บท 123: Chapter 123
Hiruzen Sarutobi was a man of action. Once he detected the signs of improvement in the Security Division, he began to plan a meeting.
However, given the extensive responsibilities he had undertaken and the busy nature of his duties, it wasn't until today that he found the time to initiate this meeting.
Seated in his office, Hiruzen quietly regarded the two old friends before him, his heart full of melancholy.
Once, there had been six of them, all disciples of the Second Hokage. But after the sacrifice of the Second, Torifu Akimichi took up the mantle and returned to his family, not joining his staff.
Uchiha Kagami perished in subsequent missions, leaving only four of them weathering the storm together, ensuring the steady progression of Konoha's development.
Together, they had lived through the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, witnessed the prosperity of Konoha and its current mild decline. Such a bond wasn't something the ordinary could comprehend.
But now, only three of them remained. The crux was that those who had passed away didn't die ordinary deaths.
Hiruzen knew that for a ninja, dying a peaceful death was extremely difficult, but they had all come so far.
Perhaps age had altered their perspectives?
Regardless of the changes, one thing would remain steadfast—their disdain for the Uchiha!
Especially after Danzō was dismembered by Kaito right in front of Hiruzen, dying so tragically without even being honoured as a hero posthumously.
He had this score etched into his mind—he swore he would accomplish what the Second Hokage had failed to do. He would avenge Danzō!
"Hiruzen, calling us so late and asking us to be so discreet about it. Is there something important?" Koharu Utatane asked, noticing Hiruzen's troubled mood. Unlike Homura Mitokado, who remained silent, she had to break the silence and inquire.
"This time, I want to discuss matters regarding the Uchiha," Hiruzen sighed deeply and began, lighting his pipe in the process.
"The Uchiha are making major moves now. You must have heard the rumors circulating about the Security Division?"
"I've heard the rumors; those guys have grand plans," Homura finally spoke up, adjusting his glasses before sighing lightly.
"Hiruzen, you shouldn't have agreed to that brat's demands. We all know how much power the Security Division holds, especially since we can't take action against them or the Uchiha now.
If the Security Division's reputation improves, decades of our hard work will be wasted."
They had indeed invested tremendous effort into handling the Security Division, their objective being to reclaim this monstrous department.
But with Hiruzen acceding to Kaito's requests, everything seemed on the brink of collapse.
In fact, neither Homura nor Koharu were previously concerned because the Uchiha clan, despite leading the Security Division for so long, remained the same.
Now that a seemingly impulsive young man had taken over, how could he possibly do well?
However, the reality is that this young man, whether he has sensed the scope of power within the Security Division or simply wants to change its current state, has already begun making those changes—changes they least wish to see.
They don't want the Uchiha to reintegrate into Konoha. They don't want to see the Security Division improve.
A Uchiha, ostracized and isolated by everyone and their clan, was the kind of Uchiha they preferred; the same applied to the Security Division!
"Hmph, what's the use of talking about all this now?" Hiruzen grumbled, showing his palpable frustration.
"What we need to do now is find ways to solve these problems, not dwell on the decision I made back then! To be honest, when Danzō proposed his ideas, none of you opposed, did you?"
"Hiruzen, haven't you already made the decision on this matter?" Koharu and Homura couldn't help but frown upon hearing his words. Eventually, Koharu spoke with a resigned air.
"You were the one who told Uchiha Itachi to find Danzō. And when we tried to voice our thoughts, Danzō had already made the final decision. What else could we say?
I know Danzō's death made you angry and distressed. We feel the same way, because he was not just your classmate; he was ours too.
We had warned you that Danzō was too extreme. He was willing to abandon his principles and do whatever it took to reach his goals.
His methods were bound to backfire sooner or later. Now that his chickens have come home to roost, there's no point in talking about it anymore.
Hiruzen, we all need to calm down. Only then can we solve the problem."
If Kaito was here, he might understand why, after Hiruzen's death, these two strongly recommended to bring back Jiraiya or Tsunade instead of choosing Danzō.
Perhaps they had seen through Danzō's true nature, which is why they were reluctant to let him sit in the position he coveted.
Of course, there is also the concern that Danzō, being extremely self-centered, would ignore their opinions if he came to power, possibly even stripping them of their authority, or worse, their lives, if their views clashed.
Hearing Koharu's words, Hiruzen took a deep breath and eventually nodded in understanding.
He realized that he had let his emotions control him, perhaps due to the memories the current situation evoked.
Nevertheless, he was the Hokage; he knew he had to remain calm.
