Eight Inner Gates

Before dawn had even broken, Danzo shoved the office door open with a violent force.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his expansive desk.

The Third Hokage appeared not to have slept all night; his eye bags were heavy, yet his gaze remained sharp.

"Hiruzen." Danzo's voice squeezed through his teeth. "I require an explanation."

In just a single night, the finalized purge list had been altered beyond recognition.

This discovery had left Danzo, upon receiving the news, utterly incensed.

One had to understand that this list had been drafted by his own Root.

Yet, after Root had already vetted them, Genma Shiranui had led men to conduct another secret review throughout the night.

That was why Danzo had come to demand an account from the Third Hokage at the first opportunity.

"How can something already set in stone be changed? This is nothing short of a farce!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a cloud of white smoke.

"The list was modified at the Fourth Hokage's behest."

He said calmly, "The Fourth Hokage believes that Orochimaru's defection does not mean everyone associated with him is guilty.

An excessive purge would incite unnecessary panic within the village."

"Panic?"

Danzo sneered. "How long did those people spend with Orochimaru? How many secrets of forbidden jutsu do they know?

Hiruzen, you and I both know what the consequences would be if those things were to leak out!"

"That is why the Fourth Hokage arranged for a second round of secret screening."

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up a list from the desk and pushed it forward.

"Genma Shiranui led the team, utilizing the secret arts of the Yamanaka Clan to conduct deep investigations on everyone on the list.

The result was that only a small number truly harbored thoughts of defecting or acting as Orochimaru's eyes and ears..."

"The secret arts of the Yamanaka Clan are not omnipotent!"

"Memories can be tampered with, and even more so, they can be sealed! Hiruzen, you are too naive!"

The office fell into silence.

The sky outside the window gradually brightened, and the first rays of dawn pierced through the glass, illuminating the dust dancing in the air.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched those tiny particles swirl and rise within the shafts of light, eventually dissipating, much like the countless ordinary fates within this village.

"Danzo."

After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice laced with a profound weariness.

"Konoha has just emerged from a war; we have already lost too many people.

If we were to ignite another sharp internal purge... I fear this village could not bear the cost."

"Cannot bear the cost?"

Danzo took a step forward. "Hiruzen, tell me: is it more unbearable to eliminate these few dozen hidden dangers now, or is it more unbearable to have these dangers detonate all at once in the future, causing Konoha to collapse from within?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

"In your eyes, every uncertain factor is a hidden danger.

But in my eyes, they are first and foremost Konoha ninja, a part of this village."

"Hmph."

A cold arc tugged at the corner of Danzo's mouth.

"Minato Namikaze and you truly share the same lineage of weakness!

The list must be rescinded. Afterward, I will arrange for Root operatives to handle it secretly..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened, and he stood up abruptly, cutting off the rest of Danzo's words.

"Danzo, he is the Hokage!"

Upon hearing this, Danzo's face stiffened.

It then twisted into a look of palpable resentment.

He turned and walked toward the door.

Just before pulling it open, Danzo paused, though he did not look back.

"Hiruzen, you will regret this."

The door opened, then slammed shut with a heavy "bang" by Danzo.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in the morning light, the pipe in his hand already extinguished.

Watching Danzo leave in a rage.

The Third Hokage's heart was, in truth, wavering.

After Orochimaru defected, whether it was the hidden threat of spies left behind or the potential leakage of forbidden techniques...

These were undoubtedly severe secondary disasters for the village.

Yet, he still chose to trust the judgment of the Fourth Hokage.

After all, the older generation would eventually pass away; this was now an era belonging to the young.

One must believe in and entrust the future to the new generation of power.

Deep within the Root base.

Danzo threw the revised list onto the ground.

"Aburame Tatsuma."

From the shadows, a masked ninja appeared silently.

"Lord Danzo."

"Execute everything according to the original plan."

Danzo's voice was icy, devoid of even a shred of warmth.

