Hours after Suguru and Hiruzen made their decisions, the shadows shifted in a certain direction. The setting sun provided a certain eeriness to this moment.
No... Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that a certain Shinobi of Darkness moved.
Upon hearing the results of his subordinate's attempt at Uchiha Tatsuya's life, Danzo appeared before the Hokage himself.
"Hiruzen,"
Walking into the Hokage's office, Danzo bore an unassuming presence. Every footstep was silent. Every movement was measured.
The Danzo of this timeline was nothing like the Danzo of the original.
In this world, in this time...
Konoha's Shinobi of Darkness wielded unimaginable power. He was a true S-rank shinobi, even without his Sharingan-filled right arm.
Instead of a single and limited Kotoamatsukami, Danzo now bore two deadly Mangekyou Sharingan. Therefore, he also had access to the overbearing, pure white Susanoo that Uchiha Fugaku had used.
On top of all of that...
[Bishamonten].
[Amaterasu].
Each was a powerful Dojutsu in its own right.
Thus, Danzo as a person, no longer leaned towards being the manipulative type. With Hashirama's Cells implanted in his body and four years' worth of preparations, he had long surpassed the weakening Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Two crimson irises stared at Hiruzen from the shadows of his room. Danzo stood before him, uncaring of his current display's implications.
Danzo was strong.
Very strong.
"Why did you decide to shelter that Uchiha child?"
Danzo began his questioning. His Sharingan pierced straight into Hiruzen's eyes. In this state, not even the Hokage dared to gaze back.
Hiruzen was silent.
He weighed his thoughts. He contemplated his options. One wrong move and...
Hiruzen shook his head, ridding himself of negative thoughts.
Danzo hadn't been his usual self ever since he fought Fugaku and took the latter's eyes. Schemes that grew ever bolder kept surfacing from within Root.
The Shinobi of Darkness was growing in confidence.
Hiruzen had not once seen Danzo's face in these four years. For him to appear now...
A gaze was directed toward the orange sky. Hiruzen sighed.
"To have sacrificed an entire clan for the sake of peace... Was that the right move, old friend?"
This time, it was Danzo's time to be silent.
A subtle aura began to radiate from Hiruzen. It was ominous in that it chilled the air. It was terrifying in that it seemed to suffocate the light out of the room.
The scent of blood oozed out in a dense trickle of bloodlust.
"The Uchiha are dangerous." Danzo replied, "Why do you think Sensei had been so wary of them?"
"And yet you value them so much that you take their eyes," Hiruzen spoke, still gazing out into the sunset. "What have you become?"
"I haven't changed." Danzo's Sharingan shone, given light by the setting sun.
The orange sky had turned blood red.
"I am, and have always been a necessary existence for peace. I am the catalyst. The ninja world will find peace through unity under me, Hiruzen. I will achieve what you have struggled with for decades."
"Danzo... Peace is not gained through an iron fist."
Hiruzen began to frown. Disappointment etched itself into his features as if carved by a sword.
"But it can be gained through absolute power."
Danzo's tone was flat and void of all emotion and sympathy.
"Step down from your position. Appoint me in your stead. I will show you the true path to peace, as many have dearly wished for it."
***
After a whole day of training, Suguru was walking back to the Hokage's office. Ever since he settled on his desire to leave the village and roam the world, he had been thinking about how he could convince Hiruzen to allow him such leeway.
However...
'Something is off,'
Suguru's eyes drifted off to the crimson setting sun. The air was chilly.
The village was as silent as a tranquil lake. No sound blossomed from the streets.
'It's as if Konoha has fallen asleep,' Suguru took a deep breath. 'Something's wrong.'
Very wrong.
His gut had twisted itself into a knot. The instincts he had built up for years were all screaming in a chorus of wails.
"Hm?"
As he was walking, a certain face appeared in the distance. It was once again a familiar one. With two scars slashed at the side of his face and a spiky ponytail, Suguru instantly identified the brain behind Konoha's every move.
'Nara Shikaku,' Suguru thought, moving to get a better view.
That was when Suguru saw who he was meeting with. It was an iconic character — someone whose death was mourned by many.
A legendary Sannin.
'Jiraiya...'
Suguru knew at that moment.
—He knew just why he was tested so violently earlier this morning. The world's undercurrents were moving in a dangerous direction.
Konoha needed to verify a few things once and for all.
***
As darkness fell, and the sun finally dipped beyond the horizon, Hiruzen no longer looked elsewhere.
"Danzo..."
Hiruzen no longer gave the title of an old friend to the man standing before him.
"...You have swam in the darkness for far too long."
Shaking his head, Hiruzen took off the Hokage's hat and held it in his hands. Looking at it, he took a deep breath and sighed.
"I do not want infighting. If you desire the seat of the Hokage that much..."
Hiruzen paused. Slowly, he placed the hat on the table with a sad gaze. An immeasurable disappointment was evident in his expression.
"You can have it."
Hearing these words, Danzo was shocked. His eyes quivered, and he was momentarily unable to comprehend what Hiruzen had just said. The bloodlust from just moments ago had vanished like it was nothing.
"I will assume a spot in the Council of Elders." Hiruzen's words were slow, steady, and void of any fear.
Only sorrow leaked out of his intonation.
It was evident that Hiruzen truly sought peace despite the sacrifices he had to make. His actions, although seemingly cowardly, had intricacies in its execution.
"If, at any point in time, you show a moment of incompetence..."
Hiruzen's eyes flashed with a deadly gleam.
Several chakra signatures erupted from all around the Hokage's building. Included there was the aura of not one, but two, S-rank shinobi.
"And to pursue what everyone had truly fought so hard for..."
Hiruzen had made many mistakes throughout his lifetime. Whether this one was one of those mistakes, he did not know.
However, when it does reveal itself to have been in any way, an unwise decision...
"...I will not hesitate to correct any of the mistakes I make today."
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