Hiruzen Sarutobi was thoroughly disgusted.
Danzo's wrinkled, scheming face was always unpleasant to look at—but on a day like this, with gloomy weather already making everything feel worse, seeing Danzo only intensified the nausea.
It felt like swallowing a huge chunk of spoiled old meat…
…and that rotten meat was crawling with dozens of flies.
"You're telling me that Hayashi Ren—a kid whose chakra pathways were already completely destroyed—killed one of your subordinates?"
"Are you sure you're not just mad because you got killed in a MOBA match?" Hiruzen asked with a sharp edge in his voice.
He genuinely wondered if Danzo had lost his mind.
Everyone in the village knew that Hayashi Ren's chakra network had been blocked for a long time. He didn't even have the ability to mold chakra properly.
And now Danzo—the master of dirty schemes—was claiming that Ren had killed one of his Root operatives?
Was this some kind of joke?
Even the weakest shinobi in Root were elite Chūnin at minimum.
Even if Ren had received both an MVP reward chest and a Victory Chest from the MOBA trial, there was no way he could make a giant leap to become someone capable of defeating an elite Chūnin.
And more importantly—Hiruzen had already warned Danzo to stay away from Hayashi Ren.
Yet Danzo still chose to act on his own. Again.
Danzo had gone too far this time. Far too far.
Hiruzen's expression darkened. His gaze turned sharp and hostile as he locked eyes with Danzo.
Danzo noticed the hostility but showed no fear. He responded coldly:"That operative was dispatched before you came to see me. Since then, I haven't made any further moves against Hayashi Ren."
"It better stay that way," Hiruzen snapped, before turning away and beginning to organize the documents on his desk, clearly signaling he wanted Danzo to leave.
The message was obvious:"I've heard enough. You can go now."
But Danzo didn't move.
He stood motionless in front of the desk, as if he didn't understand what had just been said.
The tension hung in the air.
After a long moment, Hiruzen looked up with an increasingly displeased expression."What? Don't you have other matters to deal with?"
"I'm dealing with something right now," Danzo replied coldly."I'm dealing with Hayashi Ren killing my subordinate."
"Danzo. Hayashi Ren couldn't have killed your subordinate," Hiruzen said, his voice turning icy."Don't forget—he was accepted into the MOBA beta test."
"Even if he was," Danzo shot back, "there's no way he could gain that much strength so quickly!"
"So what—you expect me to believe that one of my elite Chūnin just died for nothing?"His tone grew even frostier."That operative was one of my division's core assets. You will give me an explanation today."
There was steel in Danzo's voice now.
The truth was, both men knew the death of a single elite Chūnin wasn't a game-changer. It wasn't enough to sway the balance of power.
But Danzo was deliberately making it a big deal.
And that meant Hiruzen couldn't simply brush it aside.
After a few seconds of silence, Hiruzen finally spoke."What if it wasn't Hayashi Ren?"
Danzo didn't hesitate."It had to be him."
Hiruzen sighed deeply.
He had wanted to hold his ground… but in the end, he gave in.
Danzo, who knew Hiruzen well, was delighted.
He could see it—the old man was about to compromise.
"Bring Hayashi Ren here."
Sure enough, Hiruzen gave the order calmly toward the door.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
A voice replied from outside, followed by silence.
Only then did Hiruzen look back at Danzo and say:"If you're so convinced that Hayashi Ren killed your man, then ask him yourself."
In Hiruzen's heart, he couldn't believe for a second that Hayashi Ren had become strong enough to take down an elite Chūnin just from winning a single MOBA match.
"Hmph. If he really did kill my operative, I'll make sure he pays the price."Danzo's voice was like a blade drawn in the cold.
Outside, the skies remained overcast.