Reversing Fate 4

Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured to himself. A complicated sense of comfort crossed his weathered face, along with a trace of hope he knew might be unrealistic.

"Could there still be people among the Uchiha like Shisui and Itachi—people who truly understand the Will of Fire and are willing to live by it? Could this be a turning point, the beginning of mutual understanding?"

Creak!

The office door opened. Shimura Danzō walked in, leaning on his cane, his steps steady and his single eye unreadable. He cut straight through Hiruzen's thoughts.

"Hiruzen," Danzo said in his usual low, hard voice, "are you still thinking about that Uchiha boy?"

"You heard about it too?" Hiruzen looked up at him.

"Hmph." Danzo gave a cold snort. "How could I miss something that conspicuous? My people recorded every word of his speech."

Hiruzen tried to explain his view. "Setting aside his background, isn't it worth considering that a child could have such an apt and original understanding of the Will of Fire—"

"That understanding is exactly why we should be more wary! Hiruzen, you're too naive!"

Danzo cut him off without ceremony, tapping his cane against the floor. "That speech was too perfect—in its logic, its emotion, and the way it tied everything to the Uchiha's power."

"Too perfect to be something a child said on a whim. It sounded more like lines carefully polished and rehearsed again and again!"

His single eye fixed sharply on Hiruzen, and he spoke with absolute certainty:

"Someone clearly taught him to say it! It could have been Fugaku Uchiha, or someone else in the Uchiha!"

"Why have Fugaku's gifted youngest son, a boy everyone is watching, put on this show of loyalty in front of you? To deceive you, dull your judgment, and cover up whatever they're doing