Outside the window the weather was clear, and Hokage Office lay wrapped in pale mist like a quiet painting. The light filtered in softly and settled across the room. It should have been a calm scene.
"Whew…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished handling the day's documents, and he drew on his pipe with a tired face before exhaling. The smoke drifted out, but it did nothing to ease the worry pressed between his brows. Too many things had happened lately, and the rise and fall of events had almost drained his strength.
At first, the good news from the battlefield in Land of Moon had filled him with rare joy. Yunchuan Hyuga had relied on sharp tactics and Lightning Release to wipe out over a thousand elite troops from Kumogakure in a single campaign. Even the "Two-Tails Jinchuriki" of Kumogakure, Yugito Nii, and the overall commander Samui had been captured, an astonishing victory by any measure.
After that, following his suggestion, Jiraiya proposed an exchange of prisoners to Kumogakure in return for a ceasefire. Peace had seemed within reach, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi had felt his tightly wound nerves loosen. For a brief moment, it looked like the worst might be over.
But then, in front of the Memorial Stone, urgent news sent back from the border by ANBU reached his ears. When he learned that Sunagakure had deployed the One-Tail Jinchuriki to attack the border of Land of Fire, his heart jumped to his throat. Everything that followed only proved his unease was justified.
Kumogakure reacted with chilling speed. One moment they were still arguing with Jiraiya across the negotiating table, and the next they received news of Sunagakure launching an attack on Land of Fire. Fourth Raikage flipped the table, pushed aside all objections, and made a swift decision to respond to Sunagakure's offensive, sending troops to attack from both front and rear.
As a result, the main force under Jiraiya that had not yet withdrawn from Land of Moon was instantly trapped in a desperate situation. The war situation around Konoha took a sharp turn for the worse. The change came so fast it left no time to breathe.
"At least Yunchuan used that moment to rally morale," Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered softly. "Otherwise the panic would have spread again, and mobilizing reinforcements would have taken far more effort."
He gently rubbed his temples, feeling both frustration and relief. It was precisely because of the fierce fighting spirit ignited by Yunchuan Hyuga that his orders could be sent out at top speed. Elite units were rushed to the border to face Sunagakure, barely managing to tie them down on the Land of Rain front so they could no longer harass Jiraiya's main force retreating toward Land of Hot Water.
At present, the war had settled into a grim balance. Fighting continued in Land of Hot Water against Kumogakure and in Land of Rain against Sunagakure, while Iwagakure watched closely from the sidelines. The battlefield had sunk back into a tangled stalemate.
"Cough, cough. Still, why hasn't Hanzo made a move yet?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, coughing as smoke caught in his throat. He sighed helplessly and added, "What a waste of the advantage Yunchuan and the others worked so hard to secure."
He had not expected Sunagakure to dare attack Land of Fire directly through Land of Rain. Even now, the figure in Amegakure, Hanzo, had shown no clear response. With Konoha facing Sunagakure and Kumogakure alone, the casualty numbers sent back from the front weighed heavily on his heart.
Still, when he thought of that unusually outstanding, almost flawless young man, a trace of warmth appeared on his troubled face. Whether it was dominating the floor at the Jonin Council, achieving brilliant results on the Land of Moon battlefield, or inspiring morale as a "hero" after learning that Sunagakure had broken through the border defenses with the One-Tail Jinchuriki, Yunchuan Hyuga had performed exceptionally every time.
As long as Konoha had not yet lost its breath, the war could still be fought. All of this made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel a quiet sense of pride, believing it was his own judgment that had discovered Yunchuan Hyuga. The thought brought him a rare measure of comfort.
"It's just a pity," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly, "that such a young man, who sets aside clan bias and truly carries the Will of Fire, is from the Branch Family."
More than once during this period, he had considered grooming Yunchuan as his successor. Yet every time, he was reminded that Yunchuan Hyuga belonged to the Hyuga Clan Branch Family, and that Yunchuan's life was ultimately held in the hands of the Hyuga Clan. He could never allow the Hokage to become the possession of any single clan, and so he could not allow Yunchuan to succeed him.
Unless the Hyuga Clan Main Family were wiped out completely. The thought surfaced in his mind, and he could not help but smile faintly and shake his head. Such a thing was impossible.
Knock, knock.
The sound at the door cut off his wandering thoughts. Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak, the person outside pushed the door open and walked in. There was no doubt that only one kind of person in all of Konoha would dare barge into Hokage Office like this.
"Danzo Shimura, Koharu?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at the two of them and frowned slightly. "What is it?"
"What, can't we come see you if there's nothing wrong?" Koharu Utatane replied sharply as she sat down by the window. Her tone carried obvious displeasure.
Hiruzen Sarutobi neither agreed nor argued. He raised the pipe to his mouth, the tobacco glowing as he drew in, and thin wisps of pale blue smoke drifted up and were carried out the window by the breeze. The room filled with a faint smell of smoke.
"Cough, cough. Hiruzen, haven't you been smoking too much lately?" Koharu Utatane waved her hand to disperse the smoke and reminded him, "I know you're under a lot of pressure, but you should still take care of your health."
"I've heard you've been staying here this whole time and haven't gone home at all," she continued. "You didn't even go back for that child's first birthday."
Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored her reminder and looked directly at Danzo Shimura standing before him. "Enough. Say it straight. What is it?"
If Koharu Utatane had come alone, it might have been out of concern. But Danzo Shimura never showed up without a reason, and he would not come here just to check on him. That much was obvious.
"Hiruzen, do you know that the Uchiha Clan has been holding clan meetings at the Naka Shrine more and more frequently lately?" Danzo Shimura asked bluntly.
At those words, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned unconsciously. To be honest, he did not know much about what was happening inside the Uchiha Clan. Recent events outside the village had already consumed his attention, and he had inevitably neglected internal matters.
He did not show it on his face and replied calmly, "I know. So what are you trying to say?"
"From what I know through Root, dissatisfaction within the Uchiha Clan toward Konoha is growing stronger," Danzo Shimura said in a low voice. "The complaints are increasing by the day. Hiruzen, do you really not understand what this means?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent. Of course he understood what it meant.