Hiruzen Sarutobi could tell that something was wrong with his first friend.
While in a normal circumstance Danzou would know how to hide his worried state of mind, the fact that now was having trouble even hiding away the simplest hint of unease just left him a bit concerned. In a way, Hiruzen worried a lot about his friend. Danzou was strong, potentially stronger than him, but he was still someone that had limits. Some of those had been tested numerous times during the war, and he could tell that he had yet to fit back even after some months had passed since the closure of that conflict. It was upsetting how the conflict kept on haunting those that saw the worst and, while Hiruzen prided himself as someone that managed to overcome the few nights filled with gruesome scenes without seeing that particular situation worsening but improving until he was fully healed up, he still held a fair amount of sympathy for those that couldn't. War was ugly, the young Sarutobi could agree with his father's account of the previous one. This one was bloodier and definitely scarred more people than in the previous minor ones.
It was in his return that he found out through the celebrations and praises aimed at his name but also of those that were enlisted and serving in the army that he was a 'War Hero', and definitely someone that was 'worthy' of bearing the title of Heir to the Sarutobi Clan. That mere discovery had him frowning, the thought tied to it leaving him mostly upset about it. He hadn't been worthy of it… until that point? Until he drew his first kill? His father gave him a solid answer by telling him how it wasn't the case, and that people were just trying to give him extra honor through that. Nothing to besmirch the past, but to validate it through the action made by the heir himself. A confusing understanding and… not the reason why he was currently musing. In fact, he should focus back on his 'war brother' at once. Danzou was acting shiftier than usual, and he was rightfully holding back something from him. That was more than enough to spur him to investigate and the fact he was doing it with Danzou himself as his 'target' just made the entire process he was going through even more intense than usual. Investigations were something that the brunet had started to take part in. At first those were simulations, but then his father started to have him wander around with him to see crime scenes if there was one or two, telling him the basis to study the criminal behavior of some individuals. Nothing too complicated, everything was, after all, based on Sasuke Sarutobi's own grasp of his job. A job he had started with minimal experience and that he still managed to be successful in despite some early bumps in his career.
Hiruzen was supposedly going to be his successor in handling the police affair, so he was learning how to handle that kind of pressure early on. And he liked it. There was just a sense of thrill that was different from the one he felt during combat. Something that tickled his curiosity at trying to reveal what was hidden in the darkness of some cases. There were times the explanation was simple, others where everyone had to put an extra thought on it. In this peculiar circumstance, he learned that the situation was more complex than expected. First he tried to approach mutual friends. Old school classmates were unable to give him a legitimate answer. He decided to check on his own classmate, not when he preferred to avoid getting lectured by Koharu about not annoying her 'Danzou-kun' and how her 'dashing hero' was probably busy doing something important hence why he didn't talk to him. He knew that it would be a lie, and he really didn't need to up the dosage of getting called 'Hiru-baka' by someone he was slowly growing to detest. At least Homura didn't squeak like a moron around any passing girl. Sure, Danzou had a boyish charm not many of their peers had, but that didn't mean he was a 'dashing hero'. 'Meddling schemer with a propensity to explode things he didn't like at the first approval' sounded mostly better.
With that option out of the way, Hiruzen went to investigate other contacts. Friends that only Danzou had, even his own mother and Sensei. Heck, he even went to check on the Tailed Beasts, mustering enough courage to ask them questions. The Kyuubi refused, while a giggling Nibi gave him clues he understood. Only that he was connected and that in the end, he was going to be shocked, awed and then partly disappointed. That was one of the most ominous prophecies he had ever heard. Actually, it was the first time he heard a prophecy in general. He tried to further make sense of this by indulging his sensei and even the Hokage to provide him with answers, but both men were surprisingly unwilling to check on the matter. What really drew the most suspicion was that Hashirama Senju was keen to give another hint for Hiruzen to hear about. 'The final result would be of his liking, albeit not of the way he was currently expecting'. More confusion, more questions, and a general sense of dread tied to this ominous case. What kind of surprise? And why could he tell something was so wrong about it?
He was clueless, completely captured by endless scenarios ranging from outright weird to outright bad. He could tell something was immensely off about this very situation and he was given further confirmation when one day he woke up to find that his father had left for work earlier than usual. While it wasn't unusual for his working parents to be forced into the office in the first hours of the morning for normal business, this time Hiruzen knew that it wasn't that. Not when his father mentioned anything to the boy's mother about his early leave. In fact, the woman was rather tight-lipped. What was Danzou doing and why was it spreading to everyone else? He spent the rest of the day outdoors, training and trying to check back on the words provided by Reira, Yoshiko and Himeko. Specifically the last one as Hirotada was quick to interrupt something important by saying that 'it was not relevant, and that she was supposed to be writing down plans to conquer her possible suitor'. It saddened him a lot to hear about arranged marriages, but Himeko didn't seem displeased with the idea. In fact, the usually stuttering and shy young woman just darted from the spot and ran back to her room while humming happily about 'getting him for the family' and 'he will be mine eventually', which left Hiruzen more perplexed than not. Still, he found nothing, and he decided to get back home to actually try to involve his father in this one. He had avoided his old man for the sake of proving that he was capable of discerning the truth on his own but… it was clear it wasn't the same. Still, as he vaulted the entrance door and made his way to the living room, he was greeted with a dark room where shadow was cast beyond the small table. He frowned, confused and as he moved to open the window on the side, his ears were assaulted by a chorus echoing a single word.
"SURPRISE!"
Hiruzen jumped in surprise at the noise, his eyes going wide open as he quickly scanned over the room. The Hokage, Lady Mito, the twins, his father and mother, Danzou's mother, Reira, Kagami, Hirotada, Homura and… Danzou. He narrowed his eyes at the last element, a cheeky look on his face before the brunet's gaze turned at the peculiar element on the table. A homemade cake with… a candle? No, the candle itself was set in the middle of a tiny iron-made contraption which allowed it to remain stuck in the middle of the cake with a piece of paper at a fair distance from it. On the paper, a single kanji.
Eleven.
His mind went blank as he realized what was going on.
"My-
"Happy birthday, Hiruzen-kun!" Danzou cheered happily. "I hope you like the surprise."
…
It took Hiruzen a moment to reorganize his thoughts. Mostly because he had to endure for just a brief instant the sheer pain born from having a 'broken pride' at failing to catch onto something so easy as a birthday party. One that Danzou had been asked to organize. Hence why he had been so worried and shifty… but also why nobody was willing to tell him anything. It was a sweet defeat, and one that the cake was meant to help as Danzou said it was a pastry he had recently 'conceived' as a lovely dessert. It was a lemon cake, and it was meant to be quite sweet and thus a good meal for someone like Hiruzen. Sadly, the entire cast of guests would soon regret even taking a bite out of their slices. It was evident in their bitter faces, with some questioning Danzou about why there was salt in it. While the early assumption was that he did something, the truth was that even the boy was chewing in surprise at the salty betrayal, clearly unaware of this matter.
But Hiruzen knew while he looked back at his memories, he remembered the giddy grin on a certain cat's face. It was clear to him what happened and how this was the 'disappointment' he was foretold. And despite the bitterness ruling out a pleasant afternoon from unfolding, he could already tell one thing for certain.
Vengeance is going to be glorious.