Chapter 34

________________________________________

Among the Sarutobi clan,

The Konoha F4 had gathered once again after a long break.

Since the last debacle where Danzo was utterly humiliated, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to cool off this fool for a while and stop including him in major decisions. He pulled back control over the Konoha police, reorganizing it, and renamed the Anbu to the "City Management Brigade."

On the other hand, after Danzo lost his position as the Hokage's assistant, he was relegated to the role of a retired, powerless elder, without even the influence to manipulate people into joining Root. Root, originally a training ground for new recruits of the Anbu, became irrelevant after the Anbu was disbanded. Since the City Management Brigade didn't require dangerous tasks, it didn't need the high-intensity training of the old Anbu.

The military budget that once funded the Anbu was now transferred to the Uchiha clan, who were tasked with defending the village from outside threats. In a sense, the balance of power had reversed, with the Uchiha clan now taking on the role Sarutobi once held.

Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't alienate people as bluntly as the Uchiha clan. Though his arrangements for the City Management Brigade weren't as lazy as Toki, he allowed its officers to impose their own rules, making local merchants feel the true meaning of bureaucratic corruption. Over time, Sarutobi's personal income increased, despite his "retirement." Naturally, he never took direct action—everything was just the overzealous actions of subordinates. As the "retired Hokage," Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't supposed to meddle in such trivial matters.

Merchants flocked to Nara Shikaku, complaining that the management fees of the City Management Brigade were too expensive, hoping he could mediate. However, Shikaku had no authority over the brigade and didn't even bother approaching Sarutobi, knowing the likely response.

Thus, a rumor spread in the village: "If the Third Hokage were still in power, this wouldn't happen."

Danzo, meanwhile, was stunned by the series of events. After Toki decimated Konoha's internal power structure, stripping the Elders and Sarutobi of most of their influence, Danzo was left confused. His original plan had been to solidify his power by expanding Root and secretly eliminating the Uchiha threat.

But Sarutobi had outmaneuvered him, using Kumo Village as a weapon against the Uchiha. Danzo was dumbfounded when he learned that Sarutobi had essentially resolved the Uchiha issue without even fighting, allowing Kumo's forces to engage with Uchiha Toki's men.

More importantly, Sarutobi managed to take back control of the Konoha Police, restoring his influence and potentially returning to power as Hokage. Danzo looked at Sarutobi's old face with a complex expression, as if mocking himself for underestimating his old rival all these years.

Danzo had always thought Sarutobi was a weak leader obsessed with the "Will of Fire." He believed Sarutobi lacked the resolve to make the tough decisions necessary to protect Konoha. Danzo had been the one to take on the darker tasks—controlling the tailed beasts, capturing the Senju clan members, and experimenting on them, along with other morally questionable activities like seizing the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques.

Danzo had always viewed Sarutobi as soft-hearted and naive. But now, with the Uchiha on the brink of destruction, Sarutobi's tactics showed otherwise. It seemed the Third Hokage had played Danzo for a fool all along.

Sarutobi smiled to himself. He knew, from the moment he had accepted the Second Hokage's final orders, that Danzo would serve as the perfect scapegoat. Sarutobi had nurtured Danzo's ambition, guiding him for years, only to leave him as the infamous "dark hand" of Konoha. Danzo would never become Hokage—his public reputation as a shadowy assassin ensured that.

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, smiling slyly as he said, "I wonder if Uchiha Toki will be able to withstand Kumo's attack. Even the Fourth Hokage only managed to draw against the AB Combination."

Danzo remained silent. Resist? Resist what? This whole situation had been orchestrated to destroy the Uchiha, and Sarutobi was pretending to worry about it. Danzo couldn't shake the feeling that Sarutobi operated on an entirely different level of manipulation.

At that moment, an Anbu landed in the courtyard, excitement evident on his face.

Sarutobi's lips curled into a smile before he shifted to an eager expression and asked, "How's the battle going?"

________________________________________