After leaving the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Tetsuya couldn't help marveling.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi really does love Danzo. He'd rather pay out all that compensation than hand him over. You could count bonds like theirs on one hand in the entire shinobi world."
Zabuza, who was serving as Tetsuya's bodyguard, agreed.
"Indeed. Sacrificing the interests of an entire village to protect one man-what a blessing it must be for that village to have a Hokage like him.
"Still, even so, I'd say the villagers of Konoha have it far better than we did in Kirigakure. At least they don't have to live in the Blood Mist."
"That's true. Compared to Kirigakure, Konoha is practically paradise."
As he spoke, Tetsuya patted Zabuza's shoulder reassuringly.
"But don't be too upset. As long as we stand together and work hard, we can change the future."
"Yes, sir. I believe in you."
"It's not me you should believe in. It's us. We will succeed."
"You're right, sir. We will succeed."
Tetsuya then added.
"Actually, I think there might be another reason Hiruzen Sarutobi is shielding Danzo like this."
"Another reason?"
"Yes. Nobody devotes themselves wholeheartedly to cleaning up someone else's mess unless their own interests are involved."
Zabuza considered it carefully for a moment, then spoke with a look of realization.
"I understand, sir. You mean Hiruzen Sarutobi is protecting Danzo because they're really one and the same. A lot of these matters don't just involve Danzo. Hiruzen Sarutobi might be implicated behind the scenes as well.
"If Danzo falls, Hiruzen Sarutobi will take a serious hit, even if it doesn't kill him. At the very least, he won't be able to remain Hokage. The reputation as the strongest Hokage that he's cultivated over so many years will crumble, and he'll become the