[Read advance Chapters on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/SlytherinManor]
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Hokage Office, Konohagakure—
Hiruzen was reviewing some things in his office when the Eagle-masked ANBU knocked on the door and informed Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama... Uchiha Kanzou is here..."
Hearing the name 'Uchiha Kanzou', Hiruzen became tense. 'Is he finally coming?'
Hiruzen had expected Kanzou's visit...
If not for the fact that Uchiha Tadayoshi had died yesterday, Kanzou would have visited him the previous day, but since he couldn't come yesterday, he is coming today first thing in the morning.
As for why he is here, isn't it obvious? Fūma Misaki is in Konoha, and he knows that she stayed within the Uchiha Compound the previous night.
Considering the men that were sent to the Sora-ku have lost contact and haven't returned yet, and Fūma Misaki is in Konoha... it's definitely not a good thing.
It must be related to that... and he questioned the Eagle Masked ANBU. "Is he alone?"
The ANBU shook his head. "Fūma Misaki is with him..."
'Sure enough...' Hiruzen sighed. He didn't want to meet Kanzou at all... because obviously, Kanzou would question him about those men...
'Damn it... if they had reached Sora-ku, why didn't they just finish the damn job!' he thought, regretting not having sent Orochimaru or Jiraiya among them... With either of those two, the job would have been completed... but he had decided not to send them...
'Sigh... now Kanzou is here... definitely to demand an explanation...
What explanation to give him? If it were someone else... Hiruzen could still use his authority, strength, and so on to let the matter be settled and forgotten easily and not let it go out of control...
But the person coming is Uchiha Kanzou... the same Uchiha who doesn't act according to the script, is way too arrogant, and intentionally provocative... not to mention, Kanzou doesn't respect his authority at all...
And this is still Kanzou who now also has a Mangekyō Sharingan awakener in his Clan. Hiruzen really felt too stressed... and wanted to take the day off entirely...
But it was pointless, and he had no choice but to meet because he is the Hokage... he can't show weakness... especially at this time.
"Let them come..." he ordered, and added. "Also, increase the security here..." He was afraid of things going out of control because of Kanzou's habit of giving deliberate provocations... The last time, the boy had even dared sit on his work table, draw his sword, and rest the blade against his neck...
Although things hadn't escalated at that time, who knows what might happen today. It's really better not to risk it...
"Understood, Hokage-sama..." the ANBU nodded and retreated...
A short while later, the door slid open again.
Kanzou stepped inside with his usual unhurried gait, hands casually tucked into his pockets. Misaki walked a half-step behind him, her expression bright and completely at ease, as though she were simply accompanying her man on a stroll through the village rather than walking into the Hokage's office after an armed attack on her home.
"So this is the Hokage Office, hm?" She even looked around, having stepped here for the first time.
"Yeah, this is the Hokagay's Office… the place reeks; my office is much better, don't you agree?" Kanzou questioned her.
"Yes, Kanzou-sama," Misaki nodded, knowing full well that Kanzou must be trying to provoke the Hokage. As a good woman, she needs to cooperate, right?
'If it reeks, why come here in the first place?' Hiruzen complained, but only in his heart. Outwardly, he maintained a kind, gentle smile. "Kanzou-kun, I didn't expect you to come here today…" and added, "I offer condolences for Uchiha Tadayoshi. He was a good man and served the village well…"
"Indeed, unlike Fugaku, though," Kanzou snorted.
"Well, each has their own role… not all the leaves of a tree are shaped the same…" Hiruzen said, once again not trying to give in to the provocation.
"Yeah… yeah… some are rotten and covered in dust or mold that needs to be trimmed at the right time," Kanzou nodded.
Hiruzen's lips twitched. 'He is repeatedly trying to provoke...!!!' There is a limit to tolerance, and Kanzou seems to want to push him beyond that limit.
Ignoring Hiruzen's anger, Kanzou approached the Hokage table and once again unceremoniously sat down on it directly. Misaki stood beside him, though she was surprised that Kanzou would actually sit there…
Hiruzen pursed his lips. 'It seems there is really a need to arrange chairs here… or rather, it's better not to meet him here at all…' he thought, before looking at Kanzou and questioning him. "I wonder what brought you here today…" he then looked at Misaki beside Kanzou and also greeted her. "And who are you… young lady…"
"I don't think I need to introduce myself," Misaki responded. "Hokage-sama must already know me…"
Hiruzen felt more unhappy… just like Kanzou, Misaki was also not acting with courtesy. Although he knew who she was, when asked by him, the Hokage, shouldn't she introduce herself properly?
But no… she didn't.
But calming himself, he said, "Well, now that I look at you, your face does look a little familiar… I wonder where I have seen that face…" he paused, appearing to think, before suddenly saying, "Right… you look a lot like Fūma Chiaki… by any chance are you related to her?"
"That's right…" Misaki nodded, understanding what Hiruzen was trying to do. "But… I didn't expect Hokage-sama to know my Okaa-san…"
"Oh, I have had some meetings with her…" Hiruzen responded.
