The Third Hokage Orders Danzo Removed from His Post as Head of Root

Danzo waited at Root's underground headquarters, but neither the men he had sent out nor Hagoromo arrived.

Instead, he received a summons from the Third Hokage's personal Anbu, ordering him to report to the Hokage Building immediately to meet Lord Third.

Bang—!

As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi's personal Anbu left, Danzo slammed the cane in his hand against the floor.

Even if Danzo were an idiot, he knew by now that the men he had sent out had failed.

He simply couldn't understand why a Chunin from the Ninja Academy possessed that kind of strength.

Could the man be a spy from another ninja village?

Having always dealt with such matters, Danzo instinctively considered the possibility.

"Lord Danzo, do you need me to go?"

Aburame Torune dropped to one knee beside him as he asked.

After all, last time he had confidently declared that there was no way they would be discovered, only for the Third Hokage to come knocking on his leader's door the very next day.

When Danzo wanted someone to bring the Chunin over today, Torune had already volunteered.

But Danzo had turned him down, saying a Chunin didn't warrant sending him out.

"No need. I doubt we can touch him for the time being."

Though Danzo's face was dark, he hadn't lost his reason. He waved a hand and refused Aburame Torune's request again.

"From now on, all of Root's operations need to be conducted more discreetly."

"You two stay here on guard, just in case."

With that, Danzo rose to his feet. He had already delayed for quite some time.

No matter how little he thought of his old classmate, Danzo still had to obey the summons.

That was the Hokage's authority.

At the thought, Shimura Danzō narrowed his eyes, his expression inscrutable.

Sooner or later, I'll be the Hokage who leads Konoha to its peak!

Shimura Danzō pushed the door open and stepped into the Hokage's office. As soon as he entered, he saw the Anbu standing beside Hiruzen Sarutobi.

With that head of silver hair, he was hard not to recognize.

Kakashi Hatake...

Paying him no further attention, Shimura Danzō looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had a pipe in his mouth.

"Hiruzen, what did you call me here for?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been watching Shimura Danzō with a frown ever since he entered.

In the past, he really hadn't cared about how Danzo and the other elders treated him.

After all, they had studied under the Second Hokage and were comrades who had shared life and death on the battlefield.

But then there was the attitude Hagoromo had shown not long ago.

And Danzo had continued his little schemes despite Hiruzen's warning.

Now, everything Shimura Danzō did grated on Hiruzen Sarutobi, no matter how he looked at it.

"Danzo, please address me as Lord Third Hokage."

With that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a somewhat indifferent tone.

Shimura Danzō, who had been about to sit down, stared at him with dead-fish eyes, his face full of disbelief.

Had his ears just failed him? Or had Hiruzen Sarutobi lost his mind?

What did he say?

"What are you talking about, Hiruzen?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the pipe from his mouth and set it on his desk.

He said sternly, "If you're already too old to hear what I just said, then I don't think you're fit to lead Root anymore."

Shimura Danzō tightened his grip on his cane, making the wood creak.

Kakashi Hatake, standing beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, bent forward slightly.

If Shimura Danzō made even the slightest disrespectful move, he would strike immediately.

A veteran ninja like Shimura Danzō naturally noticed Kakashi Hatake's movement.

He took a deep breath and, after a long while, slowly said, "Lord Third Hokage, what do you need from me, your elder advisor?"

With that, Shimura Danzō sat down.

He could address him that way, but he would also remind Hiruzen Sarutobi not to forget that he was an elder advisor too.

And Konoha had three elder advisors.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow and looked at Shimura Danzō without speaking for a long time.

After quite a while, when Shimura Danzō was nearly at the end of his patience, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke:

"Danzo, I'd like to ask why, without an order from me as Hokage..."

"...a Root ninja actually attacked a Ninja Academy teacher inside the village?"

"As I recall, all of Root's operations require my approval as Hokage before they can proceed, don't they?"

Shimura Danzō showed no trace of panic at the question. Instead, he relaxed further and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi as he spoke:

"I suspect this Ninja Academy teacher is a spy sent by another ninja village."

"To avoid alerting him, I had Root act directly."

He spoke so calmly that, if Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't investigated Hagoromo so thoroughly he almost knew the color of his underwear every day...

...he might actually have believed him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knitted his brows and looked at Shimura Danzō sitting before him.

Does he think I can't lift the Adamantine Staff anymore? Or has Shimura Danzō always told blatant lies like this?

"Danzo, you should know that slandering a comrade from the same village, even if you're an elder advisor..."

"...is something I can hold you accountable for!"

Bang—!

Shimura Danzō instinctively jabbed his cane against the floor and shouted:

"Whether he is or not, hand him over to Root for interrogation! Then we'll know!"

Even Kakashi Hatake, standing to the side, was a little speechless at Shimura Danzō's words.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated in his office chair, was almost angry enough to laugh.

"So?"

"Is this how you've always had Root do things?"

"The moment you suspect someone, you just have your men take them away!"

"Do you know what the village's various clans will think when you do that?!"

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi lose his temper, Shimura Danzō remained unmoved and said calmly:

"Everything I do is for Konoha."

"Enough, Danzo! From now on, stay at home. You don't need to concern yourself with any of Root's affairs anymore!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his palm on the desk, pointed at Shimura Danzō, and shouted.

Shimura Danzō showed no trace of panic at those words. Instead, he gazed deeply at Hiruzen Sarutobi and only spoke after a long while:

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

"Danzo, I'm the Hokage!"

The scene from a week ago played out once again in the Hokage's office.

Only this time, unlike his earlier fury, Shimura Danzō remained unruffled.

He had sensed something different from the moment he entered the Hokage's office.

That difference was Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude toward him, which was why he had traded words with Hiruzen Sarutobi, each probing the other.

Now he understood too. Perhaps it all came back to the Ninja Academy teacher he had wanted to bring to Root.

What exactly is different about this man?

Without thinking further, Shimura Danzō stood up and headed for the door without so much as looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Bang!

The slam of the door echoed throughout the entire floor of the Hokage's office.

No matter how indifferent he had acted toward Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Shimura Danzō's instinctive action still betrayed his displeasure.

Looking at the office door that had been slammed shut, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke after a long while:

"Kakashi, I have a task for you first."

"Thoroughly investigate the records of all Root operations in recent years, and..."

"See if Root has any unofficial personnel."

Kakashi froze at those words. The first task was straightforward enough.

But the second—unofficial personnel?

At the thought, even the usually impassive Kakashi felt a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

How could Hiruzen Sarutobi, his old classmate, not understand Shimura Danzō?

When the order removing him as Root's leader was issued, Shimura Danzō had at the very least shown less anger than he should have. What that meant went without saying.