Chapter 13 — The Hokage Declares: The Land of Fields Walks the Right Path
"Hiruzen!"
Bang!
The door to the Hokage's office flew open with a thunderous crash, the sound echoing through the very heart of Konohagakure — the nerve center of the strongest shinobi village in the world.
And in all of Konoha, there was only one man who would dare to enter the Hokage's chambers so violently.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, looked up from the scrolls in his hand, a furrow creasing his brow. He wasn't using his crystal ball today — for once, he'd been reviewing field intelligence directly.
But his irritation was plain.
"Danzō," he said in that quiet, heavy tone that carried both reproach and weariness. "You're still under house arrest."
"House arrest?" Shimura Danzō sneered, slamming the door shut behind him. "Do you even understand the situation we're in, Hiruzen? You're still talking about rules?"
His one visible eye blazed with anger. He had been stripped of every title — advisor to the Hokage, commander of Root, everything — after the Uchiha massacre. And still, he seethed at the injustice of it.
When I sent Kakashi to kill you back then, you brushed it off without a word.
But when I finally fulfilled Tobirama-sensei's legacy and erased the accursed Uchiha, you punished me for it?
You've gone soft, Hiruzen. You've become unworthy of the Hokage's seat. Only I can make Konoha great again.
But Danzō was not so blinded by fury that he forgot his purpose. Now was not the time to challenge Hiruzen outright — at least, not yet.
"Look at this first," he said coldly, slapping a scroll onto the desk between them.
Hiruzen didn't even glance at it.
After decades of working beside Danzō, he could already guess what it was about.
The Land of Fields. The new "Sound Village."
The so-called reform that's shaking the entire shinobi world.
He sighed softly and, instead of taking Danzō's report, slid another folder across the desk.
"Why don't you take a look at this first?"
For once, Danzō hesitated. The two men locked eyes — one filled with cold authority, the other with smoldering impatience.
Finally, Danzō snatched the papers from Hiruzen's hand and began to read.
Seconds later, his voice exploded.
"What?!"
As expected, Hiruzen didn't even flinch.
Danzō's rage filled the office like thunder. "Hiruzen, the Sound Village must be erased! Something like this cannot be allowed to exist openly in the shinobi world!"
He pounded his fist on the desk hard enough to rattle the inkpots, his lone eye burning with fury.
So this was what he'd missed while being sidelined — and it infuriated him.
The Sound Village wasn't some child's experiment. It was a political maneuver, a calculated strike by the Five Daimyō against the Five Great Villages.
"The daimyōs," Danzō snarled, "have no right to recognize a ninja village without consulting the shinobi first! And they're praising the Land of Fields — saying it's pioneering a new future for the world?!"
He laughed bitterly. "If you're too hesitant to act, let me handle it. You can stay the tree that stands in the sunlight… and I'll remain the root buried in the dark."
He crumpled the report in his hand and threw it to the floor — half fury, half theater.
This was his play. He'd come here waving the "threat of the Sound Village" not just to alarm Hiruzen, but to create a new enemy.
A new crisis meant a new purpose.
And with purpose came power.
After the Uchiha clan's eradication, he needed something new — a reason to step out of the shadows again.
If the Land of Fields could unite its ninja and citizens as one, what would stop the other nations from following?
What if their own daimyōs decided to take full control of their villages — to make the ninja serve them directly?
It was unthinkable. It was the end of everything Danzō believed in.
But Hiruzen only sighed, calm as still water.
"The daimyōs have already recognized the Land of Fields," he said quietly.
Danzō slammed his hand on the desk again. "But—!"
"There are no buts, Danzō."
Hiruzen's voice cut through the air like a blade. His eyes, usually warm and clouded by age, were sharp as ever.
"We are the ninja of a great nation. Our duty is not to oppose the will of our daimyōs — that is the foundation of every village's survival."
He paused, then added pointedly:
"And look closer — the Land of Fields is, in fact, walking the very path of the Will of Fire."
With that, he tossed several more files onto the desk.
"What nonsense are you—" Danzō began, but stopped when he caught sight of the first few lines.
His eye darted down the page, scanning quickly — and then froze.
"Intermarriage between shinobi and civilians…
A national academy teaching chakra control and basic ninjutsu to all children…
Shinobi assigned to hunt bandits, assist in disaster relief, and maintain internal peace…"
He looked up slowly, disbelief written across his face.
"This—this is exactly what Hashirama and Tobirama once envisioned."
Every line of the Land of Fields' reforms mirrored the earliest ideals of Konoha's founders — only broader, more radical, and nationwide.
The Senju brothers had merged their clan with civilians.
They had opened the Ninja Academy to all children.
They had entrusted village security to loyal shinobi — even the Uchiha, once their enemies.
And now this…
"This…" Danzō muttered, his voice hollow.
Because he finally understood what Hiruzen had seen from the beginning.
If Konoha tried to sabotage the Land of Fields now, it wouldn't just be a political act — it would be a betrayal of its own founding ideals.
If the Land of Fields failed, it would mean Konoha's own philosophy had failed.
If the Land of Fields succeeded… it would vindicate the Will of Fire more perfectly than even Konoha ever had.
"Now do you understand, Danzō?" Hiruzen said softly.
"Our stance must remain friendly — supportive, even.
No interference. No covert sabotage. None."
He looked out the window, the wind stirring the papers on his desk.
"If the Land of Fields falls," he murmured, "then it means our own path was never right to begin with."
Danzō's fists trembled. He wanted to scream, to curse, to denounce his old comrade's idealism — but no words came.
He turned toward the door, muttering through clenched teeth:
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen.
The Land of Fields is a threat — and you're too blind to see it."
Then, just before stepping out, he whispered:
"I am the true Hokage."
The door slammed behind him, and silence settled once more over the office.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, his eyes distant, heavy with thought.
Then he turned toward the shadows.
"Hatake Kakashi," he said quietly. "Go to the Land of Fields. See for yourself."
From the darkness, a calm voice answered:
"Yes, Hokage-sama."