81: A Shadow of Truth

A dignified figure stood at the edge of his office, posture ramrod straight. His shoulders held a firm ease befitting the vigor of a man at the prime of his power. At a view from behind it might seem that those shoulders carried the pride of his position, embodying a great blazing pillar of strength, ignited by the embers of fame and prowess inherited from his predecessors.

The wide arc of windows he faced offered him full view of his Village's skyline, the light from which left his figure backlit with the colors of sunset, which in turn glinted off the steel-tasseted helmet placed on the desk behind him.

His battle-wear, the helm worn when a warrior stood at the forefront of his armies... had seen much less use in recent times. Far less than one might expect for the leader of a nation at war, for the second man ever to earn the epithet "Shinobi no Kami" - God of Shinobi.

Instead, unrestrained by that war-forged steel, his wild brown hair shot up from his receding hairline, flaring out from his scalp like great tongues of roiling fire. As well that image was fitting, for else his name would not be Sarutobi, a Clan touched by the blessings of Fire, who for generations nurtured affinity in Katon jutsu.

The Sarutobi Clan were not alone in this blessing, yet where the infamous and unrivaled Uchiha had mastered flame, the Sarutobi embraced it. And so in kind were those blessings of flame lit within Sarutobi Hiruzen and his fellows' hearts, the burgeoning blaze of passion at the core of a nation's Will of Fire. A new, surrogate core anyway, in the absence and legacy of the greatest lifeblood of Konoha, the Senju...

Yes... and that struck the core matter at hand.

He now bore that burden of leadership, but at least he could share that burden with his closest comrades, as was in keeping with the true spirit of the Will of Fire.

A musing hum emanating from Hiruzen's pursed lips, as he paused his reminiscence. A low gravelly voice behind him took that as cue to speak out, tinged with barbed irritation and an inner fire of a different sort,

"The voices of dissent grumble in the dark, but have not grown any less bold. Their actions flaunt the lines of sedition and defeatism. Konoha must put a decisive end to this threat before it can impact our war efforts any more. They must be punished!"

Hiruzen listened to the tune of those words but did not address them, instead playing at the undercurrents left unspoken,

"I have already received some very interesting mission reports. Say what you will about the details, but his mission technically succeeded and our payment was received in good order. Much of these new developments seem related to one certain aspect..." here the Hokage deliberately dragged out his words, "That is, our 'Blue Phantom' had a strange brush with death, more close than his usual. A new and harrowing chapter for his continually rising infamy among our Village's enemies, perhaps?"

A glance at the window before him revealed the reflection of his crafty old friend, seated on the couch far to opposite side of Hiruzen's office, face bearing a progressively deeper scowl. Danzō of the Shimura Clan, Konoha's other darker half, and the Hokage's most trusted friend.

Turning his head aside, Hiruzen angled his eyes askance to pierce the man with his sharpest gaze. These days it was hard to admit, but everyone made mistakes, even his closest counsel.

"I know you have already taken action on this front even less-likely to succeed, where you have already failed."

The Third Hokage enunciated every word with calm ferocity only slightly more edged than his usual, followed by one almost dispassionately steely word: "Why?"

He was better than this sort of... reactionary scrambling. Everyone on Konoha's council was, for so many of their generation to have survived this well. As a friend and comrade for so long, Danzō would surely understand the embedded complexities of his words.

What about this is getting to you, Danzō, for you to be so flustered? Have you not taken even more shameless actions before? Losing your touch... old friend?

A moment of silence persisted, almost as if in challenge, before the chief of Konoha's blackest Black Operations finally continued,

"That Katō boy has to go." His tone was firm and edged.

As expected, that was also at the heart of the matter.

At finally hearing it clearly, the Hokage closed his eyes, turning back once more to look fully out the window into sunset.

Hiruzen allowed himself to indulge in a bit of gratitude for his past self taking this affair under his more... direct and personal purview. It was good that young Dan had contacted him before this escalated to even more rash behavior, as it seemed wont to do under Danzō's eyes alone. That was all well and good in the end, for the two of them were always meant to rule together, to compensate for each other's lackings. But for now... innumerable considerations flitted across the Hokage's mind even as he spoke,

"From my vantage, that is not sufficient reason."

Dan, 27 years of age, eldest remnant of the war-battered Katō Clan and true inheritor of their spiritual techniques.Dan 'the Blue Phantom' Katō, a Jōnin with over a decade of experience, recently earning his moniker of renown for feats during the war. A shinobi with potential that might one day rival Sakumo 'the White Fang' Hatake.

The young man distinguished himself as a prominent figure among the next generation, friend and advocate of the rank-and-file shinobi. Had the support of dozens of respected comrades-in-arms. Knew the names and faces of presumably every Chūnin he'd ever worked with, and likely more. Stayed in touch with families of the deceased, and organized community support for the widowed. Checked in on veterans, listened to the experienced Old Guard shinobi.

