Chapter 20: Chapter 20
"Cough, cough," Hiruzen composed himself and said it must have been a misunderstanding. He quickly changed the topic and mentioned the reason for his visit: to personally thank them, as he had promised earlier. He then revealed that he would like to discuss various matters with Kazuki personally .
Shikaku, though reluctant, knew that he couldn't interfere with the Hokage's decision. He wanted to clear the room, but Kazuki intervened and said there would be no discussions without his uncle present. Shikaku was grateful for the kid, knowing Kazuki could handle the conversation personally, but he wanted to give his uncle weight. Kazuki insisted on Shikaku being present.
However, Tsunade had no such issues. She stated directly that she would remain to ensure that the old man would not take advantage of little Kazuki. When Shikaku heard this, he couldn't help but sweat. He knew how intelligent and cunning his nephew was. If someone was to be taken advantage of today, it would be Sandaime himself. Shikaku quickly deployed barriers to make sure no one could eavesdrop on their conversation. Hiruzen was momentarily intrigued but then ignored it.
"Old man," Kazuki started. Shikaku raised his brows at the lack of a proper title and was about to reprimand him, but Hiruzen waived his arm.
"That's alright. With him being Tsunade's disciple, he is my grand disciple , so this way of him addressing me seems right."
Tsunade simply snorted at the old man's comment. Hiruzen was so crafty that with a single statement, he established seniority in the meeting. Kazuki couldn't help but praise the man's intelligence. One cannot simply hold the title of Hokage for close to four decades without such intelligence.
"Old man, before we start, I need to clarify something, and your genuine answer will decide how this meeting will proceed." Kazuki dropped his childish facade and turned serious. Hiruzen understood that, no matter how young, a Nara will always be a Nara.
"In the future, if a day ever comes where the actions of your close ones threaten the safety of this village directly or indirectly, will you defend them?" Kazuki dove into the heart of the matter. Even in his previous life, he had always wondered why Hiruzen kept defending the likes of Danzo and others, even though he held such great power. The only answer he could come up with was that it was not that Hiruzen was naive or incompetent; it was just that the man was too kind for his own good. He couldn't bring himself to harm Danzo, even when he had tried to eliminate him multiple times.
After the recent incident with Shikaku, even though there was no evidence, Kazuki knew in his gut that it was all arranged by Danzo. However, although Kazuki might not be able to kill him right away, he was determined to make sure to completely strip Danzo of his official powers and whatever else Danzo managed to retain. He would slowly whittle them down, one at a time. Kazuki was not naive enough to believe that he could directly clash with Danzo and come out unscathed. He was confident in his abilities, but what if Danzo targets his family, especially little Shikamaru? All it would take is one blade slipping past his defences, and he would lose his loved ones forever. And such a gamble was not worth it. So, Kazuki had to eliminate Danzo slowly, one strike at a time.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, listened attentively to Kazuki's question. The room was filled with a tense silence, and even Tsunade, who usually had a strong presence, was quietly observing the exchange. The question posed by the young Nara cut straight to the core of leadership, responsibility, and personal connections.
After a thoughtful pause, Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply. "Kazuki, you ask a question that every leader must confront at some point in their journey. It's the delicate balance between duty to the village and the bonds we share with those close to us. In an ideal world, these two aspects would never conflict, but reality is often more complicated."
"Spare me of your words of wisdom, old man. I may be a child, but I am not naive. You should know who and what I am talking about."
Kazuki didn't let the elder Hokage slip to answer the previous question.
Kazuki's straightforward accusation hung heavily in the air, creating a tense atmosphere in the room. Shikaku, the head of the Nara clan, felt a mixture of concern and caution. While he had his suspicions about Danzo's involvement, he understood the importance of evidence.
"Kazuki," Shikaku began, choosing his words carefully, "accusing a village elder without concrete evidence can have severe repercussions. I share your concerns, but we must proceed cautiously. Jumping to conclusions without proper investigation goes against our principles."
Hiruzen, recognising the gravity of the situation, chimed in, "Kazuki, I understand your frustration, and I assure you we will look into the matter. However, we must follow the proper channels. If there's any truth to your suspicions, we'll address them accordingly. Accusations without evidence can lead to unrest and disharmony within the village."
Tsunade, who had been silently observing, added, "Kazuki, your determination to protect those close to you is admirable, but we must balance justice with prudence. Let's focus on gathering evidence and ensuring a fair investigation."
Kazuki, although resolute, knew that he had to navigate this delicate situation carefully. "I appreciate your concerns, but recent events have left me with a lack of trust. I need assurances that the investigation will be unbiased and thorough."
Hiruzen nodded, understanding the challenge ahead. "I assure you, Kazuki, that we will handle this matter with the utmost diligence. We will uncover the truth and ensure justice is served, but we must do so within the framework of our village's principles."
"You still try to defend that rat even after all this, Sandaime. What is it going to take for you to take action? Are you not even aware that he no longer considers you a friend? He even planned to get your son killed to break you. What else is it going to take? Will you only react after seeing Asuma or someone else's cold, dead body in front of you?"
