For some reason, whenever Hiruzen saw Danzo now, his temples began to throb.
Whenever Danzo's distinctive gloomy aura drifted into the Hokage's office, and Hiruzen heard him mention the Uchiha, he couldn't help feeling irritated.
There were so many things to deal with in and outside the village every day. Why did Danzo keep fixating on the Uchiha?
Based on his many years of experience with him, Hiruzen could say with certainty that Danzo was about to cause trouble again.
As it turned out, Hiruzen still knew his old friend far too well.
Danzo completely ignored Kakashi, who was reporting on his work, and slapped the scroll down on Hiruzen's desk.
"I have something important to discuss with Hiruzen. Go wait outside for now."
Kakashi, hidden behind his mask, curled his lips. Out of consideration for Danzo's position, he had no choice but to stand to the side and wait.
The meaning was clear enough: I can show you some respect, but don't expect too much.
Danzo did not argue with him. He casually pulled over a chair and sat down in front of Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen, you should know why I came to see you, right?"
"Yes. If you speak any louder, the whole village will hear you."
Hiruzen couldn't help nagging him a little more. "Danzo, don't get so worked up every time the Uchiha are involved. In your current state, you're liable to worsen the conflict between the two sides."
Danzo had no time to care about that. He waved his hand and interrupted Hiruzen's lecture.
"You should know about the Uchiha clan member Uchiha Eiji's unauthorized contact with the Jinchuriki, right?"
Hiruzen nodded slightly. "Yes. Eiji invited Naruto to eat a bowl of noodles."
Danzo stared fixedly at Hiruzen, waiting a long time for him to say more.
"And then?"
"What do you mean, 'and then'? Then the two of them went home."
Danzo slammed his hand onto the desk. This was ridiculous!
What did he mean, they went home? Could that Uchiha just go home?
He should have gone to the Anbu prison for questioning!
At that moment, Danzo's dissatisfaction with Hiruzen deepened.
If I were Hokage, there wouldn't be a single Uchiha left breathing by now.
But there was nothing he could do. Back then, Lord Tobirama had not chosen him.
Danzo ground his teeth and said, "Hiruzen, you should know how important the Jinchuriki is to the village, right?"
Hiruzen brewed some tea and poured a cup for Danzo as well.
"I understand. Teacher Tobirama once said that the Jinchuriki is an important combat force of the village."
As he spoke, he pushed the teacup in front of Danzo. "Have some tea. Have some tea."
Danzo was in no mood for tea now.
He was practically dying of anxiety.
"Monkey, aren't you worried that the tragedy from several years ago will happen again?"
An inexplicable blaze of anger rose in Hiruzen's heart.
"What do you mean, 'Monkey'? Use my title when we're working. Hokage Assistant Shimura Danzō!"
Danzo was always like this. He usually seemed extremely tough, but whenever the other person was tougher than him, he generally backed down.
He put away his cold expression and looked rather honest.
"Have you forgotten Lord Tobirama's words? The Uchiha are a naturally evil clan. They must..."
Hiruzen couldn't be bothered to entertain Danzo.
No matter how much Teacher Tobirama had opposed the Uchiha, he had never intended to slaughter them all, had he?
Besides, he had promoted Kagami to serve as his guard. That alone said a great deal.
As for you, Danzo, you probably felt uncomfortable whenever you saw an Uchiha who was still breathing.
He took out Eiji's file and placed it in front of Danzo.
"Eiji is a good child, just like Kagami. He isn't one of those dangerous Uchiha."
At the mention of Kagami's name, Danzo suddenly paused.
"Kagami is dead. There will never be another Uchiha like him. Do you understand?"
"What about Shisui?"
"This..."
Hiruzen's single sentence left Danzo speechless. How could he have forgotten Kagami's descendant?
Seeing that Danzo had fallen silent, Hiruzen tried once again to persuade him.
"Danzo, we have to handle Eiji's matter carefully. Konoha and the Uchiha cannot afford to deepen their conflict any further."
After a brief silence, Danzo stood up.
"No. Hand Eiji over to me for questioning. If there's no problem, I'll naturally return him to the Uchiha."
"I disagree."
Hiruzen rejected him without the slightest hesitation.
He knew about Root's interrogation methods. Eiji was only an eleven-year-old child. Even if he didn't die after being taken in, he would be severely battered.
And when the Uchiha saw Konoha treating their genius shinobi this way, who knew what dangerous actions they might take?
This single incident could very well become the fuse that ignited an all-out war between the two sides.
By then, who knew how many more people in the village would have to be sacrificed?
"Hiruzen, you'll regret indulging the Uchiha like this!"
"Danzo, I'm the Hokage!"
Danzo snorted coldly and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Hiruzen angrily smashed his teacup, pulled out his pipe, and took a hard drag.
Before long, the office was shrouded in smoke.
Hiruzen seemed to have forgotten that Kakashi was there. He kept smoking, as if he wanted to choke him to death.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Only after hearing Kakashi cough did Hiruzen remember that there was someone else in the room.
He opened the window and waved away the secondhand smoke.
Hiruzen looked at the distant Hokage Rock. After a while, he said to Kakashi, "Keep an eye on Eiji. Report to me immediately if anything happens."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Kakashi had just been about to leave when Hiruzen called him back. "Wait. About Naruto..."
He hesitated for a moment, but still didn't say it.
"Forget it. Go take care of your work."
Likewise, after Danzo returned to the Root Organization, he angrily smashed an expensive tea set.
"Ryoma. Keep a close eye on Eiji. The moment he dares approach the Jinchuriki again, arrest him immediately!"
"What if he resists?"
Danzo sneered, and a dangerous glint flashed through his eyes.
"Then kill him outright. I'll take responsibility."
In a small room in the Uchiha Clan Compound, Eiji suddenly sneezed several times.
"Which bastard is cursing me behind my back?"
For some reason, Eiji felt a chill down his back, as if some old bastard might crawl out of a dark corner at any moment and stab him.
He put away the scroll and glanced at the time.
"I'll go have dinner first."
After leaving, Eiji hurried back a few steps later.
He carried Xiao Er on his back and brought some Kunai and Shuriken.
Most importantly, he also had a small scroll filled with Explosive Tags.
Whoever comes, just watch and see whether I blow you up or not.
Before you continue