The Third Hokage Regrets, Danzo Rages

Let a hotheaded seventeen-year-old lead the clan?

That would be asking for trouble!

"Third Hokage, I couldn't disagree more!"

Shinji Uchiha said earnestly, "I can't stand seeing an incompetent man lead the clan. Young or old, it doesn't change the fact that he's indecisive and has no mind of his own. Uchiha Fugaku is fundamentally unfit to lead us!"

Sarutobi: "..."

Ignoring Sarutobi's unreadable expression, Shinji Uchiha continued, "Lord Third, I intend to become clan head within three years. The Uchiha Clan needs a new leader with the drive to move forward and the strength to bring the clan to heel! Only then can we unite all the conflicting voices and wills within it."

?

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a sharp pull on his pipe. His thoughts were a muddle. What kind of outrageous talk is this?

You want to push forward?

Unite the Uchiha's voices and wills?

I support your opposition to Fugaku, but this talk of forging ahead? I can't agree with that. Once you become Clan Head...

What will you do next?

Stage a coup and seize the Hokage Position?!

"And then?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned forward and narrowed his eyes.

"And then?"

Confusion crossed Shinji's face. "Restore the Uchiha Clan's former glory, of course, and correct Madara Uchiha's mistakes! Put Konoha back on the path it followed at its founding and fulfill the First Hokage's long-held wish! The Uchiha are... far too divided and chaotic right now. Some of the voices within the clan worry me."

"Hm?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked startled. "You... you truly mean that?"

Shinji looked even more puzzled. "Third Hokage, where the leaves dance, the fire burns on! Isn't that what the school has always taught us?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi froze.

Then his blood began to stir.

Was this what youth felt like?

Something still struck him as slightly off, yet he also felt a sudden flash of understanding.

Of course!

Shinji is seventeen!

He graduated at seven, went to war at eight, and lived through the Nine-Tails' Attack and Minato's death!

He understands the Will of Fire better than anyone!

Granted...

There had been a little misunderstanding between the village and Shinji during the Nine-Tails' Attack, but that was all the fox demon's doing.

"So!"

Shinji Uchiha declared firmly, "I hope you'll lend me a hand, Lord Third! The Uchiha must change!"

"We don't have much time!"

We?

A smile appeared on Hiruzen's face.

"You should know that although I've spent these past few years on the border, I've kept hearing news from the clan. Clan Head Fugaku can barely suppress the calls for a coup anymore!"

"Oh?!"

Sarutobi's smile vanished. "People in the clan already want to stage a coup?"

What an old master of the act!

You've nearly finished sharpening Uchiha Itachi into your blade, and you're still pretending.

Shinji did not take the bait. He lowered his head in grief. "Third Hokage, I truly don't want bloodshed between the clan and the village. We're all one family!"

"Do people fight enemies on the border just so Konoha can tear itself apart from within?!"

"No!"

"That must never happen! I won't allow it!"

Shinji jerked his head up, tears glistening in his eyes and resolve blazing in his gaze. "Third Hokage, please help me!!!"

"All right!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed genuinely moved by Shinji's heartfelt plea.

He slammed a hand on the table. "Shinji! Well said! You're the one truly living by the Will of Fire!"

"Konoha's future rests in the hands of young people like you..."

"Go ahead, Shinji! When you need help, I'll back you at the village council!"

Shinji sprang to his feet and bowed ninety degrees. "Thank you, Lord Third! I'll be going now. Please... get some rest, and try to smoke less!"

At last, a smile spread across Sarutobi's face.

He watched Shinji leave, then leisurely lit his pipe and took a deep drag. "Good. What a good boy. I'd thought Shisui was a fine young man, but I never expected him to refuse so decisively, without leaving the slightest room for discussion..."

"And Shinji, whom I'd always had doubts about, turned out to have such a passionate, forthright side. He laid his heart bare. What a good boy!"

"No!"

A raspy voice rang out without warning.

It shattered Hiruzen's pleasant thoughts.

A strange man wrapped in bandages emerged from a dark corner of the room. "Hiruzen! That boy is cunning. He's been winning people over since he was little, and not a word he says is true. You can't trust him!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "Danzo, you're overthinking it! Shinji has certainly done some things he shouldn't have, but he helps the villagers and treats people warmly. That's just part of his personality. Besides, this isn't about whether we can trust him. His beliefs clash with Fugaku's, and instability within the Uchiha is exactly what the village wants!"

"Come to think of it, I'd forgotten that. Now that you mention it, his personality reminds me even more of Minato..."

"Minato?!"

Danzo flew into a rage. "You have the nerve to bring up Minato! I proposed having him join Root back then. Only there could his talents have been put to full use!"

"And what happened?! He died!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's temper flared too. He slammed the table. "Danzo! Enough! I won't argue with you about Minato again!"

Danzo gritted his teeth. "Fine, fine! But Shinji Uchiha—that inherently evil Uchiha brat—cannot be trusted! Aren't you afraid he'll become a hundred times harder to handle than Fugaku?"

Seeing Danzo relent, Sarutobi nodded. "I understand your concern. But focus on what you're supposed to do. I'll make my own judgment about Shinji Uchiha!"

"Hiruzen! You're as stubborn as ever!"

Danzo snapped, "Do you know he approached the Nine-Tails' vessel tonight? An Uchiha who just returned from the battlefield sought out the Nine-Tails' vessel. Have you thought about what he's planning, or what consequences it could have?!"

"Danzo! Shut up! His name is Naruto Uzumaki! He's Minato's son, not some Nine-Tails' vessel!"

Danzo faltered, then clenched his teeth. "Fine, fine! I'll concede that much. But I propose that if we spot anything suspicious, we move against Shinji Uchiha first..."

"No!"

"Hiruzen! You'll regret this!"

Sarutobi's anger finally boiled over. "Danzo! I'm the Hokage!"

Bang!

"Lord Danzo!"

Kakashi, unfazed, saluted Shimura Danzō as he stormed out and slammed the door.

"Hmph!"

Danzo snorted and stalked away.

"Kakashi, come in."

"Third Hokage!"

"Did Shinji approach Naruto tonight? What did he say?" Sarutobi put on his Hokage hat, his body almost lost inside his wide ceremonial robe.

Half his face was hidden in shadow. Only his pipe was visible.

Kakashi knelt on one knee. "They seemed to be meeting for the first time. Shinji Uchiha happened to run into him on his way to get ramen. Naruto didn't even know his name."

"I see."

Sarutobi took off his hat, revealing a kindly smile.

"Good. Thank you, Kakashi. You've worked hard lately. I'll have someone else protect Naruto tonight. You can take a day off."

"...Yes!" Kakashi answered quietly.