Sarutobi Hiruzen's Apprehension

At the same time, inside the Hokage Building in Konoha.

Following Shisui's proposal of a method he felt could resolve the conflict between the village and his clan—much like in the original history—the smoke-filled, deathly silent Hokage's office suddenly grew heated.

"Kotoamatsukami!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had not set down his pipe since returning to his office; he puffed away while glaring with murderous intent at Danzo, who was playing dead not far away.

Hmm!

In truth, although Danzo looked miserable, most of his injuries were merely superficial. With the secret medicines of Root and the First Hokage Cells, he was already mostly recovered.

But...

Recalling the sheer fury Sarutobi Hiruzen was currently harboring, Danzo decisively chose to keep playing dead.

Yet, even as clever as Shimura Danzo was, he momentarily forgot to maintain his facade of being severely wounded. He stood bolt upright, staring at Shisui in astonishment, his killing intent spilling out uncontrollably.

However, he was in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Although Uchiha Shisui found Danzo to be a disgusting individual, he had no intention of using Kotoamatsukami to teach the man how to behave.

"Shisui, is the power of Kotoamatsukami truly sufficient..."

The killing intent in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes also flickered and vanished, but shielded by the blatant murderous aura radiating from Danzo, it went entirely unnoticed by anyone.

Bringing Uchiha Shisui back had originally been intended only to gather more intelligence on the Uchiha, allowing him to prepare more thoroughly for the coming changes, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had not expected such a development.

At this moment, fueled by his intense trust in the Third Hokage, Shisui did not realize that Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone had shifted subtly ever since he revealed the capabilities of his Mangekyo.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Thinking the Third Hokage doubted him, Shisui began to explain the power of Kotoamatsukami in even greater detail.

"Although I have never fully unleashed the power of 'Kotoamatsukami,' I am certain that it is impossible for anyone to escape its control!"

"It is just that 'Kotoamatsukami' consumes a tremendous amount of ocular power. To permanently and thoroughly alter a person's thoughts and will, one must wait at least a decade before using it again."

There was a hint of regret in Uchiha Shisui's words, accompanied by a sense of guilt over his inability to stop the conflict between the village and his clan.

But it was only after Shisui mentioned the long cooldown of 'Kotoamatsukami' that the coldness deep in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes finally began to recede. After steadying himself, he stepped forward and resolutely helped the half-kneeling Shisui to his feet.

"Shisui, I can only rely on you now!"

Feeling the 'concerned' strength in Sarutobi Hiruzen's grip on his arm, Uchiha Shisui felt a wave of warmth and spoke up firmly.

"Rest assured, Lord Hokage. At tomorrow's clan meeting, before Uchiha Jin can incite the Clan Head, I will use 'Kotoamatsukami' to stop him!"

"No!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen uncharacteristically stopped Shisui. After glancing away to avoid meeting his gaze, he spoke again with determination.

"Uchiha Jin's attitude is unimportant. Ultimately, only Fugaku is the head of the Uchiha Clan. As long as the Uchiha Clan Head and the village can coexist in harmony, the village and the Uchiha will naturally be able to usher in true peace!"

(Uchiha Fugaku: Achoo!)

What a joke!

Sarutobi Hiruzen was currently feeling powerless to complain about the hot-headed fools around him; none of them had any sense of the bigger picture.

Although Uchiha Jin had insulted him to the extreme today, even going so far as to air old grievances in public—a truly classless act—that very fact had become the reason Sarutobi Hiruzen dared not move against him.

It had been a hellish day; he had gathered his forces to rescue that disaster Danzo, only for the whole thing to turn into a public trial of the Hokage.

If he were to use a special ability to rewrite someone's will the very day after being publicly berated, who would ever dare to follow Sarutobi Hiruzen again?

Wouldn't all the mud Uchiha Jin slung at him effectively become the truth?

But if Shisui were to turn his attention to Uchiha Fugaku instead, the situation would be entirely different.

Sarutobi Hiruzen would then be able to lay his plans at his leisure. If all else failed, he could simply stage another "reign from behind the curtain." With his methods, as long as he had sufficient time, he could arrange everything perfectly.

As for Uchiha Jin?

Once everything was settled, did Sarutobi Hiruzen really fear he couldn't handle a mere Uchiha elder?

However, while he could sense Uchiha Shisui's naivety and sincerity, Sarutobi Hiruzen, still harboring his own reservations, added calmly.

"Shisui, the future of Konoha is in your hands. Consider this a classified mission assigned to you by this old man. Go forth and do what must be done!"

At this, Sarutobi Hiruzen placed his hand on Shisui's shoulder once more, and in a rare moment, looked him straight in the eyes.

"Go. If anything happens, use my name!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

A glimmer of moisture welled up in Uchiha Shisui's eyes. He knelt once more in respect before performing the Body Flicker Technique, his figure vanishing from the spot.

Hoo...

Only after Shisui's presence had completely faded did Sarutobi Hiruzen finally let out a sigh of relief. He tugged at his collar impatiently, trying to let the sweat dampening his undershirt evaporate.

Clearly.

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was confident that he was the strongest Hokage in Konoha's history, Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami was still far beyond his control.

Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen was confident in his own brainwashing—er, his own personal charisma—and believed Shisui could never betray him, one could never be too careful.

What if, just what if!

After using several secret techniques in a row to scan his body for any traces of foreign chakra, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally felt a slight sense of relief.

If he, the strongest Hokage in history, had truly had his will rewritten by Kotoamatsukami and become a complete puppet of the Uchiha Clan, that would be something he could never accept under any circumstances.

"Sarutobi?"

Shimura Danzo could no longer be bothered to hide his intentions; he stepped forward with some urgency, intending to scan the other man with secret techniques without a second thought.

"Danzo, what do you think you're doing!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen shoved Danzo away and then let out a sharp, stern rebuke.

Although Shimura Danzo was nearly knocked to the ground by this sudden shove, he felt not a shred of anger in his heart; instead, he was overcome with joy.

This is the feeling—Hiruzen should be fine!

After confirming that Sarutobi Hiruzen had not been compromised, Danzo's face returned to its usual gloomy, deathly stillness, and he spoke loudly to the other three people in the Hokage's office.

"We can no longer allow the Uchiha to do as they please; this evil clan is not to be trusted!"

At this point, Danzo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with renewed intensity, the murderous intent in his tone growing even thicker.

"Hiruzen, leave it to me. I will help the village eliminate this threat once and for all!"

"Hold your tongue! I have already sent word to Jiraiya and Tsunade, and since this matter concerns the future rise and fall of Konoha, I will absolutely not allow you to disrupt the harmony and stability of the village!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen rebuked him sharply once more before continuing.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

With those words, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally regained the confidence befitting a Hokage. He turned his back, stood with his hands behind him, and ignored the clearly unwilling Shimura Danzo.

Yet, at that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not notice that Danzo's gaze had pierced through his back, casting a cold, murderous glare in the direction where Uchiha Shisui had departed.

Sarutobi, you are merely the acting Hokage!