Chapter 14 — I Am the Hokage!
"What did Uchiha Madara do back then?"
"On the night of the Nine-Tails incident, the Nine-Tails' eyes bore such an unmistakable Sharingan imprint."
"And the Military Police Force—what kind of attitude do those Uchiha usually display?"
"Toward their superiors, have they ever shown even the slightest respect?"
"Toward their subordinates, how many complaints have piled up against them?"
"People with such vile tempers… such arrogance and stubbornness… such insatiable greed and obsession with power—"
"Would people like that truly take the initiative to retreat?"
"If they did…"
"…then they wouldn't be Uchiha!"
Shimura Danzō's voice grew colder and sharper with each sentence, his cane striking the floor in a steady, accusatory rhythm.
The room felt heavy.
Sarutobi Hiruzen raised a hand.
"Danzō. That's enough."
His voice was calm, but firm.
"The Uchiha do indeed have many problems," Hiruzen continued slowly, "but not all of them are what you describe."
He lifted his eyes, gaze steady.
"You should remember—if Uchiha Kagami hadn't sacrificed himself back then, you and I might never have made it back to Konoha alive."
For a brief instant, the air froze.
If Kagami had not been mentioned, Danzō's anger might have burned itself out.
But the moment that name surfaced, his fury surged instead—violent and uncontrollable.
Because to Danzō, Uchiha Kagami was not a hero.
He was a reminder.
A reminder that Danzō believed he had been deceived.
---
Memories long buried clawed their way to the surface.
Back then, during the peace talks with Kumogakure, no one had expected betrayal.
The Gold and Silver Brothers had revolted without warning—killing their own Raikage, seizing power, and launching a pursuit against the Konoha delegation.
That delegation had been personally led by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
The enemy was overwhelming.
The Gold and Silver Brothers wielded the Sage of Six Paths' treasured tools.
They outnumbered Konoha's forces.
Retreat was nearly impossible.
Someone had to stay behind.
Someone had to die.
Under those circumstances, Senju Tobirama posed a question that decided fate itself:
Who will remain behind and cover the retreat?
Shimura Danzō had hesitated.
Only for an instant—but that instant was enough.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, however, had not hesitated.
He had been the first to step forward.
And so, right there on the battlefield, Tobirama had named Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Third Hokage.
That moment burned itself into Danzō's memory.
But fate was not finished.
After Tobirama fell, when Kumogakure's pursuers closed in once more—
It was not Hiruzen who stepped forward.
It was Uchiha Kagami.
Kagami had chosen death.
In doing so, he had saved Danzō's life.
And that was precisely why Danzō hated him.
Because if Kagami had not stepped forward, then given Hiruzen's status as Hokage, Hiruzen would have had no choice but to remain behind.
And if Hiruzen had died—
The Hokage position would have been Danzō's.
That belief had rooted itself deep in Danzō's heart, festering for decades.
He believed the Hokage seat had been stolen from him.
That he was more qualified.
That he should have been chosen.
Thus, even toward the man who had sacrificed himself to save him, Danzō felt no gratitude.
Only resentment.
Only disgust.
Only hatred.
These thoughts, however, were things Danzō could never speak aloud.
---
"Hiruzen," Danzō said coldly, dragging himself back to the present, "Uchiha Kagami was an exception. There was only ever one like him."
"As for Uchiha Shisui…"
"…he cannot be trusted."
"I trust Uchiha Shisui," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied without hesitation.
He took a slow breath.
"Before you arrived, Shisui had already reported the situation to me in detail."
"Acting against the Uchiha solely because of these changes to the Military Police Force would be utterly unreasonable."
"And what do you think the other ninja clans would think?"
Danzō opened his mouth.
"But—"
"That's enough," Hiruzen interrupted once more.
"I've already made my decision."
His gaze hardened.
"Danzō."
"I am the Hokage."
Those words struck like a hammer.
Danzō's chest heaved violently. His breathing grew heavy before he forcibly suppressed it.
Cold fury burned in his single visible eye.
"You will regret this."
Without another word, Shimura Danzō turned and left.
---
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Danzō's retreating figure, a complex flicker passing through his eyes.
Their disagreement had nothing to do with who was wiser or more foolish.
Nor was it that Hiruzen failed to understand the grim future Danzō warned of.
The truth was simpler.
They stood in different positions.
Under the current circumstances, if the village leadership were to strike openly at the Uchiha, the clan would indeed suffer first.
But immediately afterward—
The next to suffer would be Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.
There would be no way to explain it to the other ninja clans.
An unjustified attack would plant fear in every heart.
For Shimura Danzō, however, there was no downside.
He despised the Uchiha.
And if Sarutobi Hiruzen fell from power, Danzō would gain his chance to rise.
That was why he spoke as he did.
Why he pushed so aggressively.
Unless Hiruzen could somehow turn this into a private feud between Danzō and the Uchiha—
But Danzō was not that foolish.
Just as in the original course of history, Sarutobi Hiruzen never explicitly ordered action against the Uchiha.
He never said the clan should be exterminated.
He only ever said one thing:
A civil war must be prevented.
What Hiruzen truly thought in his heart was another matter entirely.
A leader at the top did not speak recklessly.
Nor did he act openly.
He weighed position, status. And when necessary—
He guided others to act in his place.
That was the way of leadership.
"The Uchiha…"
The words he had spoken to Danzō—that he trusted Shisui, that the situation was not dire—
Those were meant only for Danzō.
What Sarutobi Hiruzen truly believed was known only to himself.
"Summon Uchiha Shisui."
An ANBU ninja appeared instantly.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
---
Before long, Uchiha Shisui arrived at the Hokage Tower.
Sarutobi Hiruzen greeted him with a warm, gentle smile.
"Shisui, have a seat."
"Hokage-sama."
Shisui sat across from him respectfully.
"The reform of the Military Police Force," Hiruzen asked, "did you encounter any difficulties?"
"Reporting to Hokage-sama," Shisui replied honestly, "there were some."
"What kind of difficulties? Speak freely—perhaps I can help resolve them."
"Some Uchiha members have lost stable sources of income," Shisui said. "This has led to emotional dissatisfaction. They may require alternative means of earning a livelihood."
"Additionally, I've discovered that some of the village's regulations regarding civilian management are unclear. I hope the village can revise and refine these rules."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"A reduction in income is indeed a serious issue," he said. "I can prioritize assigning high-quality missions to Uchiha ninja."
"As for the regulations," he continued, "I'll arrange for the leadership to convene and revise them."
He looked at Shisui thoughtfully.
"Aside from that—are there any other concerns?"
"Convincing the Uchiha elders…"
"…couldn't have been easy, could it?"