Uchiha Ran continued:
"From Utatane Koharu, I also learned something else: it turns out Shimura Danzō has been dreaming of creating Root all this time. Koharu once threatened me—said that the moment Danzō gets his Root, I, this 'vile spawn,' would die so fast I wouldn't even know what hit me."
"From that moment on, I started paying close attention to the matter. This so-called Root—on paper, it's a secret division no one's supposed to know about. Officially, their goal sounds noble: to become the village's shadow, protecting Konoha from external threats and internal turmoil at any cost."
"But in reality, once Root is created, it'll become Danzō's personal army. And it'll do only one thing—eliminate anyone he doesn't like. In the future, all the dirtiest deeds can be pinned on Root—and no one will ever learn the truth. Tell me, where do you think that leads?"
"Sarutobi Hiruzen has held himself back for years, afraid of staining his reputation, afraid of making the wrong call. There's so much he's wanted to do but never dared. But if Root is created, he'll be free to do anything—without taking responsibility. Others will take the fall for him. Don't you think he'll finally break off the leash?"
As Uchiha Ran finished speaking, Tsunade felt a chill run down her spine.
Was this... even the same Konoha leadership she thought she knew?
Who had these people become? What were they doing?
Corruption. Personal gain. Covering up crimes. Silencing dissent...
"That's why I want you to become Hokage," Uchiha Ran said seriously. "And it's not just about me. If you refuse, I'll simply walk away... and start raising my little brother."
"He's still young, but he'll listen to me. It'll just take more time. So? What do you say, Hatake Sakumo-san?" Ran suddenly turned to a tall shadow standing under a nearby tree.
The figure twitched, and Hatake Sakumo stepped forward.
"What you just said—is it true?" Even through the mask, the heaviness in his voice was palpable.
"Big brother," Ran grinned, "you've been watching me the longest. Don't you know how many times I went to the medical research division? How often I sat on the hospital rooftop, just staring at the sky?"
"By the way, feel free to report our little chat to Sarutobi Hiruzen—right now, if you want," Ran smiled. "Though I wonder which one of us will die first if you do."
A flicker of killing intent passed through Hatake Sakumo's eyes. His voice turned cold.
"You're dragging me into this on purpose?"
He already realized the trap he'd fallen into: now, he knew too much.
And if he did report it, the first to be eliminated wouldn't be Uchiha Ran—it would be him, Hatake Sakumo.
Because his loyalty had always been to the village—not to any one person.
"Haha, Sakumo-san, of course I did it on purpose!" Ran laughed brightly. "So what now? Gonna kill me? Tsunade's standing right here. You wouldn't dare. Even if you did—I could still escape. And you know what? I'm not even that scared of you anymore."
Hatake Sakumo had one defining trait: if he didn't strike right away, he'd swallow the insult and stay silent later.
"Uchiha Ran!" Sakumo was barely holding back his fury. "Why would you do this?"
"I've been watching you for years—from a distance. Out of sympathy and respect."
"I never once restricted your freedom. Never interfered in your life. I even went out of my way to hide myself so I wouldn't darken your mood… And this is how you repay me?!"
"I didn't betray you," Uchiha Ran replied calmly. "As long as you stay quiet—you're safe. The choice has always been yours."
"More than that—I'm helping you. I'm saving you," Ran added.
"Hmph, kid, do you really think I'm that easy to fool?" Sakumo sneered coldly.
"You got that right. I did think fooling you would be a breeze," Ran admitted without hesitation. "You've been tailing me for over four years, right?"
"Didn't I play the role well? You only recently started suspecting I wasn't what I seemed, didn't you? Did you notice anything before?"
"I showed you helplessness, despair, hopelessness—on purpose. Then I'd force a smile in front of my foster parents and little brother. All just to make you pity me. To win you over."
"And you really did fall for it. Without breaking any of Hiruzen's direct orders, you slowly loosened your control over me. So much so that I even forgot you were watching."
"You little bastard… You were stringing me along from the start?!" Hatake Sakumo's voice shook with rage.
He had thought many times—if he had a son who went through what Uchiha Ran did… how much he'd worry for him.
And now it turned out Ran had just been playing him all this time.
"And you dare act like you're the wronged one?!" Ran suddenly snapped. "Who saved you when you were badly wounded back then?"
"And this is how you thank me—by spying on me?!"
"If it weren't for you, Hatake Sakumo, I'd have escaped long ago."
"You think some lackeys could've stopped me? I'm Uchiha Ran—you really think I couldn't break out?"
Reining in his anger, Ran spoke again, serious now:
"And I'm not the only one who thinks you're an easy target. You think Sarutobi Hiruzen's any better? He also sees you as naïve—and uses you like a fool!"
"Kid, explain yourself!" Sakumo was boiling over.
"Fine! Then listen up!" Ran nodded. "What's your rank among the ANBU?"
"There's no one who can surpass me," Sakumo answered without hesitation.
"Before I revealed my true abilities, what kind of threat did I pose to the village?"
"Almost none," Sakumo admitted grimly.
"Then tell me—has Sarutobi Hiruzen lost his mind? Why would he send an ace like you to keep an eye on me? And for four years straight?"
"You could've completed so many missions in that time! Made a ton of money! You'd already be married with kids by now! And they'd be half-grown!"
"I wasn't planning to get married that soon!" Sakumo muttered.
"Shut up!" Ran exploded. "I'm talking serious here—not about your damn wedding!"
"You, Hatake Sakumo, were picked to spy on me because four years ago, you completed ten S-rank missions and twenty-two A-rank missions in a single year."
"The whole village was buzzing—calling you the next big star."
"But you were too free-spirited. Hiruzen didn't like that. He didn't want you shining too brightly."
"And Shimura Danzō kept whispering poison into his ear, constantly fueling his distrust of you."
"So what's the difference between you and me?" Ran fixed him with a heavy stare. "We both became thorns in the side of the village elite."
It was clear—Uchiha Ran didn't care whether Sakumo had known this before.
If he didn't—then let him learn now.
If he did—then let him remember it clearly.
Because from the moment Hatake Sakumo once hid their meeting with Tsunade, he'd already boarded the same boat as Ran. And there was no going back.
Tsunade, standing nearby, was stunned into stillness.
Though she'd seen plenty of Ran's manipulations lately, she hadn't expected him to rope in even Hatake Sakumo—and to have set it all in motion four years ago.
But she had no right to pity Sakumo.
After all, she had also been played by Uchiha Ran.