Hatake Tatsuya in Naruto

Bang~

As the door closed, the huge office was left with only Sarutobi Hiruzen.

After about half a minute, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke softly, "It seems Tatsuya's perception ability is top-notch, not just his sword skills."

While mentioning this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze subtly shifted to the eaves of the nearby window, and he spoke with a deep voice, "He can sense you, Danzo."

A dark shadow leapt in from the window, revealing Danzo, the head of the root organization. However, in Tatsuya's memory, Danzo, who used to be wrapped in bandages and relied on crutches, looked nothing like the current Danzo, who wore a grey vest uniform with a Shinobi sword strapped to his back—the standard Anbu attire.

At the moment, he hadn't yet transplanted Hashirama cells or acquired an arm full of Sharingan, making him somewhat more human-like rather than the enigmatic figure he would later become.

Still, Shimura Danzo, the same age as Sarutobi Hiruzen, managed to maintain his Kage-level strength, which was crucial. Though this state might not be sustainable for another two years, he wasn't at a point where he resembled either a person or a disfigured monster. It was one of the reasons why he was eager to transform himself into a later form.

"That kid has a sharp tongue!" Danzo's outward composure concealed his anger, but his tightly clenched fists and the pulsing blue veins on his forehead hinted at his rising frustration. To be referred to as a mouse... that damn brat!

"Calm down, Danzo." Sarutobi Hiruzen, understanding his friend's emotions, spoke calmly. They had known each other almost from the time they started speaking.

"Where there is light, there must be darkness. For Konoha, you actively chose to remain in the shadows, silently protecting the village, which makes you a well-deserved hero." Sarutobi Hiruzen offered words of praise, causing Danzo's anger to subside.

Danzo then shifted to another topic, and a sly smile appeared on his wrinkled face, similar to Sarutobi Hiruzen's earlier smile.

"But don't worry, even though Hatake Sakumo isn't dead, he won't dare to think about becoming Hokage," Danzo said, spreading his hands as if revealing a successful conspiracy. "His actions and the reasons behind the defeat in the war with Sand Shinobi have become well-known throughout the ninja community, and he has lost the support of the people."

"Indeed, you played a significant role behind Shinnosuke's actions, didn't you?" Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, relighting his extinguished pipe.

"And isn't that exactly what you wanted? Hiruzen, are you implying that you'd rather let Hatake take your place instead of grooming your sons or disciples?" Danzo asked rhetorically.

Yes, it was Danzo who spread the rumours, including instigating Sarutobi Shinnosuke to use hurtful words against Hatake Sakumo.

"Sakumo almost committed suicide," Sarutobi Hiruzen added in a grave tone.

Danzo almost burst into laughter. What did Hiruzen expect? If he hadn't agreed, would those rumours have come to be? Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was dragging his feet, also bore some responsibility for the situation. He was Hiruzen's son they live in the same house. Does he not know what kind of person his son is?

"It doesn't matter even without the White Fang? The victory of Konoha in this war is inevitable," Danzo said with a light smile. After all, during this period, Konoha had many geniuses, and losing a few here and there was acceptable.

Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent. He didn't intend to have the White Fang killed, but he did want to tarnish his reputation to prevent him from being promoted to the position of Hokage.

In Hiruzen's heart, his son Shinnosuke or Asuma were the candidates to take over. After them, Orochimaru and Jiraiya were potential successors. Tsunade was also a candidate until last year when the Senju clan suffered due to Konoha's intelligence "mistakes," almost decimating the clan. This incident caused a rift between Tsunade and Sarutobi Hiruzen, removing her from the list of candidates.

"In any case, I can handle the position for a few more years. Tell your people to stop spreading those rumours," Sarutobi Hiruzen said as he took a pipe and exhaled a sip of smoke slowly.

Danzo used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from the office. However, he kept Hatake Tatsuya's words in mind. This kid had dared to provoke him directly.

...

...

As Tatsuya and Hatake Sakumo walked from the administrative building to the village entrance, they heard whispers from Konoha shinobi wearing vests. People were discussing the person known as the White Fang and his failed mission that led to the war with Sand Shinobi.

"He's Konoha's sinner."

"Yes, why didn't Hokage-Sama arrest him?"

Tatsuya led Hatake Sakumo into a meatball shop and sat down, wearing a smile on his face. "It's true, brother. You've accomplished countless things for Konoha, but because of one failure, you're labelled a sinner for all time, hahaha. Your past achievements seem to have vanished."

He couldn't help but think about Orochimaru's actions in the original work, wondering if Orochimaru foresaw Konoha's eventual downfall under the leadership of the elders and launched the Konoha collapse plan and kill Surotobi to weaken the village before taking control.

"Oh, Orochimaru sure is working hard for Konoha!" Tatsuya remarked jokingly.

Hatake Sakumo smiled bitterly, but then his expression turned serious. He asked, "Tatsuya when you were in Hokage-Sama's office just now and asked Shinnosuke to join us, what was your intention?"

"Just getting more helpers, that's all," Tatsuya replied casually, picking up a bunch of meatballs and slicing them.

Hatake wasn't entirely convinced. He thought to himself, "Even idiots might not believe you."

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