"I'm not planning to let these Ninja into the village."
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions, Danzō immediately flew into a rage. His exposed eye seemed ready to spit fire.
Danzō slammed both hands heavily on the table. "Hiruzen, have you gone mad?! If you don't want them, give them to Root! With so many Jonin joining Konoha, so what if we start another Ninja World War? It might even be possible to recreate the First Hokage's great achievements!"
Faced with Danzō's questioning, Hiruzen Sarutobi unexpectedly displayed an astonishing presence.
"I have to be responsible for Konoha's people. The Chunin Exam between the five Shinobi Villages is about to begin."
"I don't want any trouble at a time like this. It would be a massive blow to Konoha's reputation and could leave Konoha without missions for a long time. You know how much the Daimyo's funding for Konoha has decreased lately."
Danzō was equally wary of this. Without money, many of his plans had been forced to halt.
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke, white haze faintly obscuring his figure. "And... don't let me find out that Root has been contacting these Ninja."
Danzō could hear the determination in his tone. For a moment, it was as if he saw the ambitious Hiruzen Sarutobi of the past.
But that illusion vanished in an instant. The current Hiruzen Sarutobi was nothing more than a feeble old man.
"Hiruzen, you're already old." (But I'm not!)
"Danzō, I am the Hokage!"
That sentence again. Regret surged through Danzō's heart like a tide. If I hadn't backed down back then, would the outcome have been different?
"You'll regret this!"
With that, he slammed the door and left.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the office, smoking his pipe. Amid the swirling smoke, no one knew what he