Happy New Year everyooooone ❤️
This chapter has a more serious undertone than usual - and trigger warning: some angst ahead. And lots of serious talks.
(Yaknow. Uchihas. Danzo. All that.)
Summary of previous chap: The clan heads are working together, and Jiraiya came back to the village with Yahiko. Naruto met a ninja from Ame who said he KNOWS. HER. COUSIN. KYAAAAAH!
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Chapter 16
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HELLO MY SOULMATE
Good evening, Sunshine. I'll be all yours in about 10mn
Okay!
SOULMATE OF MINE
I'M WAITIN FOR YOUUUU
GUESS WHAT
YOU CAN NEVER GUESS
SOULMATE OF MIIINE
I'm sorry, it took longer than I thought! What is it? Did you write me a poem?
No! I didn't! But I wanna do it when I get better with poetry
I'll be waiting for it then. So, what's this big news you wanted to tell me about?
Right! It's about my family!
(On the leg)
I met someone who knows my family today! He said it's his best friend! He's nice and funny, I stayed some part of the day with him, but then he had stuff to do, but he said we can go out on another day! Maybe I'll meet someone from my family soon!
(On the arm again)
Oh my dear, congratulations!
Thank you! I'm very happy right now!
I love knowing that you're happy. Let me know when you meet him again and how it goes, alright?
Okay I'll tell you all about it!
Thank you.
And you know, I love when you're happy too!
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It was the middle of the night.
In the secret basement of the Uchihas, several prominent members of the clan were gathered. And seated among them, there was Shisui, who kept twitching with a mix of apprehension and nervousness.
He was glad that his soulmate had written to him earlier that day. Her good mood had helped him relax and calm down – although he was a bit suspicious of the man who pretended to know her family member, but he'd be waiting for her to give him more information before ringing any alarm bells.
Unfortunately, at the moment, he was feeling restless again.
It was the first clan meeting since their clan leader's announcement.
The 'in a month, reveals on the reason why the coup was put on a hold will be handed to you' meeting that had been promised to them.
And Fugaku-sama was right on time.
Everyone in his clan was eager to hear the news. Many had speculated over the past month, ranging from revelations about the Hokage, to clues about who was really behind the Kyūbi Attack.
As far as Shisui was concerned, he had no idea what their clan leader was up to, and he hadn't looked into it. He didn't want to waste time on unnecessary assumptions; he preferred to focus on the facts.
Besides, all he cared about was the outcome of the Uchihas situation and the peace within the village.
Whatever happened, he just wanted to know what was expected of him to resolve all their issues. As long as they didn't have to get into any fights with the village.
"We are gathered today to discuss the situation of the clan," Fugaku-sama began in a solemn tone.
They could all feel the tension and the importance of this meeting. As if they were finally going to get the answers and solutions they had been looking for for so long.
"Firstly, I want to thank you for being patient during this month. As you know now, I have obtained new information that has made me reconsider our plans. Over the past few weeks, I have been exploring the leads that have been sent to me, and so far, they are proving to be very conclusive. However, I cannot disclose anything at the moment."
Immediately, expressions of disapproval and grimaces appeared on some people's faces, but before they had a chance to speak, Fugaku-sama reacted:
"But, if everything goes as planned, I should have a definitive eye on the situation tomorrow, at night."
Shisui exchanged a look with Itachi. The latter frowned with a light shake of the head, indicating that he didn't know any more than he did.
"I will ask you all to be vigilant and on your guard in the meantime."
Shisui twitched at this sentence, as did a good number of the Uchihas present.
What business had Fugaku-sama gotten himself into? What had he discovered? Obviously, this was not just a matter of gathering information, contrary to what they had believed before.
"If you notice anything strange, I'm counting on you to make sure all the clan members are gathered and safe within the compound."
"Wait a minute, what does that mean?" one of the clan elders asked.
"You make it sound like we're in danger of being attacked!"
Shisui didn't dare say it, but that was precisely what he thought as well.
