Naruto, Madara is my girl.

From the reconstruction of the Senju clan to the changes on the front lines and the Five Kage Summit, Sarutobi Hiruzen, always situated at the center of the storm, remained outwardly calm.

Watching the shinobi moving back and forth outside the window, he felt certain that some disruption in intelligence dealings was close at hand.

To him, the whole effort of rebuilding the Senju clan looked like nothing but one man abusing his position to please a woman. Whether it was to soothe the temper of the Uzumaki tigress at home or to balance out the influence of Uchiha Madara with another confidante, the deeper motivation seemed obvious.

There was nothing further to it, at least not in Hiruzen's view.

What he really envied was that attitude: carefree, bold, and shielded by charm on either side. Akira Senju lit fires and watched from afar, blessed by beauty and unbothered by consequence.

Even so, what stirred Hiruzen most wasn't Akira's power, it was the way he lived.

"To rule awake and rest in beauty's arms"-that ideal lingered in Hiruzen's mind.

He had achieved it once. He had it within reach again, but it came down to Danzo. Feelings had long faded or perhaps had simply rotted into secrecy between them, but recent events had punctured that pretense entirely. Social pressure kept them apart in public; everything else was buried under layers of professional necessity.

Danzo would not be allowed to slip away, not like this. A saying repeated in Hiruzen's head: A wife is inferior to a mistress, and even that is no match for someone unattainable. (T/N: Damn..)

Since he couldn't have Danzo the right way, he'd do it the slippery way-like that "Star Man" whose name he wouldn't dare speak aloud. With calculated charm and false innocence, he'd crafted his pitch.

Days passed as he revised his tactics daily. Once satisfied with the plan, he invited Danzo to meet with him in private under official pretenses.

"The bodies of the Nidaime and Kinkaku and Ginkaku will arrive within two days," Danzo said dryly. "Also, lord Akira's mansion's lab renovations are complete. The invoice is on your desk."

Her hand shifted through another report as she continued with that same monotone precision: "According to my intel, the Uchiha clan visited Lord Akira some time ago. While I couldn't confirm the details of their exchange, I suspect this relates to both recent village changes and the Senju revival..."

She noticed the silence and narrowed her eyes.

"Hiruzen... are you even listening?"

Danzo's familiar habit of scolding him usually came out firm and icy, but his gaze had grown intense enough to make her hesitate mid-sentence. Her tone faltered without her permission.

"Oh-my apologies," Hiruzen replied coolly, sounding anything but sorry. He hadn't stopped staring at her once.

Danzo squirmed inside but refused to show it outwardly. She liked the attention-but not this much of it.

"Hiruzen, I-"

"Hush."

He raised one hand gently to his lips and stepped forward without breaking eye contact. In one move, he reached for her hand, light enough to feel careful, firm enough not to be ignored.

"Let me take care of you."

Danzo's breath caught in her throat. Words dissolved into confusion.

"Y-You-what...?"

She looked for any way out of this situation-any justification or delay-but panicked slightly when only nonsense came out:

"I haven't brushed my teeth since this morning..."

It was weak. It was stupid. It didn't work.

Hiruzen tightened his grip without hurting her, anchoring her arm where it was.

"I won't release you."

His usually calm face wore polished resolve now. That righteous exterior made his words feel almost holy-like promises instead of ploys. Danzo's resistance faltered fast, step by step undone by how natural he made it look.

Seeing her muscles relax, Hiruzen leaned in further-

"We'll watch sunrises together... experience the years as they come. When we're both old... we'll sit side by side watching our grandchildren run through Konoha's streets."

Danzo did not recoil. She listened. Somewhere between his words and that dreamlike image, her eyes began to lose focus as though she was seeing it herself-

"After I step down as Hokage..."

Everything shattered right then.

Her spine stiffened unnaturally, as if every reflex screamed at once. Her face emptied of warmth fast enough to draw air from the room around them.

He had said nothing about her rising alongside him, not in title nor power. In his fantasy, she was just there, an accessory beside his throne, not atop it.

"And... what will I be doing while you're living out this fantasy?"

Hiruzen remained blissfully unaware of her shift and continued half-smiling: "I'll give you work without shackles... somewhere easier... so we'll have time together again."

Bang!

Wood cracked inward as the office door slammed open hard enough to echo back down the corridor outside.

"Monkey!" Akira Senju strode through the dust and splinters uninvited. "Where are the bodies of Kinkaku and Ginkaku? I want them now." (T/N: .....and we were just getting to the good part...)

His loud demand filled the room-but no one responded instantly.

Akira's eyes flicked left toward Danzo's suddenly frozen body, then right toward Hiruzen's sour face and guilty posture.

"...Monkey... are you on your fucking period?"

Hiruzen clenched his molars tight enough to ache but didn't lash out at him directly-not with Danzo watching.

"I'll have them sent once they arrive," he said stiffly. "Also, would it kill you to knock before entering my office?"

"Knocking isn't half as fun as walking in on this kind of embarrassment."

Akira brushed him off with flicking fingers and stepped around him-with too much bounce in his step and too wide of a grin on his face for anyone to stop him properly now.

"It's fine," Akira added after letting silence fester for effect. "Once you're officially Hokage, I won't interfere anymore-not in your business or private life."

"...What?"

For just one second, Hiruzen stopped breathing altogether. That line made no sense-and worse-it sounded final.

"Master Akira... what are you saying?"

Akira's answer came coldly:

"I'm lazy."

His shrug came with no weight and no hint of shame behind it. That answer killed any lingering hope in Hiruzen's chest faster than poison ever could have.

"Bastard," Hiruzen whispered through clenched teeth. "Give me back my damned feelings."

Akira was already heading to the door when-

"Lord Akira," Danzo said suddenly from behind him. "Wait."

Her face betrayed nothing, but her thoughts were sharper than ever now.

Everything she needed to know had been spoken aloud moments ago-mostly by mistake-and she knew damn well what that future held if she stayed waiting behind someone else's throne room door again.

She wouldn't wait anymore.

'If I cannot become Hokage's wife...' she thought clearly, '...then I will become Hokage's woman.'

Without hesitation now, without shame or hesitation, Danzo walked forward and planted herself beside Akira's side in full view of everything and everyone that mattered.

"I'll go with you," she said flatly.

Akira met her eyes for only one second before nodding once.

"Alright."

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