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Inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen sat behind his desk, a pipe between his fingers, quietly smoking as he listened to an ANBU report on the recent situation with the Uchiha.
"You're saying that over a month ago, the Uchiha started aggressively bidding on residential land throughout the village?"
He took a slow drag, then looked toward the ANBU jōnin delivering the report.
The man had silver hair, his face hidden behind a black mask, dressed in the standard tight black ANBU uniform. His expression was cold, almost mechanical.
Hatake Kakashi replied, "Yes, Lord Hokage."
Even in front of the Hokage, his tone was flat and businesslike, like a machine with no emotion.
Kakashi had lived a tragic life.
At seven, his father—the famed White Fang of Konoha—was driven to suicide by the village's scorn.
At twelve, during the Kannabi Bridge mission, his teammate Uchiha Obito had died saving him from Iwa-nin.
Later, a chain of events involving Kirigakure led to Nohara Rin dying by his own hand, struck by his Chidori.
A year ago, during the Nine-Tails disaster, both his teacher and his teacher's wife had died.
Now, he stood alone.
That loneliness had carved him into someone distant and cold.
As he listened, Hiruzen's wrinkled face fell into thought.
The Sarutobi clan had once considered getting into real estate, but the heavy upfront investment and long return cycle made them give up on the idea. Other clans had similar concerns, which is why no one was particularly interested in that field.
And yet the Uchiha were diving into it?
Desperation made people do foolish things.
A faint, meaningful smile crept onto Hiruzen's face.
He could already imagine the Uchiha's project collapsing. When that happened, the Sarutobi clan could swoop in, take everything over at a low price, and make a fortune.
Kakashi noticed the strange smile but didn't question it. He simply continued his report.
"In addition, complaints from villagers about the Uchiha have decreased recently. Instead, complaints about the major clans have increased."
Hiruzen frowned. "What's going on?"
It turned out the Uchiha leadership had adopted Ken's suggestion.
For conflicts in the village, the Uchiha Police Force now handled things by smoothing everything over. Big problems became small, small problems became nothing.
If something could be ignored, they ignored it.
If something had to be handled, they dealt with it casually.
When conflicts arose between major clans and villagers, the Uchiha took an unusually gentle approach, constantly mediating and defusing tensions.
At the same time, they subtly shifted the blame onto the major clans.
Because of this, the clans couldn't really complain—they were often in the wrong to begin with.
The villagers, meanwhile, felt the Uchiha had done their best.
In the end, the Uchiha Police stepped out of the conflict entirely, leaving the clans and villagers facing off against each other.
"Hmph. Fugaku's gotten crafty," Hiruzen muttered under his breath.
Then he said to Kakashi, "Pass a message to Uchiha Fugaku. From now on, all public security incidents in the village must be handled strictly, and those responsible must be punished seriously."
Kakashi paused for a moment. "Lord Hokage… but many of these incidents are caused by the Sarutobi clan. Wouldn't that be… inappropriate?"
Hiruzen fell silent.
Ever since he became the Third Hokage, many of his clansmen had indeed grown arrogant under his protection.
After a long moment, he sighed. "Put it on hold for now."
Kakashi nodded, saying nothing.
Once the report ended, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the office in an instant.
Hiruzen stood and looked out over the village through the window.
A year ago, the Nine-Tails disaster had taken the lives of the Fourth Hokage and his wife. Konoha had lost two top-tier fighters in a single night, along with many jōnin and chūnin.
Against the Nine-Tails, even large numbers of elite ninja meant very little.
Even the Fourth Hokage and his wife had paid with their lives just to split and seal the beast.
Part of that was because Kushina had just given birth and was weakened.
But more than anything, it was because of how terrifying the Nine-Tails was.
On that same day, Hiruzen's wife, Biwako, had also been killed by Uchiha Obito.
With the village in crisis, Hiruzen had stepped back into power.
Regaining authority should have been something to celebrate.
But the loss of so much strength weighed heavily on him.
Fortunately, the Third Great Ninja War had already ended.
Although there were still occasional clashes between villages, they were small—just the loss of one or two ninja at a time.
To Hiruzen, that was acceptable.
They had died for the Will of Fire.
They were heroes.
Their deaths had meaning.
The village would remember them.
Smoke slowly filled the office as he exhaled.
He returned to his seat and performed the Telescope Technique.
Inside the crystal ball on his desk, the image of a child appeared.
The boy looked about one year old, with bright blond hair and fair skin. Faint whisker-like markings lined both cheeks.
Six Paths markings.
The child was Uzumaki Naruto.
He was sitting alone, stacking building blocks.
When they collapsed, he grew frustrated and burst into tears.
No one else was in the room.
His cries echoed, unanswered.
After a while, the caretaker returned from grocery shopping. Hearing him cry, she hurried inside and picked him up, trying to comfort him.
Through the crystal ball, Hiruzen could see Naruto's movements, but not hear his cries.
A trace of disgust flickered in his eyes.
It wasn't Naruto he hated.
It was the Nine-Tails sealed inside him.
But over time, the whispers of other ninja—and the sheer devastation the Nine-Tails had caused—had slowly turned that disgust toward the child as well.
As Hokage, Hiruzen couldn't show such feelings.
He could only bury them deep inside.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Hiruzen said, dispelling the Telescope Technique.
The crystal ball went still again.
An old man in white entered slowly. His right eye was wrapped in bandages, his face stern and rigid, carrying an air of cold darkness.
When his gaze landed on the Hokage's seat, a flash of deep jealousy passed through his heart.
Shimura Danzō, leader of Root.
Once, he had also had a chance to sit in that very chair.
Now, he was technically Orochimaru's superior.
"So it's you. What a rare guest," Hiruzen said, taking a deep drag before exhaling a ring of smoke.
Danzō, an old fox himself, easily caught the sarcasm. He sat down on the sofa, expression unchanged.
"As Hokage, you're the village's highest authority, personally appointed by the Daimyō. I may lead Root, but I'm still your subordinate. Surely you won't refuse to discuss work with one of your own?"
In the past, Danzō had even sent men disguised as rogue ninja to assassinate Hiruzen, only for the attempt to be exposed effortlessly.
Hiruzen hadn't pursued the matter.
They had once fought side by side, risking their lives. That bond still meant something.
Even so, their relationship had become… complicated.
Hiruzen stubbed out his pipe.
He stood, walked over, and sat on the sofa to Danzō's left.
"What is it?" he asked plainly. "Get to the point."
"....."