Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like a swamp gone still.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shot to his feet, knocking over his chair. It hit the floor with a dull thud, but he barely noticed.
"What did you say? Danzo... is back?"
His voice was full of disbelief, even a hint of absurdity.
That old bastard had vanished without a trace weeks ago, along with the Root's most elite forces. Hiruzen had even prepared for the worst: Danzo might have died somewhere unknown, taking all his dark secrets with him.
And now he was back?
"Yes, Third Lord." The Anbu Ninja knelt on one knee, head bowed. "More than one Anbu member confirmed seeing Lord Danzo return to Root Base alone."
The two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, exchanged a glance. Both saw deep suspicion in the other's eyes.
"That's impossible!" Utatane Koharu was the first to speak, her tone sharp. "He's been missing for so long, and not a single report came back. Now he suddenly shows up? There has to be something suspicious about this!"
"Hiruzen, we need to confirm immediately whether it's really Danzo!" Mitokado Homura said gravely, rapping his cane hard against the floor.
Hiruzen didn't answer at once. He picked up the pipe from the desk and took a long drag. Swirling smoke hid his expression.
He was back.
At a time when Uchiha Madara had appeared and Konoha needed stability most.
At this critical juncture, when Hiruzen was about to step down and Minato was about to take over.
Of all times, Danzo had come back.
This could not be a coincidence.
"Let's go." Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke and slapped his pipe down on the desk. His eyes sharpened. "I want to see what that old bastard is really up to!"
Deep beneath Konoha lay Root Base.
The cold, damp air carried the smell of rust and dust. It was a place of darkness the sunlight could never reach.
When Hiruzen arrived with the two advisors and several trusted Anbu, they were met by row upon row of silent Root shinobi.
Wearing featureless masks, they stood along both sides of the corridor like lifeless statues, silently watching the visitors pass.
The atmosphere was stifling.
Hiruzen stopped before the iron door that symbolized the highest authority.
"Danzo." He didn't knock. His voice carried straight through the heavy door.
There was no response from inside.
Hiruzen frowned. The Anbu behind him were about to step forward when—
Creeeak—
The grating sound of metal scraping filled the corridor, and the door slowly swung inward.
In the dim room, a figure sat with his back to them in the broad leader's chair.
"Hiruzen, after all these years, you're still so impatient."
That hoarse, icy voice was one Hiruzen knew all too well.
Shimura Danzō.
He slowly turned his chair around. The bandaged face and sinister single eye were exactly as Hiruzen remembered.
He did seem somewhat weary, though, and his face was paler than before.
"Danzo, where exactly have you been?" Hiruzen asked bluntly, his tone stern. "What happened to the elite Root forces you took with you?"
"Hmph." Danzo gave a cold snort and tapped his cane lightly on the floor. "What is it, Hiruzen? As Root's leader, do I need to report to you, the 'Hokage,' every time I go on a mission?"
"You!" Utatane Koharu stepped forward and rebuked him. "Danzo, don't forget who you are! As Hokage Assistant, you left the village with a team without permission and disappeared without a trace. That's a serious act of treason!"
"Treason?" Danzo's single eye slowly shifted to her. The chill in his gaze made Koharu instinctively fall silent. "I was eliminating a potential threat to Konoha. You people who live in the sunlight still don't understand, do you?"
He adopted an air of "this matter is classified; no comment."
Hiruzen stared at him, trying to find even the slightest flaw in his face or the flow of his Chakra.
But there was nothing.
The quality of his Chakra, his tone of voice, the malice and fixation rooted deep in his bones—all of it was no different from the Danzo Hiruzen knew.
"Your mission came at a heavy cost, didn't it?" Hiruzen changed tack, his tone softening somewhat. "Not a single person who went with you came back."
Danzo's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. A flash of "helplessness" and "hatred" passed through his single eye.
"They... were heroes who sacrificed their lives for Konoha." His voice grew even lower and hoarser. "I'll avenge them sooner or later."
His performance was flawless.
He explained the Root members' disappearance, attributed it to a bloody covert mission, and showed his "grief" for his subordinates—all perfectly in keeping with his usual character.
Hiruzen fell silent.
