What's the Difference Between Doing and Not Doing

The moment Naruto's Shadow Clone was engulfed by the explosion, he, standing by the window, immediately knew what had happened in the Forest of Death. Gazing at the distant flashing light, he suddenly sensed the disappearance of two chakra signatures, one after the other.

The ones who vanished were the Third Hokage and his summoned beast, Enma. It seemed they had escaped using a Reverse Summoning Jutsu.

Orochimaru's chakra, however, was still present. Naruto sensed him burrowing deep underground, moving at incredible speed, already nearing the edge of the Forest of Death's barrier.

These two truly lived up to their master-student reputation.

But Naruto also knew very well that the Great Spinning Wheel Uzumaki he'd unleashed with his clone, while fast-exploding, didn't have a wide area of effect.

The Shadow Clone he'd sent out didn't have much chakra, so the power generated by the condensed chakra sphere wasn't that significant for powerhouses like Orochimaru and the Third Hokage. As long as they were fast enough to escape, it was manageable.

However, he truly hadn't expected Orochimaru to appear in the Forest of Death.

Isn't that guy supposed to be a member of the Akatsuki organization right now? Why would he suddenly return to Konoha?

Could he also be a spy sent by Konoha to join the Akatsuki?

Naruto immediately dismissed the thought, deciding he was overthinking it. Someone pursuing eternal life and exploring the world's secrets wouldn't engage in such pointless activities.

Even when threatened by Pain to join the Akatsuki, Orochimaru only sought an opportunity to obtain the Rinnegan.

So, what was his purpose in returning to Konoha? It definitely wasn't to find the Third Hokage, otherwise, the Third Hokage wouldn't have led a pursuit team to capture him.

Just as he thought of the Third Hokage, a figure flashed through Naruto's mind.

Danzō!

Orochimaru had definitely come back for Danzō. Naruto remembered Danzō's Sharingan arm; their connection continued unbroken even into the Shippuden storyline of the anime.

But the timing was off. Hadn't the Uchiha Clan's destruction day arrived yet?

After a final scan of the ninjas rushing around Konohagakure, Naruto looked up at the closed window. It was time to rest.

In the early hours of the morning, the entire Hokage office building was still brightly lit. A figure leaning on a cane cast a long shadow as they entered the Hokage's office.

"Hiruzen, I'm here."

"Do you have something you need to explain to me, Advisor Danzō?"

The person speaking in the office was clearly the Third Hokage. He had returned to Konoha at some point and was now seated at the head of the conference table, still wearing his combat attire.

Also seated at the conference table were two other individuals: the current Konoha advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

The one leaning on the cane was Danzō. Facing the Third Hokage's questioning, he didn't reply immediately. He glanced at the other two advisors and, without a word, walked to the other side of the table and sat down.

"There's nothing to explain about the Orochimaru matter," Danzō stated, his tone neither subservient nor overbearing, as soon as he sat down. "Moreover, in my opinion, there's no need for any explanation because everything I've done is no different from you; it's all for Konoha."

The Third Hokage's expression darkened. "If that's the case, then from now on, you are relieved of your advisory duties assisting the Hokage, and Root must be disbanded!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other two advisors, who had been silent, immediately voiced their objections.

"Third Hokage, this matter requires further discussion."

"Hokage-sama, Advisor Danzō's Root cannot be disbanded at this time. Their current work is crucial to the village, and Root's contributions to Konoha have been immense."

The Third Hokage's eyes sharpened. "You object?"

Mitokado Homura slightly shook his head and took a scroll from his sleeve, placing it before the Third Hokage.

Upon opening it, the Third Hokage's expression changed drastically. "Is this confirmed to be true?"

"My intelligence is never wrong," Danzō said, opening his eyes, his expression unchanged. "This is detailed intelligence recorded by Shisui Uchiha himself. After you left the village, his clan began gathering clansmen for frequent secret meetings."

After carefully reading the scroll, the Third Hokage's expression softened slightly, and he said sternly, "I am aware of this matter, but you still need to explain your contact with Orochimaru."

