Danzo, You Can Never Become Hokage

The Sealing Space fell silent. Naruto lowered his head in thought, while Kurama waited for his answer.

"To be honest, Kurama, your honesty surprised me a little. But honesty is also the beginning of good cooperation."

Naruto smiled. There was no trace of difficulty on his face; instead, he seemed somewhat satisfied as he continued, "Honestly, parents are a pretty unfamiliar subject to me. After all, aside from giving me life..."

"All they left me with was you and the malice of this entire village."

"They could have sealed you inside someone else, or simply let you leave the village. But he only wanted the Nine-Tails to remain in Konoha. He never considered what kind of treatment a Jinchuriki would receive in the village. In the end, between the village and me, he simply chose the village."

"Even if that may not have been their original intention, they were still indirectly responsible for all of this. But since they gave me life, I won't hate them. Likewise, I won't hate you either. So you don't need to worry that I'll bear any malice toward you."

Naruto grinned again. Even Kurama felt a chill at the sight of those stark white teeth, but it quickly returned to normal, and that arrogant expression appeared once more on the fox's face.

Destroying the village founded by Hashirama Senju truly did excite it.

"If that's the case, then I'll play along with you. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"Reincarnation of Asura!"

"All you need to do is give me your power."

A red thread of Chakra silently appeared in the cold, damp, dim space, connecting Kurama and Naruto.

At the same time, while Naruto and Kurama were speaking, inside Konoha's Hokage Building.

As the Third Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen often had to handle matters large and small throughout the village and could not easily leave. Thus, he frequently stayed overnight in the Hokage Building.

Today, he had been forced to spend another night there to deal with the conflict between the Konoha Military Police Force and the civilians.

What a headache. The Uchiha Clan had Shisui mediating within it, yet things were still the same as always.

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up the old pipe resting on the table, which had accompanied him for over a decade, and took a deep drag. A brief look of relaxation appeared on his face, but after exhaling a puff of white smoke, his headache returned.

What truly troubled him now was not the matter of the Uchiha Military Police Force. The conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village had always been a historical issue, not something that could be resolved overnight.

"Did he suddenly extract Chakra because someone secretly made contact with the Jinchuriki? Or was it the Tailed Beast?"

Within the hazy smoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaunt, wrinkled old face flickered in and out of view as he muttered to himself.

Bang!

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was brooding over the matter, the door was abruptly pushed open, and an elderly man leaning on a cane strode inside. He did not even need to look to know who had come. In present-day Konoha, there was only one person who dared to be so rude to the Third Hokage.

The Darkness of the Shinobi World, Konoha's dark side, founder and leader of Konoha's Root—Shimura Danzō, the renowned Hokage advisor.

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could question him, Shimura Danzō seized the initiative.

"Hiruzen, I heard that the Nine Tails Jinchuriki suddenly learned how to extract Chakra..."

Bang!

Before Shimura Danzō could finish, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly slammed his pipe heavily onto the table.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

What kind of joke was this? He had only just learned from the Anbu's overnight report that Naruto had suddenly extracted Chakra, yet Shimura Danzō had already come running to the Hokage Building?

Could it be that Root's intelligence network in Konoha was even better than the Hokage's Anbu? Was Danzo the Hokage, or was he?

In any case, the Jinchuriki's sudden development had already put Sarutobi Hiruzen in an extremely foul mood, and Shimura Danzō had walked right into the line of fire.

Shimura Danzō, who had entered the Hokage's office looking aggressive, was immediately stunned by Sarutobi Hiruzen's imposing manner.

What was going on? He had not even gone through the usual steps yet. Why had the final settlement screen appeared right at the start?

But who was Shimura Danzō? The Darkness of the Shinobi World, a man determined to become Hokage—how could he be frightened so easily? After a brief moment of shock, his expression immediately returned to its previous angry state.

"Hiruzen, this is an extremely serious matter. Someone evaded Root's surveillance and made direct contact with the Jinchuriki. There is a dangerous person in the village, one skilled in genjutsu and reconnaissance."

Shimura Danzō's face was full of fury, and even the cane in his hand could not help waving through the air. In all of Konoha, aside from the position of Hokage, the only thing capable of making Shimura Danzō this agitated was the Uchiha.

And Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine Tails Jinchuriki, was naturally tied to Shimura Danzō's dream of becoming Hokage. In a Konoha that was now showing signs of decline, the Nine Tails Jinchuriki, this "nuclear weapon," had never been as important as he was now since Konoha's founding.

Therefore, Shimura Danzō had to bring the Nine Tails Jinchuriki into Root.