"Is that so…?" Misaki murmured. "But Okaa-san never mentioned Sarutobi Hiruzen-sama to me… which is strange, since I am the next Matriarch; she tells me about many people, all the important people I need to be aware of… but she didn't tell me about Hiruzen-sama… I wonder why…"
"It was probably because she didn't consider him an unimportant person worth knowing…" Kanzou said before Hiruzen could say, making the old man deflate.
'Unimportant person? Not worth knowing?!' Hiruzen's fist clenched slightly. How much? Just how much was Kanzou going to insult him to his face?
Even Misaki felt that Kanzou was doing too much, but she didn't say anything.
Bringing the attention back on him, Kanzou went on, "Anyway… that was not why we are here…"
Suppressing his bubbling anger, Hiruzen questioned, "Yes… I wonder why you are here today?" Well, he already knew the answer, but had still questioned anyway.
"I think Hokagay-sama already knows why I am here..." Kanzou answered, staring at Hokage straight in the eye.
Hiruzen avoided meeting Kanzou's eyes, afraid of being subjected to Genjutsu, and shook his head. "I am afraid I am not certain..."
"Really...? I guess you must have forgotten because of suffering from memory loss prompted by old age..." Kanzou said. And smirking at yet another micro twitch in Hiruzen's eyes, he added, "Well, it's for this month's budget..."
"Budget?" Hiruzen was taken aback. He was expecting Kanzou to bring up the matter of ninjas sent to Sora-ku, but Kanzou brought up the budget...
"It'll be delivered..." he said. "It can be collected..." If just paying this month's budget was going to solve the problem, then he was ready to settle this matter quickly
"That's good..." Kanzou nodded, and added in the same breath, "and please make it ten times the previous month..."
"T-Ten times? What for?" Hiruzen nearly jumped upon hearing that.
"It's compensation, you know..." Kanzou said casually.
"Compensation? What for?" Hiruzen questioned.
"For Hokage-sama not declaring Fugaku a traitor when I asked you to..." Kanzou answered.
"What does... Fugaku have anything to do with the increase in budget...?" Hiruzen questioned, though he already had a suspicion.
"First of all... Fugaku... that bastard... he actually dared to attempt to assault Fūma Misaki..." Kanzou said, pointing at her.
"Assault?" Hiruzen's frown deepened, and he looked at the woman who was actually Kanzou's secret other lover. "That's a serious accusation..."
"But it's true, isn't that right, Misaki?" Kanzou asked her.
Misaki instantly understood what needed to be done, and nodded along, "Yes, Kanzou-sama... that bastard... he had tried to force himself on me..." She held herself, appearing to tremble a little. "That sickening grin of his, it's still making me tremble..."
"This..." Hiruzen pursed his lips. He was certain that Fūma Misaki was lying, but he didn't know what to say.
Fugaku already has a bad reputation because of Mikoto's public confession, and now Fūma Misaki is throwing another accusation at the man. If this got out, Fugaku's reputation would take another hit. And this time, it'd be on a personal level that'd make everyone in not only the Uchiha Clan, but the entire Konoha averse to him.
Hiruzen fully expects Kanzou to be able to do this. After all, Kanzou is already doing something of this sort against him.
"Not only did Fugaku try to assault Misaki, he actually wanted to incite the Fūma Clan that has been loyal to my Uchiha Clan... he wanted to use the Fūma Clan to create unrest in the Land of Fire and Konoha..." Kanzou added.
"Yes, it's as Kanzou-sama is saying..." Misaki nodded. "He tried to force himself on me and marry me to take control of my Fūma Clan.
"Fortunately, that didn't come to pass, as Fugaku is pathetically weak and was beaten up badly... but that bastard, he hasn't given up..." Kanzou breathed, appearing angered. "When things with the Fūma Clan didn't work out, that bastard actually dared to use the Uchihas to incite rebellion within the Clan..."
"What do you mean?" Hiruzen questioned, becoming tense...
The direction this conversation was going was too different from what he had anticipated.
Kanzou leaned forward slightly. "He had somehow contacted Uchiha Shinkurou and delivered false information saying that I am having a secret affair with Misaki..."
He asked Misaki next, "Misaki, am I having a secret affair with you?"
Hiruzen looked at the woman.
"No..." Misaki shook her head at once. After all, their affair isn't secret at all. Even Mikoto has known for so long...
"Shinkurou had passed that false information about me having a secret affair with her to Tadayoshi-sama and tried to incite conflict between the late elder and me... Obviously, he was trying to take revenge not only on Mikoto and me, but also on Misaki by defaming her... and wanted to cause chaos within the Clan..." Pausing here, Kanzou added, "Fortunately, the elder was wise and rather than believing in false accusation... he chose to confront Shinkurou... It's a pity that the elder was getting old and... alas..." Kanzou sighed.
'Kanzou-sama, you are really such a great actor...' Misaki thought, her heart beating excitedly at the superb performance he was giving. She couldn't help but fall in love with him again...
