Chapter 52

Chapter 52

It was a wonderful sight to behold for such an old man like Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. Looking as the sun set beyond the village he worked so hard to protect had lessened his worries. Even if it was for a bit, Hiruzen enjoyed watching over his home. It gave purpose to him and reassured him that his hard work wasn't for nothing.

"I had made many mistakes," Hiruzen said as his guest arrived at the Hokage Rock. "Some bigger than others. Some came from my naïve thinking, others from deception. Yet I always tried to do the best for Konoha."

"And everyone is thankful for it," Danzo replied. "Your prestige is unparalleled in Konoha. There is no one who would disrespect you nor anyone that would hate you."

"I can think of few," Hiruzen smiled as images of Naruto and Kaen came to mind.

He had failed both of them in some ways. He should have taken more care of Naruto. He owned his parents at least that much. But alas, as the Third Hokage, he had little time for his family, not speaking of others. The village needed to be rebuilt after the Nine-Tails attack. He had to deal with leaders of the Land of the Fire and other countries to assure them that the village was still strong. He wished he could have saved Naruto from the life of being a Jinchuriki, but he could only watch over him from a distance.

And then there was his biggest mistake. The Uchiha clan didn't deserve their fate. Itachi didn't have to bear such a burden. It was his biggest mistake to let Danzo have so much power over that situation. If only he had been more careful with the Uchiha clan if he had tried to understand them better, it might have changed things, but alas, it was too late, and all he could do was regret his actions and inactions.

"Why have you called me here?" Danzo asked. "I have already given all my Root members missions you designed, or will you send me on a mission?"

"If I wished to do so, I would have called you to my office," Hiruzen answered. "I called you here to ask how long you have been conspiring with Orochimaru against me?"

"So, you find out?" Danzo didn't look surprised at Hiruzen's words. "You knew it ever since Orochimaru showed himself, haven't you? That is why you used my men and sent them far away. I didn't think you were capable of such deceit, Hokage-sama."

Before the Third Hokage could say or do anything, two shinobi burst from hiding and attacked him. Hiruzen wasn't disturbed by their attack and easily dodged them. He recognized them, Torune Aburame and Fu Yamanaka. Both were skilled shinobi who deserved their place as Danzo's most trusted men. Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, sensing the dangerous aura emanating from Danzo and his bodyguards.

He wished to speak more with Danzo before it came to this, but Danzo didn't have the exact wishes he did. Without a word, the battle began. Danzo's followers, the Aburame and Yamanaka shinobi, surged forward with a coordinated attack. The Aburame clan member unleashed swarms of insects while the Yamanaka used his mind-controlling techniques to gain control over Hiruzen's body.

Hiruzen didn't expect or merely hoped that Danzo would at least hesitate to attack him, but he was once again mistaken about his old friend. Hiruzen responded with swift and precise movements. With a series of hand seals, he summoned a protective barrier of earth and fire to shield himself from the oncoming insect onslaught.

His experience and knowledge of these clans' techniques effectively allowed him to counter their strategies. But he still had no time or leisure to hesitate. Hiruzen knew very well that Danzo was a capable shinobi, and one mistake would be the end of Hiruzen. Hiruzen suddenly felt very old; he wished it didn't come to this, but he had prepared for it.

The Aburame's insects seemed endless, swarming around him like a dark cloud, while the Yamanaka's attempts to control his mind intensified, even when he couldn't capture Hiruzen in his sight. Amid the chaos of the battle, Danzo seized the opportunity to strike. He rushed forward, wielding a kunai infused with wind chakra, aiming for Hiruzen's heart.

Yet, just when it seemed that the tide was turning against Hiruzen, two figures appeared on the scene - Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga, the twin brothers who are known for their exceptional mastery of the Byakugan. Hiashi captured Danzo's hand, and Hizashi kicked him away from the Third Hokage. Hiruzen looked at the brothers and nodded in thanks.

"Hyuga?" Danzo didn't look too disturbed. "I expected to see Kaen Uchiha."