Genuinely compassionate. An empathetic gentleman. And utterly merciless blackhearted assassin to any enemy, thousands having fallen to his uniquely versatile signature jutsu. In doing so, he earned himself a reputation as a problem-solver.

All the hallmarks of an asset and a threat at the same time, complicated by the fact that he also made no secret of his ambition and desire to assume the mantle of Hokage one day, with all sorts of nonsense ideas about how things should be done, or 'reformed' as he put it.

As the current Hokage, Hiruzen had to admit the situation was both tantalizing and daunting. If anything, the fact that the Katō lad kept such a cool head in these circumstances only further emphasized his merits as a loyal asset. It's not like everyone presently in Konoha's government hadn't survived an assassination attempt or two. The Land of Waterfalls had a habit of trying that...

But still, in the end it would ultimately be up to the Hokage alone to judge the best course.

"Hiruzen-!" came a familiar irate grumble, "He's a threat. Konoha cannot tolerate his continued meddlesome rhetoric and risk internal dissent paving inroads for our enemies!"

"Mmmm." The Hokage acknowledged those concerns with a hum, "I agree..."

"Then-!"

"That is why I have seen fit to handle this matter directly, myself."

His foxy old friend refrained from clicking his tongue, but from their decades of friendship, Hiruzen knew how much Danzō wanted to.

Seemingly gritting his teeth, Danzō protested, "That boy will not give up, his schemes will just get more insidious and discreet-!"

Now, now, that was... this matter would be handled by the Hokage. He had to be firm here, to shut this down and have Danzō fixate his attention more productively... elsewhere.

"Oho, it is still Dan we're talking about, yes?" Hiruzen interrupted with a jovial laugh that he only half felt, shooting Danzō another narrowed glance as he turned around and braced his arms on his office desk, leaning to meet his old friend's eyes directly.

"I agreed fully to support intervention in the arms industry of the Land of Rivers, even knowing your schemes would start this war."

The Hokage glanced down for a beat to catch the pristine reflection of his own eyes in the Konoha emblem carved into the forehead of his battle-helm, where it rested just below him on the desk,

"I allowed and supported whatever it is you've been doing to keep Kumo and that fearsome Raikage out of the war, or from taking advantage of our distraction. I even lent you Orochimaru for the task, despite having other missions for my protégé."

Releasing a sigh, Hiruzen allowed himself to slump his shoulders slightly, expression relaxing to something between affectionate and disappointed.

"Even when you first argued about internal threats, for the sake of our Village and friends, I saw your point. Your actions are always to further the best for Konoha, and I know I need your unique viewpoint from the shadows to balance my position. It was Tobirama-sensei's wish to see us all rule together! But-"

Once more his voice calmed and his expression tightened with a calculating ferocity,

"But I warned you Danzō, that whatever you tried, something like this could only benefit Konoha if it succeeded and did so cleanly. This has been neither successful nor clean! So, Danzō, this course became impossible when you failed. I will hear no more of it!"

He barked out the last of those words, which echoed in the empty office. No one but the two of them would surely ever hear this conversation.

"... Hiruzen, you've already met with him, haven't you..." defying the impossible, Danzō's permanent glare seemed to deepen ever further.

Well well, it seems at least his foxy old friend hadn't lost his wits and senses entirely on this.

"Yes, I have handled your blunder. On top of your questionable use of means and intermediaries, it has come to my attention that the activity of irregular groups in the north is far more dangerous than you led me to believe. To the point where I've had to divert a task force to reinforce that border region." The Tch sound of a tongue clicking in irritation was the only response as Hiruzen paused, tension lingering in their locked gazes, before he added,

"But that can be put aside, as I am to be your shield when you act as Konoha's sword. Even so, Dan and I have come to an understanding. He was much more... receptive to my kind of persuasion, in light of circumstance..."

At that, Danzō's expression slanted into something closer to a taunting suspicion, some lighter edge to his tone,

"You're making him out to be a pawn of yours, now?!"

The Head of the ANBU Root seemed to consider it intensely before his expression scrunched back into his normal anger.

In response, Hiruzen let a few moments of silence pass to emphasize his point and slowly shift the atmosphere in the room. Humming pensively, he stood once more, pacing over to the portraits of his predecessors on the walls. The visages of the Senju brothers, First and Second Hokage, stared back at him in silent judgement as he spoke,

"Dan has shown great strength and valor. Even more so, to survive this latest turmoil and come to me. His potential yet grows, and his Will of Fire, though particularly unorthodox and... vocal, still burns despite your mistake. But now, with the understanding we have come to, his efforts will be channeled more to our purposes. Needless to say, that... understanding demands your non-involvement in the matter henceforth."

"Fine, so be it." came a dissatisfied relent as Danzō crossed his arms. Ahh, how that brought back memories. The two of them had built up this dueling rapport of theirs over decades, and it heartened Hiruzen to feel his old friend ease back into his usual demeanor.

