The tense standoff, poised to erupt at any moment, had vanished. In its place, they stood quietly.
The hidden wounds of childhood, submerged beneath the surface, had been torn open in humiliating fashion today and laid bare in all their bloody ugliness.
Though some resentment remained, the greatest source of conflict between the two had been resolved through a bold approach that had looked ready to go disastrously wrong at any moment.
And along with it, ["Coincidence"] on the system panel dimmed.
The fate cost had been paid, and the wish to "help the two resolve their emotional knots" had been fulfilled.
Watanabe Ichiro lowered his eyes, giving them space to settle their emotions and regain their composure.
A fatal conflict had always existed in the relationship between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, one they could not resolve on their own.
Watanabe Ichiro had noticed this back when he was using his Uchiha Ichiro disguise.
There had always been a trace of doubt in the way Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Shimura Danzō, and Shimura Danzō would unconsciously frown in retaliation.
But the two knew each other too well. Their habitual way of interacting kept them from seeing the problem, while most of the Konoha High Command belonged to their generation and would not notice anything amiss either.
Yet a gaze carried weight.
Through years of those "minor discomforts," issues of trust and doubt would only grow more severe with age and experience.
That scrutinizing gaze and their flawed way of interacting would sooner or later spark conflict and arguments between them.
And judging by the original story, the outcome would probably not be good.
At the time, however, Uchiha Ichiro had been no more than a casual acquaintance to them, and he had not been particularly fond of either.
Though