"Kaen-kun is busy fixing my other mistake," Hiruzen replied. "But I have to ask you before it is too late. Danzo, why? Why did you betray the village? We were once comrades sworn to protect Konoha together."

"Hiruzen, my loyalty has always been to the village. I did what I believed was necessary to secure its future, even if it meant making difficult decisions."

"Decision to kill me?" Hiruzen asked. "Is that what you planned with Orochimaru? It was you who manipulated the Daimyo of the Land of the Wind. It was you who pushed Suna to take such drastic actions against Konoha. Why?"

"Even now, you can't see, or are you simply refusing to see it?" Danzo asked. "Suna wouldn't have acted without the desire to do so. You are weak, Hiruzen. You refuse to accept what is before you. We could have used Suna attacking us as a pretext to subject them to our rule. And with the help of the Daimyo of the Land of the Wind, we would have been able to make a perfect alliance with them."

"A perfect alliance? You want to trample them under your feet. Sooner or later, they would fight back against you and Konoha."

"Yet it would be too late. They would be too weak to do anything but rely on us."

"But I needed to die first for that?" Hiruzen asked.

"The path to greatness is often paved with sacrifices, Hiruzen. Sacrifices that the weak cannot understand. But I am willing to bear the burden of those choices if it means the village will thrive."

"I heard enough of this nonsense," Hiashi stepped forward. "What you are talking about is treason, Danzo. Don't expect us not to interfere and stop you."

"Hokage-sama, we can't stand idly by while you face this threat alone," Hizashi joined his brother. "The Hyuga clan stands with you, as you have asked."

"Thank you, Hiashi, Hizashi. Your support means a great deal to me," Hiruzen meant his words as he didn't imagine he could face Danzo alone. "Be careful of the Aburame. His insects contain powerful poison. If they touch you, there won't be anyone capable of saving you."

Hiruzen could tell that Danzo was convinced that sentimentality and pursuing peace through diplomacy were naive and ultimately ineffective. He viewed Hiruzen Sarutobi's compassionate and diplomatic approach as a sign of weakness, believing it left the village vulnerable to external threats and internal strife. In contrast, Danzo embraced a more ruthless and pragmatic stance, willing to sacrifice and use any means to protect the village.

Hiruzen could only take solace in that Danzo still thought of the village, even though his mind became delusional and his ideals twisted. As a Hogake and his friend, Hiruzen had to stop him, no matter what. Taking off his hat, Hiruzen disregarded his cloak, revealing battle attire. Taking a massive shuriken in his hand, Hiruzen was prepared to face his old friend for the last time.

"You've become so fixated on your idea of strength that you've lost sight of what truly matters, Danzo," Hiruzen said. "The village will never thrive under your rule, nor will I let you do as you wish anymore."

Hiruzen threw his shuriken and then multiplied it by using shadow clone jutsu. Before Fu or Torune could interfere, Hiashi and Hizashi blocked them. Hizashi used Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven to expel chakra from his body and deflect all incoming insects blocking Torune's attack. At the same time, Hiashi used his Gentle Palm taijutsu to push Fu back and stop him from using Mind Transfer jutsu.

Even though his bodyguards couldn't interfere, Danzo still didn't have trouble blocking Hiruze's attack by using his right arm, which had sealing arm braces. Hiruzen didn't know what to expect, but he didn't imagine seeing Danzo unlocking his arm and revealing ten sharingan eyes embedded on it under his bandages. It shocked HIruzen greatly. Even Hyuga's brothers stepped back in shock at what they saw.

"You," Hiruzen's heart ached to see this sight before him. "I don't need your explanation, Danzo. It would only sicken me more to hear it. But I have to ask. That arm, was it made from the First Hokage's cells?"

Instead of replying, Danzo moved his hand into signs. Hiruzen did the same, as he already could guess that Orochimaru helped him with that arm of his. Instead of letting out a jutsu, Danzo moved incredibly fast toward Hiruzen, ready to punch him. Yet before he could do so, Hiruzen summoned Monkey King Enma, who blocked the attack.