"As a priority, deal with everyone who participated in the Hashirama Cells transplantation project, regardless of whether their names are still on the list.

Before they can react, clean them up."

Aburame Tatsuma lowered his head: "Understood, Lord Danzo."

Following this, Aburame Tatsuma vanished with a Body Flicker, leaving behind only a faint wisp of white smoke.

"Eliminating hidden dangers, better to kill the innocent than to let a culprit slip—that is the true responsibility toward the village!"

Danzo stood alone in the base, "Konoha stands tall to this day because of us, the roots in the darkness."

The training ground at dawn.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi braced his hands on the ground, performing standard handstand push-ups, pressing his body down and pushing up again and again.

Beside him, Might Guy was also in a handstand, performing one-armed handstand push-ups.

With his left hand behind his back, he supported his entire body weight with only his right.

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred!"

Might Guy flipped and landed, standing steadily; his green spandex was already soaked with sweat.

He looked at Uchiha Yatsuhashi, gave a thumbs up, and his teeth flashed with their signature gleam.

"You're in good form today, Uchiha Yatsuhashi! This is the power of youth!"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi did not answer immediately, only flipping over to sit down after completing the final rep.

He panted heavily, struggling to regulate his breathing.

His physical talent was simply too poor.

The same training was effortless for Might Guy, yet he couldn't keep up despite giving his all.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi wiped away his sweat, forcing himself to stand straight.

"I want to do one more set before the assembly."

Might Guy stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly asked: "Uchiha Yatsuhashi, tell me honestly, what kind of mission did you receive today?"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi's movements froze.

When the Anbu notified him this morning, they hadn't specified the nature of the mission.

They only said it was an emergency assignment.

And that he had to assemble today without delay.

"I won't know the specific details until I reach the assembly point."

"Notified today, departing today?"

Might Guy frowned, "That's very abnormal.

Usually, missions are announced at least a day in advance to give ninjas time to prepare..."

"Might Guy." Uchiha Yatsuhashi spoke suddenly, his voice very soft, "If I don't come back, could I ask you for a favor?"

Might Guy's pupils contracted.

"Don't talk nonsense! You will definitely come back! We still have to train together—"

"If I don't come back," Uchiha Yatsuhashi interrupted him, his gaze terrifyingly calm.

"Help me look after my parents, and if possible... take them away from Konoha."

Even for non-ninjas, civilians are not allowed to leave Konoha easily.

Furthermore, the village maintains strict registration and surveillance for the families of ninjas.

The training ground fell silent at once.

The morning breeze blew past, kicking up dust from the ground.

In the distance, Konoha began to wake, and the faint, bustling noise of the streets drifted over.

Might Guy was silent for a moment. "You will be fine."

He paused, as if having made a certain resolution. "Uncle, Aunt, believe me, they will be fine too..."

After saying this, he pulled a worn scroll from his ninja tool pouch.

"This is for you."

The material of the scroll was ordinary, but the four handwritten characters on it made the pupils of Uchiha Yatsuhashi constrict slightly.

This was the very forbidden technique that Might Duy had relied on to make his name and defeat the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen: the Eight Inner Gates!

It was also one of the methods he had secretly craved deep down when he first approached Might Guy—a way to gain power without relying on chakra.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi gripped the scroll. "Guy, this—"

"We are friends, right?" Might Guy grinned, his teeth flashing.

"Helping each other is the true essence of youth!"

"Thank you, Guy."

Uchiha Yatsuhashi carefully tucked the scroll into his inner pocket, close to his body.

"Hehe, that's the spirit!"

Might Guy extended a fist toward him.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi understood, and the two of them bumped their fists together firmly.

On the way to the mission assembly point, Uchiha Yatsuhashi felt a lump in his throat as he clutched the heavy scroll in his hand.

Although his initial purpose for approaching Might Guy had not been pure.

The bond between them over these many years, however, was undeniably real.