Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Danzo, You Can't Become Hokage
The seal space fell into silence. Naruto was deep in thought, while the Nine-Tails waited for his response.
"To be honest, Kurama, your honesty surprises me, but honesty is also the foundation of a good partnership."
Naruto smiled, his expression unbothered and even somewhat satisfied. He continued, "To be honest, the concept of parents is a strange topic for me. Aside from giving me life, they left me with nothing but you and the malice of this entire village."
"They could have sealed you inside someone else or simply let you leave the village. But instead, they chose to keep the Nine-Tails in Konoha, never considering what the life of a Jinchuriki would be like in the village. In the end, between the village and me, they chose the village."
"Even if their intentions might not have been malicious, they were still indirect contributors to all of this. But since they gave me life, I won't hate them. Similarly, I won't hate you either. So, you don't need to worry about me holding any malice toward you."
Naruto grinned again, and even the Nine-Tails felt a chill when he looked at the white teeth. But soon, the grin faded, and the fox's face returned to its usual arrogant expression.
The idea of destroying the village founded by Hashirama Senju did excite it, after all.
"Fine, then. I'll play along with you. Tell me, what do you want me to do, reincarnation of Asura!"
"Just give me your power."
A thin red thread of Chakra quietly appeared in the cold, damp, and dim space, connecting the Nine-Tails and Naruto.
---
At the same time, in the Hokage's Office in Konoha.
As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen often had to deal with various village affairs, leaving him with little time to rest. As a result, he frequently stayed overnight in the Hokage Tower.
Today, he had to stay late again to handle the conflict between the Military Police Force and the civilians.
'What a headache. The Uchiha Clan… Even with Shisui trying to mediate, things still remained the same as always.'
Hiruzen picked up his old pipe, which had been with him for over a decade, and took a deep drag. For a brief moment, his expression relaxed as he exhaled a cloud of white smoke, but the headache soon returned.
What truly troubled him now wasn't the Uchiha Clan's Military Police Force issue. After all, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village was a long-standing historical problem, not something that could be resolved overnight.
"Suddenly extracting Chakra... Did someone secretly contact the Jinchuriki? Or is it the Tailed Beast's doing?"
In the haze of smoke, Hiruzen's wrinkled, thin face flickered in and out of view as he muttered to himself.
Bang!
Just as Hiruzen was lost in thought, the door was abruptly pushed open. An old man with a cane walked in briskly. Without even looking, Hiruzen knew who it was. In Konoha, there was only one person who dared to be so disrespectful to the Hokage.
The 'Darkness of the Ninja World', the shadow of Konoha, the founder and leader of the Root, the infamous Hokage Advisor… Shimura Danzo.
Before Hiruzen could even ask, Danzo spoke first.
"Hiruzen, I heard the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki suddenly learned to extract Chakra..."
Bang!
Before Danzo could finish, Hiruzen slammed his old pipe down on the table.
"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
'What a joke. I had just received the report from the Anbu about Naruto suddenly extracting Chakra, and now Danzo was already here in the Hokage Tower?'
'Could it be that in Konoha, your Root's intelligence network surpasses even my own Anbu, the Hokage's force? Who was even the Hokage here?'
In any case, the unexpected development with the Jinchuriki had already put Hiruzen in a terrible mood, and Danzo had walked right into the line of fire.
And Danzo, who had just entered the office with an aggressive demeanor, was momentarily stunned by Hiruzen's outburst.
'What was going on? I hadn't even started my usual routine, and already the conversation had taken a turn?'
But Danzo was no ordinary man. As the 'Darkness of the Ninja World' and a man determined to become Hokage, he wasn't so easily intimidated. After a brief pause, his expression quickly returned to its previous angry state.
"Hiruzen, this matter is extremely serious. Someone managed to bypass Root's surveillance and directly contact the Jinchuriki. There are traitors in the village, and they are skilled in Genjutsu and sensing."
Danzo's face was filled with rage, and he even waved his cane in the air. In all of Konoha, the only things that could make Danzo this agitated were the Hokage's position and the Uchiha Clan.
And as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto was naturally tied to Danzo's dream of becoming Hokage. In a village that was already showing signs of decline, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, which is the 'nuclear weapon' since the founding of Konoha, had never been more important than it was now.
Therefore, Danzo had to bring the Jinchuriki under his Root's control.
"Hiruzen, the Jinchuriki has already been targeted by certain individuals. You must hand him over to Root."