Could it be that the village had figured out what the Uchihas were up to? Was this the reason why Fugaku-sama had suspended the coup? Were they in danger of being attacked for treason?!
"No. Had it been the case, I would have told so."
Shisui's heart was pounding at full speed. He took a deep breath to bring his tension down; it would do him no good to panic, especially since he seemed to be jumping to conclusions way too fast.
"It's not our clan that's targeted, but for the safety of all of us, I will ask you to make sure that your families have all returned home. This is a precautionary measure. Members of the police will need to do the same with the rest of the village."
So much for trying to stay calm.
Now it sounded like not only was the clan in danger, but the villagers as well?
Why was he talking as if they were in wartime?
Shisui didn't like that kind of directive. Nevertheless, looking at Fugaku-sama, he didn't seem to be that concerned despite his orders... But he was also particularly good at masking his worry.
No, it probably wasn't that. He wasn't tense like he had been in recent years. He seemed more determined and focused than anything else.
"I can't reveal anymore to you right now. But, in the next morning, we will hold another meeting, and I should normally be able to explain everything to you."
This decision did not satisfy Shisui – just as it did for most of his clan kins. But after all, they only had one more night to wait.
They were all quickly dismissed, and Shisui didn't lose a single more moment to get out of the room. He didn't want to linger there any longer, knowing that speculation would get them nowhere with the little information they had. Even Itachi was as much in the dark as the rest of them.
However, he had noticed that some members had decided to stay and discuss the situation. His mother included.
Once he got home, in the silence of his room, his thoughts were proving to be far too loud for his tastes.
He rolled up his sleeve and read the last sentence his soulmate had written to him; he hadn't erased it yet. And neither had she, it seemed.
And you know, I love when you're happy too!
The beating of his heart slowed down gradually, and a small smile formed on his lips.
He hoped he could be, soon.
But, no matter what, he would be ready.
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The next morning, Fugaku was at the police station at 6am sharp.
He couldn't sleep anymore, the stakes of what was to come disturbing his sleep all night long.
Since Hyūga Hiashi had come to him to inform him of the horrors that Danzo had committed, Fugaku had found himself talking more with the clan leaders.
(The information that had been shared with him had caused him frequent headaches since.
After all, transplating dōjutsus on his arms? With the confirmation that Uchihas Kōichi's eyeballs were there – even though they had not been able to retrieve his body during the war, so how could Danzo have gotten his hands on them?
It had taken him days to wrap his mind around these facts.)
When Kakashi had come to consult him about the Kyūbi Attack, Fugaku had not expected that he would end up being involved in such a large that the team he would have gathered would contain as many people with power, like the clan heads or Jiraiya of the Sannin . And that they would be working so tightly with each other.
This made him reconsider the position of the Uchihas in the village. Perhaps, the other clans were not so disparaging of them and were not actively trying to push them away after all.
Maybe his clan had been focusing on the wrong enemy all along.
Ever since the Kyūbi attack, Fugaku had noticed that Danzo was the most adamant regarding the Uchihas' exclusion from the affairs of the village - and the most vocal regarding his suspicions of them. He had thought then that the Councilor was only one amongst many; he didn't hold enough power to make the whole clan feel put aside all by himself.
But what if, on the contrary, that would have been enough?
Now, seeing that the man had stolen the eyes of his clan kins, seeing that he had been aware of the usefulness of the sharingan against the Kyūbi and yet, despite it all, he had still ordered the Uchihas not to intervene on that fateful night – and did he already have the stolen eyes back then? Could he have used them back then? – it just made the situation surrounding this event all the more suspicious. But it also made him rethink all his plans for the safety and well-being of his clan.
For the past month, Fugaku had been investigating the situation, while keeping to himself his discoveries. He couldn't alert his clan immediately; they might not have the patience to follow his plan in the shadows (especially given their anger and resentment, which had only built up and grown over the years, and rightly so). Even he had had trouble masking his deep disgust and horror at Hiashi's revelations...
