The Ancestor of Wood, Sarutobi Hiruzen

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konoha, had been in power for over a decade; while one could not say he had been striving for excellence, he could certainly be called diligent and conscientious.

Back when the Second Hokage fell in Kumogakure during the First Shinobi World War, he had accepted the mantle of Third Hokage amidst the chaos of a defeated army. His first act upon taking office was to sign a ceasefire agreement with Kumogakure, after which he traveled between various battlefields, leading the heroes of Konoha to defeat the invading enemies.

In times of peace, it was also he who carried forward the political system left behind by the Second Hokage, developing a village on the verge of collapse into what was now the de facto number one power in the shinobi world; he could fully be called the restorer of Konoha.

Furthermore, as the first Hokage not hailing from the Senju clan, if one followed the customs of his previous life, the temple name "Shizu" (Ancestor of the Era) would be highly appropriate after his death, in accordance with the rules of "meritorious ancestors and virtuous founders."

After all, aside from his lecherous nature and his future confusion regarding Orochimaru, Naruto, and the Uchiha, Sarutobi Hiruzen truly could be said to have exhausted his heart and strength for Konoha until his dying breath.

During the Nine-Tails incident, his wife died; during times of turmoil, his son and daughter-in-law died; he became estranged from his only younger son; and even his final death came while protecting Konoha.

It could be said that from the perspective of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen was absolutely a competent Hokage.

However, this good-natured Hokage was currently in a rare state of bewilderment.

He had woken up in the morning, eating hot pot and singing songs, and before he could even sit down to relax with his Crystal Ball, he suddenly discovered that his own village had become the public enemy of the shinobi world!

And this news hadn't even come from his own channels, but from the Daimyo's Envoy!

Sarutobi Hiruzen's first reaction was: Oh no, that old rascal Danzō hasn't gone and caused some trouble again, has he?

His second reaction was: How am I supposed to clean up this mess for him?

After all, as the Hokage's assistant and the "Shinobi no Yami" of Konoha, it had to be said that Danzō performed quite well.

At this period, Danzō was still in his prime, his covetousness for the position of Hokage was not yet so severe, and his differences with Sarutobi Hiruzen were not that critical; aside from frequently suppressing the Uchiha, siphoning funds to build his own small team, and occasionally singing a different tune than Sarutobi Hiruzen, he had no major faults.

On the contrary, as the leader of Root, he truly succeeded in making ninjas from other villages tremble with fear.

The current Danzō was far from the madman who would later crazily install a dozen eyes on his arm and fuse with Wood Release cells. Even with his handsome face, his reputation among civilians was surprisingly good, and calls for him to be the next Hokage were constant.

Therefore, at this time, Sarutobi Hiruzen's first reaction was how to protect his old comrade.

Shimura Danzō, who had been summoned over, was also wearing a look of utter confusion.

What the hell did I do?

After the two stared at each other and carefully understood the detailed sequence of events, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally confirmed that this matter was indeed not Danzō's doing.

"Rare indeed! Aside from you, there is actually someone else in this shinobi world capable of using such a vicious tactic..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but marvel, looking as if his eyes had been opened.

Having not yet witnessed the influence of public opinion, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't actually have much of a reaction to this. To him, while the matter seemed serious, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the information within was fabricated.

Especially things like Konoha's military budget being 50 billion, the number of standing ninjas being 50,000, and the number of Jonin being 5,000. If his Konoha had that kind of strength, he wouldn't need anyone else to say it; he would have immediately sent troops to wipe out Kumogakure.

Did they really think he didn't hold a grudge?

Not to mention the claims that he secretly hypnotized the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and manipulated the politics of the Land of Fire—it was simply too ridiculous. What could he possibly gain from such manipulation?

And that final title of "Fire Emperor"... Hiss, why is this inexplicable feeling of excitement rising?

Temporarily suppressing his turbulent emotions and adjusting himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't take this stuff seriously at all, and even had time to tease his old comrade.

Unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, who spent long periods underground, frowned deeply; smelling of rot, he sensed the scent of a conspiracy.

It was the scent of his own kind.

Although he had not yet manipulated public opinion to kill Hatake Sakumo at this time, his innate instinct as a conspirator allowed him to sense the danger behind these remarks.

