted.
Like a lioness betrayed by her mate, disbelief and rage twisted his face.
From the moment he returned until now, he'd been turning this over again and again.
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe against the desk, his expression dark.
"From the moment we got back until now, you've asked that question forty-three times."
"Have you ever reflected on why I and the ANBU arrived there in the first place?"
"And another thing—Monkey this, Monkey that. Don't forget—I am the Hokage."
At the final words, Hiruzen stood up.
He stared straight at Danzo.
Though age had shortened his stature, the pressure radiating from him was even more overwhelming.
Danzo froze.
For a brief moment, his presence collapsed entirely.
Before his eyes appeared that familiar figure—
The man who once dominated the shinobi world, hailed as the strongest Kage of his era.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It was this very presence—
That made Danzo both admire and resent him.
In the end, he had chosen to bury himself underground, becoming the unseen roots supporting the Hokage.
But now…
For the first time, Danzo felt tired.
Even thought of retiring entirely.
Seeing his old friend fall silent, the fire fading from his eyes, Hiruzen paused—then softened his tone.
"Danzo… after so many wars, my body is already falling apart."
"But the next Hokage must be someone who can contribute even more to the village."
"You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"
As he spoke, he picked up the Hokage cloak beside him and gently patted Danzo's shoulder with it.
Turning toward the window, he murmured,
"The Uchiha issue must be dealt with—but not yet."
"And besides… Konoha doesn't only need a Hokage in the light."
"It also needs an unnamed shadow guarding it from the dark."
Tap.
That single pat stunned Danzo completely.
Especially the words 'unnamed shadow'—they hooked him like a fish biting deep.
His gaze locked onto the Hokage cloak.
Thoughts surged wildly.
So… Hiruzen thinks my contributions still aren't enough?
So if I became Hokage now, the village wouldn't accept me?
Yes.
That had to be it.
So long as he continued contributing—
So long as he did more for the village—
Perhaps…
The faint desire to retire vanished instantly.
Danzo straightened like a man injected with adrenaline.
He turned sharply toward Hiruzen, voice rising.
"I understand!"
Grabbing the Hokage cloak, he turned and left.
Each step was heavy—
Yet unwavering.
Only Hiruzen remained by the window, silently watching the night sky.
Waiting.
Not long after the moon began to sink—
A long-haired Uchiha youth quietly knocked on the Hokage's door.
"Itachi… I've been waiting for you."
"Do you know? Today, your brother personally removed Shisui's eye…"
"Shame."
"At least stab him or something—Danzo just went home quietly."
"This really the same Root leader who once tried to assassinate the Hokage?"
"Your ambition's slipping, old man."
At the same time—
By the cliffside.
Uchiha Kai, who had returned after leaving earlier, leaned lazily against a tree.
The scene from earlier replayed in his mind.
Danzo had been furious—but the moment he saw Hiruzen, he didn't dare act.
Just accusations.
It completely killed Kai's spectator mood.
"Still… waiting this long wasn't pointless."
He turned toward the moon—
More precisely, toward the masked figure standing beneath its light.
"You knew I'd come?"
Kakashi Hatake lowered the book in his hand and walked forward slowly.
"Lately… I've been finding you more and more interesting."
Kakashi was, without question, a loyal Hokage man.
But personally—
He preferred not to interfere if he didn't have to.
Even when he saw something wrong, he often chose to look away.
He just wanted to do his job quietly.
Yet—
This Uchiha boy unsettled him.
There was something about him—
A sense that no secret could be hidden from those young eyes.
After hesitating, Kakashi finally asked,
"You seemed to know Danzo would target Shisui."
Otherwise, it made no sense why Kai had gone all-out to reach the cliff.
"Know?"
Kai shrugged casually.
"Danzo's personality—you know it better than I do, don't you?"
The best way to clear suspicion wasn't self-defense—
It was throwing the question back.
Kakashi, unfortunately, didn't realize that.
He actually began thinking seriously.
"Back then… if the Third hadn't intervened, even this eye of mine might've been taken…"
In the end, he nodded reluctantly.
"I don't want to admit it, but… if Danzo learned about Shisui's eye, he would have acted."
Greedy.
Cunning.
Obsessed with Uchiha eyes.
That was Danzo.
See?
That was the beauty of letting someone talk themselves into it.
Kai smiled—then suddenly changed the subject.
"So Kakashi… do you want the village and the Uchiha to fight to the death?"
"Do you want the prosperous village the Fourth Hokage envisioned reduced to rubble?"
"Do you want Obito's clan to be wiped out?"
Crack.
Kakashi crushed a branch beneath his foot.
The sound rang like a hammer against his ears—
Strike after strike—
Until his head throbbed.
Only after a long while did he touch the eye beneath his mask and whisper,
"If Minato-sensei were still alive… he wouldn't sit by like the Third."
"He would've gone personally… and talked things through."
"And Obito…"
"He'd probably hate me even more now."
"I failed to protect Rin."
"I failed to protect his family…"
Thoughts flooded his mind.
And quietly—
A seed took root.
Anger toward Danzo.
Dissatisfaction with the Hokage's inaction.
The eye beneath his mask felt hot.
Painful.
"Obito… is this you grieving for your clan?"
"Don't worry."
"I'll protect them."
At that moment, Kakashi's figure seemed taller.
Stronger.
But opposite him—
"Protect?"
Kai looked at him and curled his lip.
"Obito's second proper appearance ends with the Uchiha getting wiped out."
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