Faced with Danzo Shimura's questioning, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't reply. Instead, his thoughts wandered to the rumors spreading around—and particularly, to the one about Danzo in women's clothing.
He recalled how, as a young man, Danzo was once hailed as the most handsome of his generation. With his looks back then, if he really had dressed up as a woman and put in some effort, he might've actually looked stunning.
Lost in thought, Hiruzen's imagination drifted further… picturing Danzo as the number one courtesan in a teahouse.
This absentmindedness only enraged Danzo more. He slammed the table and roared, "Hiruzen, are you even listening to me?!"
Hiruzen snapped back to attention with a jolt, and with an awkward glance, mumbled, "Uh… how should I put it… Those rumors may be exaggerated, but aren't they helping your reputation?"
"Now a lot of people in the Hidden Leaf know who you are. They see you as a great guardian of the village, someone willing to sacrifice for Konoha. Isn't that something to be proud of?"
He didn't say the Uchiha were the ones spreading the rumors. Some things were better left unspoken—especially by the Hokage. If it wasn't said, then it didn't exist.
But Hiruzen's attitude only made Danzo more furious. His blood pressure spiked, his head spinning—he nearly passed out from sheer rage.
"You think I wanted this kind of fame?! I am the shadow of the shinobi world—I don't need this nonsense!"
"Hiruzen! The Uchiha have gone too far! They must be punished! Today they spread slander about me—who knows what they'll dare do tomorrow?!"
To this, Hiruzen shook his head. "Danzo, why should the Uchiha be punished? What does any of this have to do with them?"
Danzo's one eye widened. He pointed at Hiruzen, finger trembling. "You… you… you…"
Hiruzen looked slightly embarrassed, even a bit guilty—but he knew this had to be done. After all, the retaliation against Danzo had been tacitly approved by most of Konoha's clans.
And while the Uchiha's methods were unconventional, they hadn't truly harmed Danzo—in fact, they had paradoxically increased his notoriety. In some twisted way, it was beneficial.
So on what grounds should the Uchiha be punished? Because Danzo was Hiruzen's old friend? But Danzo had been the one to stir things up in the first place.
Watching his friend tremble with fury, Hiruzen realized Danzo had no grasp of the current honeymoon-like state between the Uchiha and the other major clans.
So Hiruzen explained, "Danzo, don't forget—you were the one who started this. Your tricks are outdated. They only worked in the past because no one cared to intervene. But this time, you've offended half the ninja clans in the village."
"Your tactics failed. And when the Uchiha retaliated, no one defended you."
Danzo was stunned. "Why? Why would they support the Uchiha? Shouldn't they just stay out of it?"
Even Hiruzen was speechless. He looked at his old friend, wondering how Danzo still didn't understand.
The Shimura Clan wasn't small. Back in the Warring States era, their alliance with others had been about mutual survival.
Now, the Uchiha's strategy was more refined and comprehensive—but in essence, it was the same: mutual benefit.
Had Danzo spent so much time in the shadows that he no longer understood straightforward strategies or open political alliances?
Thinking of Root's training methods, its brainwashing, and how many members were raised as tools from childhood, Hiruzen frowned deeply.
It seemed…
His dear friend had dwelled in darkness for too long. He'd forgotten what it meant to act with honor.
With a sigh of guilt, Hiruzen added, "Anyway, stop targeting the genjutsu game and the Uchiha. There's nothing for you to gain."
"Danzo, listen to me. The shinobi world is unstable. Focus your attention and Root's forces on the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth. If war breaks out again, it'll likely start with one of them."
Danzo widened his lone eye in disbelief—he hadn't expected this from his oldest friend.
The shadow of the shinobi world was enraged.
"Hiruzen… you'll regret this!"
"Danzo—I am the Hokage."
*Bang!* Danzo stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Hiruzen sighed. He had nothing to say about Danzo's tunnel vision or lack of perspective.
Right now, the Uchiha were tied to the major clans through shared interests. The genjutsu game's core tech was based on Uchiha secrets—specifically, the Sharingan. Without it, the games couldn't even be produced.
Didn't Danzo notice that a bunch of Uchiha with weak combat skills but awakened Sharingan were now working in genjutsu game workshops as visual power sources?
They were irreplaceable. And because of that, production was limited. All the clans wanted more Uchiha with Sharingan so they could increase output.
In this situation, anyone who harmed the Uchiha was cutting into everyone's profits. Even the Hokage had to go with the flow.
Not to mention, even the Sarutobi Clan had stakes in the business. Unless the Uchiha did something suicidal, any action against them would throw Hiruzen's own household into chaos.
In truth, Hiruzen's plan was to protect Danzo. If he kept using such crude methods, the next blow wouldn't be just some rumor about selling fishing hooks.
The Uchiha's counterattack sent a clear message—they wouldn't cause trouble, but if anyone did, they would retaliate in kind. Their actions were just, and everyone had been forewarned. Not even Konoha's Four Elders could complain.
Open, fair, and above board.
The Uchiha had truly changed.
But Hiruzen didn't mind. He knew this was the will of Uchiha Kei. And the more upright Kei's behavior was, the more admirable he became.
After all, the First Hokage had led with overwhelming strength, while Kei led with unmatched vision and intellect.
Even the Second Hokage, though a notorious schemer, would have appreciated someone who gave advance notice and acted with measure.
In short, while their tactics were unorthodox, the Uchiha had done nothing any leader could fault.
"Shame Kei is only a Chūnin… sigh."
With another sigh, Hiruzen grew even more regretful—such vision, such brilliance, such finesse! A perfect embodiment of the Will of Fire.
Then, without hesitation, Hiruzen issued a promotion letter—elevating Uchiha Kei to jōnin.
His combat power might not be quite there, but with his intellect and two-tomoe Sharingan, Kei more than qualified.
If not for his lack of S-rank mission records, he might've jumped straight to elite jōnin.
This promotion was only the beginning—Kei's talent was wasted in the Police Force. He belonged in Konoha's think tank.
Though letting a Uchiha join the advisory circle technically violated the Second Hokage's will, the same Hiruzen who took Obito as a proper successor of the Hokage line didn't care about such things.
Besides, he had plans to make Shisui his personal guard—an even higher honor. Back in the day, those guards became Konoha's top leadership.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Kei had no idea that Lord Third had already promoted him—and even planned out his future. Even if he knew, he would've set it aside for now.
Because Kei was developing a brand-new game—a second wave of retaliation against Danzo and a further boost to the Uchiha's image.
Its name—
**Escape**!