"Hiruzen, this thing is a joke, yes, but as things stand, these remarks have already caused a massive uproar in the shinobi world. If other villages respond, especially if the other four great shinobi villages use this as an excuse to unite and pressure us, it will indeed be a significant trouble for us."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned; he hadn't considered this layer, and immediately realized that Danzō's words were not impossible.

Not to mention Kumogakure, which had always been eyeing Konoha's backside and looking for a chance to stab them, even Ōnoki of Iwagakure was restless and likely wouldn't easily let go of such a perfect opportunity.

Shamon over at Sunagakure was fine, as he wasn't the type to stir up trouble, and Kirigakure had just announced a policy of isolationism, so they could be temporarily ignored...

"And according to my intelligence, this rumor first spread from the Land of Water, so it is highly likely that the mastermind behind this is Kirigakure!"

As expected of Konoha's intelligence chief, in such a short time, Danzō had found the source of the rumors.

And when mentioning Kirigakure, Danzō subconsciously recalled a piece of intelligence.

"A month ago, that genius from Kirigakure just became the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a month later, Kirigakure made a big move. If it were anyone else's idea, it would have been implemented long ago. Judging from this timeline, this rumor should have been personally orchestrated by that 'Timely Rain' of Kirigakure."

"Twelve years old, defeating a ninja squad led by a Hyuga branch Jonin head-on, and possessing such a mind—this Hozuki Shingetsu is truly a formidable youth!"

Recalling the intelligence on that young clan head of the Hozuki Clan, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh.

Unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was sighing at Hozuki Shingetsu's strength, Shimura Danzō was marveling at how someone of Hozuki Shingetsu's age could come up with such a ruthless scheme.

It was as if he were looking at himself when he was young.

This insidious planning, this decisive speed of execution, this ruthlessness that cared nothing for the consequences of the plan—could there really be someone in this world so similar to him?

"So, how should we respond?"

To deal with such methods, one naturally had to listen to the expert in this field, Shimura Danzō.

After all, snakes have snake paths and rats have rat paths; when it came to dealing with such low-handed tactics, Danzō had the experience.

And Shimura Danzō did not disappoint Sarutobi Hiruzen's "trust," quickly rattling off a pile of solutions. These included, but were not limited to, muddying the waters and feigning an attack in the east while striking in the west.

While firmly denying these rumors head-on, they would quickly manufacture theories such as the "Kumogakure Threat Theory" or the "Sunagakure Threat Theory," with the theories emphasizing alarmism.

Things like Kumogakure's 100,000 Jonin returning from overseas and swearing to level the shinobi world; the Land of Earth discovering a gold mine, with Iwagakure's military budget reaching 500 billion next year; Sunagakure inventing a new Secret Technique that hypnotizes anyone who gets close; and the successive Mizukages of Kirigakure faking their deaths while plotting a conspiracy to subvert the shinobi world, and so on.

In short, these shinobi villages were all insidiously wicked, each possessing the strength to ignite a Great Shinobi War. Meanwhile, Konoha, as a lover of peace in the Shinobi World, was struggling against these evil elements, willing to bear the infamy to protect the peace of the world.

The role of a tragic hero was perfectly highlighted.

At the same time, they would spread some rumors: why the Land of Water was practicing isolationism because they had discovered the ruins of the Sage of Six Paths; that after a recent earthquake in the Land of Earth, the ninjutsu heritage of the Koga Clan, a top-tier clan from the Warring States period, had been unearthed from the cliffside; that there was gold sand in the Devil's Great Desert of the Land of Wind, and those in the know were making a fortune—all sorts of sensational information intended to distract the public, especially those bored nobles.

It had to be said that this old fox Shimura Danzō really had a few tricks up his sleeve; even if he weren't an advisor to the Hokage and switched to writing novels, he wouldn't starve.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction after reading it, preparing to wave his hand and sign the authorization for Danzō to carry out the plan, only to see his old comrade lost in thought, seemingly preoccupied with something.

"Danzō, Danzō!"

It wasn't until Sarutobi Hiruzen prompted him that Danzō suddenly snapped back to reality.

"You aren't plotting some sinister scheme again, are you?"

Watching his old comrade's expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who knew his temperament well, seemed to realize something, and his eyes narrowed.

"...How could that be! How dare you slander my innocence!"

"You are thinking about it!"

Jokes aside, just as Danzō was familiar with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sarutobi Hiruzen also deeply understood the nature of his old teammate. After all, the relationship between the two had long reached the point where if Danzō so much as twitched his backside, he knew exactly when to slap his hand down.

