[Where the leaves of Konoha flutter, the fire will continue to burn brightly. Its light will keep illuminating the village and help new leaves sprout.]
This was Sarutobi Hiruzen's "Will of Fire." He said it, but unfortunately, he didn't live by it.
Yet the shinobi of Konoha bought into it anyway.
Most of them treated the "Will of Fire" on Sarutobi Hiruzen's lips as their personal creed.
They had no idea that this kind of "political correctness" could be used to manipulate them.
Anyone who had watched Naruto knew this.
Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara had founded Konoha for the sake of peace.
They had also wanted to protect the children of their clans, so they wouldn't have to risk their lives on the battlefield at such a young age.
Hashirama and Madara had both lost their brothers to war, so they understood what it felt like to lose family.
That was why Konoha had been founded.
After Sarutobi Hiruzen became Hokage, even children who had just graduated as Genin had to go to war.
Even Masaki Uchiha had been forced to "put in work" on the battlefield at just eight years old.
One could imagine how many children from shinobi clans had been forced onto the battlefield back then.
But that fundamentally went against the original purpose Hashirama and Madara had had in founding Konoha.
That was precisely why Masaki Uchiha wanted to create a "new Will of Fire," one that belonged to him alone.
A [Will of Fire] that was truly right for Konoha!
"Vice Director Fugaku, you still don't understand Danzo well enough."
"If he doesn't pull some stunt, is he really Shimura Danzo?"
Masaki Uchiha's words made everyone laugh.
"Vile" and "cold-blooded" were his mottos.
"Cruel" and "selfish" were the hallmarks of his character.
"Suspicious" and "heavy-handed" were his ways of doing things.
It was fair to say that no one in the entire Ninja World understood Danzo better than Masaki Uchiha.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen came second.
It was precisely because he understood Shimura Danzo so well that he had decided to strike first.
"There's something else I'd like to ask you to handle, Vice Director Fugaku."
"What is it?" Uchiha Fugaku asked in confusion.
"Recently, we need to strengthen security at the Uchiha Clan Compound. I suspect someone has already started keeping an eye on it." Masaki Uchiha tapped his fingers on the table. "I'll leave this to you."
"Yes. I'll make sure it gets done." Uchiha Fugaku answered with a serious expression.
"All right, you may go. Shisui, stay behind."
After dismissing the others, Masaki Uchiha took Uchiha Shisui to visit a senior.
The senior had some of Shimura Danzo's "secrets" that would come in handy.
For now, he'd let the rumors fly for a few days.
By the time Shimura Danzo got wind of them, the look on his face would probably be quite something.
At the thought, Masaki Uchiha couldn't help laughing aloud.
Walking beside him, Uchiha Shisui heard his clan leader's inexplicable laughter and wondered, What could have made him so happy?
......
Konoha had been quite lively these past few days.
Rumors about Shimura Danzo, the Uchiha Clan, and the other shinobi clans had become a favorite topic of conversation among the villagers.
For example:
"Elder Danzo was attacked by the Uchiha in the Inuzuka district!"
"The Uchiha Clan is recruiting other shinobi clans to overthrow the Fourth Hokage!"
"Masaki Uchiha stood by and watched someone die on the battlefield!" And so on.
When Minato Namikaze saw the rumors spreading further and further, he immediately sent Anbu to secretly hunt down the people spreading them.
He also made a public statement that they were all false, telling everyone not to take them seriously.
The main reason was that this method of spreading rumors had brought back painful memories for Hatake Kakashi.
Kakashi had been dazed and listless all these days. Minato Namikaze saw it, and it hurt him deeply.
The "White Fang of Konoha" was gone, and that was a huge loss for the entire village.
If something like that happened once, it couldn't be allowed to happen again.
That applied whether it was Masaki Uchiha or his own student.
Minato Namikaze didn't want the rumors to keep spreading, so he took forceful action to stop them.
At present, people from the Uchiha Clan made up nearly half of the Fourth Hokage's Anbu.
When they heard that the rumors targeted their clan leader, they threw themselves into the search with all their might.
Anyone caught discussing the matter in public was promptly invited to the Anbu headquarters for tea.
And, as it turned out, they really did catch a few "spies."
After the Interrogation Squad questioned them, they discovered distinctive seals etched on the spies' tongues and understood what was going on.
This was a complicated matter. They immediately informed Minato Namikaze.
When Minato Namikaze first learned that Root was involved, his expression turned conflicted.
Even the hand holding the report trembled slightly.
He hadn't expected such a dark practice to exist inside the village, which seemed so bright and prosperous.
Hatake Kakashi's father had probably suffered the same "treatment."
Minato Namikaze knew that he couldn't make the decision on his own, but after thinking it over carefully, he realized he still needed to talk to the Lord Third.
Konoha couldn't allow this kind of attack on its own people.
Not even once!
He hadn't been able to do anything about it before, but now that he was Hokage, he had to see it through.
Otherwise, he would be letting down the people in Konoha who trusted him.
At the thought, Minato Namikaze's eyes suddenly turned sharp. He said to the Anbu operative who had brought him the intelligence:
"Sorry for the trouble, but please ask the Lord Third to come here."
"Yes." The Anbu operative received the order, formed a hand seal, and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.
Before long, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived.
"Minato, which documents are you unsure how to handle?" Sarutobi Hiruzen assumed Minato Namikaze had called him over to ask for advice on government affairs.
He was in a fairly good mood.
He felt he could still contribute to the village.
It felt wonderful to be needed.
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was getting carried away with his own sentiment, Minato Namikaze handed him the report. "Lord Third, please take a look at this."
He hadn't noticed that Minato Namikaze's tone had changed.
As before, he took the report, ready to explain how to handle the matter.
But after one glance at the report, Sarutobi Hiruzen understood why he'd been summoned.
[Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal]
Those words were written clearly across the report. It was impossible to miss them.
He quickly read through the rest of the report.
He understood now: Danzo had caused trouble again.
Danzo had probably deliberately left this out when his duties were taken away.
Even while recovering at home, he couldn't behave himself.
Danzo, Danzo, why couldn't you just stay home and rest?
Did you have to give me another problem to deal with?
Sarutobi Hiruzen was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged. He wanted to turn around and walk out, too ashamed to face this.
If Danzo was going to do something, he should at least do it properly. He could try something new for once.
But no, it was the same old trick every time.
Well, there went that.
Someone had caught him red-handed.
Minato Namikaze had probably discovered something suspicious about the "White Fang's death" and suspected Danzo had meddled in it.
He might even have suspected me.
No, I needed to distance myself from this as quickly as possible.
Danzo, you'll have to take the blame this time.
I'll make it up to you when I get the chance.
"Fourth Hokage, I..."