Without so much as another word, Danzō stood and departed, donning a black robe over his own worn combat armor and raising a hood to conceal the bandaged half of his face, then slipping out into the darkening dusk.

With that, they could all leave the matter well enough alone. Releasing a satisfied sigh, Hiruzen prided himself on another successful compromise, returning to sit as his desk.

All in all, Danzō's mistake had ended up granting a favorable result in the end. All the more so, now. This situation had enabled a path for Hiruzen to rein in some of his most talented, but unruly and clamorous personnel. The Hokage knew this own actions were simply the last component needed to tie together the perfect course out of all the chaos of the situation.

This opportunity would have been lost for one of two equally troublesome solutions, but now... with just a bit of personal intervention, he could reap only the benefits from both choices! He could have his cake, and eat it too, so to speak.

Heh, Danzō did always like to think he had a monopoly on schem-, err, on unconventional tactics.

In addition to gaining a handle on Dan himself and his political supporters, another tangential development revealed itself, one that pleased Hiruzen immensely. This whole experience seems to have had a profound effect on another of his cherished students, the tumultuous Tsunade.

She too had earned considerable renown during the war, but the trials of battle and loss seemed also to fill her head with ridiculous notions of reform, expensive notions. But Tsunade and Dan built off each other, reinforcing their respective ambitions in disastrously foolhardy fashion, as could only be expected of the young and passionate, particularly in Tsunade's case.

What the Hokage's recent discussion with Dan had revealed, however, was just how far the extent of the relationship between them had truly developed, beyond the political. The near-death experience and subsequent rescue had apparently forged an unshakable emotional connection between them. Moreover, the two seemed willing to focus only on each other for a while. A private source of shock, as well joy, for Hiruzen.

Tilting his head to view the portraits of his predecessors, the Hokage couldn't help but grin.

Indeed, indeed. This almost-disaster revealed more and more benefits. The high-stress effect on both Dan and Tsunade seemed to have tempered their worst impulses, and cooled them down enough to reassess what they were doing. A frank conversation, a little hinting, and a few concessions went such a long way there. It was always good to see the youth learn and mature.

Hiruzen and his fellow councilors, especially Koharu, hoped this would convince Tsunade to stay in her lane, so to speak, and quietly perform her duties with the hospital. They would all be spared headaches for it, with all the shouting she directed at her elders and betters. While she may be unrivaled when it came to the field of medicine, young Tsunade was much too rash outside of her expertise to be commanding or proposing battle plans.

Perhaps, even, this was their best chance to disabuse Tsunade of silly notions like reorganizing the medical corps for deployment on the battlefield - during wartime! Or Heavens forbid, fighting on the frontlines herself! Medics at the front?! Mid-war reorganization? The mind reeled at such audacious suggestions. What did she think war was, after all this time?

Despite his best attempts, Hiruzen could never quite fathom the behavior of the only kunoichi he had ever directly trained, so he chalked most of it up to her potent bloodline.

Shaking his head with another sigh, the Hokage allowed himself to slide into another, more heartening line of thought. With these developments involving Dan, there was opportunity to encourage Tsunade to undertake a different sort of duty to Konoha... she was a kunoichi of the appropriate age, after all.

Furthermore, as the last of the main Senju bloodline, she had a duty as Clan Head...

Chuckling to himself, Hiruzen folded his fingers and rested his chin upon them.

Yes, with Dan now firmly controlled, the intimate relationship between he and Tsunade would be a much better investment than Danzō's heavy-handed approach. Especially since all of Hiruzen's prior attempts at matchmaking as her mentor ended about as horribly as possible. There might never be such an opportune time as now, from so many angles.

Now both troublemakers would be distracted with each other's welfare, and they should be much less willing to undertake similar risks.

And, as well, if children got involved, all the better for Konoha's future. The Village might have one last chance at reclaiming the Senju's most coveted kekkei genkai, the formidable Mokuton. Now that, that could turn the tide of wars. Tsunade's eventual descendants might be the only ones capable of awakening that power, all other means that Konoha undertook having failed.

The churn of ideas and daydreaming about future generations associated with that thought reminded him of the ongoing war, which unfortunately sobered his mood somewhat.

Having finally put out all the literal and metaphorical fires sparked by this incident, Hiruzen focused once more on the innumerable matters requiring his attention as Hokage. The western front's deployments, reports from his advisors, mission catalogues, Clan petitions, reinforcement requests from allied regions and-?

Ah, wait...

Squinting his eyes, the Hokage recalled there was one other little flare brought up in Dan's mission reports that needed attention. In all this excitement, he nearly forgot. Something to do with an additional diplomatic liaison for that matter, right? Or had he already delegated such affairs to go through Lady Mito first?

Well, Hiruzen decided he'd look into it soon enough, war concerns were more urgent for now. Best let old Lady Mito enjoy her self-imposed retirement duties with dignity. That was his end of the bargaining for all these years, if Konoha was to have itself a strong and loyal jinchūriki...