Chapter:10 Apology

"Hokage-sama, what brings you here...?"

Sasuke looked surprised to see the Third Hokage standing outside his door.

"I had some free time after work and thought I'd come by to check on you. I hope I'm not disturbing your rest?" Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile.

"Not at all! Please, come inside. The doorway isn't the best place for conversation... Hatsuka, please prepare some tea!" Sasuke called to the head maid while welcoming the Third Hokage into the house.

"No need to trouble yourselves. I just came to see how you're doing," Sarutobi said, entering the house with a warm demeanor, both familiar and yet distant in this Uchiha household.

Sasuke led him to the guest tea room. Within a minute of sitting down, there was a knock, and Hatsuka entered with a tea tray.

"Has Chika already gone to bed?" Sasuke asked as Hatsuka poured tea.

"Yes, Your Highness, the princess is resting," Hatsuka responded, her eyes respectfully downcast, not glancing at either of the men in the room.

"It seems I've come at the wrong time," Hiruzen chuckled softly.

"Not at all! You can visit any time, Hokage-sama. I'm just sorry I wasn't better prepared. Chika is still young and exhausted from the journey. She didn't get a chance to rest much during the day, so she went to bed early. I'm sorry we couldn't receive you more properly," Sasuke said, bowing slightly in apology.

Chika truly was tired from the trip, but even if she hadn't been, Sasuke would have used the same excuse to avoid Sarutobi seeing her. Whatever the Third Hokage had come for, Sasuke knew it wasn't about Chika—it was about him.

"No need to apologize. It's my fault for coming unannounced," Sarutobi replied, his tone growing more serious. "In fact, I've been meaning to visit for some time, but the workload in the village kept delaying it."

With that, the Third Hokage pulled a scroll from his sleeve and placed it in front of Sasuke.

"Hokage-sama, what is this?" Sasuke asked, feigning confusion.

"The two ninjas who attacked you earlier were part of Root, a secret faction within the ANBU led by my former subordinate, Shimura Danzo. I've entrusted Danzo with several responsibilities over the years, hoping he would act for the good of the village. Unfortunately, his ambition grew unchecked. He's suspected of involvement in the Uchiha massacre. That night, Danzo led his men to plunder the Uchiha treasury, stealing valuable assets, including several Sharingan. For the past few weeks, I've been investigating him in order to give you and your clan the justice you deserve. Sasuke, this happened under my leadership, and for that, I deeply apologize."

With those words, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly knelt, bowing low before Sasuke in apology.

Shocked, Sasuke rushed to help him up. "Please, Hokage-sama, there's no need for this. None of this was your fault—it's all Danzo's doing! You have no reason to apologize to me."

While Sasuke spoke, his mind raced. The Third Hokage's actions were clear—he was distancing himself from Danzo. But could Sarutobi truly sever ties with someone like Danzo?

Sasuke couldn't fully discern Sarutobi's motives, so he kept his thoughts in check.

"In this scroll," Sarutobi continued after sitting back down, "are some of the Uchiha assets we recovered, including several Sharingan. I've done what I could to make up for the loss, and I'm returning these to their rightful place. I hope this goes some way toward making amends for my failure to act sooner."

Sarutobi pushed the scroll toward Sasuke, his expression sincere, as if every word he spoke was true.

"Hokage-sama, how could I blame you? It's all Danzo's fault. He deserves to be punished! For someone like him to—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to speak out of turn. It's just... frustrating." Sasuke managed to appear both agitated and humble, hiding his true thoughts behind the guise of a troubled child.

"Also," Sarutobi continued, "there's the matter of the funeral. Your parents' bodies have been kept at Konoha Hospital until now. I had planned to wait until you were ready before holding the ceremony, but with your sudden trip to meet the daimyo, things were delayed. Now that you're back, it's time to give Fugaku, Mikoto, and the rest of the Uchiha clan the proper burial they deserve."

Hearing this, Sasuke had mixed feelings. This funeral wasn't something mentioned in his past memories, but he could understand why. The trauma he endured as a seven-year-old witnessing the destruction of his entire clan would have overshadowed any formal ceremonies.

It seemed the Third Hokage was returning the Uchiha's remains and assets as part of a larger gesture—a way to smooth things over and avoid further conflict. The village had likely studied the Uchiha's bodies in detail by now, ensuring there were no secrets left to extract. Despite Sarutobi's apologies, Sasuke knew the village and Danzo were the ones truly at fault.

Even so, the Third Hokage's efforts to appease him were obvious. But if Sarutobi thought he could earn Sasuke's gratitude with these gestures, he was sorely mistaken.

After addressing these matters, Sarutobi spent another half-hour chatting, offering words of concern and encouragement before finally rising to leave.

As he left, he reminded Sasuke to take care of himself, suggesting that a relaxed mind would help in the days ahead.

Watching the Third Hokage disappear into the night, Hatsuka appeared silently beside Sasuke.

"So that's the Hokage? His strength is remarkable. I couldn't even sense his presence until he knocked on the door," Hatsuka said, her expression solemn.

"For good reason. That's the 'strongest' Hokage. You think that's just a rumor?" Sasuke replied, placing emphasis on the word "strongest."

Though he spoke highly of the Third Hokage, Sasuke knew the truth. Sarutobi's reputation as the "strongest Hokage" was more myth than reality at this point. While undeniably skilled in all five nature transformations and a master of countless jutsu, his power had long since begun to wane with age.

(End of the chapter).