Danzō's gaze darkened as he stared at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen did not look away.
For a brief moment, the air between them felt heavier than any battlefield they had once shared.
Danzō realized something unsettling.
His old comrade had changed.
Hiruzen no longer clung to his reputation the way he once did. He was sharper now. Harder. More decisive.
In the past, Hiruzen had always hesitated—outwardly for the "greater good," inwardly for the dignity of the Hokage's image.
But now?
There was no hesitation in his eyes.
Only resolve.
The kind that would rather shatter jade than preserve cracked porcelain.
It unsettled Danzō.
Was this what losing the Hokage's seat did to a man?
And why—of all people—was that resolve directed at him?
At the one who had fought beside him for decades?
An uncomfortable emotion rose in Danzō's chest.
Resentment.
Even a trace of grievance.
He inhaled slowly, crushing it down.
This was the closest he had ever come to the Hokage's chair.
Perhaps the last chance he would ever have.
He had no room for sentiment.
No path of retreat.
He straightened.
"Very well."
"I am curious what else Sarutobi jōnin intends to question."
"But let me say this first."
"If I answer your doubts again—"
"Do not continue harassing me."
"This meeting concerns the selection of the Fourth Hokage."
"Not a public interrogation of Shimura Danzō."
He understood the danger.
Each accusation was a splash of dirty water.
Even if he wiped it clean, the stain would linger.
Hiruzen considered briefly… then nodded.
"Agreed."
This time, he intended to finish it.
"Then," Danzō gestured coolly, "begin your performance."
Hiruzen cleared his throat.
But instead of speaking immediately, he looked around the room—meeting the eyes of nearly every jōnin present.
His expression grew solemn.
"Before I speak of Elder Shimura," he said slowly, "I must first apologize to everyone here."
He stood.
And bowed deeply.
The chamber froze.
For a former Hokage to bow publicly—
Many did not know how to react.
"Lord Hiruzen, please—!"
"We cannot accept such courtesy!"
"Just tell us what this is about!"
Several civilian-born jōnin and clans aligned with the Hokage faction hurried to stand in return, flustered.
But others remained seated.
The Uchiha, the Hyūga, the Kurama—families not closely tied to the Hokage's inner circle—sat unmoving.
If he insisted on bowing, they would accept it.
After the murmurs subsided, Hiruzen straightened.
He did not sit.
"Some of you may have heard rumors over the years," he continued.
"Some true. Some false."
"But there is one in particular."
"One that had tremendous consequences."
"One that led members of a certain clan to attempt a coup against the Hokage."
His gaze shifted.
It landed squarely on the elderly man seated behind Uchiha Jin.
On Uchiha Setsuna.
The chamber erupted.
Most of the younger jōnin looked utterly shocked.
A coup?
There had been a coup?
They had never even heard of such a thing.
Their eyes followed Hiruzen's.
And when they looked at Setsuna—
Their expressions were… complicated.
Surprise.
Suspicion.
But also—
A strange, reluctant understanding.
The Uchiha attempting a coup?
Somehow, it did not seem impossible.
Yet the fact that the Uchiha still sat openly in this chamber after such an act—
It spoke to their founding status within Konoha.
Setsuna snorted coldly.
"Hiruzen."
"You and I both know what happened."
"If you dare bring it up today—"
"Then dare to answer honestly."
"Tell this room whether I was wrong."
Hiruzen was silent for a moment.
Then he said carefully:
"I can only say… the village was at fault first."
"But your response was extreme."
Setsuna laughed sharply.
"Extreme?"
He rose to his feet, voice rising with emotion.
"You used the village's children for human experimentation."
"Tell me—"
"Which clan here was not affected?"
Even the Senju clan was devastated by it!"
"Reduced. Declining. Nearly erased!"
"And you summarize that with 'the village was at fault first'?!"
"If I had not forced the issue into the open—"
"Would you have dragged Konoha into ruin before stopping?!"
The hall exploded.
"Human experimentation?!"
"Using children?!"
"Why would the village do that?!"
"That's monstrous!"
"There are enemy prisoners and death row criminals—why not use them?!"
"I never heard about this!"
"No wonder Elder Uchiha rebelled—"
"Honestly… that was bold."
"I've heard fragments. The major clans all knew something."
"But only the Uchiha elder took action."
"I heard the Second Hokage intended to execute him."
"But the clans intervened—because they owed him."
"That's why it became imprisonment instead."
"Typical Uchiha…"
"When something's wrong, they actually move."
The room buzzed uncontrollably.
Most shinobi were visibly disturbed.
Some knowledgeable veterans remained quiet.
But many—
Many now looked at Uchiha Setsuna differently.
Not as a rebel.
But as someone who had risked everything to stop something unforgivable.
For the first time in years—
The Uchiha name was not spoken with suspicion.
But with respect.
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