Both Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were inheritors of the Second Hokage's will. Though they were senior leaders of Konoha, they were not like Danzō. Unlike him, they harbored no ambition for the Hokage's seat.
They were well aware that Sarutobi Hiruzen was elderly, and sooner or later, he would be forced to retire from his role as Hokage.
Originally, their plan had been to pass the mantle of the Fifth Hokage to one of the Legendary Sannin—most likely Jiraiya.
But now, they felt that Senju Haruto was the more suitable candidate.
Added to this, both sides already harbored deep dissatisfaction toward the Daimyō's authority. In matters of revolution, they found themselves in perfect agreement.
Eliminate the Daimyō's influence. Support the Hokage's rise.
However, Haruto did not intend to immediately crown himself the Fifth Hokage.
That would be far too conspicuous, too sharp and brazen.
Instead, it was far better to let Hiruzen take the spotlight—let everyone believe that this was his plan.
To put it simply: there needed to be someone to take the blame.
Once consensus was reached, Haruto wasted no time in mobilizing Root operatives.
First, because he remained Root's commander, and these shinobi obeyed his orders without question.
Second, because many of Root's members were still products of Danzō's conditioning—stripped of names, emotions, past, and future.
They knew only Haruto and their mission. They knew nothing of the Daimyō.
And any obstacle in Haruto's path was, without doubt, an enemy.
And enemies were meant to be eliminated—cleanly and without hesitation.
In truth, this had always been Danzō's design. Root shinobi were molded not only to guard Konoha, but also to execute a coup without flinching.
They would never waver in betrayal, as Yamato once had.
Yet now, all of Danzō's painstaking efforts had become the very weapon of Senju Haruto.
Although Haruto himself knew little of the Daimyō's faction, Koharu and Homura understood them with piercing clarity.
By the time Root's shinobi assembled in full, the two elders had already drawn up the list of targets for execution.
They placed the roster into Haruto's hands.
Those marked for elimination were figures of wealth and influence—but none of them wielded chakra, let alone ninjutsu.
Before true shinobi, they were no different from ordinary villagers.
In just a single afternoon, Haruto and his forces uprooted the Daimyō's entire network, erasing it from the Land of Fire.
It was only then that Sarutobi Hiruzen finally awoke from the genjutsu world Haruto had ensnared him in.
Collapsed on the ground, he slowly opened his eyes—only to be met with the sight of blood, dark and already congealed.
His pupils shrank to pinpoints as he staggered to his feet, flaring his chakra sense in every direction.
But to his shock, he discovered a vast crowd of shinobi had gathered around him.
And from their attire, he knew at once—they were Root.
Unlike the ANBU, who wore animal-themed masks, Root's masks bore a starkly different design.
Memories surged back into his mind all at once.
Before he fell into illusion, Haruto had declared his intent to kill the Daimyō!
The thought made Hiruzen's chest tighten. He spun around in alarm—
And found himself staring at the Daimyō's corpse.
The head was gone, vanished.
"Hiruzen."
A voice he knew well struck his ears.
He turned sharply and saw none other than his long-time companion—Homura Mitokado.
Beside him stood Koharu Utatane. And with them, calm and composed, was Senju Haruto.
"What is going on here?" Hiruzen demanded, his voice rough with disbelief.
He could not fathom why Koharu and Homura stood at Haruto's side.
When he was trapped in genjutsu, had they not tried to stop him?
"I killed the Daimyō," Haruto answered plainly, his tone carrying not a trace of regret.
"Hiruzen, the Daimyō is now nothing but history," Homura interjected, cutting smoothly into the conversation.
He then laid out the situation in clear terms.
While Hiruzen had been unconscious, they had carried out a coordinated purge. The Daimyō's faction had been annihilated to the last man.
Now, Konohagakure had seized control of the Land of Fire's government in its entirety.
With but a word, the Hokage could replace the Daimyō.
They had accomplished a feat no one had ever dared to imagine.
"You're insane!" Hiruzen recoiled at Homura's words, his heart thundering.
For the Hokage to supplant the Daimyō—such an idea had never even crossed his dreams.
For shinobi, it was an absolute taboo.
Without a Daimyō, to whom were ninja bound in loyalty?
"Whether you accept it or not," Haruto said evenly, seeing the unease in Hiruzen's eyes but unmoved by it, "this is the way of the future."
"My original plan was to gradually hollow out the Daimyō's authority, strip him of power, and force his abdication. Killing him now… you could call it desperation. Or perhaps a whim."
"But either way, the Daimyō is dead."
"And in the Land of Fire, that crime alone warrants death. Not only me—even you, the Third Hokage, would not escape guilt. If Konoha were to lose the both of us now, it would only invite Kumogakure and Kirigakure to return in force, seeking revenge after losing their own Kage."
"So understand this, Hiruzen—" Haruto's voice hardened. "For the sake of Konoha, I cannot die. Everything I've done has been for the village."
It was persuasion—but also manipulation.
The Daimyō was already gone. If Haruto were to kill Hiruzen now, it would strip away all subtlety, all concealment, leaving his ambition naked for the world to see.
The carefully maintained image he had built would collapse.
And besides, Hiruzen had only a few years left in him at most. Why bother killing a dying man?
But Hiruzen was no fool.
He knew well that Konoha's current peace rested upon Haruto's strength.
At such a time, to kill Haruto—or even to see him branded a missing-nin—would plunge the village into catastrophe.
Yes, the Mizukage and Raikage were both dead, but Kumogakure still retained formidable strength.
Especially Killer Bee—the perfect jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails.
Even Minato Namikaze had spoken of him with high regard.
And Hiruzen himself was but an old man, his body failing.
All that remained to him was duty—duty to the village.
"Haruto," Hiruzen said finally, his tone grave, his eyes locked on the young man. "No matter the reason, the fact does not change. You killed the Daimyō."
The words fell like heavy stones, and Koharu and Homura both tensed at the weight in his voice.
If forced to choose between Haruto and Hiruzen, both elders knew without hesitation—they would choose Haruto.
And yet, just when they expected Hiruzen to demand vengeance, his lips parted once more.
"…Ah."
The sound was a long sigh, heavy with sorrow.
"My ideals do not permit me to kill any more people," he said, his expression weary, almost mournful.