Hatake Ziyan looked at the nervous man before him-Hatake Sakumo, known as Konoha's White Fang-and smiled helplessly. "Am I that scary? After all these years, you're still this frightened of me!"
"No! I'm just happy to see you again, Uncle Ziyan! I'm not scared!" Hatake Sakumo hurriedly waved his hands in explanation.
"Enough! Come with me! I haven't done anything in decades. Looks like some people have almost forgotten my reputation!" Hatake Ziyan rose, rested a hand on the sword at his waist, and headed outside.
After all these years, his uncle's temper was still just as fiery. At the slightest provocation, he went looking for trouble.
Hatake Sakumo shook his head, quickly picked up the short sword on the table, strapped it to his back, and followed.
The Hokage's office.
"Lord Third! Someone just entered Hatake Sakumo's courtyard. Not long afterward, the two of them left and headed toward the Hokage Building!" An Anbu ninja suddenly appeared in the office and reported to the Third Hokage.
"Who was it?" the Third Hokage asked.
"Lord Hokage, we don't know. He wore no ninja insignia, looked quite young, and was dressed like a samurai rather than a ninja!" the Anbu ninja replied.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard that the visitor looked young, his tightly furrowed brow relaxed a little.
Just then, Danzo suddenly pushed open the door with two Anbu in tow, strode straight to Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, and slammed a hand onto it.
"Hiruzen! He's back!" Danzo said, his voice trembling.
"Who?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in confusion.
"Hatake Ziyan! Our Lord Sword God, one of the Three Great Heroes of the Warring States!" As Danzo spoke, his eyes lost focus, cold sweat covered his forehead, and his body began to tremble.
"Impossible!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly. "My people just reported back too. The person who entered Sakumo's courtyard was a young man. If Lord Sword God were still alive, he would be around sixty by now, wouldn't he? How could he still be a young man?"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi!" Danzo roared. "I've searched for him for almost twenty years, all to find out whether he was dead or alive! If he were dead, it would be easier for us to control Konoha. If I hadn't spent all those years searching without finding him and assumed he was dead, I would never have moved against Hatake Sakumo. But I never expected him to come back the moment I made my move! He's back!!!"
Danzo took a few panting breaths, then said, "All these years, I've been using a portrait drawn of him as he looked when he left Konoha. So the moment he appeared outside Hatake Sakumo's courtyard, my men compared him against it. There's no mistake. I don't know why he's still so young, but it's definitely him!"
The pipe slipped from Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand and fell to the floor.
"It's over! We're finished!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slumped into his chair and muttered, "If that man loses his temper, we're done for!"
Just then, the door to the Hokage's office opened.
"Little Monkey, what happened? You're slumped in your chair like you can't move!" Hatake Ziyan said as he entered with Hatake Sakumo. Then he looked at Danzo and said coldly, "It's been so many years. Hello there, Lord Danzo."
"L-Lord Sword God! You've returned!" Hiruzen Sarutobi studied the man who had just entered, then hurriedly stood, walked over to Hatake Ziyan, and bowed respectfully.
Hatake Ziyan ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi-the Third Hokage, still in his prime, hailed as the Professor of Ninjutsu and touted as the strongest Hokage!
Hatake Ziyan walked straight to the seat Hiruzen Sarutobi had just occupied and sat down.
From the moment Hatake Ziyan entered, Danzo had stared at him, trembling all over and not daring to speak.
"Lord Sword God, this is all a misunderstanding. Rest assured..." Hiruzen Sarutobi began to explain, only for Hatake Ziyan to interrupt him.
"What misunderstanding? What happened? I've only just returned. I don't know anything about it," Hatake Ziyan said, deliberately feigning ignorance.
An icy silence settled over the room. Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know what to say, while Danzo was still in a daze.
"Lord Danzo!" The ninja behind Danzo tugged lightly at him and called in a low voice.
"Hm? Yes!" Danzo came to his senses and responded twice. Then he looked at Hatake Ziyan and skirted the issue. "Lord Ziyan, is there anything I can help you with on this visit?"
"Anything? Don't you know?" Hatake Ziyan leaned over the desk, propped his chin on one hand, and shot Danzo a sidelong glance.
Danzo shuddered and said in a trembling voice, "I don't know what matter you're referring to, Lord Sword God."
"Lord Danzo, doesn't this person look like some wet-behind-the-ears kid? How could he be Lord Sword God? Maybe he's Lord Sword God's descendant. Why are you so afraid of him?" the Root ninja behind Danzo muttered quietly.
"Shut up!" Danzo hastily snapped.
After reprimanding him, Danzo hurriedly glanced at Hatake Ziyan and wiped at the nonexistent sweat on his forehead.
Hatake Ziyan slowly stood. Suddenly, his clothes billowed without a breeze as his sharp gaze swept over everyone present.
The people in the room suddenly felt as though some savage primordial beast had fixed its gaze on them. It was as if a crushing weight bore down on their bodies, and the faint, dark red glow appearing around Hatake Ziyan made their hearts tremble.
The murderous bloodlust emanating from Hatake Ziyan made those who looked at him seem to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood behind him. They had no idea how many people this man had killed. The sight reminded them of Lord Sword God's other title-the Blood-Colored Swordsman!
Under the pressure of Hatake Ziyan's presence, the middle-aged Third Hokage and the powerful Hatake Sakumo fared somewhat better, showing little outward reaction.
The others were not so fortunate. Danzo was forced to bend at the waist, while the two Root ninja behind him collapsed into sitting positions on the floor.
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me now?" Hatake Ziyan asked again, his voice level.
"Lord Sword God, Lord Danzo and his men didn't do..."
Before the Root ninja could finish, he clutched his neck with both hands, blood spilling from his mouth, and fell to the floor with a thud.
"That isn't what I wanted to hear," Hatake Ziyan said, his voice still level.
No one present had seen how Hatake Ziyan drew his sword, but as they heard the metallic click of him sheathing it, not one of them dared make a sound.
"Uncle Ziyan, I'm fine. About this, I..." Hatake Sakumo said.
"Don't speak! I want to hear what they have to say!" Hatake Ziyan cut him off.
Before you continue