Kakashi's Memories

43 days until the planetary arrival...

The moment he stepped out of Konoha, Kakashi halted, taking a deep breath of the fresh air outside.

He raised a hand to slowly touch his left eye, feeling an unprecedented sense of ease and clarity.

"Hokage, huh..."

Kakashi whispered to himself, as if his heart were being pulled by some unseen force.

"Is my wish truly to become the Hokage?"

Sensei...

Obito...

And Rin...

They are all gone...

He walked quietly to the side of a stream, lowering his head to gaze at his own reflection in the water.

The surface mirrored his face, his eyes revealing a hint of weariness.

Deep within his mind, long-lost memories surged forth like a tide.

The simple wishes and dreams of the past had become increasingly blurred.

What followed in his mind, however, were the scenes of the tedious and cruel power struggles among Konoha's high-ranking officials that he had witnessed during his time in the Anbu.

Although the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, appeared kind and benevolent, he hid his own selfish motives behind that facade.

While the Hokage was not a man of great evil, he was, after all, getting old...

Stagnant and weary...

After the Uchiha clan was wiped out, the Third's faction had gained significantly from the liquidation of the Uchiha assets, and he had even tacitly permitted certain actions taken by Danzo.

For instance, those missing Sharingan...

Thinking of this, Kakashi's mood grew heavy.

The reason he hadn't seen through these things before was that the Sharingan had been draining his chakra without restraint, even interfering with his brain, keeping his thoughts in a state of constant chaos and fatigue.

Yet, ever since his left Sharingan had mysteriously gained the ability to close at will, his thinking had become exceptionally clear.

The fog before his eyes had been suddenly swept away, allowing him to see many details and truths he had ignored in the past with such clarity for the first time.

This change left him feeling both shocked and confused.

The beliefs and values he had once firmly held now seemed to be wavering.

He began to doubt whether he truly understood the meaning of being Hokage.

Was he really suited for that position?

In this seemingly peaceful ninja world, how much unbearable darkness was truly hidden?

Kakashi looked up at the endless sky in the distance, his gaze filled with a trace of confusion and bewilderment he had never felt before.

"Perhaps, for now, I can only find Jiraiya-sama and go from there..."

His state of mind had undergone a subtle shift, though Kakashi did not understand why such a change had occurred.

Inside the Hokage's office...

The article by Uchiha Yuan still lay on the desk.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat quietly at his desk, rubbing his weary temples, his mind constantly weighing his next decisions.

Three hours had passed since the news arrived, and the two Hokage advisors would be coming tomorrow...

The entire village was at a moment where a storm was brewing, and as Hokage, he had to find a way out amidst this chaos.

The situation in Konoha was becoming increasingly tense, and with the information about the world-ending catastrophe exposed, turmoil throughout the ninja world was inevitable.

In these few hours, Hiruzen had already issued orders to adjust missions...

Most of the Jonin would return to the village by tomorrow morning...

A portion of the Earth Style Jonin were being directly assigned to underground defense construction, building a line of defense within the Land of Fire to prepare for the impending disaster.

In addition, Hiruzen had sent a letter to the Daimyo...

Furthermore, Konoha had begun transferring large quantities of supplies to ensure survival after the disaster.

Although these actions would inevitably alert the other four great ninja villages in the coming days.

"This is Konoha's unilateral action..."

Such a move would certainly draw the attention and suspicion of the four great ninja villages.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally intended to immediately transmit the information about the world-ending catastrophe to the five Kage of the other ninja villages via scroll, hoping they could unite to face the coming disaster.

Just as he was preparing to act, Danzo stormed into the office aggressively.

"Hiruzen... do not be in such a hurry to tell them."

The moment Danzo entered, he guessed what Hiruzen was about to do...

"First, convene the Five Kage Summit, then disclose the information regarding the world's destruction to them."

"Danzō, your frequency of appearance lately has surpassed even that of the two advisors."

At the mention of those two, Danzō revealed a look of disdain: "Mere insects. Regardless, we cannot inform the other villages too quickly."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared straight at Danzō: "Danzō, at a time like this, do you still wish to weaken the other villages?"

Danzō's expression remained cold, completely unmoved by Hiruzen Sarutobi's emotions: "The information on the black market has already been circulating among various mercenary organizations and certain ninja; they are already aware of it, yet they have not made any response to date."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned gloomy, and he could not help but retort!

"That is nothing but sophistry. Who would believe such a prophecy of disaster at first glance, especially under such unreasonable circumstances?"

Danzō did not reply, merely shrugging slightly, seemingly having no interest in continuing the argument.

He was instinctively calm, as if he had already anticipated this reaction.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at him; although he was furious, he knew he could not win this argument against Danzō.

"Fine, I will listen to you. Since you are correct, we should indeed convene the Five Kage Summit first, and then formally transmit the intelligence regarding the world's destruction."

Danzō nodded, a trace of satisfaction appearing in the depths of his eyes: "This is beneficial to Konoha, and beneficial to the overall response of the ninja world. After all, Konoha's status after the disaster is our true goal."

"Do you truly believe that delaying for a few days will bring benefits to Konoha?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke; in Danzō's eyes, this was his old habit acting up again...

"Delay is necessary, Hiruzen. Look, Konoha's preparations are becoming increasingly thorough. If the other ninja villages have no preparations for resistance, they will only be left helpless."

"Konoha can take this opportunity to strengthen its position, and perhaps even control the entire ninja world after the disaster."

"Rise after the disaster..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed in a low voice, his heart filled with unspeakable worry.

"While Konoha must indeed rise again after the disaster, have you truly considered what kind of catastrophe Konoha will face when the disaster arrives?"

"By then, the village will already be in ruins. How much power can we truly extract from that to support this dream?"

Upon hearing this, Danzō let out a cold snort, his attitude becoming increasingly arrogant.

"When Tobirama-sensei met his end back then, didn't we rise up from the ruins as well? As long as the Will of Konoha remains, destruction is by no means the end, but a brand-new starting point."

Danzō: I will establish a new starting point!!!

Speaking of this, Danzō rarely revealed a trace of rare concern: "Hiruzen, you are not young anymore; you should rest. You still have to face those people early tomorrow morning; there is no need to waste your energy arguing with me about these things."

"Danzō, how do you plan to arrange Uchiha Fugaku's Sharingan?"

Mentioning Uchiha Fugaku, Danzō let out a soft snort: "Since he didn't awaken the Mangekyō, why do you care about those eyes?"

"I am simply feeling nostalgic. It will suffice if you and I each keep one Sharingan."

Danzō nodded in agreement; after all, this way of being nostalgic was quite unique for the Monkey.

Black humor, indeed...

"Very well... I will have someone send it over."

As his words fell, Danzō turned and slowly walked out of the Hokage office.

The moment he stepped outside, his eyes became cold and vicious...

Hiruzen... you are becoming increasingly senile...

At such a critical juncture, to actually blackmail me for a Sharingan...

You are truly becoming less and less worthy of continuing to sit in that Hokage seat...

Only I, Shimura Danzō, can lead Konoha back to its peak.