Did Danzo Have Cheats?

Though Sarutobi Hiruzen was old, his presence remained imposing. He was like a tiger in the twilight of his life, his eyes full of displeasure and ferocity.

Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath. "Reporting to Lord Hokage and the three advisors: last night, the Uchiha Clan argued fiercely at first. But under the clan head Fugaku's forceful suppression, they announced that the Uchiha should mind their own business."

"After that, neither side argued further, and the meeting was adjourned." Once Uchiha Itachi finished, he cupped his hands and handed over the minutes, prepared by Uchiha Izuna.

An Anbu member beside him took the document and opened it. After checking that it was safe, he respectfully presented it to the Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen examined the report closely. At times his brow furrowed and his face turned stony; at others, his expression relaxed and he seemed untroubled. In the end, he smiled. "Heh. The Uchiha are nothing to fear. As long as Uchiha Fugaku stands with us, the Uchiha Clan won't rebel."

After speaking, he smiled at Shimura Danzō and passed him the scroll. Shimura Danzō had been impatient to read it. He scanned the scroll quickly, his face turning livid as he thought, Uchiha Fugaku really is useless! He has money, food, and soldiers, yet he's still so timid!

No, no. The Uchiha have to rebel. Otherwise, how am I supposed to conduct my Wood Release experiments? At this rate, it'll be ages before I become Hokage.

Damn that monkey. How can he live so long? He already stepped down, and he still managed to come back. The bastard!

Shimura Danzō's eyes turned cruel, and he roared, "Uchiha Itachi, how dare you lie! This report is obviously fake! Fake!"

Uchiha Itachi lowered his head, his expression changing. Has he seen through it? How is that possible? If Danzō makes a move in a moment, what should I do?

But to everyone's surprise, Sarutobi Hiruzen slapped the table. "Enough! Danzō, don't you know how loyal Uchiha Itachi is to the village? Has he ever given you false or unclear information before?"

"This report covers everything from Uchiha Fugaku down to how long the Genin spent shaking their legs. What, do you think he could have made all that up so perfectly?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was deeply displeased. Why was Danzō always stirring up trouble?

Before, the Uchiha's attitude had been unclear, and Danzō wanted to cause trouble. He hadn't said anything and had let him do as he pleased. But now that they wanted to keep the peace, Danzō wouldn't even let them do that!

If the Uchiha were truly driven to desperation, Konoha's shinobi and wealth would be the ones to suffer. How could Danzō not understand something so simple?

How could Shimura Danzō not understand? He understood all too well. But precisely because he understood, he couldn't let the Uchiha settle down. The Uchiha were a weapon—a weapon he would use to seize the Hokage Position!

If the Uchiha backed down now, what would happen to his Wood Release experiments? What about the Sharingan? And what about the Hokage Position he yearned for so desperately?

Shimura Danzō wanted to become Hokage more than anything. He dreamed of it. He wanted to feel the texture of the Hokage Haori, wear the Hokage Hat, and stand on a podium as the villagers respected and praised him.

"Hiruzen, don't let the Uchiha fool you. Don't forget: during the Nine-Tails Incident, the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan appeared in the Nine-Tails' eyes. The Fourth Hokage and countless villagers died in that battle."

"Teacher Tobirama said that the Uchiha Clan was born evil. There's no way they'd settle down and lie low. They might be plotting some grand scheme in secret!"

"In my opinion, we should immediately arrest every Uchiha shinobi and send them to Root, where I can—"

Uchiha Itachi looked up. His eyes had become the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and he stared fixedly at Shimura Danzō. He couldn't understand why Danzō hated the Uchiha so much.

What had the Uchiha Clan ever done to him?!

"Enough!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stood and slammed his hand on the table. "Danzō, you've gone too far!"

"Back then, I trusted your accusations and moved the Uchiha to the outskirts. Every time I think of it, I regret it deeply."

"And now you want to pin such a serious accusation on the Uchiha Clan? What is wrong with you?" Sarutobi Hiruzen fixed Shimura Danzō with a cold stare.

Koharu and Mitokado Homura lowered their heads, not daring to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen. When he wasn't angry, they could still get a word in. But once he was angry, neither of them dared overstep.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had shifted the blame onto Shimura Danzō and reprimanded him righteously. Danzō burned with anger and rose, slapping the table as well. "Hiruzen, do you think I'm doing this for myself? Everything I've done is for Konoha!"

"That's enough, Danzō! I'm the Hokage!" Sarutobi Hiruzen threw his pipe to the floor. He had just noticed the resentment Uchiha Itachi felt toward Shimura Danzō, so he had stepped in to stop Danzō from continuing.

But Shimura Danzō acted like he'd lost his mind, insisting on arguing with him.

Shimura Danzō's face turned livid. He glared viciously at Sarutobi Hiruzen, then headed for the door. When he reached it, he gave a cold snort. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

Then he slammed the door on his way out!

The door went, "Bang!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the old man leave and shook his head helplessly. He sighed and sat down, then spoke kindly. "Itachi, I understand your clan head's position. Don't worry. As long as the Uchiha remain peaceful, Konoha will welcome them as part of the village."

Uchiha Itachi nodded. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."

"Good. You may go back now. If anything happens with the Uchiha Clan, report it to me at once!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stood and personally helped Uchiha Itachi to his feet, then patted him on the shoulder three times.

"The future of Konoha rests with young people like you. Keep up the good work. Konoha needs talented people like you." Sarutobi Hiruzen valued Uchiha Itachi greatly. Uchiha Itachi nodded, neither humble nor arrogant, then turned and left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen folded his arms and watched Uchiha Itachi's retreating figure, his expression complicated. "Why did you have to be born into the Uchiha Clan?"

If Uchiha Itachi hadn't been a member of the Uchiha Clan, Sarutobi Hiruzen might have taken him as his disciple. Uchiha Itachi was a true shinobi, one without selfish motives.

He was a shinobi with the heart and bearing of a Hokage. If he inherited the Hokage Position, Konoha would surely grow even stronger.

But the problem was that his surname was Uchiha. He was a member of the Uchiha Clan.

After giving his report, Uchiha Itachi hurried back to the clan compound and told Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Izuna, who were preparing to set out, what had happened in the Hokage's Office.

Uchiha Izuna's mouth twitched. If he hadn't known what Shimura Danzō was like, he would have suspected that Danzō had some kind of god's-eye view and knew they were only lying low for a while—that their real goal was to seize control of Konoha!