Ch77. Year time-skip 2

It was early and the office was yet to brighten with the morning light when two men already sat opposite each other, discussing the deviation to their plan. It should have been smooth-sailing and no disturbance should have occurred. They even expended ANBU to make sure of that and yet... Two 'anomalies' slipped through and did... something.

"All five are dead..." Danzo said to Hiruzen with cold stoicism in his voice. It didn't really matter that they were dead as that was actually the expected outcome in the plan. No, the problem was WHO was the one to kill them.

"So we have no witness." Hiruzen nodded gravely which made Danzo's one remaining eye twitch.

"What about the boy or your butt-li-, ahem, apprentice?" He almost slipped his thoughts into that statement! Hiruzen of course shot him an unamused look which was almost as threatening as a squirrel whose nut he stole but whatever. Despite that, he made a show of cowering in front of the frightening Kage...

"Minato-kun," Hiruzen started which made Danzo raise his eyebrow at the way he called the boy, "and Jiraiya naturally saw the assailants but Jiraiya thinks they were under henge." Hiruzen sadly shook his head. "Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time to see through it."

"You want to tell me five of my ROOT initiatives died during their mission and you don't even know who killed them?" Danzo asked in disbelief at what his old friend was telling him. He might have told them it was a 'dangerous' mission despite it basically being a 'suicide' mission but his ROOT was loyal to a fault! That didn't mean he wasn't irked due to them dying without even providing information about who would be able to kill them! It took him a second to recollect himself, so he rather changed the topic. "What about the girl?"

"Kushina is fine." Hiruzen said lightly but then spotted the look in Danzo's eyes and smiled. That wasn't what his friend was apparently asking about. "Don't worry. The plan is still on the right track. Despite everything, it seems our resident jinchuuriki took a liking to Jiraiya's protege. Really, young love..." Hiruzen smiled wistfully. "The job of the older generation is guiding the youngsters." Danzo only rolled his eye at Hiruzen after he heard that. As if the old monkey cared for 'young love'.

They devised a plan. Kushina would be kidnapped by his ROOT clad in Kumo uniforms and the brat would save her, woo her and then marry her, making her pump out little Uzumaki and even be glad about it. Uzumaki were people who cherished their family over anything else so as long as the jinchuuriki gained that family in the loyal shinobi of Konoha, she would never betray the village. Not that the brat knew to what degree their relationship was pre-planned. They even prepared a few 'concessions' of not putting the girl in CRA if she birthed at least four children... It would surely strengthen her and Minato's loyalty once they are married.

In his eye, it was a win-win. Just in case the girl got into her hands some delicate information about the demise of her clan. This was a fail-safe that was long overdue since the Hokage just decided throwing her to slums without care would 'build her character' and make her 'humble'. Sometimes, he had no idea what Hiruzen was thinking. Danzo saw things realistically. He would either raise her into a loyalist of such a caliber that even Hokage would be in awe, or he would do what Hiruzen did, make her suffer but offer her people who would be there for her. But no... the monkey just had to decide the girl would make 'ties' to the village by herself!

Danzo was pulled out of his reverie when Hiruzen asked a question that was nagging on his conscience for quite a long time. "Danzo... did you exterminate the Senju clan?"

Both men stared at each other impassively until Danzo softly sighed. "You know why it had to be done." He said, making Hiruzen frown but Danzo continued without minding it. "You even took Tsunade as your apprentice because of 'that'." As he said that, Hiruzen's eyes widened and gained an understanding light. "Senju were too dangerous to exist." Danzo finished and Hiruzen had a conflicted face, not knowing what to say to his friend.

Danzo knew Hiruzen for a long time and knew the man had a distinct set of priorities. The village, his family, his pupils, and then his sensei, Tobirama Senju. Danzo always thought it was a weakness even though he also held a lot of respect for the Second Hokage. But if he learned one thing under the man's tutelage, it was that the village came always first. While the village was always the main motivator behind Hiruzen's actions, he also put a big emphasis on people that were close to him. The man would never be able to 'deal' with Senju if they decided to use 'that'. Danzo looked pointedly at Hiruzen. "Only Tsunade is left. Only she has the claim." He said, his meaning as obvious as the outcome. And as Danzo expected, Hiruzen actually stood up in rage when he heard what Danzo implied.

"I won't let you kill Tsunade!" He shouted. "She is no threat to the village! She has no idea about 'it'! I made sure about that when she was a small girl! Now that her clan is dead, she has no way to find out either!" He glared at Danzo who just stoically nodded, not even slightly perturbed by the killing intent in the surroundings.

"I understand." He said and Hiruzen finally calmed down and flopped back into his chair.

He took his pipe back into his mouth and mumbled. "Tsunade has many flaws but I raised her to be loyal to Konoha first and foremost. She would never betray us, much less use 'that'." Danzo saw the confidence with which his friend said it and decided to accept it... for now. But then Hiruzen added something that stopped his mind for a second. "Same as that boy, Minato." Hiruzen said with fondness Danzo saw only seldom on his face.

Danzo didn't like that fond look. It meant Hiruzen... His eye widened as a stray thought flashed through his mind. "Hiruzen, the boy... you aren't thinking of making him Hokage, are you?" He narrowed his eye on his old friend. Lately, there was a bit too much favoritism towards the blond orphan. Sure, the boy was Jiraiya's apprentice but to give him access to the sealing and Jutsu-creation scrolls above his rank? That was foolishness in Danzo's mind. And now, the entire mission could be viewed as a way for the boy to obtain a wife. If he took out their own scheme, it would be exactly that. Under normal circumstances, the boy would face serious repercussions for leaving the village alone. But that begets the question of 'why'.

And much to Danzo's unadulterated surprise, Hiruzen averted his gaze by lowering the hem of his hat as he put his pipe into his mouth. Danzo knew Hiruzen well enough to know what this gesture meant. "Jiraiya made a request." Hiruzen slowly said, puffing a bit of smoke from his mouth. "That boy doesn't make many requests." Danzo blinked but was quiet, appearing stoic even though inwardly he was seething. "Of course, the boy would have to prove himself to be my successor. But for that, he has time. Saving our jinchuuriki, or as the public view it, a girl from our village from the villainous grasp of Kumo, is a nice start though. Especially since we spread out how Kumo is treating female Kekkei Genkai holders to the public." Hiruzen finished. He didn't state that Jiraiya thought the boy was the prophesied savior of the world. Saying that to Danzo would be idiocy. Hiruzen held the monkey contract so he knew prophecies weren't such a farfetched thing when it came to the summons. So if the boy really was some kind of savior... Hiruzen would make him Hokage so the boy would be the savior of Konoha!

Danzo was blankly staring at him. Both knew what the one-eyed man wanted to hear. He didn't give a shit about the blond boy. Nor the request of an older boy with a penchant for whoring. He wanted to hear what this meant for their promise!

Hiruzen knew that well too and in the end, he could only sigh. "You wouldn't make a good Hokage, Danzo." He started, his voice laced with deep regret but Danzo knew it was a facade. "It would be better for the village if you stayed in the darkness. In light, we need a hero, not a schemer." Hiruzen said, almost making Danzo blanch at the hypocrisy. His years-long friend was basically carelessly throwing away his promise to give the hat to him! Once Hiruzen had enough or was bored of it, Danzo was supposed to be the Hokage... and yet. Danzo quietly turned on his heel and said only one thing before marching towards the door.

"You've grown soft, Sarutobi."