Danzo, You Don't Understand at All

"Next item on the agenda."

The Third Hokage raised his eyes toward Meitoku's seat.

Meitoku immediately rose to speak. "We will not pursue who was right or wrong in the matter between the Uchiha and Hyuga for now, but the cause of this incident was certain people in the village spreading rumors..."

"I assume no one objects to that?"

"You said they were rumors, yet you still believed them?" Chiken was the first to refute him. "Calling you an Old Fossil was absolutely right."

"Old Geezer, you're no better! If you hadn't believed them, would this have happened?"

"Tch..."

Meitoku's single question left Chiken speechless.

If he said he had believed them, then the two of them were equally guilty.

If he said he had not, then why had he clashed with the Hyuga?

Although all the clan heads present knew it was a matter of pride.

Saying so outright would only make them seem petty.

"Please calm down first, Clan Heads..." The Third Hokage cut in at the right moment. "How should we resolve the issue of rumors?"

Meitoku had long prepared a proposal. "I suggest establishing a supervisory department in the village to crack down forcefully on false rumors."

Chiken rolled his eyes.

Wasn't that aimed right at him?

The Uchiha's public relations work would become difficult from now on.

"Very well. Then the supervisory department will be jointly managed by representatives from each clan. I assume no one has any objections?"

The Third Hokage could not possibly centralize power in a single family again.

The rift between the Uchiha and Konoha was a glaring lesson from the past.

"Hiruzen... no, Lord Hokage..." Danzo rose with a grim expression to voice his opinion. "Shouldn't this matter be discussed with the Hokage's advisers?"

He glanced at Chiken with his one eye, clearly implying something. "Such an important department cannot be casually entrusted to shinobi clans that cannot be trusted."

Chiken recalled what that brat at home had said: whenever possible, make Danzo sick.

Then he remembered all the reasons Danzo had just used to target the Uchiha.

Folding his arms, he questioned him. "Clan Head Danzo, are you looking at this matter from the perspective of a clan head, or an adviser?"

"And is the Uchiha Clan on your so-called list of untrustworthy shinobi clans?"

Brilliant. Did Danzo dare answer either of those questions?

No matter how he answered, he would expose a weakness.

From a clan head's perspective: then why were you saying all this?

From an adviser's perspective: this is a clan meeting. Are you trying to place yourself above all the clans?

And as for the Uchiha—if they were on the list, why were you targeting them at every turn?

If they were not, then why had you targeted them just now?

The atmosphere in the room immediately turned strange.

Quite a few shinobi clan heads glared furiously at Danzo.

They seemed ready to demand exactly which shinobi clans he considered untrustworthy.

The Third Hokage rubbed his brow, looking troubled as he considered how to break the deadlock.

He had always noticed Chiken and Danzo targeting each other.

How should he put it? Before Senju Tobirama died, he had not specifically told Sarutobi Hiruzen to beware of the Uchiha or anything of the sort.

Ever since inheriting the position of Hokage, he had neither favored nor suppressed the Uchiha.

Unless Danzo had received special instructions, or had some other reason for always disliking the Uchiha.

"Mirror, during that final mission..."

At that thought, he did not dare continue.

It was not that the Third Hokage did not know this speculation was highly likely.

He simply refused to believe it was true.

If there was evidence, he would surely help erase it, wouldn't he?

With Konoha's stability as the foremost priority, he would do everything possible to bury anything that could divide the village.

"As one of Konoha's four great clans, the Uchiha are absolutely trustworthy..."

Playing ostrich, the Third Hokage chose to deftly dissolve the strange atmosphere. "Clan Head Chiken, rest assured. The village has never doubted you."

But Chiken had no intention of letting the matter slide. "I have never doubted the village's attitude toward us. It is simply that Clan Head Danzo went a little too far today..."

"As a clan head, he actually views other clans through tinted lenses..." He narrowed his eyes. "I still wish to ask Clan Head Danzo whether the Uchiha have ever offended you."

Danzo's face turned green and purple by turns.

Again, it was the sort of question where either answer would expose a weakness.

Meitoku inwardly cried out in amazement.

Every word struck at the other man's weakness.

Even he began to wonder whether there had once been some unknown conflict between the Uchiha and Danzo.

The other clan heads all harbored their own thoughts.

The looks they gave Danzo became exceedingly interesting.

Suspicion, hostility, and jealousy were all present.

"That's enough, Clan Head Chiken..." The Third Hokage was clearly somewhat angry. "Do not continue."

Even he did not know why he was angry.

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Chiken could not keep pressing him.

"And Danzo, you must not make baseless accusations against the Uchiha Clan in the future. Do you understand what the village was founded for?"

"But the Uchiha have always..."

The Third Hokage suddenly slammed his palm onto the conference table. "You don't understand at all!"

"Today you target the Uchiha. Does that mean tomorrow you will dare target the Senju? The day after that, will you move against the Sarutobi Clan?"

He enunciated every word. "Are you trying to make Konoha fall apart?"

No one in the meeting room even dared breathe.

"I... I understand!" Danzo finally agreed.

Yet everyone present knew he would not let the matter rest.

Interesting. It seems Lord Third Hokage may know something... Chiken calculated inwardly.

When I get back, I need to properly ask that brat what exactly he said to Lord Third Hokage that day...

He did not think there was anything wrong with the Third Hokage protecting Danzo.

They were all adults. It was ultimately about profit and interests.

Meitoku appeared calm on the surface, but waves surged within his heart.

Danzo definitely had a problem with the Uchiha.

But regardless of the various conflicts, the Third Hokage's actions had already shown that he stood on the Uchiha's side.

Danzo was absolutely furious inside.

He believed that he was the one who truly inherited the will of his teacher, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

Hiding in the darkness, he would silently eliminate every threat to Konoha.

The Uchiha Clan, an unstable element like that, had to be suppressed and targeted.

The Third Hokage's anger quickly dissipated.

He returned to his usual calm state. "Let us continue the meeting."

"Does anyone have anything else to add regarding the Hyuga Clan?"

The clan heads all shook their heads, indicating that they had no further issues.

"The punishment for the Hyuga Clan will be to assign all clansmen who participated in the incident to assist the construction department with its work..."

"Of course, that includes rebuilding Uchiha Commercial Street. Clan Head Meitoku, do you have any objections?"

"No. On behalf of the Hyuga Clan, I accept this punishment." Meitoku did not dare refuse.

Seeing him agree, the Third Hokage announced the final item on the agenda. "Everyone, I hope the shinobi clans can coexist peacefully. I do not wish to see a similar incident happen again."

"Yes, Lord Third Hokage." The clan heads present all agreed.

"Meeting adjourned."

A long while later, the Third Hokage looked over the empty meeting room and heavily leaned back in his chair.

He was still thinking about what had happened that day.

"Perhaps Chiken knew something, which was why he had been so aggressive..."

"Then were the things Shin told me deliberately revealed to me by him?"

His first explanation was that the Uchiha wanted to divide Konoha's upper ranks.

"No, the Uchiha have always disdained playing with schemes..."

That was right. The Uchiha, who revered strength, truly would not resort to such petty tricks.

"Danzo, were you the one who killed Mirror..."

Until the sun set.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi remained motionless in that posture.