Chapter 102

Chapter 102

When the Anbu arrived at Root to summon Danzo to the Hokage's office, a quarter of an hour had already passed.

Danzo leisurely made his way to the Hokage Tower. Glancing up at the door to the Hokage's office, he pushed it open without hesitation.

"Hiruzen, what do you want from me?" Danzo asked, casually finding a seat and pouring himself some tea from the kettle on the table.

Just as the tea touched his throat, the Third Hokage suddenly asked, "Danzo, be honest with me—did you have anything to do with Haneda?"

???

Danzo, taken aback, looked at Hiruzen in disbelief, nearly choking on his tea. Last time Hiruzen had asked him to locate Haneda, and now he was asking if Danzo had targeted him? What kind of question was this?

Danzo had dispatched a significant number of Root operatives into the Land of Rain, along with a few deeply embedded spies, all of whom had perished while gathering intelligence on Haneda. Now, Hiruzen was asking him this out of the blue?

Hiruzen spoke again, "Danzo, I understand your prejudice against the Uchiha, but you can't make a move against Haneda. Especially after everything Sakumo and Haneda have done for Konoha at great personal cost."

???

Danzo's expression shifted, growing darker, a tinge of disbelief coloring his features. While he might have found Haneda, the naturally malevolent Uchiha brat, detestable, he certainly wouldn't act recklessly at a time like this—especially with Sakumo involved.

As a key figure in Konoha's leadership, Danzo was well aware of the looming war with Sunagakure, and the restlessness among other villages. Why would he jeopardize everything by eliminating a valuable asset like Sakumo now?

Hiruzen was clearly questioning his loyalty to Konoha!

Before Danzo could respond, Hiruzen continued, his tone becoming more serious. "Danzo, I know you don't want to admit it, but I've promised Sakumo and the others that we will temporarily suspend your duties and investigate this matter. I'll instruct the Anbu Commander to delay things as much as possible, so you'd better start cleaning up any evidence."

???

Danzo was at a breaking point. He had been faithfully working in Hiruzen's interests, and now he was being treated as if he were guilty! Was Hiruzen actually accusing him of such a thing?

Frustrated beyond words, Danzo slammed the table and stood up, shouting at Hiruzen, "Hiruzen! If you want to strip me of my authority, just say so! Don't hide behind this Haneda nonsense!"

???

Hiruzen was taken aback by Danzo's outburst. Could it be that Danzo truly had nothing to do with the attack on Haneda? That didn't seem possible…

Danzo, glaring at Hiruzen's still-suspicious expression, continued to rage, "For my entire life, I've seen you, Sarutobi Hiruzen, as my rival. I trusted you, and yet your constant weakness and incompetence have hurt me time and time again!"

Memories flashed through Danzo's mind—training alongside Hiruzen, executing missions together, fighting for the future of Konoha. Those memories remained vivid, right up until five years ago, when the "naturally evil" Uchiha brat began making his mark.

Danzo chuckled bitterly, his tone filled with mockery. "You still remember, don't you? Five years ago, when I orchestrated that assassination attempt on you? You've never forgotten, have you?"

"And now you finally show it—you've never trusted me, Hiruzen!" he finished with a grim laugh.

Danzo turned to glance at Hiruzen one last time before storming toward the door of the office.

"Danzo!" Hiruzen called out.

But Danzo didn't stop. "I, Shimura Danzo, have a clear conscience! Everything I've done has been for Konoha, and for you, Hiruzen!"

*Bang!*

The door slammed shut behind him.

*Click!* The door creaked open again, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway. A voice could be heard trying to catch up, offering hurried explanations, as the footsteps grew more disorganized.

…

Meanwhile, the trust crisis unfolding in the Hokage's office was entirely unknown to Haneda, the one at the center of it. At that moment, he was enjoying a meal with Obito, Kakashi, and the others at Ichiraku Ramen.

"It's been so long since I've eaten at this ramen shop," Obito said, finding a stool and sitting next to Haneda on his left.

"By the way, Haneda, you fought the Third Kazekage puppet in the Land of Rain, right?" Obito asked.

"More or less," Haneda replied, recalling the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release and feeling a bit sheepish. Despite the counterbalance between his Lightning Release and Magnet Release, he had still been defeated in the end. It wasn't just about the jutsu—Scorpion's control over the Magnet Release had nothing on the combat instincts the Kazekage puppet retained. That was what made the strongest Kazekage truly fearsome.

But Asuma, who hadn't witnessed Haneda being overwhelmed by Magnet Release, began boasting loudly. "Haneda's *Chidori* went head-to-head with the one they called the strongest Kazekage, and won! Obito, you better remember—Haneda's Lightning Release is top-tier in the entire shinobi world! Those brutes from Kumogakure are nothing compared to him!"

Feeling slightly embarrassed by Asuma's over-the-top praise, Haneda gave him a few glances, trying to signal him to tone it down. After all, both the Third Raikage and the future Fourth Raikage were forces to be reckoned with…

However, Asuma misunderstood Haneda's look, thinking his praise had made Haneda pay him extra attention. Feeling even more encouraged, Asuma continued, "I've heard that in about half a month, there'll be a joint Chunin Exam. Konoha has invited all the major shinobi villages to participate. Even high-ranking officials and nobles from various nations will be attending."

"At that time, Haneda, you'll definitely shine, making a name for yourself across the entire shinobi world!"

Obito couldn't help but smile as he listened to Asuma sing Haneda's praises, but then he realized his own spotlight might be stolen. Quickly, he added, "Hmph, just wait! It'll be me, Uchiha Obito, stealing the show with my two-tomoe Sharingan!"

"But Haneda has a three-tomoe Sharingan," Asuma pointed out.

"My two-tomoe Sharingan is just as good as any three-tomoe! Right, Haneda?" Obito turned to Haneda for backup.

Before Haneda could respond, Kakashi cut in, "Two-tomoe versus three-tomoe? That's pretty laughable, you know, Dead Last."

"Shut up, you idiot, Kakashi!"

Just as Haneda was about to compliment Obito, he realized the two were about to start another argument. He quickly placed a hand on Obito's shoulder and another on Kakashi's, trying to mediate.

"Obito's two-tomoe Sharingan has a lot of potential. It may not be at my level yet, but I believe in him," Haneda said with a smile.

Rin, who had just received her miso ramen, smiled gently at Haneda. Usually, she was the one calming Obito and Kakashi down, but now that Haneda was here, they wouldn't continue bickering.

Meanwhile, Kurenai, sitting next to Rin, secretly glanced at Haneda. She couldn't help but remember the moment a few days ago when Haneda had stayed behind to protect her during their mission.