You'll Regret This, Hiruzen!

"Come in."

As soon as Akito spoke, Danzo pushed the door open, came in, and took a chair opposite him.

"Mr. Akito, I am Shimura Danzō, a Konoha elder and advisor to the Hokage. On behalf of the Hokage, I hope you'll publish this article in tomorrow's Daily Newspaper."

Akito took Danzo's draft, and the corner of his eye twitched.

Not because of its contents. The writing was terrible.

Akito's tiny reaction didn't escape Danzo. He couldn't help it. Only after the Daily Newspaper took off had he realized how important a good writer was.

Root's members were fine at killing people, but their articles read like mission reports.

The article in Akito's hands was the best Danzo had been able to find.

Danzo fixed his visible eye on Akito. He considered dragging Akito back to write for Root and interrogating him to find out which Uchiha had founded the Daily Newspaper.

"Ahem." Akito made a show of finishing the article. "Lord Danzo, I'm terribly sorry, but I can't publish this."

"Oh? May I ask why?" Danzo's words were still polite, but he let a trace of killing intent slip out.

He was a shinobi who had lived through two wars. That hint alone made Akito's legs tremble.

But Akito held his ground. Forcing down his fear, he said:

"First, we already covered the mission described here in an earlier issue."

"But you buried it in a corner, didn't you?"

Danzo cut him off and rapped the table with an air of command.

"I want it on tomorrow's front page."

Akito still shook his head. Danzo rapped the table again, harder this time, with Chakra behind it.

The blow sent papers flying across the desk. Danzo thought that would make Akito yield.

But Akito's voice remained steady. "Beyond that, publishing this article would harm the village!"

"Hmph. What would a merchant like you know? People like the White Fang are the ones harming the village."

Akito refused to be swayed. "Putting an article like this on the front page of the Daily Newspaper, which represents Konoha's official stance, would mean the village endorsed and promoted abandoning one's comrades.

"And the village is made up of people. Lord Hokage would never treat the village's comrades that way.

"Which means, Lord Danzo, you're acting on your own wishes this time, not the Hokage's. You want to smear the White Fang, don't you?"

Danzo shot to his feet and glared at Akito, who was struggling to hold his ground.

"Admirable loyalty. But this twisted argument of yours is a slander against my Will of Fire! You're coming with me!"

Danzo set down his cane and reached for Akito.

"Well, Lord Danzo. Lost your patience already?"

Yan's voice came from the doorway. At the same moment, a powerful hand, its grip charged with anger, caught Danzo's arm.

"White Fang. And... Homura Uchiha."

Sakumo stared at Danzo and squeezed hard enough to make him wince.

Akito hurried behind Yan. "Boss, mission accomplished!"

Yan nodded. "Go change your pants. Your salary goes up to twenty thousand ryō next month."

Feeling the dampness in his pants, Akito gave an awkward laugh and left.

"So that's it. The traitors have shown themselves. Hatake Sakumo, and now Homura Uchiha. The White Fang has joined forces with the Uchiha to come after me!"

Danzo's words, spoken through barely contained fury, made Yan break into laughter.

"I've never seen anyone this stubborn. Danzo's lost his mind. He's a monster."

"Hmph. I merely came to submit an article to the company, and you two traitors set me up..."

Yan chuckled. "Don't tell me you think you're safe because your men weren't caught and there's no physical evidence here?"

Danzo's face stiffened. He pieced everything together and realized Yan had laid a trap for him from the start.

Damn it! If Hiruzen hadn't cut Root's funding and left us short-handed, why would I have had to come myself...

"Hatake Sakumo. Homura Uchiha."

Several ANBU appeared outside the window. "By Lord Hokage's orders, we're here to escort Shimura Danzō to the Hokage's Office. You two are to come as well."

Yan jumped onto the desk and leaned close to Danzo's face, his voice dripping with mockery.

"Looks like the Yamanaka Clan has dug up all your glorious deeds, Lord Danzo. Tsk, tsk. A rat should stay hidden in the sewers."

The ANBU stepped forward, sealed Danzo's Chakra, and took him to the Hokage's Office.

After the ANBU left, Yan and Sakumo headed there too.

"How do you feel, Uncle Sakumo?"

"Like I've finally let out the breath I'd been holding. I'm a little sad, but this whole affair has helped me see myself clearly."

Sakumo turned to Yan. "Perhaps I was too weak. A few rumors were enough to make me question my choice."

"Thank goodness I had Kakashi and all of you..."

As they reached the Hokage's Office, they heard Danzo shouting himself hoarse:

"Hiruzen, can't you see Homura Uchiha's ambition?"

