Hokage's Office
Bang!
Danzo slammed his palm on the armrest, glaring at Hiruzen Sarutobi with fury.
"Hiruzen, Elder Koharu died like this, and you still sit there calmly?!"
Jiraiya frowned.
"Elder Danzo, Minato already confirmed the assassin used Water Release. It looked like the Hōzuki clan's secret jutsu from Kirigakure—the Water Gun Technique. How does that connect to Ryoma?"
Though Jiraiya didn't care much for Ryoma either, Danzo's blind prejudice made him speak up.
"Koharu had just offended him, and now she's dead in the street. Don't tell me that's a coincidence! At the very least, it needs to be investigated!" Danzo's voice dropped cold, his eyes boring into Hiruzen. "If we let Ryoma do as he pleases, what happens to the face of Konoha's leadership?"
Homura Mitokado, sitting stiffly beside him, said nothing but radiated disapproval.
Across the room, the Sannin sat quietly, waiting to see how their teacher would respond.
Hiruzen, though his hair was beginning to gray, was still in his prime. His strength and battle experience were at their peak—enough to rival the Third Raikage himself. Setting down the report in his hand, he lifted his gaze to Danzo.
"So, what exactly are you suggesting…?" Hiruzen asked evenly.
Before Danzo could respond, Homura spoke in a low, sharp tone:
"What do you mean, 'suggest'? Ryoma is abusing his power, throwing his weight around like a tyrant. He's no different from the Uchiha in the past! If we don't act now, Konoha will no longer be Konoha!"
His voice grew heated.
"He'll be the next Uchiha Madara! Leave him unchecked, and he'll destroy everything!"
Tsunade leaned forward, cutting him off.
"Elder Homura, you're exaggerating. Ryoma isn't anywhere near Madara's level."
Homura's eyes narrowed at her.
"Tsunade-hime, I speak the truth! A decent person wouldn't have sealed the Two-Tails inside me!"
Tsunade folded her arms.
"Why not? Ryoma inherited my grandfather Hashirama's Wood Release, and the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts. He's a once-in-a-generation genius. If he judged your body best suited for Matatabi, then that was a professional decision. Don't you always say you'd sacrifice anything for Konoha? Or does that only apply until the burden falls on you?"
"You—!" Homura's fury boiled over. Blue chakra burst from his body, Matatabi's influence breaking free. His eyes slit into feline pupils, his teeth sharpened, and his face twisted into something monstrous.
Danzo recoiled in shock, stumbling back. "Homura! Control yourself!"
In a blur, Hiruzen appeared in front of him. Five fingers pressed against Homura's chest, each glowing with a different chakra nature.
"Five Elements Seal!"
With a roar, the Two-Tails' chakra was forced back inside, leaving Homura trembling and drained.
Hiruzen sighed. "Homura… go home. You're in no state to be here."
Homura's shoulders slumped with exhaustion and bitterness. He turned and walked out, each step heavier than the last. In that moment, he looked ten years older.
Ever since becoming Matatabi's jinchūriki, he knew this day would come—losing control, being treated as nothing more than a dangerous weapon. Elder, advisor, comrade… all those titles meant nothing now. To everyone else, he was just a monster to be restrained and watched.
"Ryoma… you've ruined me…"
When he was gone, Hiruzen glanced at Orochimaru.
"Have ANBU keep watch over Homura. He's newly a jinchūriki, and his emotions are unstable. We must ensure he doesn't harm others."
"Yes, Sensei," Orochimaru replied.
Then Hiruzen turned to Danzo, his voice firm.
"What you said is baseless speculation. Ryoma is not Uchiha, nor is he bound to Madara's path."
Tsunade nodded.
"Exactly. He carries my grandfather's bloodline, and he's mastered Uzumaki sealing techniques. The real catastrophe was when you, Elder Danzo, brought Matatabi back and nearly caused disaster. If not for Ryoma's actions, Konoha would be in ruins."
Danzo's face darkened. "If he hadn't interfered, we could have sealed it ourselves! Look at the training ground—completely destroyed!"
Tsunade scoffed. "And how exactly would you have sealed it? With what expertise?"
"You—!" Danzo sputtered, furious.
"Enough." Hiruzen's sharp voice cut through the argument.
"Danzo, your hatred blinds you. See for yourself."
He tossed a scroll onto the desk. Inside was a mission report—Ryoma's battle with the Third Mizukage.
Danzo read in silence. His expression shifted from disbelief to frustration as he pored over the details again and again. Finally, with a cold snort, he slammed the report shut.
"I understand." Without another word, he turned and left.
Hiruzen let out a weary breath. "Jiraiya, Tsunade, you may go as well."
"Yes, Sensei," they answered together.
When the room was empty, Hiruzen leaned back and whispered into the silence:
"Hashirama-sensei… Tobirama-sensei… I don't wish to lose him to the darkness. But the path he's walking… is already shadowed."
…
That night, Ryoma slipped back into his quarters. The instant he pushed the door open, his gaze sharpened. Someone was waiting outside.
When I opened the door, I saw Uzumaki Mito.
She glanced at Ryoma and asked,
"Not sleeping?"
"Well, Grandma Mito, what's wrong?"
Mito looked at him quietly for a moment before saying,
"You did well today. Don't worry."
Ryoma smiled. He hadn't been worried in the first place.
It wasn't that he couldn't kill Koharu Utatane and Danzo Shimura easily—he could have ended them without effort. But killing them outright would mean all the evil they had committed would vanish into silence, forgotten by the world.
That wasn't what he wanted.
Ryoma's goal was to drag their deeds into the light, to let all of Konoha see their corruption, to ruin their names forever, and nail them to the pillar of shame.
"I understand what you're thinking," Mito said softly.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi will give us a satisfactory answer."
Ryoma froze for a moment. At this time, Mito still had expectations for Hiruzen?
As Hokage, the so-called Lord of Konoha, the man was indecisive to a fault.
He had even let Orochimaru walk free because of old bonds between master and student. He had turned a blind eye to Danzo's filthy dealings because of years of friendship.
Seeing the disbelief in Ryoma's eyes, Mito only smiled and said one word:
"Wait."
With that, she left him with an inexplicable sense of unease.
The next morning, Ryoma was woken up by Kushina Uzumaki again.
But unexpectedly, the one waiting outside was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Hokage invited him directly to join the Administration Department—and not just as a member, but parachuted straight into the position of Head.
"Elder Akimichi Takekaze's health has declined sharply," Hiruzen explained.
"He can no longer oversee the department. I think it's time for a young man like you to take the reins. What do you say?"
At the same time, Hiruzen added another offer: due to the shortage of senior officers in the ANBU, he wanted Ryoma to serve as Deputy Commander there as well—free to form his own detachment.
And the current ANBU Commander was none other than the famed Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
[Ding! Based on the host's situation, three options are available!]
[Option 1: Refuse all of Hiruzen's offers and stay a salted fish at home.
Reward: Complete Wind Release: Vacuum Ninjutsu Series!
Option 2: Decline one of Hiruzen's offers.
Reward: Akimichi Clan Secret Art — Multi-Size Technique!
Option 3: Accept all of Hiruzen's offers.
Reward: Clues of Danzo's crimes + Ultra Long-Range Video Recorder!]
Ryoma thought for a moment, then said lightly,
"Alright, I accept."
The Akimichi clan's jutsu was tempting, but the evidence of Danzo's sins—and the strange new device—were what he needed most right now.
The Ultra Long-Range Video Recorder was described as a small, almost Earth-like piece of tech. A product of the Air Village's black technology, it could capture images from up to 1,000 meters away, though with a maximum recording time of only ten minutes.
So the ninja world's technology wasn't as primitive as Ryoma once thought.
Before leaving, Hiruzen sighed.
"Ryoma, I hope you understand. As Hokage, I am always balancing two sides of the scale. Sometimes I must lean one way—and that is not always acceptable to everyone. But from today forward, you are someone personally chosen by me."
When Hiruzen left, Ryoma finally understood.
This old thief wasn't indecisive—he was simply a coward protecting his own name.
Too afraid to dirty his hands, Hiruzen always borrowed the knives of others.
Even when it came to killing his own classmates, he couldn't act directly. Instead, he had handed the blade to Ryoma.
Whether those people lived or died, he could pretend ignorance.
"How cunning," Ryoma muttered.
...
TN:
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