"Hiruzen, the Jinchuriki has already been targeted by certain people. You must hand him over to Root."

Sarutobi Hiruzen forcibly suppressed his emotions. After taking another deep drag from his pipe, he exhaled rings of smoke and said in a low voice, "Danzo, I've said this many times. I will not hand Naruto over to you."

"He is the Fourth Hokage's child. He is Minato's child. He should grow up bathed in the Will of Fire, beneath the sunlight."

That bastard.

Danzo grew even angrier at those words.

That sanctimonious, utterly hypocritical fraud. What did he mean by bathed in the Will of Fire and growing up in the sunlight? In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen simply wanted to keep the Jinchuriki under his own control.

Back when Danzo had spread rumors that the Jinchuriki was the Demon Fox, he had intended to use that opportunity to take control of the Jinchuriki himself. In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen had reaped the benefits, while all the blame landed on Shimura Danzō's head.

He knew very well that Sarutobi Hiruzen was no longer the Hero of the Shinobi he had once been. Having occupied a high position and been corrupted by the Hokage's power for decades, he had long lost his former ambition. Even when faced with the aggressive pressure of several minor shinobi villages, he would only retreat in weakness. He had completely become an old man who knew nothing but political maneuvering.

It was time for him to sit in the Hokage's seat.

"Hiruzen, the Jinchuriki has suddenly mastered Chakra. Someone must guide him, and as Hokage, you simply have no time to teach him." As he spoke, a sharp gleam suddenly flashed in Shimura Danzō's single eye.

"Only Root can properly guide the Jinchuriki now. As long as he is in Root, I will certainly train him into the finest weapon and let him protect Konoha even better."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing. He merely slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke. Shimura Danzō was not wrong about one thing—Naruto did need guidance now, but he absolutely could not be taught by Root.

He strongly suspected that Naruto had already come into contact with the Nine-Tails. After all, Naruto could not possibly have gained any knowledge about extracting Chakra from anyone else. He was also almost certain that no one in the village had privately contacted the Jinchuriki, because that was a line no one was allowed to cross.

As for the shinobi Danzo mentioned, one proficient in genjutsu and sensory abilities, there was no need to think about whom he meant.

I'll find time to see Naruto tomorrow. I can give him next month's living expenses while I'm at it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen made his decision inwardly.

But his silence only provoked Shimura Danzō's dissatisfaction.

"Hiruzen! Did you even hear what I said? You must hand the Jinchuriki over to Root for guidance. Only in Root can he—"

"Shimura Danzō!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was beginning to grow irritated by Shimura Danzō's nagging. It was already late at night. He had worked all day, was exhausted, and needed to rest.

"Are you finished?"

Danzo was startled for a moment at being addressed by his full name. Combined with the face obscured by smoke, he could not tell whether Sarutobi Hiruzen was truly angry or merely trying to intimidate him.

"Hiruzen, I..."

"Enough, Danzo!" Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted him again, his expression beneath the smoke somewhat complicated.

"There are some matters I do not wish to bring into the open. So regarding Naruto, I do not wish to discuss this with you any further. If you are done, leave."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's words made Shimura Danzō's heart skip a beat. Countless things suddenly flashed through his mind. Although he felt somewhat panicked inside, his expression remained calm and composed.

"Hiruzen, what do you mean?"

That hypocrite—did he really think that simply because he had not personally involved himself in those matters, he could prove that he was clean?

But Danzo did not dare reveal it openly. If he truly brought those things into the open, he might end up committing "suicide out of guilt" at the Root Base.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gently raised a hand and waved away the smoke before his face, revealing eyes that were somewhat cloudy yet still as calm as a placid pool. That indifferent attitude only made Shimura Danzō more furious, though he dared not speak out.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage."

Crack!

Shimura Danzō unconsciously tightened his grip on his cane. That line again.

Whenever that bastard Sarutobi Hiruzen did not want to argue with him, he would use those words to suppress him. Yet Danzo had no way around it. Even Root had no legal authorization within Konoha. If the Third Hokage did not need its existence, it would likely have been replaced long ago.

Thus, when Sarutobi Hiruzen said those words, it meant the conversation was over. All Shimura Danzō could do was angrily throw out one last sentence: "You will regret this, Sarutobi!"

"I am the Hokage, Danzo."

Bang!

Danzo finally snapped and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Their conversation ended on bad terms, once again concluding with Danzo's defeat.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe as he looked at the wooden door that had been shut with such force.

He knew this "friend" of his far too well. Having remained in darkness for so long, Danzo was destined to never again bask in the sunlight.

"Danzo, even if I die, you can never become Hokage."