"You're right. Rationally, we can't completely rule out the Uchiha as suspects."
Hiruzen tapped ash from his pipe, eyes narrowing. "But I also saw the masked man when he came for Kushina. That strange space-time jutsu… it isn't something an ordinary Sharingan can wield. It had to be the Mangekyō. And..." his voice dropped, "...he also used Wood Release."
The room went silent.
"Wood Release?" Koharu's face went pale.
"Mangekyō Sharingan… together?" Homura muttered, stunned.
"Impossible!" Danzo snapped, though his expression betrayed his shock.
He knew very well, Konoha's own secret experiments with Hashirama's cells had all failed. His private attempts with Orochimaru had failed too.
Yet now, some outsider was walking around with power neither of them could grasp.
Unfair. Infuriatingly unfair.
But if such power really existed in the Uchiha, they would flaunt it, not hide it. That, more than anything, convinced Danzo the attacker wasn't acting with Fugaku's clan.
Still… he would never let the Uchiha off the hook entirely. They remained the most convenient scapegoat and the most dangerous threat.
Hiruzen exhaled another long plume of smoke. "The Uchiha fought with their lives during the Nine-Tails' attack. They evacuated villagers, faced the beast head-on. With Shisui close to Minato, and with their loyalty proven, I can't think of any reason they would betray the village."
Danzo leaned forward, voice cutting. "Perhaps not the clan as a whole. But what if there's a madman hiding among them, pretending at loyalty? You remember what our teacher said about Uchiha passion; how love twisted into hatred can drive them insane."
Hiruzen frowned. "Danzo… that's malicious speculation. Judge every clan member by their worst possibility, and you'll never see clearly. Kagami was Uchiha too and no one carried the Will of Fire more purely than he."
Koharu and Homura nodded in agreement, trying to cool the tension. By Danzo's logic, any Konoha shinobi could be the masked man; the Sharingan can be kept hidden, after all.
Danzo's expression hardened. "Perhaps. But Konoha cannot afford another disaster. Precautions are necessary. Everything I do is for the village."
That silenced the room. To oppose him now would be to oppose 'Konoha's safety.'
Hiruzen finally spoke, voice low and final. "We will not use the Nine-Tails as an excuse to force the Uchiha from their land. If you can convince Fugaku by other means, I won't stop you. But if not let it rest."
He stood, robes shifting as he turned for the door, and left them in silence.
Danzo's single visible eye followed him, calculating. Convince Fugaku by another means? Then so be it.
He looked at his two old comrades. "Koharu. Homura. For Konoha's sake, and for our years of friendship, I'll need your support."
The two exchanged glances. At last Homura nodded. "As long as it doesn't go against the Hokage's decision, we'll stand with you. What are you planning?"
Danzo's lips curved into the faintest of smiles. "A sugar-coated bullet. We'll lure them into moving."
He raised a finger. "First, we choose land beside the Police Headquarters and the prison; no more wasted hours traveling from the center of the village. It sounds like convenience, not exile."
"Second, we offer them more space. Their district is overcrowded. The new land will be much larger."
"Third, we promise better housing, an improved environment. Comfort sells."
"Fourth, we expand their forest rights. Every major clan has its own forest, its own resources.
The Nara cultivate deer and medicinal herbs, the Aburame raise their insects, the Inuzuka train their hounds… even the Hyūga, Akimichi, and Yamanaka profit from their lands. Uchiha's forest is too small for their growing numbers. We'll grant them more."
Finally, his eye gleamed. "And fifth, we'll build them full facilities. Shops, supplies, everything needed for self-sufficient living. No need to step beyond their district."
Koharu and Homura sat back, exchanging uneasy glances. It was clever. Almost too clever.
Danzo spread his hands. "Not only will they suffer no loss but they'll make a profit. If we frame it as part of the great reconstruction, push with gentle words and promises of the village's future, even Fugaku may bow. And once the Uchiha are moved to the edge, everything else will follow."
For a long moment, the two advisors were silent. Then, slowly, they nodded.
"We'll help," Koharu said.
"We can try," Homura added.
Danzo's smile widened a fraction. "Good. Thank you, both. I'll bring a map. Tonight we reach consensus—tomorrow, we begin."