You Regret, I Am Hokage

"They actually killed Root ninja in Konoha, then blew their bodies to ashes for every ninja and civilian in the village to see!"

"Too arrogant! Too brazen!" Shimura Danzō roared in fury. "It had to be those evil Uchiha!"

"It could only have been them! They dared to kill Root ninja—this is treason against the village!"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, you must make a decision immediately! Mobilize the entire village and wipe out those damned Uchiha!"

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was forty-seven this year. The Professor of Ninjutsu had only recently passed his physical prime, yet he remained strong. Unmoved by his close friend's roaring, he calmly puffed smoke like an unmoving mountain.

Mitokado Homura lightly adjusted his glasses and said coldly, "Danzō, do you have evidence that the Uchiha were responsible?"

The roaring stopped abruptly.

Shimura Danzō gave his classmate a sinister look and demanded, "Other than the Uchiha, who else would do something so brazen?"

"That is not evidence. It cannot convince Konoha's ninja."

"They've practically come knocking on our doorstep, and you still want evidence?!"

"We need evidence. Otherwise, no one will believe you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his pipe over and lightly tapped it twice against the ashtray, stopping their argument.

At this time, the Third Hokage was not only immensely powerful, but his prestige was also at its peak. A simple gesture from him was enough to make his classmates stop arguing.

He looked at the indignant Danzō and said softly, "Danzō, the Uchiha Clan is very powerful. Are you confident you can wipe them out?"

Shimura Danzō took a deep breath. "Konoha has thirty thousand ninja and three hundred jōnin. If we mobilize them, wiping out the mere Uchiha..."

"I'm asking about you. Could you do it if you led Root yourself?"

Danzō's eyes widened, and he stared at the Third Hokage without being able to speak.

What kind of bullshit question was that?

The Uchiha Clan was one of Konoha's founders. They currently had more than a thousand ninja, including thirty-seven jōnin. Half of those jōnin were elite jōnin who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Compared to that behemoth, Root was completely insignificant.

If Shimura Danzō had been capable of leading Root to wipe out the Uchiha Clan, he would have acted long ago. Why would he be here babbling at the Third Hokage?

And if he really could destroy the Uchiha on his own, Danzō secretly glanced at the Third Hokage and thought, If I had that much power, I'd dare to drag you, Hiruzen Sarutobi, off your throne and take the Hokage's seat for myself, fulfilling my lifelong dream.

Unfortunately, he could do neither. Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's piercing gaze, Shimura Danzō said resentfully, "I can't!"

"Then you need to produce evidence. Konoha's ninja are not Root ninja. To mobilize them against the Uchiha, you need evidence convincing enough to persuade them."

"Not fake evidence you casually manufacture. That would be useless."

"Hmph! I understand!"

Utatane Koharu raised her head. Her somewhat sharp-featured yet still faintly pretty face was solemn as she said bluntly to Danzō, "Watch your attitude, Danzō. You need to show Hiruzen Sarutobi enough respect. He is the Hokage!"

"Shut up, you useless woman!"

"Bastard! Do you want to die?"

"Danzō, your attitude is getting worse and worse. Apologize to Koharu!"

"Enough! Shut up, all of you!"

As soon as the Third Hokage spoke, the office fell silent.

Before Konoha's F4 had crossed the threshold of fifty, all of them were powerful Kage-level ninja with their own pride. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had not become useless either. Danzō stood out slightly, but he could not suppress any of the others.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi stood firmly above the other three. The weight of his authority was incomparable to what it would be twenty years later.

He lit his pipe again, took a deep drag, and calmly asked, "Danzō, can you truly not produce any evidence?"

Faced with the stares of his three old classmates, Shimura Danzō finally shook his head.

There really was no evidence. Whoever had killed the Root ninja had been too thorough. Every body had been blasted to pieces and scattered almost evenly throughout Konoha, leaving no trace to find.

"There is no evidence. But there is one clue. The enemy used neither chakra nor explosives. It may have been Natural Energy."

Danzō's words shocked the other three. Utatane Koharu cried out, "The First Hokage's Senjutsu?!"

Danzō corrected her. "Not Senjutsu. The First Hokage's Senjutsu was a special kind of chakra. I had the Hyuga Clan inspect it, and they could not see any residual chakra."

"There were no traces of explosives, no traces of chakra, yet it produced such tremendous power. It could only have been Natural Energy."

The Third Hokage glanced at Danzō from the corner of his eye, but he thought, This method of analysis was probably Nara Shikaku's idea... Shikaku's judgment is very accurate. It should indeed have been Natural Energy.

He said, "That makes sense. I will have Jiraiya confirm it."

Mitokado Homura asked, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, you are the Professor of Ninjutsu and know more about the Ninja World and ninjutsu than anyone. Do you know who in the Ninja World could wield such power?"

The Third Hokage shook his head. "Among the major powers of the Ninja World that I know of, none use pure Natural Energy."

"The First Hokage's notes, as well as records of Jiraiya's Senjutsu training, prove that Natural Energy is extremely dangerous. Even contact with it can turn a person into stone or wood."

"But!" The Third Hokage's eyes sharpened, fury burning within them. "This matter must be investigated thoroughly. Someone dared to openly provoke us within Konoha. Whoever it is will pay the price."

Shimura Danzō was overjoyed. "Good! That is the resolve a Hokage should have! Hiruzen Sarutobi, leave this matter to me. I will definitely find the one responsible."

The three of them saw the gloating look on Danzō's face and immediately realized that he wanted to frame the Uchiha Clan again.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu could not help shaking their heads. The Third Hokage also sighed inwardly. A helper like this really could hold him back sometimes.

After thinking for a moment, the Third Hokage decided he could not allow Danzō to run wild.

The war had already begun. Sunagakure was clashing with Iwagakure, Kumogakure was provoking Konoha, while Kirigakure was provoking both Konoha and Kumogakure.

Although the scale of the conflict was still small, the five great ninja villages had assembled large forces along their borders. At any moment, it could develop into a true Ninja World war.

At a time like this, they absolutely could not create sharp internal conflicts in the village. They especially could not damage their relationship with great clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga. The coming war would require those clans to contribute—and to die.

"Danzō, any evidence you find absolutely cannot point to the Uchiha Clan. Nor can it point to any other clan. It must point to an enemy outside the village. Understood?"

Shimura Danzō's good mood vanished instantly, replaced by rage. "Why? This is a provocation the entire village cannot tolerate. As long as the evidence proves it, no one will forgive the Uchiha."

"Only guilty Uchiha would need to atone through merit. Criminal slaves are the best weapons for war!"

"Danzō!" Hearing Danzō's self-righteous words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's beard and hair bristled with anger. He roared, "Don't think everyone except you is an idiot!"

Mitokado Homura nodded. "Hiruzen Sarutobi is right. If it is not irrefutable evidence found immediately, no one will believe it."

Utatane Koharu also agreed. "We cannot act so recklessly. The effects of the Hatake Sakumo incident have not faded yet."

Danzō refused to accept it. "He has been dead for more than two years. What effects could still remain?"

The Third Hokage no longer had the patience to persuade Danzō, because he knew Danzō could not be persuaded. The other two classmates had also made their support clear, so he made the decision directly. "It is decided. Carry it out!"

Danzō choked up. His face gradually reddened, and after a long while, he finally squeezed out his "famous words":

"You will regret this, Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

"I am the Hokage, Danzō."