And Danzō's reaction proved exactly that.

In truth, Danzō really had been thinking about something. He was wondering, since the momentum of slandering Konoha was already so massive, why waste the momentum the enemy had worked so hard to build for Konoha?

Why not turn the fake into reality and use this wave to secretly coerce those small shinobi villages into submission?

Going even further, he could even use this opportunity to threaten the Daimyo with war.

Look at the Daimyo, see how the outside world is slandering us!

Why does the outside world slander us? It's because we are too strong, so they want to unite to suppress us. This incident is merely a dress rehearsal.

If we yield now and cut Konoha's military budget, wouldn't that just gladden our enemies and sadden our kin?

In my opinion, not only should we not cut the military budget, we should increase it significantly!

Once Konoha's strength surges, let's see who dares to stick their head out!

Even if the enemies unite, there will always be a first, second, third, or fourth. As long as we sweep them away like a storm and eliminate the instigators, no one will dare to gossip about us again. Wouldn't such a dilemma be solved beautifully?

However, Danzō knew well that this line of reasoning would be useless on his old comrade.

He had always prioritized stability. How could he possibly use such a risky move when he could lead Konoha to the pinnacle of the Shinobi World safely and steadily?

After all, the risks of such a measure were too high.

If the four nations truly exerted their full strength against Konoha, and formed a coalition to surround them the day after Konoha announced a budget increase, Konoha—whose massive budget had yet to be converted into actual strength—would definitely lose.

Even with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Uzumaki Mito still present, they would still lose.

Besides, he also feared inciting the Daimyo's suspicion.

After all, the current Daimyo had witnessed the power of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara with his own eyes. If they pushed too hard and planted seeds of unnecessary suspicion in the Daimyo's heart, it would be a disaster for Konoha, which currently enjoyed a stable situation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen dared not gamble, nor did he want to. He only wanted to walk the steady, righteous path; he didn't know how to take crooked paths, nor was he willing to.

However, there was no doubt that the gains from such crooked paths were enormous.

And this is the meaning of my existence... Hiruzen. You are the leaves bathed in sunlight, while I am the roots buried deep underground.

At this thought, Shimura Danzō's heart was filled with the sense of a tragic hero—one who lived a life of petty schemes and filth so that Konoha could enjoy peaceful years, bearing the burden of Konoha's future all alone.

He even felt a flicker of desire once more for the position of Hokage that might have originally been his.

If I had been the one to step forward and stay behind to cover the retreat back then, would the teacher have chosen me?

This thought flashed by, and was quickly suppressed by Shimura Danzō into the depths of his heart, as if it had never existed.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still warning Danzō not to act on his own without permission, but he was cut off by a single sentence from Danzō.

"Oh, Hiruzen, you know me. If I really wanted to do something, it would already be too late for you to say these things."

"You..."

Looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen's flushed face, Danzō quickly changed the subject to avoid further provoking his old teammate.

Knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses, he knew that as long as he threw out this topic, Sarutobi Hiruzen would surely forget his previous displeasure.

"I wasn't plotting anything just now; I was just thinking about the Uchiha problem."

As the topic where their opinions clashed most fiercely, he believed that as long as he drew Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention here, he would inevitably enter his own territory and forget what had just happened.

He just didn't expect that he might have been too clever by half. As soon as Sarutobi Hiruzen heard the name Uchiha, he became even more convinced of his suspicions.

"Uchiha? And you still say you aren't plotting anything?"

"..."

Danzō was speechless. Damn it, I was so focused on arguing that I forgot about this.

But is it really that obvious?

I thought I hid my hostility toward the Uchiha quite well!

Feeling a headache, Danzō simply skipped the middle stage of arguing with Hiruzen and went straight to the concluding phase of their usual disagreements.

"Sarutobi, you will regret this!"

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

Bang!

"How many times do I have to say it! Close the door properly!"

As everyone knows, the timeline of the Naruto world, especially regarding Senju Tobirama, is actually quite chaotic. Although Kishimoto clarified in the manga that Senju Tobirama should have died during the Second Shinobi World War around the 36th year of Konoha, after which Sarutobi Hiruzen took office, this clearly conflicts with some earlier settings in the series—a classic case of "retconning." Therefore, combining public consensus with some concepts for the later stages of this book, the time of Senju Tobirama's death in this story is set during the First Shinobi World War.