Chapter 89
On top of the Hokage monument, Hiruzen surveyed the village. The Academy, the hospitals, the orphanages, the training grounds, the market, residential areas, and clan estates. All of it was under his watch. All of it was his responsibility.
To protect it all, to let it grow into something better, bigger than it was now. And most importantly, to keep the peace throughout the village and among its residents. To not let anyone or anything come into a conflict that couldn't be resolved without a fight.
That was way too much work for him, if he had any say in it. Like, how the hell does everyone expect him to do all of that? He was just an old man, so why wouldn't others let him be just an old man? So annoying.
"Hokage-sama," Hiruzen turned to Hiashi Hyuga, who came to him. "I have managed to detect two workers in orphanages as you instructed. As you have said, they were under genjutsu and haven't realized it. From what we were able to find out, they only give information on talented children to an unknown person."
"Good. Have you dispelled the genjutsu?"
"Yes, they genuinely seemed to have no idea what they had done. And for now, they are being observed until further notice."
"Check their backgrounds one more time, and after confirming they pose no danger to themselves or others, let them go back to their work. Your next objects to observe are hospitals."
"May I ask you, who or what is doing all of this?"
"The one behind it all is already dead; you don't need to worry about it. I am just cleaning up the mess it has left behind."
It sure was a mess to clean up. The other ROOT operatives were all trackable; as secret as the organization was, it still was an organization with a structure that was documented. The problem was that Danzo didn't seem to like documenting his little genjutsu test subjects.
But the less anyone knew about Danzo and what he had done, the better it was. He was still a hero and a well-respected shinobi of the village. Hiruzen was keen on keeping him that way, just because many of the village's enemies would use this situation to their advantage if they knew the truth.
"Continue your work, but keep it under wraps."
"Understood." With that, Hiashi left, as if he had never been here.
He wasn't the only one working on it. Hiruzen sent out Mukai Kohinata to comb through other institutes and all civilian facilities. There won't be even a rock that Hiruzen wasn't going to turn around to look at.
With both of them having Byakugan, they can easily detect when someone is under the influence of genjutsu. Still, it will take time before they comb through all of the village. Hopefully, there won't be many more of them.
And he had to keep it a secret, as nothing good would come out of this if anyone knew of it. And he already had far more pressing issues to worry about. But he did need to clean up after Danzo and make sure there weren't any more surprises for Hiruzen to stumble upon.
He had a heart too weak for any more of it. It was only his third year in this world, and he had gone through way too much. He wished he could get a few peaceful years, and then he could just pass down his position to Kakashi or something like that. Was that too much to ask?
"Hokage-sama," Once Hiashi left, Shikaku came up to him. "You can't hide out here for all of eternity."
"Well, who let them into my office?" Hiruzen replied, annoyed.
"They have the right to visit you at any time, as the elders of the Konoha Council."
"Haven't I dissolved it already?" Hiruzen was sure he was done with the elders, as he hadn't seen them for some time now.
"No, you just talked about it."
Damn it. He really didn't want to deal with those two pests. Not right now, at least. But they had occupied his office, and it didn't seem like they were going to leave any time soon. And he had a lot of work to do, so there was no way to avoid it.
"Do you at least know what they want?"
"I have no idea," Shikaku replied. "They just came up without a word."
Should he just beat them up and throw them out the window? It wasn't like they had any power to oppose him, and they couldn't even say anything about it. But they would probably start whining and annoy him even further. Sadly, murder wasn't permitted even for him.
Oh, well, he should at least talk with them and act like a proper Hokage for the time being. Then he would see how things unfold. Shizune and Kakashi should be returning soon, too, so he should prepare for the messages they will bring him.
But to tell the truth, he would rather not deal with what they would bring him. Whether Tsuchikage agreed to a meeting or not, both were troublesome propositions for him. But he would rather have it dealt with sooner rather than later.
And then there was the matter of the captured shinobi in Konoha's custody. Their village was struggling to get the money to bail them out. And Hiruzen was on the verge of letting them all go. Showing goodwill might not be too bad, but he feared they wouldn't learn their lesson if he did so.
He couldn't let the smaller villages take advantage of him. It could only work the other way around. And then there was the end-of-year report he had to prepare to present to the Daimyo. So much damn work.
Though he got a lot better at it. There were just too many damn things happening at all times. Oh, how he wished he could just retire. Just remembered those peaceful few months, he had made him want to retire even more. But none of these assholes would let him.
…
It was an ugly sight. Their faces, that is. Old, and most importantly, stupid. They still thought the Hiruzen before their eyes was the same one, a responsible and reasonable old friend, who would certainly hear their words.
"I am busy, so this better be quick."
Hiruzen had no intention of dealing with them now, no matter what they wanted. The most he could give them was a chance to speak. Once they finish, he will politely say that he will think it over, and then make up some reason to finally dissolve the Konoha Council or just replace it. Whatever was easier.
"It has been a long time, Hiruzen." Koharu was the first to speak. "Ever since Danzo's death."
"What is this about?" Hiruzen had a bad feeling when they mentioned Danzo.
"We feel slighted, Hiruzen," Homura replied. "We created this council altogether to help you rule over the village. To make better decisions. There was a time when any and every decision was made with us together."
