Within the Sarutobi clan compound.
Bang!
Hiruzen Sarutobi led Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado into his private reception room. As he pushed the door open, the fury he had suppressed all the way back finally broke through—he slammed it hard against the wall.
The sound echoed sharply.
He strode to the main seat, sat down heavily, packed his pipe, and lit it. Smoke curled upward as he drew in a long breath.
He said nothing.
Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance. They each took a seat without speaking.
Both understood Hiruzen was still burning with anger. Neither wished to provoke him further. Better to wait until the fire settled.
Truthfully, they were furious as well.
They, too, needed time to cool down.
Only after a long silence did Hiruzen lower his pipe.
"There are two matters we must settle immediately."
He was angry—but not irrational. The silence had not been emptiness. He had been thinking.
Koharu frowned slightly. "Hiruzen… you mean Danzō—"
"Not directly. But it concerns him."
Hiruzen cut her off gently.
"We all know what kind of man Shimura Danzō is. The Hokage's seat has become his lifelong obsession."
"He will not compromise on that."
"And neither can we."
"There is no path left for reconciliation."
He looked at them both.
"So spare me any talk of 'meeting with him to discuss matters.' We have no retreat left."
A trace of reluctance flickered across Koharu's face.
The four of them—Konoha's so-called F4—had fought side by side for decades. They had all acted, in their own way, for the village.
She did not want things to end like this.
Homura, however, spoke coldly.
"Hiruzen is right."
"There is no middle ground anymore."
"We are obstacles in his path. He is an obstacle in ours."
"If reconciliation is possible, it will only come after this is decided."
He paused.
"If we win… perhaps someday bridges can be rebuilt."
"But if Danzō wins…"
His expression hardened.
"He will show us no mercy."
That extinguished the last spark of hesitation in Koharu's eyes.
She knew Homura was right.
They still held onto sentiment.
Danzō did not.
And he had never been a man restrained by conscience.
Hiruzen continued:
"We failed to block Danzō's candidacy today. We've already lost the initiative."
"If he becomes the Fourth Hokage, it's over."
"He will remove us immediately, consolidate power, and rule unilaterally."
"And then the village will truly be in danger."
He took another breath.
"But even if he loses… our position remains precarious."
"The Uchiha have established direct ties with the Daimyō."
"And now they are standing beside Danzō."
"If Danzō uses them to influence the Daimyō to delay formal recognition…"
"Even if Minato is elected Hokage, he will lack legitimacy. Without official sanction, he cannot exercise full authority."
"And Danzō holds more than enough dirt on the three of us."
"Given time, he can still drag us down."
"And without our support—Minato cannot defeat him."
"In the end, Konoha would still be Danzō's."
The weight of his words settled heavily in the room.
Homura fell silent for a long moment before speaking.
"Is it truly that dire?"
"We've worked together for decades."
"If I may use an imperfect analogy—we're fused together. Intertwined."
"It was precisely because we were cautious of harming ourselves that we couldn't finish Danzō today."
"By that same logic, he shouldn't be able to easily finish us either."
Before the Fourth Hokage election, the so-called Konoha F4 might quarrel internally—but externally, they had always stood united.
Even the unsavory decisions… had been coordinated.
And more often than not, Danzō had been the one to carry them out.
From Homura's perspective, Danzō could not expose them without exposing himself.
Hiruzen let out a low chuckle.
"You truly believe that?"
His gaze sharpened.
"Over the years, how many public resources have your two families quietly diverted?"
Homura's expression changed instantly.
"What are you implying? We have never embezzled a single ryō from the village!"
"At most—we prioritized our own clans in certain projects."
"And what do you mean 'our two families'? We treated the Sarutobi and Shimura clans equally!"
"Calm yourself," Hiruzen replied evenly. "We're among ourselves. There's no need for pretenses."
"Your accounts are beautifully structured."
"But if someone truly investigates… can you guarantee there are no cracks?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"More importantly—the benefits may have been shared among the four clans."
"But Danzō and I never once asked for them openly."
"You acted on your own initiative."
Homura's face darkened.
And regret surfaced.
Within their F4 structure, Hiruzen and Danzō controlled military strength and enforcement power.
Koharu and Homura controlled administrative resources and distribution.
The former were the shield.
The latter controlled the purse.
Naturally, benefits had flowed both ways.
It was never spoken aloud.
But it was understood.
Koharu spoke carefully.
"Hiruzen… what exactly are you saying?"
"Are you suggesting even you might abandon us?"
Hiruzen shook his head.
"You misunderstand."
He exhaled slowly.
"I'll speak plainly."
"I never openly requested anything from you."
"But the benefits are directed toward the Sarutobi clan—I saw them."
"And I did not refuse."
He looked at them steadily.
"And silence… is acceptance."
Then his tone shifted.
"But Danzō is different."
"He truly never wanted those benefits."
And that—
Was the most dangerous difference of all.
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