"Mm! Such exceptional talent in medical ninjutsu… if he possesses the Will of Fire, maybe Tsunade could take him as her disciple."
"That way, with the label of being part of the Hokage's direct line stamped on him, it would be much easier to influence and brainwash him later."
Hiruzen couldn't help but think with calculation.
In fact, with such an identity, with just a little push from behind the scenes, Riku would gradually be rejected and treated as an outcast by his clan, making his life within the Uchiha increasingly stifling.
Given time, this would definitely cause Riku to develop resentment toward his clan, turning him completely into a tool for controlling and suppressing them.
It was a tactic Hiruzen was very familiar with.
Wasn't their former comrade Kagami treated the same way?
Although the Second Hokage didn't actively scheme like this back then, Kagami's personality and views on the village were at odds with most of the Uchiha. He got too close to the village and ended up being rejected and hated by the majority of the clan.
And that was without anyone fanning the flames. If Hiruzen were to subtly stir things up from the shadows, the effect would only be greater.
The prerequisite, however, was that Riku possessed at least a degree of the Will of Fire.
BANG!
Just as Hiruzen revealed a smug expression, the door to his office was suddenly flung open with a bang.
His train of thought was interrupted. Hiruzen's brows furrowed immediately, and his temper flared as he raised his head.
"Hiruzen!"
Danzo stormed in hastily and didn't even wait for Hiruzen to speak before he blurted out, "You've surely heard the news about Riku, right?"
"Hand him over to me! Let him join Root. I will personally train him into a proper tool to use against the Uchiha."
Hearing this, Hiruzen's already displeased expression turned even darker. He snapped, "Danzo, you're a high-ranking member of Konoha—could you at least try to act like one?"
"Next time, can you knock before barging in?"
He felt Danzo had no respect for him as Hokage.
This kind of behavior was unacceptable.
"Hah? You're hung up on such trivial crap at a time like this?"
Danzo's brow twisted, his face full of irritation as he glanced at Hiruzen with exasperation. "Are you going to agree or not?"
Trivial crap?
Hiruzen's brows furrowed further. He started to wonder if he had been too lenient with Danzo in recent years.
That must be why Danzo had become so arrogant—he no longer saw the Hokage as someone to respect!
A sharp glint flashed in Hiruzen's eyes as he spoke coldly, "Danzo, you've overstepped your bounds."
"These past years, I've tolerated your Root's expansion far beyond the size I initially authorized because of our past friendship."
"But that doesn't give you license to go even further."
Root had originally only consisted of three squads.
It wasn't supposed to exceed twenty shinobi in total.
And now?
Just the number of Root ninja Hiruzen was aware of exceeded eighty.
Who knew how many others were hidden even from his knowledge?
In Hiruzen's eyes, this was completely unacceptable.
As his power and status became more secure over the years, so did his ambition—and his tolerance shrank accordingly.
In his view, everything in Konoha should be under his control. Nothing should go beyond it.
The Uchiha, the Senju, Danzo, and Root—they all had to be kept in line.
Only someone like Mito, who had the status, seniority, reputation, and power—plus being the First Hokage's wife—was beyond his control.
Everyone else had to remain within his grasp.
"Hiruzen, what do you mean by this?"
Danzo's expression twisted, his face darkening with rage. "All I asked for was one Uchiha brat, and you're throwing all this at me?"
"And what about everything I've done for you over the years? All the blame I've taken?"
"Do you really not know why Root expanded the way it did?"
"If it weren't to take care of the things you couldn't handle yourself, would I have been forced to expand like this?"
He felt like Hiruzen had changed—as if he were now trying to kick him aside after making use of him.
For a moment, not only did Danzo's sense of danger spike, but his resentment toward Hiruzen swelled uncontrollably.
His obsession with becoming Hokage and desire for power surged even faster.
To him, it was precisely because he wasn't the Hokage that Hiruzen could treat him like this—oppressing him, using him like a pawn.
All the dirty work, the heavy lifting—it had always been pushed onto him. And now Hiruzen had the gall to turn around and treat him like a liability?
If he had stepped up first, maybe he would've been the Hokage.
In that case, all the dirty work and blame would have fallen on Hiruzen instead.
"…Tch."
Hiruzen, hearing Danzo's accusations, thought back to all the dirty work Danzo had done for him over the years—the cover-ups, the scapegoating.
A trace of guilt surfaced in his heart.
He waved his hand wearily. "Forget it. I won't make a fuss over Root's over-expansion anymore."
"But you must not expand it any further. No more unchecked growth."
"Don't test my limits, Danzo. You know where they are."
"You… hmph. Fine."
Danzo let out a cold snort and said nothing more.
In his mind, he thought: fine, I'll agree on the surface, but what I do in secret is my own business.
As long as Hiruzen doesn't find out, it's fine.
But he still wasn't willing to give up on Uchiha Riku. He pressed again, "I won't keep expanding Root, but you have to give me Uchiha Riku."
"No way! Forget it!"
Hiruzen waved his hand firmly. "I have other plans for Riku. I won't allow you to touch him. Do you understand me?"
"You…"
Danzo immediately exploded. "Why not?! You know that I'm the right person to train him!"
"With a talent like his, how can we leave him in the hands of the Uchiha and let them raise him their way?"
"He'll become a huge threat to us in the future! What are you thinking?"
"Have you gone soft on the Uchiha? Did you forget the coup they tried to stage back then?"
"Uchiha Shana is still locked up in Konoha's prison! Should I drag him out to refresh your memory?"
A freakishly talented Uchiha kid like this—if you don't brainwash and control him now, what are you saving him for, New Year's?
"You're too extreme and short-sighted, Danzo."
Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "Uchiha Riku is the son of Uchiha Nobuhiko, the current clan head. With his character, do you really think you can just take his son from him and drag him into Root, slap the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on him, and brainwash him?"
"You're being naive."
"If we did that, it would backfire—alerting the entire clan."
"I already have a plan to deal with Uchiha Riku. Stay out of this."
"In any case, don't worry—I will never let a Uchiha capable of threatening us grow unchecked."
"If my plan works, suppressing and even dividing the Uchiha will be as easy as lifting a hand."
"Hah?!"
Danzo looked both shocked and furious. "You're not seriously thinking of keeping him under you so you can brainwash and train him yourself, are you?"
At that moment, Danzo caught sight of Hiruzen's evasive gaze and immediately realized he'd hit the mark. His face darkened as he shouted, "Hiruzen, you've gone too far!"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed sharply. He stared coldly at Danzo and said, word by word, "Danzo. Don't forget—I'm the Hokage."
Danzo: (╬￣皿￣)
There it was again. That line.
Every time Danzo heard that phrase, a nameless rage flared up inside him.
But he knew that the conversation had reached its limit. Continuing to argue would do nothing to change Hiruzen's mind.
He stared at Hiruzen with burning anger.
"Hiruzen… you'll regret this!"
With that, he turned and stormed out, his face ashen.
….
(End of Chapter)
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