Real or Fake, Does It Really Matter?

Eight years ago, in Konoha, in the Hokage's office.

"Let that Uchiha Kuro into the Jonin Commander? Hiruzen! What are you thinking?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, a pipe between his fingers, and bluish-gray smoke slowly rose from the bowl.

He looked at his old friend, whom he had known for most of his life, who was now breathing heavily on him, and sighed helplessly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen removed the pipe from his lips, tapped it on the table with his hand, roughened by time, and said in a calm tone:

"Danzo, calm down. You're both so old. Can't you sit down and talk things out?"

Danzo stood in front of the desk, looking down at his old friend, veins throbbing on his forehead.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a serious tone:

"Hiruzen, you should know very well what it means to let members of the Uchiha Clan into the Jonin Commander. This is not a cheap bargaining chip you can use to the Uchiha Clan!!"

The Third Hokage did not immediately answer Danzo's question.

He looked at Danzo's angry and anxious eyes and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

Smoke billowed between the two, blurring their outlines.

"The war is over."

The Third Hokage paused, placed his pipe on the corner of the table, looked at Danzo, and said seriously:

"Although the boy didn't say it aloud, I could tell that his years of battlefield experience had taken a heavy toll on him."

"Given his current condition, continuing to perform high-intensity field missions is not a good thing."

Staying in the village and doing clerical work in the Jonin Commander would give him enough time to adjust himself and rediscover his rhythm in a peaceful environment.

As he spoke, the Third Hokage put the pipe back in his mouth and looked at Danzo through the thin layer of smoke:

"Besides, that child is very smart, I believe he will adapt quickly."

"He's just too smart!"

Danzo stared intently at the Third Hokage, his voice hoarse as he growled:

"Hiruzen! Stop playing dumb with me! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"

"... Since you already know all this, why are you asking?"

"You!!"

Danzo, his chest tightened, and the words stuck in his throat, unable to come out for a long time.

He looked at Hiruzen's barely suppressed smile, and in his eyes, besides anger, there was also a layer of resentment at being teased by his old friend:

"It's precisely because I understand! You want to groom him to succeed as the leader of the Jonin Commander, to assist your grand-disciple who's about to become Hokage, that's why I'm here to stop you!"

"If it were just a matter of letting him join the management of Konoha, or working as a minor staff member in an administrative position, I wouldn't have bothered to make this trip myself."

But the secretary of the Jonin Commander leader...

Danzo down on those words, speaking in a solemn, low voice:

You can't possibly not know what this position represents!

"You're trying to groom that Uchiha Clan brat to succeed Konoha's Fifth Hokage..."

Danzo!

The Third Hokage's voice suddenly rose, Danzo interrupting Danzo's unfinished words.

He suppressed the faint smile on his lips, slowly stood up from the chair, and looked Danzo eye.

Those eyes, whose sharpness had not yet been completely worn away by time, were now filled with a solemn light that bordered on stern.

You... have crossed the line.

Danzo on the spot under that gaze.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Seeing his appearance, the Third Hokage sighed heavily, then walked to the window and looked out at the street that was being slowly bathed in twilight.

"Danzo, your prejudice against the Uchiha Clan is far too strong."

His voice deepened, no longer carrying the businesslike tone of before, but more like he was trying to persuade a stubborn old friend:

Most of the Uchiha elders who participated in that coup are no longer alive.

Most of the new generation of Uchiha are unaware of the coup that took place years ago, and the majority of them genuinely hope to be truly accepted by Konoha.

Whether it's Fugaku or Kotori, the efforts these young people made to Uchiha Rong Konoha, and the results they achieved—I believe you can see that."

The Third Hokage paused, turned around, and looked solemnly at his old friend:

"We should also give them a response."

"... I'm not talking to you about the Uchiha Clan right now."

Danzo avoided the Third Hokage's gaze and also avoided the advice he gave regarding the Uchiha Clan.

He refocused his gaze on Hiruzen's face, his voice even lower than before:

"I'm talking about Uchiha Kuro —that person!"

Danzo looked towards the Uchiha Clan Compound's territory, his single eye filled with a sinister light.

"Just like I said, that brat Uchiha Kuro... he's too smart."

"At such a young age, she already knows how to disguise herself, treating people and dealing with them with a harmless, carefree, and naive demeanor, presenting an innocent facade to gain the favor and trust of others."

Under the cover of this goodwill and trust, they subtly strive to secure their maximum benefit.

Danzo's voice paused slightly here, then became even colder and more stern:

"This kind of person is actually an Uchiha... This is far too dangerous!"

He stared coldly at the Third Hokage Hokage before him, his words filled with a pent-up disappointment:

"I thought you had seen through that kid's true nature long ago, but you only thought he was mediocre and that you valued him on the surface, wanting to use him to stabilize the Uchiha Clan, so you didn't say anything."

But I never imagined you could be so naive!

"You've really disappointed me, Hiruzen!"

The Third Hokage stood silently by the window, offering no rebuttal or explanation, simply listening quietly.

Seeing the Third Hokage Hokage's silent expression, Danzo let out a heavy snort and continued speaking:

"That Uchiha brat who always wears a mask, on the surface, seems to get along extremely well with everyone."

But what is he really thinking beneath that seemingly carefree mask...?

Even you and I cannot say we can completely understand it.

Danzo said in a low, wary voice:

"People with such a cold and indifferent nature probably maintain an invisible wall between themselves and everyone around them!"

He raised his single eye, looked directly into the Third Hokage's eyes, and said heavily:

"Putting aside my own thoughts, is this kind of person really someone you can approve of?!"

The Third Hokage listened quietly to Danzo's entire speech, his expression remaining calm throughout.

The twilight outside the window had deepened, and the lights in the Hokage's office were off, making the silhouettes of the two old men blurry in the dim light.

Silence lingered in the room for a long time.

After a moment, the Third Hokage slowly turned around, placed his pipe on the windowsill, and said softly in a voice so calm it was almost a soliloquy:

"Does it really matter whether it's true or false?"