Not wasting time, Hiruzen transformed Enma into Adamantine Staff and hit Danzo with it. Danzo was thrown away, hitting the ground from the force Hiruzen emitted. Hiruzen knew facing Danzo would only be more painful as the fight continued, so he finished it quickly. With one leap, Hiruzen was over Danzo and, with great strength, smashed the Adamantine Staff at Danzo's head, crushing it into a bloody mess.

Yet Hiruzen felt something wrong and, just in time, managed to turn around to see Danzo aiming his kunai at his heart. Hiruzen deflected the kunai and narrowed his eyes. Even though the Hyuga brothers were busy fighting their opponents, they still could see what happened with their Byagukan. And from how they snapped her attention to Danzo, Hiruzen concluded it wasn't an illusion.

With quick movements, Hiruzen turned his staff ten times bigger. Using its size and weight, Hiruzen broke Danzo's kunai and smashed his body into smithereens. It wasn't a clone, either. Hiruzen turned again to look in the distance to see Danzo standing unharmed. It was hard for Hiruzen to kill his old friend, but how often did he need to do it until it was over?

"The power of your attack is still spectacular even in your old age, Hiruzen," Danzo said. "But it isn't enough. Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets."

Hiruzen responded by dodging all the Vacuum bullets shot by Danzo. The bullets obliterated everything in their path, but his age didn't dampen Hiruzen's agility, and he quickly jumped out of their way. Using his staff, Hiruzen propelled himself toward Danzo. Yet Danzo wasn't done. Using Vacuum blast jutsu, he tried to hit Hiruzen but only managed to hit Hiruzen's staff.

Hiruzen leaped off his staff and, in the air, shot out a powerful fire jutsu that destroyed Danzo and everything near him. Landing on the ground, Hiruzen retook his staff and looked for Danzo, as he didn't believe it was the end. Hiruzen heard the wind whistling and turned his body to dodge a shuriken imbued with wind chakra that cut everything it touched.

"Izanagi, isn't it?" Hiruzen asked Danzo. "A powerful genjutsu that can turn reality into illusion and vice versa. But the price for using it is tremendous, and the Uchiha who use it lose their sight. That is why you have ten sharingan in your arm. Or I should say seven now."

As Hiruzen said, three sharingan in Danzo's right arm closed. Now he knew how many times he would have to kill Danzo to stop him. Hiruzen's heart grew heavy with that thought, but he had to do it. He already left Orochimaru for Kaen. He couldn't forgive himself if someone else took the duty of stopping Danzo.

"Hokage-sama," Hiashi appeared next to Hiruzen as he managed to subdue Fu Yamanaka. "His chakra is plummeting at alarming speed. Even if he uses that technique, he won't be able to fight back for much longer."

"Does it have to come to this, Hiruzen?" Danzo asked. "I can give you what you desired, a true peace among the nations."

"True peace?" Hiruzen asked, intrigued by what Danzo meant by it. Maybe even hoping that Danzo meant well in the end.

"Look at this," Danzo undone bandages on his right eye, revealing another sharingan.

"That is the eye of Shisui," Hiruzen once again was surprised by Danzo's revelation and repulsed by the methods Danzo was willing to take.

"Kotoamatsukami, that was his power," Danzo said. "I only need a few more years to master it, and then I can use it on other Kage and take control of them. Isn't that what you wanted, Hiruzen? With his power, I can bring true age of peace."

Hiruzen stood in silence momentarily as he realized that Danzo brought Shisui's death with his actions, but a voice above him shook him.

"Rassangen," Jiraiya fell from the sky, surprising Hiruzen and Danzo. "Don't speak of peace before me!"

Jiraiya stood above Danzo's broken body in a small crater he created.

A.N. As always, If you want more, up to seven advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852. And if you have any requests for stories, I will only take them on my pa treon.