Danzō's face suddenly turned cold. He glanced at the two silent advisors opposite him and was forced to say, "It was just a transaction with Orochimaru to obtain some intelligence from outside Konoha."

The Third Hokage's expression remained stern as he continued to question, "What transaction? What was the content of the intelligence?"

Danzō's gaze shifted, meeting the Third Hokage's eyes directly with a hint of mockery. "He was your disciple. You should know what the transaction entailed, so I don't need to say it. The intelligence was quite valuable; it was about the Akatsuki organization in the Land of Rain back then."

The Third Hokage's heart surged with anger. He had guessed what Orochimaru had traded, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued to ask, "Didn't you say that the Akatsuki organization back then was wiped out by Hanzō?"

Danzō shook his head. "They weren't completely wiped out, and now the entire Land of Rain is under the Akatsuki's control. Furthermore, the members of this organization are now all S-rank missing-nin, and Orochimaru is one of them."

The Third Hokage stared intently at Danzō. "Do you have detailed intelligence?"

Danzō shook his head without hesitation. "No!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage immediately stood up, walked to the desk, picked up a blank scroll, and quickly wrote down the contents. Then, he beckoned towards the windowsill, and an Anbu member immediately appeared.

"Send this intelligence to Jiraiya via a messenger bird."

The Anbu member took the scroll and vanished into the shadows.

The Third Hokage returned to the conference table and sat down, saying with a grave expression, "Now, let's discuss the situation regarding the Uchiha clan's movements."

Hearing this, a barely perceptible look of joy finally appeared on Danzō's grim face.

The next morning, as the sun had just risen, Naruto was already on his way to the Hokage office building. He would be there soon.

"Naruto, are you sure you're going to see the Third Hokage now?"

"Father, is there a problem with that?"

"There's no problem, it's just that Naruto, didn't you see the Third and Orochimaru in the Forest of Death last night?"

Minato Namikaze, within the sealed space, was puzzled why Naruto was looking for the Third Hokage at this time.

"Mm," Naruto paused slightly. "I just wanted to put his mind at ease, and incidentally, keep him busy."

The streets in the village were rather deserted today. It seemed everyone was on edge after last night's events. Naruto barely saw anyone as he walked, though he sensed many ninjas hidden around the streets.

Just two more streets and he'd be there.

"Sir! Please let me go, I swear I only stole once!"

"Hmph! Still dare to lie? You think my Sharingan would be mistaken? You clearly stole from several places."

"How dare you take advantage of the chaos to steal! You're coming back to the Police Department with us!"

"It's a frame-up, sir! The child at my home needs these, please…"

"Sir, he's so pitiful, please let him go."

"Yeah."

Naruto listened to the voices and, turning a corner, saw several Uchiha members in Police Department uniforms. They were strutting as they escorted a terrified man towards the other end of the street.

"Hmph! What's so great about the Uchiha Clan? They just caught a thief."

"I think they're just arresting people arbitrarily, relying on the Police Department's backing."

"Right, didn't you hear that person just now say he was framed?"

"Look at their attitudes, their eyes are practically in the sky when they walk."

Naruto ignored their words, turned back in the direction he was headed, and continued towards his destination.

"Sigh."

After only a few steps, Minato Namikaze sighed within the sealed space.

"What is it? Father, what are you sighing about? Are you sympathizing with that thief too?"

Minato Namikaze shook his head.

"No, I just feel the villagers' words are a bit excessive. The Police Department's main job is to maintain internal security and stability in the village. In this matter, those Uchiha members did nothing wrong."

"They shouldn't let their emotions escalate to an issue concerning an entire clan."

Naruto had already spotted the Hokage's office building. After entrusting something to Kurama, he said, "It doesn't matter if those people's words are excessive. At most, they're just commenting without putting themselves in others' shoes."

"You must understand, the biggest difference between doing something and not doing it is that the latter has the right to comment on the former."