After Uchiha Chizumi invoked the "Fourth Hokage" who sacrificed himself on the Night of the Nine‑Tails, Hiruzen Hiruzen was montarily taken aback.
He had not expected Chizumi to ntion the Fourth in front of Naruto.
Yet when he saw that Naruto had lowered his head and didn't dare speak—apparently not noticing—it made Hiruzen feel an inexplicable sense of relief.
Lowering his voice a little, he began, "Chizumi, you know better than anyone how… special Naruto is. Locking him in prison over a single prank would scar him."
"So—"
Speaking in a conciliatory tone, Hiruzen continued earnestly, "Sotis giving the village's young shoots a bit of space to grow is the purest embodint of the Will of Fire."
But despite all his heartfelt persuasion, Hiruzen noticed that not the slightest wavering showed in Chizumi's eyes.
Expressionless, Chizumi replied, "Just now, Hokage-sama abused his power for personal ends, shielding Shimura Danzo—who, for reasons unknown, possesses the Uchiha clan's Sharingan—in direct violation of justice."
"And now you intend to keep misusing Hokage authority to protect Uzumaki Naruto—a boy who by rights should be properly disciplined but has inexplicably been left to run wild, his moral compass already distorted."
"Such conduct, Hokage-sama, is no different from splashing filth upon the very word justice."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "!!!"
Hiruzen felt he had been scolded—right to his face, no less.
Yet—
The information packed into Chizumi's words was so imnse that Hiruzen's gaze grew increasingly grave.
"Chizumi, what do you an by Danzo's Sharingan?" Hiruzen instantly grasped at the change of subject.
Unconcerned about exposing Danzo's secret, Chizumi answered coldly, "During our fight he used Izanagi, a secret Sharingan technique."
"Shimura Danzo, an outsider to the Uchiha, sohow wields a Sharingan and even performs a forbidden Uchiha jutsu. Hard to guess why, isn't it, Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen's face darkened.
He knew Danzo had once conducted countless human experints with Orochimaru and had studied Wood Release. But he had not imagined Danzo would also be so obsessed with the Uchiha's Sharingan.
Hiruzen recalled Uchiha Shisui—officially listed as "deceased, cause unknown." He had long suspected that Shisui's ambiguous death was deeply tied to Danzo's Root division.
After all, Shisui's eyes were extraordinarily special… and given Danzo's nature, he would never have left them alone.
Hiruzen then rembered how, during the Third Great Ninja War, the Sharingan of several fallen Uchiha shinobi had mysteriously vanished—supposedly gouged out by enemy ninjas.
Could Danzo have secretly sent people to harvest them? The outrageous idea flashed through Hiruzen's mind—yet seed entirely plausible!
He knew Danzo too well: the odds were at least ninety‑nine percent.
Besides, Chizumi had never falsely accused anyone.
Though Hiruzen often felt Chizumi's belief in "absolute justice" was too extre, it never stopped him from trusting the young man.
"Chizumi, regarding Danzo… I will give you—and the Uchiha clan—an accounting." Hiruzen's tone stiffened; a flicker of guilt rose at the thought of having shielded Danzo.
In the next instant, that guilt evaporated. He even realized, half‑dazed, that he had sohow accepted the label of "cover‑up" Chizumi had flung at him.
No—impossible! As Hokage, he rely sought to prevent infighting among the village's shinobi. How could that be a cover‑up?
Hiruzen cleared his throat. "But about Naruto…"
"No room for negotiation." Under the Anbu's gazes, Chizumi hoisted Naruto up again.
The Anbu stirred in alarm.
Chizumi ignored them, staring straight at Hiruzen. "I will not relent against Root, which stands in the way of justice. In Konoha, it's either them—or ."
"I will find the very depths where Root burrows, and I will eradicate the darkness and sin festering there, fulfilling my creed of absolute justice."
"You can block once, twice… but can you block forever?"
Hiruzen: "…"
He sensed his diation had failed entirely—indeed, it had escalated the conflict between Chizumi and Danzo to encompass all of Root.
Chizumi never shot without aiming. Announcing this ant he truly intended to destroy Root—he would bite down on Danzo and never let go!
Hiruzen drew a deep breath and glanced at Naruto, who had stopped struggling, face pleading and miserable.
Frowning, he said, "Chizumi, your thods are too extre. If I, as Hokage, order you to let go of your grudge against Root—order you to release Naruto—what then?"
Chizumi replied, "You're welco to try, Third Hokage."
Clink— Suddenly an Anbu eased his blade an inch from its sheath.
"Uchiha Chizumi, the Hokage's orders are absolute," he warned. "And you should address him as Hokage-sama, not 'Third.'"
Chizumi glanced at him:
[Jō Sarutobi's son — during the Third Great Ninja War, vented personal rage on civilians, slaughtered large numbers of enemy‑nation townsfolk, then claid falsified rit.]
The Anbu who had touched his sword felt a chill seize his heart. For so reason, Chizumi's gaze felt like that of soone looking at a dead man.
Swinging Naruto over his shoulder, Chizumi walked off as though nothing had happened.
"Uchiha Chizumi! You—"
"Hold." Hiruzen halted the Anbu ready to act, watching Chizumi's back with shifting expression before finally saying in a low voice, "Let him go."
"But Hokage-sama, that's Uzumaki Naruto…" an Anbu reminded him.
Hands clasped behind his back, Hiruzen replied quietly, "In his eyes, I am no different from Danzo now. If we force the issue, the next clash will be between him and . As his power keeps growing, I may soon be unable to keep him down."
The Anbu were dumbfounded.
Uchiha Chizumi actually intended to fight the Hokage? How did he dare? On what basis did he dare?
At that mont, silent Kakashi finally spoke. "Hokage-sama, you already have a plan for the jinchūriki, don't you?"
Hiruzen nodded slightly. "Chizumi's arrest of Naruto falls within his duties as a Police Force officer; it is his right. And I, as Hokage, possess the authority to pardon Naruto."
"Kakashi, take an Anbu squad and handle the aftermath here. The rest—co with to Root's base!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
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