Hiruzen, I lied to you

The Third Hokage swept his calm gaze over Danzo's face, glancing at the other two elders as well. Then he stopped speaking, rose, walked to the door of the Hokage Office, and opened it.

While the elders and the Hokage discussed important matters, the Hokage Guard Platoon and the Anbu could only stand watch outside. If someone could assassinate the people inside at a time like this, they would never be safe anywhere.

But if someone overheard confidential information and "accidentally" let it slip, the damage to Konoha might be no less severe than the Hokage's assassination.

Still, whenever urgent new intelligence arrived, the Anbu had to report it to the Hokage immediately.

When the door opened, however, the first person in sight was one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's own Anbu. Behind that operative stood a ramrod-straight Root ninja, who raised his head and looked toward Danzo inside the room.

Danzo reacted quickly, rising the moment he saw his subordinate. But the Third Hokage was already standing in the doorway, and a slight shift put him directly in Danzo's path.

He first took the Anbu's report, then stepped in front of the Root ninja without even looking at it.

The Root ninja had never faced such immense pressure. Anbu surrounded him, and before him stood both the Third Hokage and his own boss.

Trembling, he tried to hand over the intelligence he held, only for the Third Hokage to snatch it away with a smile.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile was gentle, no different from his usual expression. Any Konoha ninja who saw it would feel happy from the bottom of their heart, as though they shared the same breath and fate.

Then Danzo raised his head, looked at the Third Hokage, and asked, "Hiruzen, besides the Four-Tails, what other power could wipe