"All I can see is yours! Danzo, I know some things the village does can't be brought into the open. But those measures are for our enemies, not our comrades!"

Yan knocked. The shouting stopped, and a few seconds later, the Third Hokage's voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Sakumo and Yan opened the door to find Danzo standing before the Third Hokage, his face dark and all his Chakra sealed.

The Third Hokage spoke first. "I'm sorry, Sakumo. This was my oversight..."

"No, Third Hokage. This wasn't your fault. Light can't reach every corner. I was simply too weak... So, Third Hokage, I'd like to ask your permission to retire."

"What?" All three of them, Danzo included, stared at Sakumo in shock.

Danzo had only wanted to damage Sakumo's reputation. He had never meant to make him retire. Konoha would lose one of its strongest fighters!

"White Fang, what is this? Are you threatening the village with your departure?"

Danzo demanded through clenched teeth. Sakumo shook his head. Ignoring Danzo, he explained to the Third Hokage:

"I abandoned a mission for my comrades. By today's standards, I'm no longer fit to be called a proper shinobi. Danzo's actions made me doubt my choice for a moment. I even considered taking my own life."

"But..."

Sakumo turned to Yan. "Kakashi told me someone had said, 'Those who abandon a mission are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum.' And Yan has lived by those words. He didn't abandon me, even though I'm a failed shinobi."

The Third Hokage fell silent. He knew shinobi put missions first. Not just now—they had done so for the past thousand years.

Sakumo continued, "Even if I'm no longer a shinobi, I'm still part of Konoha. I firmly believe my choice was right, even if the world doesn't accept it yet. I hope the next generation can change this belief that shinobi are tools. Before we become shinobi, we're people."

"What arrogance..." Danzo sneered, about to denounce Sakumo's heresy.

"Danzo, be quiet!" The Third Hokage cut him off, took a deep breath, and nodded to Sakumo.

"I understand. As the Third Hokage, I approve your request to retire."

A weight lifted from Sakumo's heart. He bowed slightly. "Third Hokage, I'd like to work for Tianyan Company."

The Third Hokage smiled. "As long as Yan, the boss, agrees, I have no objection."

Yan recovered from his delighted surprise and immediately made Sakumo an offer. "Uncle Sakumo, how about becoming a reporter?"

Sakumo nodded. From what he knew, a reporter's work was much like gathering intelligence as a shinobi...

Sakumo had no idea that being a reporter would prove far more thrilling than gathering intelligence.

With Sakumo's matter settled for the moment, it was time to deal with Danzo.

Danzo assumed Hiruzen would go easy on him. After all, the shadow of war hung over the Shinobi World, and Konoha couldn't afford to lose a fighter of his caliber.

But when the Third Hokage looked at Danzo, memories of the past flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes, torn. Then he remembered everything Danzo had done and steeled himself.

"Shimura Danzō, you are implicated in leaking information about an S-rank mission. In recognition of your past service, you are hereby assigned to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain to monitor movements in the Land of Rain. The ANBU Training Corps formerly under your command may not leave Konoha. You may take only two guards with you. From now on, the ANBU Training Corps may not act without a written order from the Hokage."

Konoha still needed Danzo, and at worst, what he had done this time amounted to leaking mission information. Yan looked at Danzo's ashen face. Apparently, the Yamanaka Clan hadn't uncovered more of his past misdeeds.

No matter. There's plenty of time.

Facing a trip to the border with almost no one under his command, Danzo could only leave them with one parting line:

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."

"Hahahaha." Outside the Hokage Building, Yan remembered how powerless Danzo had looked and burst out laughing.

"Yan, I noticed the calluses on your hands. Do you practice with a sword?"

Yan looked at his hands and nodded.

Yan had practiced swordsmanship since childhood—in the Shinobi World, swords and blades were treated much the same. But Mikoto and Fugaku had forbidden him from taking a sword outside, even a wooden one. He had dared to impersonate the Police Force as a child. If they let him go out carrying a weapon he knew how to use, what bigger trouble might he cause?

Sakumo saw that he had guessed right and smiled.

"I know a little about swords. You've helped me a great deal, so if you don't mind, I could guide your training."

Yan certainly had no objection to training under Konoha's White Fang. Seeing Sakumo offer to teach him without being asked, then thinking of how Orochimaru had left him to his own devices, Yan couldn't help grumbling inwardly:

Is this the difference between a man and a snake?

At that moment, Orochimaru, the target of Yan's complaint, was peering through a microscope at two specially cultivated cells. One red cell and one green cell moved about in the Culture Dish.

Gradually, though the cells never touched, part of the green cell turned red. Orochimaru saw that some of its structures had changed to match those of the red cell.

"Hahaha! I did it! Yan, I did it!"