"Sorry, we're full."
The snack shop owner wore a perfectly practiced fake smile as he waved Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō away.
This was already the fourth shop.
At least this owner was polite. The previous one had cursed at them and even spat at their feet. If Hiruzen hadn't stopped him, Danzō would have already come to blows.
"There are still empty seats over there!" Danzō snapped, pointing furiously.
His chest burned with anger.
He was a dignified jōnin of Konoha—even part of the Hokage's personal guard—yet now he couldn't even get a meal without being chased away.
Even a clay Buddha has a temper, let alone him.
In times like these, only ninja could afford to eat out occasionally. Ordinary civilians could barely afford to fill their stomachs.
And now he was being treated like this?
"They're reserved. The guests will arrive soon," the owner replied impatiently.
In his eyes, these two were deserters who had abandoned the Hokage, causing his death—cowards unworthy of calling themselves ninja.
Eat here?
Go eat dirt.
"Fine. I'll wait right here and see when these so-called guests arrive!"
Danzō shoved past Hiruzen, determined to make a scene.
"Enough! Do I really need to spell it out for you?" the owner suddenly exploded.
"I don't want your business!"
"You're a bunch of deserters and cowards—unworthy of being Konoha ninja!"
"You're the ones who got the Hokage killed!"
"Get out!!"
"What did you just say?!"
Danzō practically leapt in rage. "I'll teach you a lesson today!"
To him, these civilians enjoyed protection without understanding the dangers of the battlefield or the greatness of Lord Tobirama's Will of Fire.
Hiruzen quickly grabbed him.
In Konoha, ninja were strictly forbidden from attacking civilians. Violators would be dragged to the Uchiha Police Force—and nobody ever came out without losing a layer of skin.
Especially now. If they got caught in Uchiha territory, they might not come out at all.
Hiruzen could not allow Danzō to lose control.
"Oh? You want to hit someone?" the shop owner raised his voice sharply.
Their argument instantly drew attention. A crowd began gathering, pointing and whispering.
Accusations rained down.
Cowards.
Traitors.
Deserters.
Some even cursed their families and ancestors.
With strength in numbers, no one feared Danzō's anger.
After all, the Uchiha had made it clear—if these men dared to fight back, they'd be arrested immediately and thrown into prison. No one needed to worry about retaliation afterward.
Danzō's eyes burned red with fury, murderous intent boiling inside him.
Hiruzen's face was dark as iron, but he kept his rationality.
Starting a conflict with villagers would only worsen things—and lower Lady Mito's opinion of him.
These were merely civilians misled by public opinion. It wasn't worth sinking to their level.
Hiruzen held Danzō tightly, afraid he might unleash Wind Release Vacuum Bullets in a blind rage.
"Let's go, Danzō. Don't waste time on them."
He dragged Danzō out of the crowd at a jog until they reached an open area.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Danzō snapped a tree branch and lashed the weeds furiously, venting his anger. Only after dozens of strikes did he finally calm down.
"Hiruzen… aren't you angry?" Danzō asked, breathing hard.
Back there, Hiruzen had endured the insults in silence, taking all the abuse without a word.
Danzō alone had tried to argue—and lost miserably.
Of course Hiruzen was angry.
Anyone would be, after being publicly humiliated and having their families insulted.
But anger accomplished nothing. The more you argued, the more excited they became.
Hiruzen had already been warned by Uzumaki Mito that the Uchiha would use public opinion to crush him.
He would not fall into that trap.
For all he knew, Uchiha ninja were lurking nearby, waiting for an excuse to arrest them.
In fact, he was right—the Uchiha were watching. Not only them. The Senju, Hyūga, and even the Ino–Shika–Chō clans had eyes on them as well.
"Now isn't the time to get angry," Hiruzen said calmly.
"I have more important things to do. A Hokage cannot be brought down by something like this."
He was already forcing himself to think like a Hokage.
If he wanted to become a qualified Hokage, he had to possess a Hokage's mindset.
Being insulted was nothing. Even swallowing humiliation gladly was acceptable if it meant reaching the position.
Danzō looked at Hiruzen's composed, confident expression—and a strange fire ignited inside him.
Had the gap between them really grown this large?
A gap in strength could be closed through training.
But a gap in mindset and vision was far harder to bridge.
Between Danzō and Hiruzen now stood a tragic, thick wall.
Hiruzen… I won't lose to you.
Danzō refused to admit defeat.
He believed that what separated them wasn't talent—only opportunity.
If Tobirama had chosen him instead, he would not have been inferior to Hiruzen.
Regret and unwillingness churned in his heart.
"Danzō, let's train," Hiruzen said suddenly.
"Good time shouldn't be wasted."
He hadn't forgotten Lady Mito's advice. She could help him handle the Uchiha—but Senju Tōma still awaited him.
He needed to grow stronger during this window while Mito bought him time. Once Lord Tobirama's body was returned to Konoha, the real test would arrive.
He could not disappoint his teacher.
—
At the gates of Konoha, a young man stood quietly.
Black hair, handsome features—bearing seven or eight parts resemblance to Senju Hashirama.
Senju Tōma gazed at the village entrance.
What should have been a joyful homecoming instead filled him with unease—as if a massive disaster had struck Konoha.
What could have happened… for Mother to summon me back so urgently?
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