The door to the Hokage's office burst open with a loud bang.
Danzo stormed in, robes fluttering, one eye burning with barely contained fury.
"Hiruzen! What is the meaning of this? You've stripped me of my Hokage assistant and advisor titles—just for one Uchiha?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated behind his desk with pipe in hand, didn't flinch. His expression was calm, but his eyes were dark and tired. In truth, he had expected this outburst. What he didn't expect was for Danzo to come so soon, scroll in hand, rage already boiling over.
"Just one Uchiha?" Sarutobi exhaled slowly. "Danzo, don't pretend ignorance. You were there today. You saw it. Two Mangekyō Sharingan... two fully formed Susanoo inside Konoha."
His words were calm, but every syllable landed like a hammer.
"Do you think I can afford a civil war? Do you think I can pit the village against the Uchiha and not burn everything to the ground? Can we rely on the current crop of ninja to fight such monsters?"
Danzo gritted his teeth.
"We could've planned for it. Mobilized more forces—"
"And risk annihilating the entire village?" Hiruzen slammed his palm on the desk. "You saw the look in their eyes. Do you think anyone wants to fight Uchiha now? They've already separated from Konoha. And the people—our people—fear them more than the Nine Tails."
The room went silent.
Even Danzo, for all his bluster, knew the truth. The show of power today had changed everything. Even now, the image of towering red and blue Susanoo looming over the Shimura compound haunted his thoughts.
But still... Danzo wasn't going to let go so easily.
"You're just sacrificing me to calm them down. Don't forget, Hiruzen—it was me who helped you rise to power. It was me who did the dirty work so you could wear that Hokage robe with pride! And now you cast me aside?"
His voice cracked. A mix of bitterness and betrayal simmered beneath his cold rage.
Sarutobi looked at him long and hard. Then he said the words that truly ended it:
"You did not do it for me, Danzo. You did it for your own power. And this... is the price."
A long pause stretched between them, thick with history, distrust, and unspoken sins.
Then, without a hint of emotion, Sarutobi added:
"Your titles are revoked. You are no longer Hokage's assistant. No longer an advisor. That's final."
Danzo's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "You can't disband Root. I can live without the title—but Root is mine. That's my foundation."
The Third Hokage's gaze sharpened.
"And I am the Hokage. Root is to be disbanded. Completely. I will allow you to retain a few personal guards. Nothing more. Root as an organization no longer exists."
"Hiruzen... you'll regret this." Danzo's voice was low, deadly. His one eye glared with hatred.
Hiruzen didn't flinch. "Only if you force me to. Now leave."
Danzo turned away without another word, his shadow flickering across the floor like a dying flame. The door slammed shut behind him.
Meanwhile – Uchiha's Silent Victory
While Danzo fumed and threatened, Andrew stood in quiet satisfaction.
Everything had unfolded exactly as planned. From the calculated escalation with the Shimura clan to the Susanoo demonstration by Itachi, the entire operation had been engineered with ruthless precision.
Danzo was stripped of power. Root was disbanded. The Uchiha clan now stood tall—unshackled and untouchable.
Though only one sentence had been spoken by Itachi, its impact had resounded like a thunderclap through the political core of Konoha.
"If you won't punish Danzo… then I will."
Now, no one dared to provoke them.
But the ripples didn't stop at the village gates.
Iwagakure – Land of Earth
In a dusty stone chamber, Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, sat with his eyes narrowed, reading through the scroll that had just arrived.
The images were crude sketches, but the descriptions were clear. Two Susanoo, summoned in the heart of Konoha. The Uchiha clan, displaying power equal to the tailed beasts.
His hand trembled slightly. He had seen Susanoo before. Long ago, during his youth. He had faced that man.
Just the memory of Madara's gaze caused cold sweat to gather on his neck.
"Uchiha... again." Onoki muttered.
"Lord Tsuchikage, if Uchiha is this strong... and already fractured from Konoha, could it be an opportunity for us?" an aide asked cautiously.
Onoki didn't answer immediately.
"No. You don't understand. When an Uchiha walks alone, he's dangerous. When they stand united... they're unstoppable."
He clenched the scroll in his hand.
"This isn't opportunity. This is warning. Stay out of it. For now."
Sunagakure – Land of Wind
In the Kazekage's office, Rasa leaned back with a frown, golden hair shining under the desert light.
"So Konoha's power has grown again... or at least, Uchiha's."
Baki stepped forward. "Technically, they're divided. Uchiha and Konoha appear to be politically estranged."
Rasa nodded slowly. "It doesn't matter. Until Uchiha leaves the village, they're still Konoha's power. And two Mangekyō users mean trouble. We will proceed cautiously."
Kumogakure – Land of Lightning
Of all the villages, Kumo reacted the strongest.
The Fourth Raikage slammed his fist on the table, cracking it down the middle.
"Two Mangekyō?! One was already dangerous enough. Are they mass-producing them now?!"
Tutai, his trusted advisor, remained composed. "Uchiha has revealed a power that destabilizes the balance. But they're isolated from the Hokage. It might be possible to use that."
"You mean... ally with Uchiha?"
"Not directly. But when our diplomatic mission visits Konoha, they can test the waters. Gauge the situation. If Uchiha is hostile to the village... we may have leverage."
The Raikage nodded, but his face was dark.
"Proceed. But be cautious. Even without Nine Tails, Konoha is still a tiger. Uchiha or not."
Back in Konoha – Temporary Calm
The weeks following the Susanoo incident were unexpectedly quiet.
Danzo, for once, stayed in the shadows. Root had been disbanded in name. His compound was under surveillance. The Shimura clan's reconstruction had begun, albeit slowly. Resources were scarce, and public sympathy was nonexistent.
Most of the village had silently sided with Uchiha—not because they loved them, but because they feared them. And fear was a powerful motivator for peace.
The Third Hokage took this as a blessing. With Danzo silenced, Andrew cooperating, and Itachi back in the Daimyo's service, he had time to focus on more pressing matters.
Like the incoming Cloud Shinobi mission.
Though dressed as diplomacy, Hiruzen knew better. Cloud had never come without ulterior motives. And now—with Uchiha's power revealed—those motives were bound to shift.
He would have to navigate carefully.
And Yet... The Calm Did Not Last
Just as Hiruzen sat down to review Cloud's arrival schedule, a desperate voice echoed from outside the office:
"Hokage-sama! Please, you must help us! Our Shimura clan is on the verge of collapse!"
Hiruzen rubbed his temples.
So much for peace.
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