In fact, the only one outside the clan heads that he had confided to was his wife.
First of all, because he had needed to talk to someone he deeply trusted after the shock of Hiashi's revelations. And also, because, should he need a plan, she was his most fervent ally.
Should anything happen – should he not be able to lead the clan for one reason or another, it would be her place to take the reins. And, at least, she would know what was going on and would be able to make decisions with all the pieces in hand.
Together, they had decided against telling Itachi for now; he had enough on his plate already, and if Itachi's eyes ended up on that horrendous man's arm-
No, between Mikoto, the other clan heads, and even Kakashi who had included Jiraiya-sama in the loop, they had enough people to work with.
The most pressing matter had been to confirm whose eyes had been stolen, and check their bodies and graves if they had any.
So, Fugaku had decided, for the second time in his life, to use his mangekyō sharingan.
Originally, the sharingan was not only used to improve the eyesight of its holder and to increase its precision tenfold, but also to detect the presence of chakra, and to see its color. An Uchiha couldn't see through walls, or through body tissues to visualize tenketsus like the byakugan allowed to, but it was still enough to recognize the chakra signatures of his clansmen if he needed to.
However, using the standard stage of the sharingan would require him to stare directly at Danzo, and all the precautions that Hiashi had taken would have been rendered useless.
And even if Fugaku confirmed that the eyes of his clan members had been stolen, he would put himself at a disadvantage if he acted rashly, and he could endanger not only his clan, but also the whole operation that the rest of the clan heads were conducting. He definitely couldn't afford to act carelessly.
Fugaku had another card up his sleeve, though. When it came to his mangekyō sharingan, its usage was different. Its power consisted of an amplification of the power of insight of the sharingan, allowing him to read the memories associated to the chakras he could see. For doing so, he needed to be quick and efficient, and to determine the period of the recorded memory that he needed to check.
The first – and only – time he had used his eyes had been on a tree, thanks to the natural chakra surrounding it, to solve a missing person's case. He had been able to visualize the moment when that person had passed by the tree, and the chakra belonging to nature made it so that the perimeter of the area he was able to check had been larger than expected.
However, he had never used his eyes on people before this month.
Given the significant impact that the use of these eyes had on his eyesight, Fugaku did not rely on them for his missions or for personal needs. He had a sufficient arsenal as a jōnin, and considered his mangekyō only in case of emergency.
Like what was happening now.
The advantage was that he didn't have to look Danzo in the eye, or even to make contact with the ones he had apparently grafted into his arm. Just getting a glimpse of their chakra from afar was enough for him to dive into the memories they held – in the memories of the people to whom the stolen eyes belonged.
And that was how, when a week before, Fugaku had been able to meet the councilor in a hallway, he had taken his chance to confirm Hiashi's words.
The first thing that he had noticed was that, out of all the different colours of chakra coming from the transplanted eyes, they had all been familiar to him.
They all belonged to Uchihas.
The second one was that, as Hiashi had mentioned, the chakra of his right arm was also a different colour from Danzo's.
Exploring the chakra surrounding Shimura Danzo, Fugaku hurriedly filtered the memories to the ones that interested him – being, the last ones that the original owners of the transplanted members had recorded.
An ambush in the mountains of Earth Country.
Uchiha Tokuto.
The protection of a prince that had resulted on her being stabbed by a mercenary.
Uchiha Madoka.
A masked man – in ANBU gear – suddenly turning around and inflicting a poisonous injection to him.
Uchiha Bosatsu.
The vision of his cousin crawling on the ground, as he struggled to look up, with the figure of a man wrapped in bandages - of Shimura Danzo - looming above him.
Uchiha K ō ichi.
The bleeding of his missing limb that drained him of all energy, and his last breath taken under the worried cries of his teammate – a younger version of Danzo.
Uchiha Kagami.
All of them, stolen sharingans.
From members of Fugaku's clan.
Whose bodies had never been retrieved after they went missing in action during their last missions.
