Danzo Shimura signed off on another document then put it to the side on top of a stack of papers. He worked as hard as his left hand would allow, giving orders and preparing letters to be sent. Rain pattered outside of his office and the occasional crack of thunder shook the building as it rumbled through the sky.

It is an omen, he thought as he finished another scroll. An Uchiha was never meant to be Hokage.

The line of Hokage had gone from Hashirama Senju to his brother Tobirama and passed to his student, Hiruzen Sarutobi. From its conception, Danzo believed that the title of Hokage was meant to be inherited only by those with Senju blood or pupils of the previous leader. Madara Uchiha had been passed over and that had set precedent for how things should be. The children of hatred were not meant to govern. If it had been Orochimaru, at the very least, Danzo knew that their goals aligned, and he could hold him in check. Even if Hiruzen's preference, Minato, had been chosen, Danzo could breathe easy. The young man had youth and talent but not the experience. He would've had need of a man like him to guide him in areas that were murky, and he could steer him away from what he and Orochimaru did in secrecy.

But Fugaku...

The thunder rumbled at the thought of the man's name. Danzo's Root agents had spent the last year uncovering the means by which the Uchiha had managed to slither his way into contention for the title. What he thought would be an innocent tip to the police force to ensure the secrets of the village would not fall into enemy hands had become an extended meeting between Fugaku and Hiashi. Danzo had not known the Hyūga to have much concern about the administrative affairs of the village. So long as their ways were not interfered with, they usually didn't care about who the Hokage was. The uproar caused by the attempted kidnapping of Hiashi's daughter and Fugaku's pragmatic and decisive action must've been the reason behind the Hyūga's sudden interest in Konoha's politics.

The more disturbing news had come afterward. Spies and eavesdroppers hadn't been able to reveal anything about the terms of the agreement Fugaku and Hiashi had, though whatever it was had been binding enough to seemingly form an alliance between Konoha's two most powerful clans. However, Danzo had ideas. The two clan leaders both had children that were the same age and opposite genders. Had they arranged for the two of them to be married?

It was an old school tactic but one that made sense. In the past, the Senju and Uzumaki clans had united through marriage and blood, creating a bond between the Hokage and the jinchūriki of the Land of Fire. Had Minato been chosen, that union would've stood but now, the balance of power had shifted to one of raw, genetics.

Both Danzo and Orochimaru had long been fascinated by the power of the Sharingan and it was something that they coveted, for various reasons. Subtle genjutsu was one of the most potent powers that the Sharingan had and his accomplice's obsession with the mastery and knowledge of all jutsu could be attained by using the Sharingan's ability to copy everything that wasn't a kekkai genkai. Obtaining one had been virtually impossible before, but now it was a suicide mission.

The Byakugan was another powerful dojutsu with abilities that could prove useful. The secrets of the Hyūga clan's kekkai genkai had been closely guarded but Danzo at least knew that it had the ability to see through objects, exposing a person's chakra network. That level of perception could prove useful for espionage.

The idea of a person with both Hyūga and Uchiha blood possessing either both the Sharingan and Byakugan or a combination of their powers in a new eye was something that Danzo had lost sleep thinking about. No one should possess that kind of power, especially not a child...

I could learn to wield it's power effectively... Danzo thought. But he'd never have a chance. Not with Fugaku as the Hokage. He was not a fool that could be manipulated or a soft child that could be intimidated. The Sharingan could see through all manner of deception and Danzo would find it near impossible to hide anything Fugaku of the Wicked Eye.

The name enough should've warded off any consideration for him as Hokage. He would have to move swiftly and efficiently if he had any hope of maintaining his influence in the shinobi world. He had great plans in the works. Even now, he had commissioned agents to travel across the country to investigate rumors of a rogue shinobi faction forming to the west.

A shadow appeared in the room, the sound of their entrance covered by the clap of thunder. "Returning to report, Lord Danzo," he said.

Surprising, Danzo thought. He had sent all of his agents away earlier and ordered them not to disturb him. Perhaps this one had returned with pertinent information. "Speak."

"The Fourth Hokage has reassigned duties in the Konoha Military Police Force and placed Inabi Uchiha as the captain," the Root operative said.

Danzo twisted his mouth. "Inconsequential," he replied curtly. "What of the investigation into Orochimaru's activities? What have you uncovered?" The words came forth out of annoyance and his agent paused, not answering for a beat. Silence hung in the air, filled only by the sound of rain.

"Orochimaru...has been arrested and imprisoned."

Incredulous, the elder man tried not to blink. Impossible... If Orochimaru had been captured, then it was only a matter of time before all eyes turned to him. He could only trust the snake to think in his own self-interest and if it meant exposing everyone that had supported his experiments, then he'd do it. Danzo had no choice now. "Then we must proceed. Execute the order," he said. Again, there was a pause. Rain. Thunder. The man on his knees didn't move at all. Danzo furrowed his brow. "What is wrong with you? Fugaku must die now. Those are my orders."

His agent looked up at him and Danzo's heart sank into the pit of his stomach. Blood-red eyes gleamed. He barely had time to move before the sword was drawn and the blade sliced through his throat. His blood was hot and sticky on his fingers. He reached out to grab at his assassin but the figure took a step back and let him fall.

No, no, no... Danzo thought. He tried to call out for his operatives and guards to come into the room and kill his attacker but suddenly remembered that he'd already sent them away. But why? He'd never do something so foolish...

Those eyes. Staring down at him, his assassin's red glare pierced through him with a four-pointed pinwheel design that slowly ended its rotation. The realization hit him. He'd been placed under a genjutsu so potent and subtle he hadn't even processed it had happened. Such power...

He could feel the vibrations from the thunderclap on the floor and it made him sick. He spat up blood then gasped for air that refused his plea to enter his lungs. The world needs men like me. Needs me. I can't...this can't. With ragged breaths, Danzo fought to stay alive but his old body was failing him. Tobirama-sensei. Hiruzen, he thought, tears running down his face. I'm sorry.

Rain pattered and thunder rolled. Danzo heard none of it, only his last breath leaving without a chance of returning.