Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed not to hear Homura and Koharu Utatane's attempts at mediation. His gaze remained fixed on Danzo's face.
Watching the other man continue trying to deny everything and evade responsibility, Hiruzen slowly lifted his pipe and took a deep drag. White smoke rose into the air, veiling the disappointment surging within his eyes.
"You truly are... still the same, Danzo."
Hiruzen paused before aiming directly at the deepest, most fragile, and most untouchable scar in Danzo's heart.
"Just like back then... when our teacher needed someone to step forward, to face the pursuit of the Gold and Silver Brothers' squad alone and buy a sliver of hope for the rest of us."
"When someone needed to stand up, shoulder the burden, and perhaps even sacrifice themselves, you... were always... too afraid to be the first one to step forward."
The moment those words were spoken—
Bang!
Danzo looked as though he had been struck by lightning. His entire body jolted violently, and the cane in his hand slipped from his grasp, crashing onto the floor with a loud clatter.
His lone eye instantly turned bloodshot, filled with bulging veins, and his body began trembling uncontrollably.
"Back then... back then..."
A low, ragged growl escaped Danzo's throat as his face turned deathly pale.
That buried memory—the greatest shame and regret of his life—had been mercilessly dragged from the deepest recesses of his heart and exposed to the light by Hiruzen.
That moment of hesitation.
That moment of retreat.
Because of it, Hiruzen had become the chosen Hokage, while he himself had been left to live forever in the shadows, trapped within the endless torment of if only.
It was the thorn lodged deepest in his heart, the root of all his paranoia and obsession.
That single remark from Hiruzen was more devastating than any accusation. It shattered every remaining defense in Danzo's mind.
"Shut up!! Hiruzen!! Shut up!!!"
Danzo suddenly threw back his head and roared, completely losing control. His voice was filled with rage and madness born from having his deepest wound torn open.
"Yes! I did it! So what?!"
He admitted it openly, his chest heaving violently and his face twisted into a hideous expression.
The sudden turn of events left Homura and Koharu stunned.
They looked at the enraged Danzo, then at the stone-faced Hiruzen. The words of mediation that had reached their lips died there, and in the end, they could only shake their heads helplessly.
After decades together, they understood Danzo all too well—his paranoia, his ambition, and above all, the lifelong regret and resentment hidden deep within his heart.
Because they understood, they also knew exactly how devastating Hiruzen's seemingly casual remark had been.
Since things had reached this point, there was nothing left to say.
Hiruzen looked at the completely unrestrained Danzo, disappointment filling his eyes.
That look only stabbed deeper into the heart already twisted by regret and obsession.
"Everything I have done has been for Konoha!" Danzo hissed, trying to drown out his own instability with sheer volume.
"Look at Kagutsuchi Shin! Is that the strength a normal Genin should possess?! That monstrous Chakra! Those endless high-level Ninjutsu Mastery! Shouldn't power like that be guided... be controlled?!"
He suddenly stepped forward and threw out what he considered his strongest argument.
"Furthermore, I told you long ago! He carries the Senju Bloodline, possesses enormous Chakra reserves, and has an exceptionally resilient physique. He is a natural, perfect vessel for a Jinchūriki!
If we make him the contingency plan for the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, then the moment that unstable factor, Uzumaki Naruto, loses control, we can immediately transfer the Tailed Beast and guarantee the absolute stability of Konoha's greatest military asset! Isn't that the most responsible course of action for the Village?!"
"But what about you?!" Danzo pointed accusingly at Hiruzen.
"You rejected my proposal again and again! You hid behind your weak Will of Fire, talking about respecting a child's future! Allowing power like that to grow unchecked beneath the sun is the greatest irresponsibility toward the Village!
Hand him over to me. Let Root guide him and control him. In the end, he will become the strongest and most reliable weapon protecting Konoha! What is wrong with that?!"
"A weapon?!" The anger Hiruzen had been suppressing finally erupted.
