The Third Hokage: First Move Send Danzō to Prison

The study group had just ended, and Naruto was walking home alone when he heard a tiny voice behind him.

"N-Naruto-kun!"

He turned around and saw Hinata standing three steps away, head lowered, nervously twisting the hem of her jacket. Her cheeks were as red as the evening sky.

"Huh? Hinata? What's up?" Naruto scratched his head.

Hinata took a deep breath and summoned her courage to speak. "Umm… I heard you've been studying with Sasuke and the others…"

"Yeah, totally!" Naruto instantly perked up and started bragging. "Can you believe Sasuke couldn't even solve the Flying Thunder God math problems? It was hilarious! I've been teaching him!"

Hinata's eyes lit up. "Th-then… I…"

Her voice grew even quieter. "I'd like to… join you too…"

"Huh? What'd you say?" Naruto leaned in, confused.

"I-I want to join the study group!" Hinata suddenly blurted out, then immediately shrank back like a startled bunny.

Naruto blinked, then laughed brightly. "Of course you can!"

He clapped her on the shoulder. "It'd be awesome to have you there! You're amazing at the academic stuff!"

The sudden physical contact nearly made Hinata faint. Her entire body seemed to steam with embarrassment.

"But…" Naruto suddenly rubbed his chin, thinking. "I gotta check with those two first… Oh! Right!"

He clapped his hands. "Hinata, wanna come watch a movie too? Sasuke said he's treating us for a whole month!"

"M-movie?!" Hinata's mind instantly filled with the image of sitting next to Naruto in a dark theater. The world spun.

"Hinata? Hey, Hinata!" Naruto caught the staggering girl in a panic. "You okay? Your face is super red!"

…

In the high-security wing of Konoha's prison, Kisame Hoshigaki was doing one-armed push-ups. The muscles beneath his white vest flexed with each rep.

Ever since the Third Hokage rebranded the Konoha prison and allocated a fresh budget for renovations, the place had improved significantly. The new cells were basic but clean. The concrete floor shone from regular polishing, and sunlight filtered in through barred windows. A calendar marked the day's date, and several issues of the Konoha Daily were pinned to the wall.

The headlines read:

"Terror Organization Akatsuki Raids Hidden Cloud"

"New Raikage Mabui Crowned, Thanks Konoha for Support"

"Mastermind Behind the Nine-Tails Incident Revealed – Shocking Identity"

Konoha's transparency with the public was truly remarkable very different from the secrecy of the Hidden Mist.

If he had to borrow a term from these papers, it was like comparing a feudal relic to a nation racing into modernity.

"One thousand nine hundred ninety-seven… one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight…"

He panted, sweat rolling down his blue skin.

Since that conversation with the Third Hokage, Kisame had clearly turned a corner. He'd resumed regular training, started following Konoha's news, even bantered with guards. During yard time, he was often found reading in the library mirroring the habits of a certain political prisoner in the upper cell block.

"Kisame Hoshigaki!" The guard's voice echoed in the corridor. "You have a visitor."

Kisame finished his final rep and wiped his face with the towel on his bunk. "Let me guess the Hokage again? I've told him, not unless Itachi—"

"It's Uchiha. He's here to see you."

Kisame froze.

A slow, toothy grin spread across his face. "He finally came, huh?"

Following the guard down the long corridor, they passed under a large red banner: Reform Yourself. Become a Better Person.

The door to the visitation room creaked open. Through the iron bars, that familiar figure sat calmly across from him.

Gone was the red-and-black cloak of a cursed loner. Uchiha Itachi now wore a standard jonin flak vest, with a fresh Konoha headband on his brow. His eyes were serene. A briefcase full of documents rested on the table.

"Long time no see," Itachi said softly. "Kisame."

This was his first official assignment since returning to Konoha: convincing Kisame to defect for good.

Kisame bared his sharklike teeth in a grin. "That outfit doesn't suit you at all, Itachi."

Itachi didn't bite. Instead, he pulled out a document.

"This is a pardon drafted by the Third Hokage," he said clearly. "If you're willing—"

Kisame cut him off. "The Hokage's offered me this speech more than once. I've been reading the papers. I wanted to ask you about your constant betrayals, but…"

He paused, then said more seriously, "Now I want to know do you really think the Third Hokage's peace plan is more reliable than that fake Uchiha Madara's?"

Itachi thought for a moment before answering. "Yes. Konoha is changing every day."

He took out another document economic assistance plans from Konoha to the Hidden Mist.

"It's not just about Konoha. The goal is peace across the whole ninja world."

Kisame examined the files, clicking his tongue in surprise. "So Konoha hides its ambition behind a smiling face of peace."

Looks like he's read quite a bit during this little 'business trip,' Itachi thought to himself.

He didn't deny it. "As the Third Hokage puts it, he's fighting for cultural victory."

…

"Once Whitebeard arrives in Konoha, you're not going to treat him like some emperor emeritus, are you?" Sarutobi joked.

"I might!" Ace replied with a laugh.

Wait Ace? A rebel at heart after all?

"Ha! I'm at my peak now, and with the prestige of cutting down Akainu, I call the shots when Dad visits."

Not entirely wrong. With advanced Haki mastered, Whitebeard trusting him to lead the fleet made sense.

"So what's next?" Sarutobi asked.

"Like I said Wano."

Ah. The kind of "friendship" that sounds a lot like unspoken love. Sarutobi understood instantly.

"Going to Wano to propose to Kaido's daughter?" he teased.

"No way he's the bad guy!" Ace huffed. "I'm just there to bring Yamato back."

Got it. He's going full shonen protagonist.

"How's Konoha on your end, anyway?"

"Complicated," Sarutobi sighed.

After all, his own students and their students might soon go to war over this "peace plan."

The burdens of leadership…

…

Old man Ōnoki ultimately rejected the idea of holding the Five Kage Summit in Konoha.

After losing his Tailed Beasts, the Akatsuki's focus had shifted to Konoha, which held the One-Tail, Eight-Tail, and Nine-Tail. Maybe he was hoping Akatsuki would level Konoha too just like they had Cloud.

Ōnoki was a shifty old ghost.

Back in his office, the Third Hokage jotted notes as he contemplated how to handle the Akatsuki threat.

If the ninja world were a grand strategy game, then Konoha, as the largest faction, held nearly ten military units rated 90+ himself included and countless secondary elites in the 60–89 range.

Their firepower was overwhelming.

But as the strongest power, Konoha couldn't afford to focus every resource on Akatsuki alone.

Villagers needed food, jobs, and growth. The place couldn't just explode into war. Everyone had their roles. They weren't glass cannons at least not yet.

And relying too often on "summoning the First Hokage via Edo Tensei to clean up the mess" wasn't sustainable. The man was a former leader, not a living contingency plan.

"Time to call in my dragons and phoenixes for a proper council."

Ahem.

Sarutobi cleared his throat.

Immediately, two masked ANBU one with a monkey mask, the other a fox appeared silently.

"Inform Shikaku and Itachi. Tell them it's time for a meeting in my office."

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Loving the tale?Support the saga and get exclusive early access to new chapters by hopping on Patreon with me!

[email protected]/yanxx

Change @ to a.