"Master Lu's death wasn't a coincidence—and neither was my teacher's demise an accident. If you analyze the facts, you'll see that the deaths of the Second Hokage and the Senju clan were anything but ordinary."
A breeze rustled the edges of Danzo's robes as he stood center stage, eyes fixed forward—as though he'd stepped back onto that smoke-choked battlefield.
"Back then, the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique was so perfected that he earned the title 'Fastest Shinobi in the World!'"
"He led Konoha's elite shinobi to repel the Cloud invasion, protecting the village and securing victory—leaving Kumogakure to accept defeat."
"Afterwards, internal conflict erupted in the Cloud Village. The Second Raikage urged peace with Konoha, but the Gold and Silver Brothers refused—choosing to cling to war."
"So, during the peace ceremony between Hokage and Raikage, the Brothers launched a coup."
"Using the Six Path Sage Tools and Nine-Tails chakra, they ruthlessly assassinated the Second Raikage—and gravely wounded the Second Hokage, almost killing him."
"Amidst the chaos, the Second Hokage led six of us—me, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Uchiha Kagami, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Torifu Akimichi—breaking through enemy lines."
"But the Gold and Silver Brothers pursued us relentlessly."
"At one point, the Second Hokage stood alone against them, wielding the Six Path tools and Nine-Tails chakra. He held his ground."
"I tried to stay and fight, but Hiruzen stopped me—saying the Hokage had stayed behind to protect Konoha's future. And I couldn't let him down."
"Honestly, I laughed."
"We were in our 30s or 40s—protecting seedlings? We were the Hokage's personal guard. Should we be protected, or protecting?"
"Hiruzen just wanted to secure his chance at Hokage."
"We can't flee when we're his guard."
"So Kagami and I turned back. We met our teacher on the battlefield and fought to defend him."
"In that battle, our teacher and Kagami fought to exhaustion and fell. I lost my right eye and arm. The Gold and Silver Brothers suffered heavy losses."
"In the end: three fought, one returned; seven went, five came back."
"I carried our fallen Hokage and Kagami's bodies—step by step—from Cloud territory back to Konoha. I didn't collapse until I passed under the village gates."
"Lord Danzo!" Tears sprung in the villagers' eyes as they realized the weight of his words.
For the first time, Konoha's villagers felt pulled back into the Second Great Shinobi War through his impassioned speech. They saw his tears, choked on his grief. What was mere story for them was lived history for him—an act of supreme sacrifice.
So, this was the greatness of Lord Danzo.
He stayed behind to hold the line. That selflessness outshined the fleeing Hiruzen—and villagers watched, stunned.
They thought: What would we do if faced with that choice? Who among us could sacrifice our lives for the future?
Their noses stung as they gazed at the elderly Danzo—knowing their peace was built upon sacrifices like his.
"We can live in today's peace only because heroes like Lord Danzo gave their lives for it," they cried out.
"We must never forget the Second Hokage and these heroes! We honor them! We salute Lord Danzo! We salute Uchiha Kagami! They brought Konoha peace!"
"May no hero stand alone, may their spirit endure!"
"Yes! Lord Danzo and the others were true heroes of their time—Konoha's unwavering defenders!"
"For years, that battle remained my deepest regret," said the fake Danzo softly.
(Real Danzo though: "Right—I should have spoken up first. I'd be Hokage now. None of this would've happened. It's all Hiruzen's fault!")
"After I returned—I saw Kagami's corpse, remembered my broken body, blinded eye. As I lay in the hospital, I watched Hiruzen preparing to step into Hokage's place."
"I wondered: if Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, Torifu—those four—had stayed…could the outcome have been different?"
"It would have!" the crowd shouted.
"The Third Hokage was hailed as the strongest. Paired with the fastest shinobi ever, plus two high-level advisors, an elite jonin, Uchiha Kagami, and Lord Danzo—this was Konoha's most elite force!"
"And yet they were pursued and outmatched by the Gold and Silver Brothers? That doesn't make sense!"
"If anyone should have been chasing the Cloud's elite, it should have been us—not fleeing!"
"When Danzo said: the Cloud Brothers had already fought the Second Raikage and his escorts—they were exhausted. We should have struck back! Yet, we fled. Why?!"
"Yes! Why?"
"That was what baffled me. If Hiruzen and the others had held the line—would Kagami have lived? Would my teacher still be alive?"
Villagers murmured agreement.
"Even if the Second Hokage couldn't defeat both Gold and Silver Brothers, he could teleport. He could have escaped. But did the advisors—or Hiruzen—have that on their minds?"
"They left a man in his sixties behind to die—and watched it happen. Were they ashamed?"
"It's laughable—they left the Hokage to die? No shame at all!"
"Yet the Second Hokage still killed Silver Brother and wounded Gold—and shattered Cloud's elite!"
"If Hiruzen and the rest had stood and fought—I believe the tide of war could've shifted."
"Damn cowards!" cried the crowd. "If it was me, I'd have stood beside the Hokage—with Danzo, Kagami, and the teacher!"
"Exactly!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin