"I'm terribly sorry, but our shop is full."
The owner of a snack shop wore a practiced fake smile as he turned away Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, who had wanted to eat there.
This was already the fourth place they'd tried. This owner was relatively polite, at least.
The previous one had cursed them out and even spat at their feet. If Hiruzen hadn't held him back, Shimura Danzō might have started a fight.
"Isn't there an open table over there?"
Danzō was fuming as he pointed at the empty seats.
They were Konoha jonin and the Hokage's guards, yet they were being chased from one place to another just to get a meal.
Even a clay figurine had a temper. Besides, they were trying to support his business. These days, only the ninja lords could afford to eat out every now and then. How could ordinary people be so extravagant? They were lucky just to have enough to eat.
"That table's reserved. The customers will be here soon."
The snack shop owner was already losing patience. These two had abandoned the Hokage and caused his death. They were cowards and deserters, unworthy of being Konoha ninja.
And they still wanted to eat here?
They could go eat shit!
"I'll wait here, then. Let's see when these customers you mentioned show up!"
Danzō shoved past Hiruzen, who was still trying to hold him back. He was determined to get justice.
"Enough! Do I have to spell it out?"
"I don't want your business!"
"You're all a bunch of deserters and cowards, unworthy of being Konoha ninja!"
"You're the ones who got the Hokage killed!"
"Get out of here!!"
The snack shop owner didn't want to argue with them any longer and started yelling insults.
"What did you say?"
"I'll teach you a lesson today!"
Danzō was hopping mad. These contemptible civilians, who only knew how to enjoy Konoha's protection, had no idea how dangerous things had been back then, or how noble Teacher Tobirama Senju's Will of Fire was!
Hiruzen hurriedly grabbed Danzō. In Konoha, ninja weren't allowed to attack civilians without cause.
If they broke that rule, they'd be hauled in for tea at the Military Police Force. The Uchiha weren't exactly merciful; anyone who went in would come out having lost a layer of skin.
And with tensions like this, too. Once they entered Uchiha territory, they might never get out.
Hiruzen couldn't let Danzō act recklessly.
"What, you're going to hit him?"
Seeing that Danzō was about to throw a punch, the shop owner immediately raised his voice.
Hiruzen and Danzō stood out far too much now. People had already been watching them from nearby, and in an instant, they'd drawn a crowd of onlookers.
The indignant villagers began denouncing Hiruzen and Danzō.
Cowards!
Traitors!
Deserters!
The words filled their ears. Some even cursed their parents and families. They had strength in numbers and weren't afraid of Danzō losing his temper.
The Uchiha had given special instructions: if these men dared to fight, arrest them and throw them in jail. Once they were in the Uchiha-run Military Police Force, they'd never get out. There was no need to worry about revenge afterward.
Danzō's eyes were bloodshot; he was so furious he could have killed someone. Hiruzen was no better—his face was livid—but he still had enough sense to hold back.
Clashing with the villagers now would do them no good. It would only put Mito Uzumaki in a difficult position and lower Hiruzen's standing in her eyes.
They were just villagers misled by public opinion. There was no point getting angry with them.
Hiruzen held Danzō's hand in a tight grip, afraid he'd lose control and fire off a few Wind Style: Vacuum Spheres at them.
"Come on, Danzō. Don't get into it with them."
Hiruzen dragged Danzō out of the crowd, and they ran until they reached an empty clearing.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
"You contemptible civilians!!"
Danzō picked up a branch and whipped the weeds in a frenzy, venting his anger. He lashed out dozens of times before finally calming down.
"Hiruzen, aren't you angry?"
Danzō looked at Hiruzen, standing off to the side. Hiruzen had endured the villagers' insults without a word, letting them berate him.
That had left Danzō to face them alone—and, regrettably, lose the argument.
Angry?
Of course he was angry. Anyone would be, with a crowd pointing fingers and insulting them, even dragging their parents and family into it.
But getting angry wouldn't help. The more you explained, the more excited they got. They'd think you were rattled!
Hiruzen wasn't stupid. Mito Uzumaki had already warned him that the Uchiha would use public opinion to bring him down.
After being warned, Hiruzen wouldn't let a bunch of ignorant villagers provoke him so easily and lead him into the Uchiha's trap.
The Uchiha ninja might even be hiding near the crowd, watching them from the shadows and waiting for a chance to haul them into the Military Police Force.
Hiruzen had actually guessed right. The Uchiha really had people keeping an eye on him—but they weren't the only ones watching.
The Senju, the Hyuga, the Ino-Shika-Cho, and others had all sent people too.
"Now isn't the time to get angry."
"I have more important things to do. A village's Shadow won't be brought down by something like this."
Hiruzen had already begun using the Hokage's way of thinking to keep himself in check. To become a worthy Hokage, he had to think like one.
They were just insults. He'd gladly let them spit in his face if it meant becoming Hokage.
Watching Hiruzen's confident, spirited demeanor, Danzō felt a strange resentment well up inside him.
Had the gap between him and Hiruzen really grown so wide?
A difference in strength could still be overcome through hard work and training. But a difference in composure and breadth of vision wasn't so easily made up for.
A thick, pathetic wall now stood between Danzō and Hiruzen.
Hiruzen, I won't lose to you!
Looking at his best friend Hiruzen, who had already surpassed him by so much in breadth of vision, Danzō wasn't about to give up so easily.
Danzō, who believed he had never been inferior to Hiruzen, still thought all that separated them was a little bad luck.
If Tobirama Senju had chosen him back then, he wouldn't have been any worse than Hiruzen.
Regret and resentment filled his heart.
"Danzō, let's train."
"We can't waste this precious time."
Hiruzen hadn't forgotten Mito Uzumaki's advice. She could help him deal with the Uchiha, but Toma Senju was still waiting in the wings as a rival.
He had to train hard and improve his strength as much as possible during this time. Mito Uzumaki was still helping him buy time. Once Lord Tobirama's body was brought back to Konoha, the real test would begin.
I can't let Teacher Tobirama down, Hiruzen vowed silently.
At that very moment, a young man stood before the gates of Konoha.
He had black hair and handsome features, and looked very much like Hashirama Senju.
Toma Senju gazed at Konoha's gates. He should have been overjoyed to return to the village, but now he felt uneasy, as though a great disaster had befallen Konoha.
What had happened to make his mother so urgently summon him back to the village?
Before you continue