Utatane Koharu: Stop Fighting

"Danzo!"

Shimura Danzo had just finished accompanying Hozuki Sakuya and was about to head home when he heard someone call his name.

It was Mitokado Homura. But Danzo did not want to see Homura right now. Though he knew it was not Homura's fault, love had never been about right or wrong. Besides, Danzo planned to quietly nurse his wounds alone for a while. Once he had sorted things out, he would naturally go see them.

"Danzo!" Seeing that Danzo ignored him and kept walking, Mitokado Homura stepped forward, intending to grab him.

"Danzo, aren't we good friends? You've been avoiding us lately. Do you think running away can solve anything? Are you even a man?" Mitokado Homura roared at Shimura Danzo.

Having just undergone a "test of manhood," Shimura Danzo bristled at those words. He was about to retort, but in the end, he said nothing. He did not want to argue with Mitokado Homura right now. He just wanted some peace and quiet.

"Danzo, if you're still this stubborn, then I'll beat some sense into you!"

With that, Mitokado Homura swung his fist and punched Shimura Danzo right in the face.

"Bang!"

Shimura Danzo took the punch squarely. It left him a little dazed, but he quickly struck back, driving a fist into Mitokado Homura's face.

"Pah!" Mitokado Homura spat out a mouthful of blood. "Didn't eat anything today? Don't you usually brag about how good you are at fighting?"

Shimura Danzo's punch had actually packed quite a lot of force, but Mitokado Homura still stubbornly mocked him.

"Right back at you! You came all the way here to give me a massage or something?" Shimura Danzo refused to back down either.

Just like that, neither of them used chakra. They simply traded blows with their bare bodies. Neither was willing to retreat, taking each other head-on—he punched me, I kicked him back.

At that moment, Utatane Koharu and Sarutobi Hiruzen hurried over and saw Shimura Danzo and Mitokado Homura brawling in the street without a care for public decency.

"Stop! Don't fight anymore!"

"Stop! Don't fight anymore!"

Utatane Koharu cried as she shouted.

For some reason, the moment Utatane Koharu arrived, it began to rain. At first, the raindrops were only as large as beans, but as she continued crying and trying to break up the fight, the rain grew heavier and heavier. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a torrential downpour, soaking all four of them to the bone.

"Hiruzen, stop them! Don't let them keep fighting!" Utatane Koharu shouted at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"It's fine," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "Let them have a proper fight. Once they fight it out, they'll be fine."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had also thought a great deal these past few days. Rather than dragging things out like this, it was better for them to let it all out. Though he did not know the reason behind it all, he believed their bond could resolve this conflict.

Shimura Danzo and Mitokado Homura had already been fighting for quite a while. Both of them were bruised and battered, their faces swollen and blackened. Neither would yield to the other. They traded punch after punch until, finally exhausted, they collapsed to the ground at the same time.

The two lay in the mud, their chests heaving violently as they gasped for air.

"Danzo, if you still haven't come to your senses, then I'll keep beating sense into you!" Mitokado Homura panted.

"You bastard, you really hit hard!" Shimura Danzo had been beaten into having black eyes.

Sarutobi Hiruzen walked over and extended both hands toward Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzo.

"Had enough? If not, rest for a bit and keep going later," Sarutobi Hiruzen said to them.

Shimura Danzo looked at the hand Sarutobi Hiruzen had offered, but did not take it. Then he looked at Mitokado Homura beside him.

Mitokado Homura was looking at him too.

The two stared at each other for several seconds, and no one knew who started laughing first.

"Hahaha..."

"Hahaha..."

Then they reached out at the same time, each grabbing one of Sarutobi Hiruzen's arms and yanking hard downward.

"Hey—"

Caught off guard, Sarutobi Hiruzen was dragged to the ground, landing flat on his back in the mud and splashing water everywhere.

"Hahaha—"

Utatane Koharu also walked over. Looking at the three lying on the ground, she said to Shimura Danzo and Mitokado Homura:

"Danzo, Homura, you are both my best friends. Please don't argue over me anymore. You both cherish me so much and have always been there for me. I'm truly touched. Really."

"But from now on, could you stop agonizing over things like 'Who do I really like'?"

"Could you bury this affection, this care you have for me, deep in your hearts? Could you turn your open rivalry into quiet care?"

The three lay in the rain, and none of them spoke.

After a long while, Shimura Danzo suddenly began to laugh.

"Hahaha..."

"I'm the disciple of Konoha's Kirin!" Danzo said. "As my teacher's finest student, I'm a man destined to make a name for myself in the ninja world. Teacher once said, 'A true man's ambition should be like a great river rushing east into the sea. Why get tangled up in the affairs of romance?'"

"A true man should be just like that!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "That's the Danzo I know! But..." He turned to look at Danzo. "I'm Teacher's finest student! Teacher also said, 'A true man bears world-shaking ninjutsu. How could he be content to remain buried in a village?' I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, will one day shake the ninja world!"

"How is a man who accomplishes nothing any different from rotten wood and decaying grass?" Mitokado Homura stood up as well. "I, Mitokado Homura, will follow Teacher's example and achieve a great undertaking that shakes heaven and earth!"

After saying this, the three looked at one another and smiled.

"I'm heading back first." Shimura Danzo climbed to his feet. "I've been ridiculously pathetic lately. Hiruzen, as my lifelong rival, don't hold me back."

"I'm leaving too." Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up as well. "Mirror's really dealt me a blow lately. Starting today, I'll work even harder. As for you, Danzo, get ready to live in my shadow."

"I should be heading back too." Mitokado Homura rose to his feet. "I can't lose to you two."

Utatane Koharu stared blankly at the three friends who had left ahead of her. Their bold declarations had made her scalp tingle. She had never expected her friends to harbor such ambitions. Ever since becoming Teacher Yan's disciple, she had grown lax and complacent. She needed to work hard like them and catch up.

Konoha White Palace.

Uchiha Yan sat in his office with a crystal ball placed before him.

The crystal ball was showing the scene from the street just moments ago. The Telescope Technique had been invented by Senju Tobirama and recorded in the Konoha Book of Seals. In the original story, Sarutobi Hiruzen had often used this technique to peep on women bathing and observe Naruto. But now, it belonged to Uchiha Yan—after all, the Hokage bore the Uchiha name.

This technique worked especially well with Kamui. Uchiha Yan had covered Konoha with Kamui markers, and combined with the Telescope Technique, he could instantly reach any corner within Konoha.