He had no evidence, but his unease continued to grow.
"Since you're back, there are some things you should know." Hiruzen took a deep breath, deciding to reveal the real bombshell. "After a unanimous decision by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the village's leadership, I will step down as Third Hokage."
Danzo's single eye suddenly lit up.
"Who's the successor?"
"The successor," Hiruzen said, each word deliberate, "is Namikaze Minato."
The air froze completely.
Danzo said nothing. He simply gazed at Hiruzen with his single eye.
The room seemed to grow several degrees colder.
Everyone knew that the Hokage Position was Danzo's lifelong obsession.
"Namikaze... Minato?"
Only after a long while did Danzo speak. His voice gave nothing away.
"A hero on the battlefield, a weapon for killing enemies." He slowly rose from his chair and walked toward Hiruzen, leaning on his cane. "But Hiruzen, do you really think a sharp blade can govern a village?"
"Konoha needs more than a hero. It needs a leader who can manage complicated relationships, coordinate the strength of every clan, and bring out Konoha's full potential."
"Minato certainly has some ability. But with the crisis before us and the threat of Uchiha Madara, does he really have what it takes to lead Konoha through this?"
His words were like venomous barbs, piercing everyone present.
"Minato is qualified, and he has the ability," Hiruzen replied in a low voice.
"Is that so?" Danzo let out a derisive laugh that revealed nothing. "Perhaps."
He dropped the subject and said, "I just got back, and I'm exhausted. I won't keep you any longer."
It was an unmistakable order to leave.
Hiruzen gave him a long look, then finally nodded. "Take care."
With that, he turned and led the others away.
When the heavy iron door closed again, shutting out everything beyond it,
"Danzo" slowly returned to his chair and sat down. A bizarre smile suddenly curled across his cold face, a smile that did not belong to Shimura Danzō.
In a distant cave,
Lin Feng watched everything unfold in the Water Mirror and snapped his fingers in satisfaction.
"Not bad. As expected of an S-rank forbidden technique tool. That performance deserves an Oscar."
Black Zetsu beside him let out a sinister laugh. "Sarutobi and the others would never dream that the one they faced was only a puppet acting on your orders."
"That's just the appetizer." Lin Feng leaned back in his stone chair, tapping the armrest rhythmically with his fingers. "The real show is still to come."
He watched the "Danzo" in the Water Mirror take a blank scroll from a hidden compartment as soon as Hiruzen had left.
It was the second order Lin Feng had given him.
"Danzo" picked up a pen and quickly began writing on the scroll.
The contents were "firsthand intelligence" about Uchiha Madara's appearance in Konoha, as well as "grave concerns" that Namikaze Minato's succession as Hokage might destabilize the village.
"Lord Madara, this is..." Black Zetsu asked, puzzled.
"This letter isn't for Konoha." Lin Feng's smile was full of amusement.
"It's for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."
"I want the Daimyo to know that Konoha is facing the tremendous threat of a legendary ninja's return, and that the incoming Fourth Hokage is too young and lacks the prestige to keep the situation under control."
"I want him... to start having doubts."
"And doubt leads to defeat!"
Three days later, the Hokage succession meeting was held.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire attended in person. Every Konoha jonin and clan head had gathered.
The meeting proceeded smoothly. Hiruzen delivered his retirement speech and formally nominated Namikaze Minato as the sole candidate for Fourth Hokage.
A roar of applause filled the room.
Dressed in a white Hokage cloak, with his golden hair gleaming and a warm, confident smile on his face, Minato prepared to step forward and accept the appointment.
Everyone thought this was merely a formality.
However—
"I oppose."
A hoarse, icy voice rang out abruptly through the hall.
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone turned toward the speaker in shock.
In a corner of the advisors' seats, the man who should not have been there slowly rose, leaning on his cane.
Shimura Danzō!
His single eye swept across the room like an abyss.
At last, his gaze settled on Minato. His voice was not loud, but every person in the room heard him clearly.
"Namikaze Minato has accomplished much, but he's too kindhearted and not ruthless enough. He isn't suited to wield Konoha's power at this moment of mortal peril."
"He isn't capable enough to sit in the Hokage's seat."
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