Of course, unlike Misaki, Hiruzen's face grew ugly... He was expecting Kanzou to bring up another matter... but Kanzou actually brought this all up...
"Now you tell me, Hokagay-sama..." Kanzou said. "Is Fugaku not a traitor... then what is he?"
The silence that followed was heavy.
Hiruzen's fingers tightened around the cold pipe.
"Yet Hokage-sama refuses to declare Fugaku a traitor..." Kanzou added, shaking his head in disappointment. "I am even starting to wonder if Fugaku might actually be Hokage-sama's illegitimate son... well, considering his ugly appearance, weak character, and weakness, it wouldn't be surprising..."
Hiruzen pursed his lips... but yet again, ignoring the provocation Kanzou was throwing to try and get under his skin, he spoke, "What you are saying is indeed very heinous... but... is there any proof...?"
"Fufu... even now, Hokage-sama needs proof; it seems my word as the Uchiha Patriarch is really not enough..." Kanzou laughed. "I suppose Hokage-sama would only believe me when Fugaku comes after your own life... that's when you'd think and realize that you should have declared him the traitor when you should have... but it'd probably be too late by then..."
Hiruzen didn't know what to say... "I'll set up an inquiry and investigation on this matter..."
"Sure you would..." nodded Kanzou as if that was irrelevant.
"Well, anyway, I don't care what that incompetent tries to do... he can't get anything done against me anyway..." Kanzou snorted, then said, "What matters is that his actions need to be compensated... since Hokage-sama is so determined to protect him, then be sure to compensate for his action..."
"The village is currently in a tight situation..." Hiruzen tried to deny...
"I am sure you can manage..." Kanzou said. "Compensation is necessary... because if not, then I'd not be happy... and if I am not happy, then I'd have to take some actions that I might not want to, as it could cause a lot of problems... for Hokage-sama..."
It was a threat... a naked threat, and Hiruzen saw through it.
Hearing those words and noticing those eyes, Hiruzen knew that he couldn't mess around here. The reason being that the current Uchiha Clan has indeed become too strong... especially with Mikoto.
If anything were to happen... then...
'It's better for nothing to happen...' he thought. Although giving ten times the compensation is going to hurt the finances... it was better than leading to open conflict, especially when Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya aren't even in the village...
If a conflict broke out at this time, it'll really be too bad as it could even lead to the Uchihas overtaking power...
'No... no... that can't be allowed...' he immediately denied that scary possibility. He, who was afraid of Mikoto's Mangekyō Sharingan, didn't want to risk it and ultimately relented.
"While there is no proof of all this, trusting your words, I'll increase this month's budget by ten times..." Hiruzen said.
"I am glad Hokage-sama is very understanding," nodded Kanzou and said, "By the way, there is one more thing..."
"One more thing?" Hiruzen pursed his lips. Something like this has happened before... and he had a feeling that he knew what was coming.
"Misaki..." Kanzou instructed her.
"Hai, Kanzou-sama..." she nodded, and took out a scroll, and in front of Hiruzen's eyes unfolded it, then released the corpses sealed inside.
A repeat of what had once already happened here happened, and his office had several corpses lying there...
"I wonder if Hokage-sama recognizes them..." Kanzou pointed.
Hiruzen shook his head. "Never seen any of them..." He knew, but he denied...
"Haha... as expected, these are just wandering ninjas that must have sneaked inside the Land of Fire..." Kanzou laughed.
"Quite likely..." Hiruzen nodded, and, pretending to be clueless, questioned, "What did they do?"
"Nothing... they were just breathing annoyingly, so I had them eliminated... anyway, they are unknown wandering ninjas of unknown origins, so their death shouldn't be any problem, right?" Kanzou asked.
"...No problem," Hiruzen said with a bitter expression.
"As I thought. Well... then, I'll take the money and leave, Hokagay-sama..." said Kanzou, getting up and leaving with Misaki.
Watching the two leave, Hiruzen's expression turned into a scowl...
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On the other side, walking beside Kanzou, Misaki couldn't help but ask, "Kanzou-sama... is it really alright to go this far? Sarutobi Hiruzen might snap, you know..."
"I'd be happy if he does... but he keeps swallowing down all the insults and everything... It's even starting to get a bit boring..." Kanzou shrugged...
"Hm..." Misaki murmured and said, "Well... it's time for me to return to Sora-ku..."
"Yeah..." nodded Kanzou... "Be on your way..."
She looked at him, a little pouting. He wasn't even trying to stop her... which annoyed her, and she couldn't help but snort.
Humph!
"What was that...?" Kanzou questioned.
"Nothing..." she responded, looking away...
"Hmm... is that so?" Kanzou said, his lips curving.
"Yeah... nothing..." she responded again...
"Well then..." Kanzou said, gripping her hand... and then suddenly pushing her into the familiar alley as she exclaimed.
"Ahh... K-Kanzou-sama... what are you... mmm... chu..."
Her words were drowned by a deep kiss.
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Double Chapter, be sure to drop loads of power Stonessssssssss!
[Read advance Chapters on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/SlytherinManor]