"But now, you never call upon us," Koharu added, as if it were a performance for them. "We understand that we might not be as needed as we used to be. But in times like these, we must work together. These decisions that could bring the whole world into war can't be made hastily."
Hiruzen heard them talking, but he couldn't hear them say anything at all. Just meaningless words, they probably rehearsed beforehand. But at least now he realized why he didn't like them. There was nothing genuine about them. Not a single thing.
Probably even their thoughts were the same. It was like all those thoughts and opinions they had were carefully crafted to fit some narrative they didn't even know of. Oh, fuck, fucking Danzo. Hiruzen almost laughed out loud when he realized it.
He thought it might have been genjutsu, but no. Danzo, over the years, had completely manipulated them. Without anyone realizing it, those two became parrots that repeated what Danzo wanted them to. Oh, fucking fuck. Can a person be even more annoying?
"Hiruzen, Iwagakure is the most dangerous enemy we have. More than anyone else. Their hatred couldn't be underestimated," Homura continued, seeing that Hiruzen didn't say anything. "They will use everything they have to hit us when an opportunity arises."
"Their military strength is not weaker than ours. And I am sure you can defeat Onoki, but they have something we don't. They have two powerful weapons that could devastate us at any moment," Koharu said. "We need to prepare for it. If anything goes wrong with your plans, we need to be prepared for it. But our weapon isn't mature enough right now for us to use."
"What are you trying to say?" All unnecessary thoughts disappeared when Hiruzen heard their words; now they had his full attention.
"We need…" Koharu replied but stopped herself. "It isn't something to decide easily, but you must have thought of it already."
"Isn't that why you brought that Uzumaki woman and her girl to our village?" Homura asked. "We can use her as the vessel. And with her already excellent abilities, she might be a far better jinchūriki than Kushina was."
"Do you even realize what you are saying right now?" Hiruzen asked them calmly as he walked closer to them and looked into their eyes, trying to see if it was their stupidity that spoke. "Do you know that it would kill the boy if the beast were transferred to someone else?"
"Sacrifices, they were always necessary for the greater will."
There wasn't a thing that flew through his head at that moment. Not a single thought. At this moment, he was calmer than ever. He just looked those two in the eyes, took them by their necks, hard, squeezing until their faces went purple.
He never stopped looking at them, even as he lifted them in the air before him. Their eyes met his. He didn't know what they must have seen, but their eyes only reflected fear. But all he could think was that if he squeezed a bit harder, their necks would break.
He threw them through the window of his office before he changed his mind. One after another. He heard them go through the glass and then crash onto the ground outside. Only then did he turn to look at his ANBU kneeling before him.
But they weren't kneeling. They were forced to their knees as his chakra went completely out of control. The floor cracked under his feet, and the whole building shook. The ANBU tried to say something, but they couldn't move at all, not even able to lift their heads to him.
"Imprison them until further notice."
Hiruzen could only calm down after he said those words. Though he said only this, he really was only thinking of one thing. He should have them killed. He really should have them killed. Those annoying parasites, he should squash them until there was nothing left of them.
But even that wouldn't calm him down. He himself had to force himself to say those words, because only then could he take control of his body once again. He completely and utterly forgot himself at that moment.
"Hah," Shikaku let out a long sigh as he entered the office. "You know, you have wrecked your office far more times than any other Hokage before you."
The window looking over the village was shattered. The floor and the walls had massive cracks in them, something that couldn't be overlooked. It was a complete mess. And Hiruzen still had a lot of work to do.
He just knew something like this would happen when he decided to talk with those two. That's why he tried to delay it as much as possible. Hiding away from his office in a last-ditch effort to avoid this scenario.
"Is this enough reason for my forceful retirement?" Hiruzen asked, with a hollow laugh. "I clearly can't control myself. And now I have even attacked two respected members of the Konoha Council who have served the village for many years. I am just a tyrannical old man drunk on his power."
"Sure, now we just need to find someone brave enough or stupid enough to stand against you. I, for one, am not doing that."
"They were supposed to be pillars of the village, though at some point even they must have realized that they weren't needed anymore," Hiruzen said, sitting down by his table, tired all of a sudden. "I thought they were quite stupid, to be honest, but never cruel. They were supposed to be people whom others would look up to for support, not made to be sacrifices. Where did it all go wrong, Shikaku? Where?"
Shikaku didn't answer. Probably because, like Hiruzen, he didn't have an answer. Was it all, in the end, pointless? If even the people who learned directly under the one who created the village had disregarded his dreams, then who could inherit them?
How was it even possible for the people who should have known Hashirama's deepest wishes, the reason to create this village, and yet still go around it and tell Hiruzen that they had to sacrifice a child?
And why? Just because he wasn't mature enough to take on responsibility for something he had no say in? Something that was thrown at him, something that shouldn't even be his responsibility. Just that kind of idea was cruel. Way too cruel.
Hiruzen was even more concerned that if it were a different time, under different circumstances, would he have made the same decision? What if the enemy was already at their walls, and the only hope was to use a monster?
No, he couldn't imagine himself making that kind of decision. He was a coward in the end. And hopefully it was for the better. Because if there were an enemy at their walls, he would be the one to meet them. An old man like him should be sacrificed for children like Naruto to live.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.