Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi

[The Light in Root's secret chamber seemed to dim further, as though the churning demon at its center had swallowed it.]

["Hesitation. Doubt. Indecision."]

[Naraka's clone twisted and shifted, his voice seeping into Danzo's mind like drops of deadly poison.]

["Danzo, you keep saying you're willing to shoulder any darkness for Konoha."]

["But when it comes time to break your shackles and remove the greatest obstacle, you can't bring yourself to do it."]

["When Minato Namikaze died and Hiruzen Sarutobi said he would return to office, I urged you to eliminate him with the Death Paper."]

["But you insisted he couldn't interfere with our plans."]

[The dark figure lunged forward, stopping just short of Danzo's nose. Its Formless, oppressive presence made the surrounding candle flames flicker.]

["And now the man in the Hokage's seat—Hiruzen Sarutobi—has become the biggest obstacle to our plans!"]

["His so-called 'conciliatory' policies and that laughable Will of Fire bind you like a spiderweb, leaving you to pull these insignificant little tricks underground!"]

[Naraka's voice rose sharply, charged with persuasion.]

["There's still time to fix this. Use the Death Paper and kill him! Once Hiruzen Sarutobi is gone, you can become Hokage!"]

["Then all of Konoha's resources will be yours. You can use whatever 'righteous cause' you like to crush the Uchiha clan openly! That's the perfect path!"]

[Shimura Danzō's entire body went rigid at Naraka's words. His lone eye flew open, its piercing gaze fixed on Naraka.]

[His thoughts drifted back to the distant past, to the Land of Fire's border during the First Shinobi World War.]

[The image on the Canopy Screen changed with them.]

[That day, the sky above the Land of Fire was an impenetrable leaden gray, and cold rain fell without end.]

[The air reeked of gunpowder, blood, and wet earth. Cries of battle rang out incessantly.]

[The young Shimura Danzō was breathing hard, blood still dripping from the kunai in his hand.]

[Several of his Konoha comrades had fallen, while enemies kept pouring out of the rain as though there were no end to them.]

[Their forehead protectors gleamed coldly in the dim Light, and their eyes were as bleak as the weather.]

["Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" the young Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted. A solid wall of earth surged from the mud, shielding Danzo from a volley of shuriken fired at his flank.]

[But there were too many enemies. An enemy jonin darted from the shadows like a ghost, his kunai aimed straight at an opening Danzo had left in his exhaustion!]

[Shhk!]

[Shimura Danzō grunted as pain tore through his calf. Blood gushed out, staining the muddy water beneath his feet. He stumbled and nearly fell to his knees.]

[The jonin moved in to deliver the killing blow.]

["Get away from him!"]

[The roar cracked like thunder. It was Hiruzen Sarutobi!]

[He had no time to weave signs. Instead, he slammed bodily into the Amegakure shinobi, knocking him aside, and took three kunai fired by another enemy squarely in his back!]

[The kunai buried themselves deep in the muscles around his shoulder blade and flank. The impact rocked Hiruzen's body, but he gritted his teeth and refused to give an inch.]

[Then he whirled around and swept his Adamantine Staff through the air with all his fury, sending the attacker and another enemy flying. Whether they survived, no one could tell.]

[During a brief lull, Hiruzen retreated to Danzo's side. He stood with his back to him, watching the enemies around them. Rain mingled with blood from his wounds and dripped down his armor.]

[He did not even turn to look at Shimura Danzō, but the concern in his urgent voice was unmistakable:]

["Are you all right, Danzo?"]

[As he spoke, he freed one hand and reached back to help him up.]

[But Shimura Danzō immediately slapped Hiruzen's hand away!]

["I don't need you meddling!" Danzo's voice was hoarse and hard with the pain in his leg. "Look after yourself, Hiruzen!"]

[Shimura Danzō stared at the enemies gathering ahead, as though he had never stumbled or needed saving.]

[Hiruzen's hand paused in midair. Then he drew it back as if nothing had happened and tightened his grip on the Adamantine Staff.]

[He said nothing more. He had long since grown used to Shimura Danzō's temperament.]

[The next instant, they moved together in perfect accord.]

[Ignoring the searing pain in his leg, Shimura Danzō wove signs at blinding speed. "Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!" Several compressed spheres of wind tore through the rain with a howl.]

[Hiruzen completed his signs almost at the same moment. "Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!" A massive dragon of flame roared forth and merged with the wind spheres. The wind fed the fire, turning it into a devastating storm of flame that swallowed a swath of enemies in an instant.]

[Flame and rain met, sending up great clouds of white steam.]

[And through the hazy mist and ceaseless rain, the two stood back to back and faced the seemingly endless enemy once more.]

[The scene returned to Root's meeting room.]

[Shimura Danzō still could not bring himself to write on the Death Paper. Slowly, he clenched his fist until his nails nearly dug into his palm.]

[Kill Hiruzen? The man who had once shielded me from kunai with his own back on the battlefield?]

[Naraka would never understand. Some bonds, however twisted, however cracked, however eroded by ambition and time,]

[remained buried deep in the marrow, impossible to sever so easily.]

[Danzo's silence and distant stare did not escape Naraka.]

["Heh... hehehe..." A string of grating, mirthless laughter came from Naraka's dark form.]

["What a nauseating display of sentiment. Danzo, I gave you far too much credit."]

["You're just like Hiruzen Sarutobi—a coward shackled by pointless feelings!"]

["He dithers over the Uchiha because of some laughable bond with his comrades."]

["And you can't bring yourself to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi because of an old friendship?"]

["With so little resolve, you dare speak of Root's darkness? You dare dream of becoming the Hokage who rules Konoha?"]

["You and he are two sides of the same coin! Neither of you will ever amount to anything!"]

[Naraka's vicious mockery battered Shimura Danzō's will like a surging tide.]

[At last, Naraka seemed to lose the last of his patience. His entire dark form contracted sharply, condensing into an even darker sphere.]

["Enough. Since you can't make this decision, I'll set things in motion myself."]

[Naraka's voice turned cold and resolute, with a particular cruelty beneath it.]

["I'll personally add enough 'fuel' to make this tedious drama truly tragic."]

["I'll use the blood of the Uchiha clan to burn away Hiruzen Sarutobi's naive fantasies—and the last of your useless hesitation!"]

["As for you," Naraka said, his will bearing down on Danzo, "you need only cooperate at just the right moment when I call on you."]

["Ready your Root, Danzo! A grand feast is about to begin!"]

[With those words, the dark figure vanished as though it had never been there, leaving only its unsettling whispers echoing through the room.]

[And Shimura Danzō remained seated in the shadows, his face ashen, his fist clenched, and a tangle of emotions flickering in his lone eye.]

The image on the Canopy Screen ended there.