Hiruzen Sarutobi's Decision

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was livid.

He watched the Root shinobi slowly withdraw, saw the dark look on Danzo's face, and saw the wariness and distrust in every clan head's eyes.

"Enough."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath.

His voice was quiet, but it carried a resolve none of them had heard before.

He rose and faced Shimura Danzō, his gaze steady.

"Danzo."

Shimura Danzō froze.

He had known Hiruzen Sarutobi for years, but he had never seen Hiruzen look at him that way.

"Hiruzen, you—"

"Don't."

Hiruzen Sarutobi cut him off.

He swept his gaze across everyone present, then spoke slowly.

"Shimura Danzō."

"As of today, you are temporarily suspended."

The entire room was stunned!

"What?!"

No one had expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to move against Shimura Danzō now!

Shimura Danzō shot to his feet, his face livid. "Hiruzen! Have you lost your mind?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored him.

He continued, his voice steady and his authority beyond question.

"From today onward, Root answers only to the Hokage."

"Every Root member must be registered again."

"No one may deploy Root without the Hokage's approval."

His gaze settled on Danzo.

"Danzo, go home and rest."

"As for what you've done... I'll investigate it myself."

Shimura Danzō stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi, eyes wide with disbelief.

His lips trembled. Veins bulged on the hand gripping his cane.

"Hiruzen... you..."

"Enough."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not raise his voice, but it left no room for argument.

"Guards!"

At his command—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of Anbu Ninja emerged from the shadows and appeared in the meeting room.

They were fully equipped and masked, their movements crisp and precise.

They were the Anbu's elite: the Hokage's Personal Guard.

"Escort Shimura Danzō out for now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke calmly, with an authority no one dared defy.

"I'll investigate the matter myself."

"Yes, sir!"

The Anbu Ninja answered in unison.

They moved forward at once and surrounded Shimura Danzō.

An Anbu Ninja wearing a cat-faced mask stepped before Danzo and bowed slightly.

"Lord Danzo."

His voice was calm, though it held a trace of distance.

"Please come with us."

Shimura Danzō stood rooted to the spot, his face livid and his chest heaving.

He glared at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his eyes full of anger and resentment.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi did not look at him.

Shimura Danzō took a deep breath.

He knew Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him a way out.

If he refused, their break would become open and final.

Then he would not only lose control of Root; he might be detained by force.

"Hmph."

Danzo gave a cold snort and turned toward the door.

His steps were heavy. His cane struck the floor with a dull thud.

The Anbu Ninja followed close behind, surrounding him as they escorted him out of the meeting room.

Once Danzo was gone, the tension in the meeting room eased considerably.

The clan heads, their faces taut until now, let out breaths of relief.

Hyuga Hiashi deactivated his Byakugan and slowly sat back down.

Shibi Aburame took his hand off his ninja-tool pouch.

Tsume Inuzuka patted her Ninja Dog's head, and it finally stopped growling.

The heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans sat down as well. They exchanged glances and saw the same relief in one another's eyes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the head of the room and looked over everyone present.

Weariness showed on his face, but his eyes remained sharp.

"All right."

He broke the silence.

"We'll leave matters there for now."

"I'll give you all an account of Danzo's actions later."

He paused, about to dismiss the meeting.

But just then—

"Wait."

A voice rang out.

Everyone turned toward it.

The speaker was Uchiha En.

He stood beside the conference table, looking calmly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Lord Third Hokage, we can set Danzo's matter aside for now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

He looked at Uchiha En, a hint of caution in his eyes.

What does this boy want now?

"Then what do you want to discuss?"

Uchiha En did not answer directly.

He looked around at the heads of every ninja clan present.

Then he spoke slowly.

"What I want to discuss now is..."

His voice was quiet, yet everyone heard him clearly.

"...the location of the Uchiha Clan's compound."

Everyone froze.

The compound's location?

Shouldn't they be discussing Danzo's crimes and Uchiha Itachi's defection?

Why bring up the compound now?

But Uchiha En paid no attention to their confusion.

He continued, his voice calm and firm.

"Lord Third Hokage, I'd like to ask you something."

He looked Hiruzen Sarutobi straight in the eye, his gaze challenging.

"Back then, what gave you the right to assign the Uchiha Clan a compound so far from everything?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback.

He had not expected Uchiha En to ask that.

"Well..."

He opened his mouth to explain.

But Uchiha En gave him no chance.

"Because our compound was placed so far away, our entire clan nearly died last night."

A chill entered Uchiha En's voice.

"The Uchiha Clan helped found Konoha, yet this is how we were treated."

"What about the smaller clans?"

"If this happens again, what are they supposed to do?"

As he spoke, he looked toward the other clan heads.

"And I heard something else."

He paused.

"The Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan were attacked last night too."

"That's right."

"We were attacked."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, his expression grim.

"Then it's easy to imagine..."

Uchiha En's gaze sharpened.

"...just how poor Konoha's defenses are."

He stared directly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, a challenge in his voice.

"Lord Hokage, don't you owe everyone an explanation?"

Silence fell over the room.

Everyone looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and waited for his answer.

Hyuga Hiashi's fingers began tapping the table again without him noticing.

Shikaku Nara narrowed his eyes and studied Uchiha En thoughtfully.

He could see what Uchiha En was doing: using the compound as an opening.

On the surface, Uchiha En was asking about its location. In truth, he was questioning the Konoha High Command's ability to govern.

First he had forced Danzo out. Now he was challenging the Hokage.

This boy... He means to dismantle the Konoha High Command's authority piece by piece!

Shikaku Nara took a deep breath.

He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, wondering how the Third Hokage would respond.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood there in silence for a long time.

As he looked at the twelve-year-old boy before him, a profound sense of helplessness washed over him.

Uchiha En was right.

Konoha's defenses did have problems.

The placement of the clans' compounds was unreasonable.

And he, as Hokage, had failed them in many ways.

But he could not admit it.

If he did, Konoha's authority would collapse completely.

After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke.

"As for the compounds..."

His voice was a little hoarse.

"I'll arrange for the matter to be discussed again."

"And Konoha's defenses..."

He paused, his gaze growing firm.

"I'll strengthen those too."

At those words, a faint, nearly imperceptible smile touched Uchiha En's lips.

He did not press further.

He knew some things only needed to be said once.

Saying more would only work against him.

He nodded.

"Then thank you very much, Lord Hokage."

With that, he sat back down in his chair.

The atmosphere in the conference room turned subtle once again.

The clan heads of the other ninja clans exchanged glances with one another.

They all knew that today's meeting meant the power structure of Konoha had undergone a heaven-shaking and earth-sapping change.

Shimura Danzō had been suspended from his duties.

Root was incorporated by the Hokage.

The Uchiha Clan had a new Clan Head.

Yet this new Clan Head, only twelve years old, had already displayed political maneuvering that far exceeded his age.

Konoha... was truly about to change.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the head of the room, looking at everything before him, a complex mix of emotions welling up in his heart.

How could such a fine situation turn out like this?

"The meeting is adjourned."