Every time Danzo made trouble, the Third Hokage was the one left to clean up the mess.
Every single time, and the cost only grew larger.
Unable to endure it any longer, the Third Hokage slammed his desk, opened the window, and leaped out.
Today, he didn't want to use the front door; he just wanted to get to Danzo as quickly as possible.
He wanted to ask him exactly what he was planning.
Would Danzo only be satisfied once Konoha was torn apart?
First it was Takuya, then Hatake Sakumo—who would be next?
As the Third Hokage left, an Anbu ninja hiding in the shadows quietly left to inform Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Anyone could see that the Third Hokage was furious.
When the Hokage was this angry, it meant trouble for Danzo, so Danzo had made preparations.
If the situation changed, the first task was to inform the elders Koharu and Homura.
"Old man???"
Tsunade, who had come to see the Third Hokage, noticed someone jumping out of the window near the Hokage's office.
Since when did the old man develop a habit of jumping out windows instead of using the door? Had Jiraiya's influence rubbed off on him?
Still, the old man's expression didn't look good.
Watching the Third Hokage's figure disappear, Tsunade thought it might be worth investigating.
So, she made her way to the Hokage's office at a leisurely pace.
The Anbu ninja hidden in the room didn't dare stop her and could only pretend not to see her.
At most, they would report it to the Third Hokage later.
"Tsk tsk tsk, no wonder he jumped out of the window in anger."
Opening the retirement application on the desk, Tsunade understood the reason behind it all.
Hatake Sakumo's retirement application, combined with the previous public backlash, gave her all the answers she needed.
Tsunade could only say that it was self-inflicted.
That's what you get for always shielding Danzo, always tolerating his underhanded actions. Now you understand the consequences.
Tsunade pouted and tossed her own paperwork onto the desk.
She had no intention of getting involved in all of this. Since it was Danzo and Orochimaru causing the trouble, let the Third Hokage clean up the mess himself.
"Make sure to remind the old man that I brought the documents and he needs to review and stamp them as soon as possible."
"Understood, Lady Tsunade."
Receiving the response from the Anbu ninja, Tsunade left without looking back.
As for her flipping through the application, it didn't matter. Forget an application—even if Tsunade carried a sealing scroll through the village, the Third Hokage wouldn't say a thing.
Why was Sarutobi coming?
Just a few days ago, he'd been warned. Danzo hadn't done anything outrageous since then—in fact, he hadn't done anything at all.
He couldn't figure out why the Third Hokage had come looking for him, especially in such a foul mood.
"Danzo!!!"
Before he could speak, the Third Hokage shouted at him:
"What are you trying to do? Are you trying to tear Konoha apart?!"
The Anbu ninja following the Third Hokage shivered upon hearing those words.
If he could, he would have turned around and left, coming back only after the Hokage and Danzo had finished their conversation.
Unfortunately, he couldn't leave; his duty was to protect the Hokage.
"Sarutobi, what do you mean?"
Being scolded outright, Danzo snorted in displeasure:
"When have I ever done anything to harm the village's interests?"
"When have you ever done anything to harm the village's interests?"
The Third Hokage paused. He expected Danzo to push back—passively enduring was never Danzo's style.
But for Danzo to say this—didn't he feel ashamed?
Even I feel embarrassed for you!
The Third Hokage chuckled bitterly, his finger pointing at Danzo trembling with anger.
"You've never harmed the village's interests?"
"Do you need me to list examples for you?"
"Do I need to summon everyone to a meeting to criticize you?"
"Enough!"
"What exactly do you want to say?"
"What do I want to say?"
The Third Hokage became more agitated:
"What I want to ask is what you're trying to do!!
What were those rumors about?
I've never interfered with your cooperation with Orochimaru, but what about you?
You unjustly ostracized Hatake Sakumo, and even used public opinion against him."
This time, Danzo had no rebuttal, as he knew he was in the wrong.
Arguing would only make the Third Hokage angrier.
"Hiruzen, what happened to make you this angry?"
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado put aside their work and rushed over as soon as they got word.
Did you do something to make Hiruzen angry again?
Koharu looked at Danzo, whose face darkened as he replied through gritted teeth:
"I didn't do anything!"
You did nothing?
Then why is the Hokage here yelling at you?
Koharu and Homura didn't believe him. The Third Hokage wasn't the type to trouble Danzo without a reason.
This had to be related to Danzo.
But first, they needed to understand what had happened.
Homura tried to mediate:
"Hiruzen, calm down. Did Danzo do something to make you angry?"
They needed to understand the situation before deciding whether or not to intervene.
"Don't you know what he's done?"
The Third Hokage said angrily:
"He ostracized me, and I let it slide. Orochimaru wants to be a Hokage candidate, and I understand that.
I know what you're up to, Danzo, but why did you have to use public opinion to attack Hatake Sakumo?"
"Public opinion?"
Hadn't that matter already blown over?
Koharu and Homura were confused. Why was it being brought up again?
"Now Hatake Sakumo's retirement application has been submitted to the Hokage office. He's determined to retire, to live as an ordinary man, and be a good father to Kakashi."
...
What?
Just like that?
Koharu and Homura were stunned. Was this the same Hatake Sakumo they knew?
Even Danzo was a bit bewildered.
He had indeed ostracized Sakumo and used public opinion against him, all to ensure Orochimaru's path to becoming Hokage was clear—preferably as the only candidate.
But ostracizing and attacking Sakumo didn't mean he wanted Sakumo to retire.
Sakumo was a powerful shinobi, and if he truly retired, it would be a hassle if they needed him for something in the future.
He could refuse anytime he wanted.
It would be difficult to rely on him.
"Hiruzen, don't be so upset. Maybe Sakumo is just acting on impulse. Let's give it some time and discuss it once he's calmed down, what do you think?"
"Calm down?"
"How can I calm down?"
The Third Hokage pointed at Danzo, his expression furious:
"The war with Kirigakure is still ongoing. Even Orochimaru can't end it quickly. Sunagakure is also becoming restless. If Sunagakure takes action now, who will stop them?"
Sunagakure had indeed started showing signs of restlessness; the Third Hokage wasn't making it up.
There was evidence.
Konoha had sent several teams to investigate and gather intelligence. Due to the high war reparations they owed, Sunagakure was struggling, and the village's development had come to a halt, with many complaints from its citizens.
They were eager to erase the massive debt from the war.
The best way to get rid of the reparations was to wage war against Konoha.
If they were at war, they wouldn't need to pay.
The instability in Sunagakure would be one thing, but since the start of the war between Konoha and Kirigakure, the Third Kazekage, who had been searching for rare minerals, had returned to the village, making the Third Hokage take the situation even more seriously.
If the Third Kazekage declared war on Konoha again, just the thought of it made the Third Hokage's scalp tingle.
Fighting a two-front war was no joke.
No matter how strong Konoha was, they couldn't handle the burden of two simultaneous fronts.
What the Third Hokage didn't realize was that Konoha wouldn't just be facing threats from two fronts—they would soon be facing threats from four directions!