Chapter 46

— Hiruzen —

Deep in the Hokage Mountains, miles away from Konoha, Hiruzen sat down on an elevated stone. All the while he contemplated if what he was planning on doing was truly the right move. He had made a lot of mistakes in his life, and he didn't want to make another.

No, he knew this was the right call. There could be no other way.

Tense silence dominated the mountain as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come. Eventually, the will to do what must be done burned brightly within the old Hokage and he spoke.

"Boar, Fox, Dragon."

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Boar spoke.

"Summon Danzo, tell him I wish to speak with him. If he tries to wave my summons off, tell him it's an order, not a friendly call. Should he resist, retreat, don't force the issue."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

All three bodies flickered upwards and towards the ROOT Headquarters.

Hiruzen let out a tired sigh as he retook a seat on the stone he had come to find incredibly helpful, leaning back, he let the mountain behind support his weight. Both figuratively and literally.

"We can't mess this up." Jiraiya crossed his arms, his eyes closed, waiting for the impending conversation.

"No…no we cannot."

It had been four days since Team Seven had returned from Waves. During those four days, Hiruzen had been gathering information on his old friend, anything he could scrounge up, but Danzo seemed to be aware of the investigation being launched on him.

His ANBU was compromised by ROOT, though such a thing was hardly surprising.

Lei and Kakashi had fallen into a deep sleep two days ago, and both were being monitored by several ANBUs. Both shinobi were exceptionally talented and with time, would become invaluable to Konoha. Kakashi had been growing in power, being around such talented children who were growing every day seemed to light a candle in him and he had started training again. Such a thing made Kakashi a true asset, and if he had as much potential as Hiruzen suspected him to have, he could even be the third-strongest shinobi in the village one day.

That was all speculation for the future though, for now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

Arresting Danzo.

The man he had once called friend had done too much for that title to save him now. He thought about outright killing him, but Danzo was a man with many secrets, and those secrets needed to be brought to light before he could ever rest.

He closed his eyes as he gave Danzo a moment of silence. He hoped that Danzo would come quietly and not stir the issue further, but he knew how hotheaded his old friend could be when he didn't get his way.

No, Danzo would not come quietly, and that's exactly why he and Jiraiya sat deep within the mountains. There was no reason to cause an issue in the village when it could be handled away from everyone else.

When you're standing on a mountain of corpses, you don't even notice when more get added to the pile, but he hoped to leave the precious people of his home out of this.

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet, Sensei."

Hiruzen turned to Jiraiya, both staring into each other's eyes with firm resolution.

"It's as I said before Jiraiya, there's no going back."

Jiraiya closed his eyes again and smirked. "Good, I didn't think so, but better safe than sorry."

Through the years, Jiraiya has been the single greatest asset to Konoha during Hiruzen's reign as Hokage. The years he spent on the battlefield, and then after with his spy network. The number of times Jiraiya has warned or saved Konoha throughout the years can be counted on both hands, but that among other things makes him such a great shinobi.

…And a valued student.

There is no one Hiruzen would rather fight alongside when it comes to any situation, and at this current moment, he would need him if Danzo has any…tricks up his sleeve.

Speaking of Danzo.

Both Hiruzen and Jiraiya's heads perked up at the Shinobi of Darkness' chakra signature approaching them at rapid speeds, along with two ROOT guards.

It was time.

The shinobi touched down on rocky ground and Hiruzen's eyes met Danzo's lone eye.

Both men stared at one another in stern, tense silence.

"Danzo." Jiraiya grinned, adopting his knuckleheaded persona.

"Jiraiya." Danzo returned the smile, albeit he was much more reserved. "It's been years since you've last returned to the village, do you have important discoveries to share?"

"Huh, seems you're getting rusty in your old age." Jiraiya wagged his finger. "I've been in the village twice in the past year, maybe my awesome skills have truly escaped your eye?"

"My eye sees all, Jiraiya." Danzo bit out, offended by the prospect of not knowing everything that occurs in Konoha. "I just assumed you didn't want the shinobi surrounding us to know of such things. Your spy network is quite exclusive after all, you won't even give me intel."

"Yeah, sorry about that, but my network reports directly to the Hokage."

Hiruzen let out a soft gasp, inaudible to all around. He knew that had to hurt Danzo's pride, and judging by the slight narrowing of his eye, it most certainly did.

"Such a thing is understandable." Danzo closed his eye and redirected his attention to Hiruzen. "So, old friend, what have you summoned me for?"

Playing at his heartstrings huh? When was the last time Danzo had called him 'friend' before today? Years at least, decades was a more reasonable answer.

Hiruzen stood up, arms folded behind his back. "We are here to discuss your involvement with Orochimaru."

Danzo raised an eyebrow. "Last I checked, we agreed that such cooperation was good for Konoha."

"We did, and it was." Hiruzen nodded. "Once upon a time."

Danzo's eye narrowed once more, his lips tugging down into a deep frown.

"Once upon a time?"

"I will stop beating around the bush, you know what you did, Danzo. You enlisted Orochimaru to attack multiple Konoha shinobi to capture two Konoha Clan Heads."

"That's absurd!" Danzo objected. "On what basis do you make these claims, wheres the evidence?!"

"Hey." Jiraiya waved. "Did you forget I'm here? I'm kind of a walking talking all-seeing eye." If the situation weren't so tense, he would have laughed at Jiraiya's snarkiness.

Now wasn't the time.

"Indeed." Hiruzen nodded. "Jiraiya has been investigating you, as I'm sure you know. It was simple to learn of your involvement, even the Senju Head figured it out, mere moments after he returned to the village."

"You're wrong! This is all-"

"Danzo."

Chakra flowed off Hiruzen in droves. Had he been in the village, anyone with any knowledge of feeling chakra around them would be able to feel his-

And they'd be scared shitless.

Anyone gifted enough to be a sensor could feel him, even from this distance. He used it as a precursor, a warning to anyone should a fight break out.

"We both know what you did, stop playing games. It's time to reap the consequences of your actions. Danzo Shimura, by my power as Third Hokage, I declare you under arrest."

Both Boar and Dragon moved behind Danzo, grabbing his arm.

"Don't make this any harder than it needs to be." Hiruzen's tone remained stern, never once breaking no matter how much it hurt him to do this. Years of friendship were lost to the cruelty of this world. One of the last bonds he had, was shattered by greed.

The ROOT looked ready to attack, but Danzo spoke.

"It's fine."

Both ROOT shinobi paused in their actions, relaxing at Danzo's sides, but still on edge.

Hiruzen pulled his chakra back into his body. This was going well…too well.

Nothing in the shinobi world ever goes well, unless your power is insurmountable.

"I must ask, Hiruzen. Are you sure you wish to do this?" Danzo asked, with much more emotion in his voice than anyone's heard in years. "Do you place more value on children who may not even live to see next year than you do on me?"

Hiruzen's gaze remained firm, though anyone in the room could see that Danzo's words gripped his heart tightly.

"The days we spent growing together, training, bleeding. We were heroes of the First Great Shinobi War, and we did it together."

Hiruzen's body twitched, his eyes softening a great deal.

"Come now, Hiruzen, my oldest and most trusted friend, we both know you don't wish to do this."

"...Danzo," Hiruzen whispered with clenched fists. Then, he relaxed. He looked to his ANBU with a stern gaze. "Release him."

Both ANBU jumped to the opposite sides of the room, planting their feet on the walls.

Hiruzen's head snapped over to his student who sent a flurry of hair senbon at Danzo.

"You tricky bastard!" Jiraiya shouted.