He stepped forward as well, meeting Danzo's gaze without yielding an inch; his eyes blazed with fury.
"You claim everything is for Konoha, yet you have long stopped seeing people as people. All you see are weapons and vessels for you to manipulate!"
He pointed directly at Danzo, every word striking like a hammer.
"Kagutsuchi Shin is a Ninja of Konoha. He has parents, comrades, his own will, and his own future! He is not some contingency plan for you to define at your convenience! Nor is he a tool for you to realize your twisted philosophy of rule from the shadows!"
His voice grew even sharper.
"Branding the Village's children as vessels before they have even grown, suppressing their futures before they can bloom, and dragging them into eternal darkness—is that what you call acting for Konoha?!"
"Danzo, your madness and paranoia have long since made you forget the true meaning of protection! Your so-called Root no longer nourishes the soil beneath Konoha. It has become poison, slowly corroding the Village's future!"
"Hiruzen!!!" Danzo let out a beast-like roar.
His Chakra surged violently, and a suffocating malevolent aura spread through the room.
"You understand nothing! Without absolute control and absolute power, it is impossible to survive in the Shinobi World! Your naïve ideals will destroy Konoha sooner or later!"
Hiruzen fired back immediately. "The one who will truly destroy Konoha is you—a beast blinded by power and darkness!"
In an instant, the confrontation reached its peak.
The ideological conflict that had accumulated over decades exploded without restraint. Their voices clashed throughout the conference room, leaving Homura and Koharu pale-faced and completely unable to intervene.
Seeing the situation spiraling toward complete collapse, Hiruzen took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the anger and disappointment churning within him.
Further argument was meaningless. If that was the case...then it was time to bring everything to an end.
"Your madness ends here, Danzo!" Hiruzen's furious shout drowned out Danzo's roar.
"The Root under your command has long since strayed from its original purpose. It is no longer a shadow protecting Konoha. It has become a tumor breeding lawlessness and poisoning the future."
Then, under Danzo's suddenly constricted pupils and the undisguised shock on Homura and Koharu's faces, Hiruzen delivered his judgment.
"By the authority of the Third Hokage, I hereby order that, effective immediately, the independent organization known as Root is dissolved.
All personnel rosters, equipment, and records are to be transferred to the Anbu within twenty-four hours. Following review, all Root personnel will be absorbed into the Anbu and placed under unified command."
As he spoke, Hiruzen's gaze locked directly onto Danzo's pale face.
"Danzo, your authority as an Elder Advisor is hereby revoked. From this moment forward, you are forbidden from interfering in Village affairs in any capacity."
This was not merely the removal of power. It was a complete political banishment.
"Hiruzen!!! How dare you——!!!"
Danzo roared, his eye blazing with fury as his Chakra surged wildly, nearly spiraling out of control.
Homura and Koharu immediately shot to their feet in alarm.
"Hiruzen! You can't do this!"
"Such severe punishment could cause massive upheaval within the Village!"
"My decision is final." Hiruzen did not retreat.
Facing Danzo's murderous glare, he spoke five words that struck like a hammer. "I... am the Hokage."
The room fell into dead silence.
The Chakra and rage erupting from Danzo gradually subsided, and he stood there frozen.
Homura and Koharu slowly sank back into their seats, defeated.
Hiruzen looked at the silent room before him and said nothing more.
He reached out and picked up the conical hat resting upon the table—the symbol of the Hokage's authority—and placed it upon his head.
The wide brim cast a shadow across his face, hiding his eyes.
Without sparing the three of them another glance, he turned and walked toward the conference room door.
Creak—
The door swung open.
The next moment, Bang! The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind him, the dull impact echoing throughout the silent room.
That sound struck Danzo's heart like a hammer. His entire body trembled violently, as though awakening from a nightmare.
The emptiness in his lone eye vanished, focus returning in an instant as boundless humiliation and rage flooded his entire being.