Handle with Care

The atmosphere inside the Hokage's office was heavier than before; the air seemed to have stopped flowing, thick with the suffocating tension that precedes a mountain storm.

Shimura Danzō stood once again before Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Unlike his rigid posture when he had left earlier, his face was now so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water. A dim, inscrutable light flickered in his single eye, and his knuckles were white from the force with which he gripped his cane.

Danzō had just received the formal protest document from the Uchiha Clan, "forwarded" by the Anbu. The text within felt like a series of resounding slaps across his face.

What unsettled Danzō even more was that, despite his Root being based underground, he had vaguely sensed the aura emanating from Mito Uzumaki's estate.

That brief yet vast, ocean-like surge of chakra, followed by an invisible pressure directed squarely at him. That old woman was truly interfering!

"Danzō." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice shattered the deathly silence, cold and devoid of emotion. He did not even offer Danzō a seat.

"Regarding the vicious assassination attempt last night at Konoha Hospital against the meritorious student Uchiha Ling, do you have any explanation for me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not phrase it as a question; he defined it directly as a vicious assassination attempt.

Danzō narrowed his single eye. He knew that denying it was meaningless; the Root-standard equipment and tokens left at the scene were ironclad proof.

Danzō took a deep breath and spoke in a hoarse voice, still clinging to his characteristic paranoia and sense of "rationality":

"Hiruzen, I admit, it was my men. But my order was not to assassinate Uchiha Ling, but to bring him to Root!"

A flash of fury crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, as if he hadn't expected Danzō to still be quibbling at this stage.

Danzō immediately shifted his tone, becoming impassioned and... "heartbroken":

"But everything I do is for Konoha! Uchiha Ling, that brat, he is too dangerous! He deliberately approached the Nine-Tails jinchūriki—his motives are unfathomable!"

"This incident proves it even more: he possesses terrifying strength and cunning that far exceed his peers, or even the average chūnin! Three Root chūnin! They were completely wiped out! Is this something a regular ninja academy student could achieve?!"

Danzō took a step forward, his cane striking the floor heavily:

"His Sharingan! That depth and calculation he possesses, so unbefitting his age! Hiruzen, can't you see it? He is faking it! He is fishing for trust!"

"Everything he is doing now is preparation for controlling the Nine-Tails and subverting Konoha in the future! I am eliminating him now to nip the danger in the bud!"

"To avoid a greater catastrophe that might occur in the future! I am bearing this necessary darkness for you, and for all of Konoha!"

That same rhetoric again! For the sake of Konoha!

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his old friend, at the near-manic "firmness" and "self-sacrificial" expression in his single eye, and felt not just anger, but a profound sense of powerlessness and sorrow.

"Necessary darkness? Nipping it in the bud?" The Third Hokage stood up abruptly, slamming his hands onto the desk and leaning forward, glaring at Danzō.

"Danzō, open your eyes and look! The 'danger' you speak of just risked his life to save the village's important jinchūriki from the Cloud Village, averting a war!"

"His essay on the Will of Fire was recognized by everyone! He even earned the favor of Lady Mito!"

"And now, he lies in a hospital bed, nearly killed by his own people! Tell me, who looks more like an enemy of Konoha?!"

"Is it you, or him?!"

The Third Hokage's voice boomed through the office like thunder.

Danzō was choked by this unprecedentedly stern interrogation, but he immediately retorted with even greater agitation:

"Those are all illusions! It's an Uchiha trick! Hiruzen, you've been bewitched by their Sharingan!"

"Lady Mito is old, and she has been blinded by that brat and Kushina! When the truth comes to light, you will regret this!"

"History will prove that I am right!"

"History?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed in his fury. "Danzō, you keep saying everything is for Konoha, yet your actions are pushing Konoha toward division and civil strife!"

"Openly assassinating a meritorious student in a hospital—do you know what this means? It means the collapse of order! It means the upper echelons can strike at anyone without restraint!"

"This will chill the hearts of every ninja serving Konoha! It will make every clan fear for their own safety! Is this the Konoha you want?!"

"Those pedantic clans and ninjas don't understand what true protection is!"

Danzō roared, "Necessary sacrifices..."

"There are no necessary sacrifices!" Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him decisively.

"Especially not of a child! Not of a hero! Danzō, you have crossed the line!"

"You have been consumed by the darkness and desire for power within you! Because you cannot see the light, you assume all light is a disguise!"

The two men stood in confrontation like angry lions, the chakra in the office faintly agitated.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly sat back down, his face filled with exhaustion and disappointment.

He knew that no matter what he said, he could not truly change Danzō's deeply ingrained mindset.

The man before him was completely trapped in a cage woven from his own fear and conspiracies.

He had to take action. To appease Lady Mito, to provide an answer to the Uchiha, and to everyone else.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi was also well aware that he could not truly uproot Danzō.

Though the power of Root was dark, it did indeed protect Konoha in places that could not see the light.

Completely eliminating Danzō would cause massive turmoil, and might even force a desperate dog to jump over a wall.

Furthermore, deep down, he still harbored a shred of lingering affection for this old friend of many years, as well as a sliver of guilt for his own tacit approval, which had led to the current state of affairs.

Ultimately, Hiruzen Sarutobi announced his decision in an icy tone:

"Shimura Danzō, during your time leading the Root, you have acted with extremism on multiple occasions and have repeatedly refused to mend your ways.

This time, you have committed an unforgivable and grave error, severely undermining the unity of the village and nearly causing irreversible consequences."

"The following disciplinary actions are hereby issued: First, effective immediately, all your duties as an advisor are suspended. You are forbidden from entering the core areas of the Hokage Building unless summoned directly by the Hokage."

"Second, one-third of the Root's annual budget will be cut and transferred to the Anbu. All subsequent Root operations above B-rank must be reported to the Hokage in advance and may only be executed upon approval."

"Third, all security and related research programs concerning the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki are to be fully taken over by the Anbu; the Root shall not interfere in any form henceforth."

"Fourth, regarding this incident, you are required to issue a formal written apology to the Uchiha Clan (though both parties know it lacks sincerity and the Uchiha will never accept it)."

"Do you have any objections to the above?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was sharp as a blade, fixed intently upon Danzō.

The fury and resentment in Danzō's single eye were nearly ready to erupt! Suspension of advisor duties, budget cuts, mandatory reporting of operations, and the surrender of authority over the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki! This effectively slashed away more than half of his overt power and influence!

This punishment could hardly be called light!

Yet, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's unquestionable gaze, he knew this was the most lenient penalty the other could offer under such immense pressure, one that preserved his final foundation. If he were to stubbornly oppose it now, he feared it would only invite even more severe consequences.

Danzō said nothing more, instead coldly uttering, "Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

At the same time, Uchiha Ling, lying in his hospital bed, received a notification from the system.

[Anger, humiliation, and resentment from Shimura Danzō +80]

"You may go." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand wearily, unwilling to look at him for even a second longer.

Leaning on his cane, Danzō turned and walked out of the Hokage's office, step by step.

His back was stiff and gloomy, as if it had condensed all the darkness in the ninja world.

Watching Danzō depart, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and let out a long, heavy sigh, filled with a sense of powerlessness.