And it had seemed that the deaths of two Uchihas had neither been an accident, nor caused by an enemy.
With a twist of his guts, Fugaku had restrained his anger as much as he had been able to as to not awaken any suspicions within the Hokage Tower, thinking back to the visions he had witnessed.
How could that man have turned so wrong? How could he have stood by the side of his dying teammate and looked so genuine at the time – and ended up not only stealing his proud eyes, but also causing the deaths of his clansmen and fellow Konoha ninjas, to steal their eyes afterwards?
He had needed a few seconds to focus his attention once again and clear his mind of the rage that had started to cloud his mind. He had almost decided to turn off his mangekyō and leave the Hokage Tower at that but, in the end, he had opted to verify the memories of the last person Shimura Danzo had considered worth stealing an arm from.
Without much conviction at first.
And what a discovery had that been!
A familiar tall man in ninja armor, with piercing red eyes and white hair standing on the side, as a woman with long red hair tied in buns held the hand of the owner – with a bunch of unknown other faces surrounding him. And a little girl with her messy blonde hair tied in low pigtails sleeping on his torso.
As the man lied on what seemed to be his deathbed.
When the eyes of the owner of the arm started to close, they lastly lingered on the man with white hair – on Senju Tobirama –, and the last thing Fugaku had seen was the movements of the man's lips.
He didn't need to be able to fluently read on people's lips to figure out what the Second Hokage had said to the dying man.
"Farewell, Brother."
As soon as he realized whose memories he had visualized, Fugaku left the Hokage tower and walked in a straight line to the Uchiha Compound.
Senju Hashirama.
Fugaku had come back to his house with a sure step, apparently calm... But inside, he had been boiling and, as irritating as it was to admit it, he had been in shock. Fortunately, Mikoto had been there to listen to him vent his anger, and to clear his mind.
Once he had calmed down, he had gone to the Nara ninja-pharmacy, where he had slipped a note saying that his wife would pick up Sasuke from the academy on the next day, and as expected, Nara Yoshino went to the academy to pick up her son as well.
After all, if the mothers of academy students met by chance while picking up their sons and chatted about their children or about the latest fabric in vogue in the village (no matter who their respective husbands were), it would be far less suspicious than, say, the Police Head Chief and the Jōnin Commander meeting up and discussing when they weren't known to be especially close or talkative, wouldn't it?
At least, Fugaku knew that there was no need of awakening the suspicions of a man as cautious as a Councillor of the Hokage whose influence had never been too questioned until now, despite his criminal record filling up as fast as the Yellow Flash moved.
That was how Mikoto had informed Nara Yoshino of Fugaku's confirmations – and of the fact that they couldn't wait much longer, as the Uchihas were very eager to break the teeth of some mummies over there.
The collection of data had already given enough results, more than they had ever expected, actually. It was time for them to use the information that they had gathered efficiently.
Yoshino had assured that a solution was under way, and that they should be able to make a serious move in a few days.
And as promised, Jiraiya-sama had returned, accompanied by a high ranking Ame-nin.
According to the information Fugaku had gleaned, Hanzo was dead, and a major revolution had taken place in the village of Ame. He was convinced that Jiraiya-sama was somehow connected to it, and that this matter – or the Ame-nin – had some connection with Konoha. Maybe even with Danzo, considering the timing?
In any case, they would know more very soon.
Following Jiraiya's return the day before, Shibi had sent him a message via his bugs, according to which a meeting with all the clan heads would be requested on the following night by Hokage-sama. Which prompted Fugaku to arrange a clan meeting to prepare them, should the worse happen.
And, unsurprisingly, Fugaku had received an official summon at 4:23 in the morning to meet at 11:00 pm in the council room of the Hokage tower.
The clan heads coalition had all the cards in their hands; they just had to play them right.
They would make this plan work out.
Tonight.
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"Ino-chaaaaan! Sakura-chaaaan!" Naruto squealed as she entered the classroom, drawing the attention of her classmates to her as she came running towards her usual seat beside her friends.