Kazuki's words cut deep into Hiruzen's heart. He couldn't help but clench his hands in anger, but he knew that whatever the kid said was true. Even Tsunade by the side showed a rare trace of helplessness, as she also understood how much leeway her sensei was providing to his friend. Danzo was only using this to his advantage. She even believed that Nawaki and Dan's deaths had something to do with Danzo, but because of her sensei defending Danzo, she couldn't act.
The room remained silent for a long time, with no one interrupting the old man's thoughts. Hiruzen let out a long sigh and looked Kazuki in the eye.
"As Konoha's Third Hokage, I swear that if anyone, I say anyone, were to threaten the village's safety and its values, I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will personally punish them with my all."
Kazuki knew it must be difficult for the old man, so he wanted to give him some leeway now that he heard his genuine answer.
"Don't worry, old man. I will not ask you to personally kill him unless he crosses the line. And this is the first request that I bring up, and it's non-negotiable. Root must be disbanded, and Danzo must be stripped of all military powers that he holds. He can hold an empty title as an elder, but that's it. He should not have any decision-making powers whatsoever, and this should be done in front of a council meeting."
"Kid, I understand that you are angry, but you can't simply ask me to strip a village elder's power just like that, and with Danzo having Root entirely under control, taking power from him without a proper cause will only cause chaos in the village," Hiruzen said, his tone serious as he tried to convey the gravity of the situation. Kazuki, in response, pulled out a scroll and handed it over to the hostage.
"Like I said earlier, old man, I might be young, but I am not naive. I am not dumb enough to ask for something without proper evidence. The contents of the folder should be enough to remove Danzo from power," Kazuki remarked confidently.
As Hiruzen read through the scroll, he became increasingly troubled and couldn't help but sigh, eventually nodding in acknowledgment. With Danzo temporarily contained, Kazuki shifted the conversation to the main negotiation.
"Now that the matter is dealt with, what is it that the Hokage of Leaf wants from the Nara clan, and what is the village ready to offer in exchange?" Kazuki wore a businesslike expression, intending to maximise the benefits for the Nara clan.
Hiruzen collected himself, placing the scroll inside his robe, and entered into the business negotiation earnestly.
"Before we start, kid, how sure are you about the seal that was placed on the two-tails, Jinchuriki? Is there any way they could break that seal?" Hiruzen inquired.
Kazuki couldn't help but laugh at the old man's question and smirk before responding to the Hokage.
"There is no way they will be able to crack my "Sixteenfold Restriction Seal" [Jūroku Jū Sei Fūin] unless they have a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster on their side. If I am not wrong, Kumo should approach Leaf soon under the guise of negotiation. Don't be fooled. When the time comes, old man, their true intentions will be anything but peaceful coexistence. You do not have to worry about the seal being removed. You can rest assured that the Two Tails will be out of commission for at least a year."
"That's good to know, and I'm just curious, kid, where did you get all this knowledge about Fuinjutsu? As far as I remember, the Nara clan does not have a deep understanding of fuinjutsu," Hiruzen inquired, genuinely puzzled about the source of Kazuki's knowledge.
"Ahem, Hokage-sama, remember the S-class mission I had placed on behalf of the Nara clan to salvage the ruins of the Uzumaki clan? We were able to retrieve a substantial amount of information from the ruins, and we found a few locations where the Uzumaki had built shrines to preserve part of their knowledge. We also cleaned up the Uzumaki temple on the outskirts of the leaf," Shikaku blurted out before Kazuki could respond.
This revelation had been bothering him, and he felt a weight lifted off his chest. It wasn't as if the Nara clan had done something wrong; they had placed an exploration task through proper channels. According to the task guidelines, anything salvaged would belong to the person who placed the request. Back then, Hiruzen didn't care much about the task because the ruins had already been wiped clean by various parties, including the Leaf. Additionally, after the Nine Tails attack, the Nara family placing so many S-class requests was considered a windfall, so Hiruzen did not deny it.
Hiruzen could only wear a dumbfounded look, wondering how lucky the Nara clan could get. He couldn't help but express his thoughts: "Shikaku, shouldn't the Nara clan have handed over such important information to the village?"
"Sandaime-sama, technically, that does not belong to the Leaf, and the Nara clan followed proper procedure to gain access to that information as it was part of the mission parameters," Shikaku sheepishly defended the Nara clan's actions. He knew this was a delicate matter, and the only ones who could actually lay claim to these items were the Uzumaki.
"But still, Shikaku, don't you think those things belong to the Uzumaki? With the leaf's relation to them, these items should be left under the village's care," Hiruzen pressed, using the moral card to emphasise the value of the Uzumaki-related information.
"How much more shameless can you be, old man? You still have the face to ask about Uzumaki things after blatantly betraying them. And please don't give me excuses that the village didn't know about it back then. This is one more reason why I want to strip Danzo of his power," Kazuki interjected, refusing to let the old man take advantage and throwing a wrench into the old man's plans.
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