Hiruzen forced himself to calm down. After taking another deep drag from his pipe, he exhaled a cloud of smoke and said in a low voice, "Danzo, I've told you many times. I will not hand Naruto over to you. "
"He is the child of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato's child. He should grow up bathed in the Will of Fire, under the sunlight."
'This bastard.'
Danzo grew even angrier at these words.
'This hypocritical, sanctimonious fraud! What 'bathed in the Will of Fire', what 'under the sunlight'… it was all just a smokescreen. In reality, you, Hiruzen, just wanted to keep the Jinchuriki under your own control.'
Back when Danzo had spread the rumors about the Jinchuriki being the demon fox, his plan had been to take control of the Jinchuriki himself. But in the end, Hiruzen had swooped in and taken the prize, leaving Danzo to shoulder the blame.
He knew very well that the current Hiruzen was no longer the Ninja Hero of old. After decades of being corrupted by the power of the Hokage's position, Hiruzen had lost his former ambition.
Now, he was just a weak old man who would back down in the face of even the smallest threats from minor villages, a man who only knew how to play political games.
It was time for Danzo to take the Hokage's seat.
"Huruzen, the Jinchuriki has suddenly learned to extract Chakra. He needs guidance, and as the Hokage, you don't have the time to teach him."
As he spoke, a glint appeared in Danzo's single eye, "Only Root can properly guide the Jinchuriki. In Root, I will mold him into the finest weapon, one that will protect Konoha better than anyone else.
Hiruzen remained silent, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke. Danzo wasn't wrong about one thing, as Naruto did need guidance now. But that guidance would never come from Root.
Hiruzen strongly suspected that Naruto had already made contact with the Nine-Tails. After all, there was no way Naruto could have learned how to extract Chakra on his own, and Hiruzen was fairly certain no one in the village had secretly contacted the Jinchuriki. This was a line no one dared to cross.
As for Danzo's mention of someone skilled in Genjutsu and sensing, it was obvious who he was referring to.
'Tomorrow, I should make time to visit Naruto and deliver next month's living expenses.'
Hiruzen made up his mind.
But his silence only fueled Danzo's frustration.
"Hiruzen! Are you even listening to me? You must hand the Jinchuriki over to Root for guidance. Only in Root can he..."
"Shimura Danzo! "
Hiruzen's patience was wearing thin. It was already late at night, and after a long day of work, he was exhausted and needed rest.
"Are you done?"
Being called by his full name startled Danzo. Combined with Hiruzen's face obscured by smoke, Danzo couldn't tell if Hiruzen was genuinely angry or just trying to intimidate him.
"Huruzen, I..."
"Enough, Danzo!" Hiruzen cut him off again, his expression hidden behind the smoke but his tone complex, "There are some things I don't want to bring into the open. So, regarding Naruto, I don't want to discuss it further with you. If you're done, you may leave."
Hiruzen's words sent a chill down Danzo's spine. His mind raced through countless possibilities. Though inwardly panicked, his face remained calm and composed.
"Huruzen, what do you mean? "
'This hypocrite… did he really think that just because he hadn't directly involved himself in certain matters, he was clean?'
But Danzo didn't dare to show his hand. If he were to bring these things into the open, he might just end up 'committing suicide' in the Root's base.
Hiruzen gently waved away the smoke in front of his face, revealing his slightly cloudy but still calm eyes. His indifferent attitude only made Danzo more furious, yet he dared not speak out.
"Danzo, I am the Hokage."
Crack!
Danzo's grip tightened on his cane, 'It's that phrase again.'
Every time Hiruzen didn't want to argue, he would use this line to shut Danzo down. And yet, there was nothing Danzo could do about it. After all, even his Root existed without official authorization. If it weren't for Hiruzen's need for him as the Third Hokage, Root would have been disbanded long ago.
So when Hiruzen said those words, it signaled the end of the conversation. Danzo could only leave in a fit of impotent rage, snarling, "You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
"I am the Hokage, Danzo."
Bang!
Danzo couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed the door shut as he stormed out.
The conversation ended in discord, with Danzo once again leaving in defeat.
Hiruzen stared at the forcefully closed door and took a deep drag from his pipe.
He knew his "old friend" all too well. Having spent too long in the shadows, Danzo could no longer stand in the sunlight.
'Danzo, even if I die, you will never become Hokage.'