Ino and Sakura stopped their conversation on the last book that Sakura had found on "The Evolution ofFfighting Techniques since the Foundation of the Nations", and focused their attention on the ball of energy that was heading their way.
Although Naruto was not that fond of reading, Ino suspected that the subject might interest her as well, seeing the way she felt about her mother's book on fūinjutsu, and about cool jutsus in general.
They didn't have time to discuss the subject though, because as her blonde friend arrived at their table, her eyes sparkling and a bright smile that spread from one cheek to the other, she exclaimed excitedly. "I met someone yesterday!"
Sakura laughed, Naruto's energy being contagious.
As for Ino, she arched an eyebrow curiously despite the smile that she couldn't contain.
It was rare for Naru to mention strangers, especially one who'd have left her such a good impression.
The last one she recalled, actually, was that Genma-fellow, and he had seemed very suspicious to Ino at first – until they found out that he had given Naruto her mother's book of fūinjutsu.
That day, he had gone from "strange individual that shouldn't be let with Naruto alone" to "Naru's new dad" in the span of thirty-one minutes and twenty-four seconds in Ino's mind.
"Be careful not to make your soulmate jealous!"
"Unless it is your soulmate that you've met?"
Naruto giggled and shook her hand as a negation sign. "Nooo but I already told him, he said he was very happy! Cuz yesterday I met a ninja from another village, and he said his best friend is an Uzumaki~!" she sing-songed
For a moment, time stood still.
Sakura and Ino exchanged a look, looking confused, and wondering if they had heard correctly.
An Uzumaki had been… found?
"EHHHHHH?"
"Wait really?! Did you meet the other Uzumaki?"
"Does that make you cousins?"
"Is it a girl or a boy?"
"How old is she?"
"Is your Uzumaki family coming to Konoha?!"
"WE FOUND YOUR FAMILY AAAAHHH!"
Naruto erupted in laughter as they kept asking her questions.
This was crazy! Just a few months ago, Naruto had no idea that she still had living relatives – and even after they found out about the Uzumaki clan, although their story implied that they were alive but scattered across the continent, it wasn't so sure that she'd ever find any. Even if Sakura and Ino had vowed to help her find her family, and to learn more about her clan, Ino had been far from thinking that an Uzumaki would suddenly be coming to Naruto's door like that!
With her cheeks on fire and her eyes shining, Naruto told them the story of their meeting.
So, she had met an Ame ninja on a mission in Konoha, and upon introducing herself to him, he had recognized her last name.
Just that easily.
"Yahiko said my cousin is called Nagato, and when I asked he said that he has the red hair like the Uzumakis! And he's an adult and a ninja too and very strong and nice, and he likes to cosplay as a toad!"
The description… did sound a lot like what could be Naruto's cousin, alright.
"I can't believe it," Sakura exclaimed, still in shock. "When are you going to meet?"
"I don't know yet, but Yahiko said that he's gonna be busy for his mission, but he'll come to see me soon!" Naruto giggled. "Then maybe my cousin will come too!"
As she listened to her friend's blabbering, Ino was lost in thought, her heartbeat quickening at the implications.
Was this really happening?
"That's so great!" Sakura squealed with a clap of her handS. "But you better introduce him to us too!"
"You bet!" Ino interjected. "We'll be meeting Yahiko with you, it's non-negotiable. And I'm not even talking about your cousin."
Naruto nodded with a big smile stretching her lips. "Of course, of course! Yahiko even promised that he-" she started, before she was cut by the sound of a book slamming against a wall.
Ino turned her head to the front of the classroom, where Iruka-sensei was trying to grab the attention of all the students as to begin the course.
In response, she slammed her hand on the table in anger.
Was he for real?
Couldn't he see they were having an important conversation here?!
The girls scurried to their places, with Sakura in the middle of the three seats row.
"We'll continue talking during the break, then," Sakura sighed, a disappointed pout marring her face.