Seeing this, Koharu couldn't help but silently nod in approval. Hiruzen and Danzō were similar in many ways, but completely different in others.
Firstly, Hiruzen was a very restrained man—he knew when to give way and when to compromise.
This trait was admirable, for it's said that the flexible and yielding are the ones who accomplish great deeds, something Danzō clearly struggled with.
Only when Danzō feels the pain himself would he consider giving up on something, otherwise he will never relent.
And there's another point - Sarutobi Hiruzen is a man who listens to opinions.
Indeed, like Danzō, Hiruzen is also self-confident, firmly believing that everything he does is correct for the village.
However, Danzō is the type who will not accept the opinions of others; he will just continue down his own path, without considering the practical circumstances.
On the other hand, Hiruzen will take into consideration others' views, make changes in line with his own thoughts. In their view, Hiruzen is truly dedicated to Konoha.
This is also one of the reasons they're willing to support Hiruzen, but are adamantly against letting Danzō take the stage.
"Apologies to you both, I lost my composure. I was indeed affected by my emotions."
Hiruzen, with a hint of a bitter smile, spoke. He then took a deep puff from his pipe, then asked, "Share your thoughts. We need to unite now to tackle this trouble left by Danzō. It's simply too much."
"Hiruzen, don't put too much pressure on yourself or feel too down. At least, we will always support you, always!"
Both Koharu and Homura looked at each other before they seriously responded to Hiruzen.
After saying this, Koharu spoke slowly, "I know you agreed to Uchiha's conditions. This puts us in a passive position, but it also gives us an opportunity."
"Opportunity?" Hiruzen seemed stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted, "You mean, like with the other departments?"
Hiruzen's influence lay in his years spent in Konoha, placing his own people in almost every department.
These people might not hold high positions, but they are in crucial places, with many matters passing through their hands.
They can accurately deliver many pieces of information from the department to Hiruzen, allowing him to precisely control these departments.
And these people also recruit others like themselves into the department, thus expanding Hiruzen's influence, as well as their own status within the department.
Sadly, due to recent events, these individuals have been systematically purged from the departments and teams controlled by various clans.
This has greatly affected Hiruzen, but there is nothing he can do.
However, he believes he can find ways to compensate for this loss in the future. After all, he is still the Hokage; he still has a chance!
But there is a department in Konoha where Hiruzen has never been able to place his own people, and that department is the security department, firmly in the grip of the Uchiha clan.
The words of Koharu made Hiruzen immediately understand. It led him to seriously start considering this matter.
"Haven't you mentioned before that the Uchiha kid, Kaito, asked for the right to expand the Security Department? Clearly, he wants to increase the number of personnel in the Security Department.
And we also received news that this kid met with Hyuga.
So why don't we help him recruit a large number of personnel?"
"The appearance of the Security Department may have changed now, but how many Uchiha are there compared to common ninjas and ninjas from other clans?
Once they enter, they will squeeze the living space of the Uchiha. And if that young Kaito promotes all the Uchiha members, it will definitely invite discontent from these newcomers, which will be tricky to handle.
Also, the expansion of the Security Department requires money, and we control the fiscal power. We can absolutely find ways to limit their finances.
With internal and external troubles in the Security Department then, I want to see if he can still handle this matter well!
Moreover, we've already planted our people inside, to rally those dissatisfied with the Uchiha at the crucial moment..."
Koharu stopped speaking at this point, her gaze fixed on Sarutobi Hiruzen, who revealed a smile.
"Then, Uchiha Kaito will only have two choices: either suppress these people forcefully, thus making the Security Department stink once again.
Or, he'll have to honestly surrender power to our people, causing the Uchiha to lose their influence. This way, his days as the clan leader will be numbered.
Once he and his clansmen have conflicts, that's when things will get interesting!
And this, I think, will surely teach that resentful Hyuga clan leader a lesson."
Without Koharu needing to continue, Hiruzen had already spoken about what comes next.
And this plan, it is truly to his liking!
"It seems that we need to find a smart person who is loyal to us," Homura also spoke at this moment. "And during this time, we can't let him have it so easy. Some people can't be won over and want revenge, right? So, let them have at it."
Both Hiruzen and Koharu nodded at his words, agreeing that a smart person is indeed needed to carry out this task.
And Kaito is indeed having it too easy right now. If he continues with his comfortable life and reforms the Security Department, who knows what it might become?
With this train of thought, their moods instantly improved. They seem to have already seen the Uchiha's future in their words.
What they don't know, however, is that outside the window, a figure has been silently listening to all of this..."
//
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