Ino arched an eyebrow at her comment, disbelieving. "Are you kidding me? Naruto, you'd better write all this down on a note and pass it to me."
"Okay!" Naruto chirped, no question asked.
"But," Sakura cut with a frown, her eyes traveling between the front of the classroom and Ino, "we could get in trouble with Iruka-sensei."
"Puh-lease,-" Ino crossed her arms proudly "-aren't we future kunoichis? And we're used to writing to our soulmates in the middle of the class. That won't be an issue for us."
Ino might be the Yamanaka heiress and knew when to be serious, but she also had her priorities set straight, thank you.
"Hum, don't count me in," Sakura muttered; but Ino could tell that she didn't really think what she said and that she would most likely end up joining their conversation within minutes.
As the course began, Ino threw a few glances at Naruto, who had already grabbed a piece of paper to finish telling her about matters more important than geography. Once she was done, she folded the note before passing it to Sakura who, instead of passing it to Ino, opened it to read it herself.
There.
She knew that their most serious friend wouldn't be able to resist either.
Without missing a beat, Ino slid the note between them to make it easier for the both of them.
As if she was going to wait for Sakura to finish reading and gasping and reading it again for the fifth time in a row.
"Yahiko said that we can spend the day together and that I can ask him then all the questions that I want, and there was a ninja old man with him who said the other ninja with a mask can give us a tour of the village when they're done with their ninja business. And the ninja with a mask is from Konoha so he knows where I live so he'll tell me when Yahiko's free"
Interesting. So there were Konoha ninjas with the Ame-nin, and they had agreed to help Naruto meet up with him.
Something didn't sound right, however. Even if the masked ninja was from Konoha, that didn't mean he had to know where Naruto lived. Why would he? She was an orphan and wasn't familiar with anyone.
That better not be a trap or something of the sort, because Ino was ready to throw hands at them.
She would definitely accompany her friend to this meeting; because she couldn't stop her, either.
After all, despite her strange predicament due to her clan's history, Naruto did seem to have a knack for becoming friends with adult ninjas who had a link with other Uzumakis.
If she put her wariness to the side, Ino had to admit to herself that she was also getting curious about their future meeting with the Ame-nin.
"So you'll be meeting with more ninjas? That's going to be so interesting!" - (drawing of a flower with five petals)
"We're MOST definitely COMING with you too" - Ino
"That's gonna be awesome! Maybe the old man ninja will come too, he said he travels a lot and he wrote a book and the hero's called Naruto!" - (drawing of a spiral)
"Really? Do you know the title?" - (drawing of a flower with five petals)
In the end, they spent a good time writing to each other instead of following the lecture. Sakura had eventually stopped conversing with them and took notes from Iruka-sensei's rambling, while Ino's and Naruto's conversation drifted to the latest juicy news about the fūinjutsu book.
A seal to hide messages in plants.
In flowers.
And Iruka-sensei expected her to be more interested in maps?
He didn't understand a single thing about women.
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For the past few months, Hiruzen had sensed a certain tension with some of his men.
Of course, he hadn't noticed anything particularly blatant or alarming, but his trained eye and instinct had detected an imperceptible change between them.
A furtive look that had no reason to be.
A silence a few seconds too long.
A stiffer posture than usual.
He had not been able to determine what it was exactly, but he knew that something was changing.
It was only when Jiraiya suddenly returned to Konoha, without sending a single message to let him know he was coming back and why, that Hiruzen knew the situation would become clearer to him soon.
His most eccentric student (and that was saying a lot, given the other two phenomena of his team) had shown up at his office late in the evening accompanied by an Amegakure shinobi – one of the orphans that Jiraiya had trained during the Third Great Shinobi War.
And, very quickly, seriousness had invaded the office of the Third Hokage.
Now, Hiruzen had found that alarming.
Jiraiya had requested an urgent meeting as soon as possible, not only with his councillors, but with the Village Council made of the Clan Heads of Konoha.
And to confirm the importance of the situation, Shikaku, his Jōnin Commander, had come to his office with suspicious timing to support his request.
That was when Hiruzen had seen it again. The furtive glances between Jiraiya and Shikaku and the hard nods. The just-a-bit-too long silence when he had asked them what the matter was about.
Jiraiya had simply explained to him that he had made quite a few discoveries during his travels lately, and that he would go into more details when the Council would be gathered.
Hiruzen hadn't tried to dig that much more into the matter; he would be finding out soon enough after all.
Which was how, on the next night, they found themselves in the meeting room of the Hokage Tower, in an atmosphere as rigid as on the eve of war.
"An urgent meeting has been requested by both Shikaku, our Jōnin Commander, and Jiraiya, who came back with important information," the Third Hokage began.
"To be entirely truthful, Sensei, there are many Clan Heads who also have some input on the situation."
And this was something that Hiruzen had not seen coming.
Testimonies of Yamanaka Inoichi. Aburame Shibi. Hyūga Hiashi. Uchiha Fugaku. Hatake Kakashi.
With the support of Nara Shikaku. Akimichi Chōza. Inuzuka Tsume.
With the leader of the Ame resistance and the new head of the village of Ame, Yahiko. Supported by Jiraiya.
Statements and evidence came flying, resulting from investigations that they had conducted against his colleague and old friend, Shimura Danzo.
Hiruzen had always known that their beliefs were different, and that they had chosen to walk on different paths. But their respective goals had always converged in the good of the village.
What his men were recounting to him had nothing to do with anything good, however.
Naturally, Danzo always had a ready answer and a justification for everything, and he did not fail to show his displeasure at this ambush; but the proofs were too glaring for Hiruzen to turn a blind eye to them.
He had wanted to believe in Danzo. He had counted on him so many times; and he knew that, deep down, his old comrade only wanted what was best for the village.
But he had to face the facts. His scheming had finally fractured the village's internal relations. As a result of Danzo's suspicions, the Uchihas had been isolated and pushed aside. Yamanaka and Aburame were wary for the safety of their own clansmen. The valuable dōjutsu of the Uchihas had been stolen; this not only caused treason against them, but also put the Hyūgas on alert. Even the First Hokage's corpse had apparently been sullied (and hadn't that been similar to the experiments Orochimaru used to work on?). And the circumstances around the Kyūbi Attack were being questioned in a way that would put the whole village in danger and on edge.
And that was only the issues that had risen within the village.
Regarding the external affairs, Hiruzen was convinced that the situation of Amegakure was just one among many.
He had to admit it to himself: he had been too lenient, and the equilibrium that constituted the strength and the foundations of the village was crumbling. And the Third Hokage was well aware that he was the one to blame for his inaction.
Yet, in the midst of this darkness, he could see a light in which his predecessor, Senju Hashirama, firmly believed in founding this village.
For the first time in years, all the clan leaders were united in their decision. They did not put forward any personal political interests; they were in perfect collaboration and symbiosis. They had all worked together and in tandem, in full discretion and cooperation, to help out each other and make this operation work.
That observation appeased Hiruzen in a way he hadn't felt in seven years.
The village existed above all to ensure the safety of its inhabitants. In order to keep the villagers safe, the ninja clans gave their hearts and souls for Konoha, swearing loyalty and fighting with their lives.
But if they no longer trusted the Konoha government, what would ensure their loyalty to the village in the future?
Hiruzen could not let Danzo continue his scheming. He had to put an end to it once and for all.
And he was no fool; he was aware the Danzo's fall would have to be hard and loud.
Even if it meant that the Third Hokage himself lost all credibility.
In any case, he had already realized that he was getting too old to continue wearing the Hat, and to hold the responsibility that went with it.
So, even if he had to fall with his old comrade, he would make sure to make a decision worthy of his position for one last time, especially if it would allow the affected clans to clear their honor and bring a new harmony within the high ranks of Konoha.
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To be continued
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