Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

"Trash! Useless trash!"

The next morning—

Inside the Root Division's headquarters, Danzo was seething with rage as he clutched the latest intel report.

The document had just arrived from the frontline command post on the Eastern Seaboard, and its contents left him furious.

It stated that although the support squad was ambushed and suffered heavy casualties, the target individuals—Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Haruki—had both arrived safely at the command post.

If that were all, Danzo might have tolerated it.

But the report highlighted something far more troublesome: Uchiha Haruki's strength.

According to the intel, most of the elite Jonin and Special Jonin among the Mist attackers had been killed by Haruki himself.

This included not one, but two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

That level of power made Danzo feel not just uncomfortable—but threatened.

"Damn it!"

Danzo cursed again and looked at the kneeling Root operative before him.

"Still no word from Ryoma's squad?"

"Reporting, sir. No, we've lost contact."

Just as the operative finished speaking, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock knock~

Hearing the sound, Danzo barked:

"Enter!"

The door opened, and a man stepped in, walking up to Danzo and presenting a sealed order.

"Sir, the ANBU just delivered this—it's a direct order from the Hokage. He wants you at his office immediately."

Danzo glanced at the order, then sneered coldly.

"Hmph, calling me over now? Let me guess, he's going to play the 'nice guy' again…"

Half an hour later — Inside the Hokage's Office

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, pipe in mouth, smoke curling lazily upward as he read over a report. His brows were tightly furrowed.

Bang!

The door was kicked open without warning, and a man strode inside.

Hiruzen didn't even look up. He already knew who it was. Only Danzo would barge in without knocking.

Before the Hokage could speak, Danzo cut in:

"Hiruzen, what is it this time? I'm very busy."

Hearing his tone, Hiruzen frowned. He removed the pipe from his mouth and said coldly:

"Danzo, is there nothing you want to explain to me?"

"Explain?" Danzo feigned ignorance.

"Explain what?"

"Hmph!"

With a snort, Hiruzen tossed the report onto the desk and growled:

"Then explain this!"

Danzo picked up the report and skimmed through it. Without much emotion, he shrugged:

"So the defense line was breached. What's there to explain?"

"Danzo!" Hiruzen snapped, his voice rising.

"Don't tell me this had nothing to do with you!"

Danzo opened his mouth, ready to deny it. But seeing the anger in Hiruzen's eyes, he lowered his head and muttered:

"Calm down, Hiruzen. I can assure you with absolute certainty—the Mist ninja only got through that one gap. There will be no follow-up problems."

The office fell into heavy silence.

"Sigh…"

After a long pause, Hiruzen finally sighed and said:

"We'll let it go this time. But I don't want to see anything like this happen again. Do you understand, Danzo?"

"Hmph!"

Danzo snorted but said nothing in return.

Hiruzen could only shake his head. There was nothing he could do—Danzo never made promises, and never apologized.

The room grew quiet again, filled only with the faint crackling of the Hokage's pipe.

Click… clack…

Whoosh~~

He exhaled a long plume of smoke and said slowly:

"Enough about that. Let's move on to the second matter."

"Second?" Danzo narrowed his eyes, though he pretended not to understand.

"What is it?"

"Still playing dumb?"

Hiruzen pulled out another report and tossed it across the desk.

"Explain these five people."

Danzo took the report and flipped through it. His face darkened.

"Useless trash…"

The report included photos and autopsy records. Though the bodies were badly burned, and facial features mostly unrecognizable, there were other ways to confirm a shinobi's identity.

Secret medicines and curse mark residues were far more telling than appearances—especially in Root.

These five corpses bore all the identifying traits of Root-trained operatives.

This was exactly why Root agents were forbidden to leave bodies behind—otherwise, it would be too easy for the enemy to uncover their background.

Unfortunately, Ryoma and his team had died too suddenly, without triggering their failsafe. Their corpses had been recovered intact.

Yes—Hiruzen's report was about Aburame Ryoma and his four subordinates.

The evidence was conclusive. Danzo didn't bother denying it anymore.

He casually tossed the report aside and said:

"Nothing unusual. I just sent a few people to eliminate a potential threat."

"A threat?" Hiruzen slammed the desk.

"The Uchiha are part of Konoha! They are not a threat!"

"Aren't they?" Danzo chuckled coldly.

He pointed at the first report and said:

"Look at the results of that mission. Especially that Uchiha Haruki. You really believe he poses no threat to the village?"

"…"

Hiruzen was momentarily speechless.

After a long pause, he said weakly:

"They're Jonin of Konoha. They've been fighting for the village this entire war…"

"Enough!" Danzo interrupted with a snarl.

"Don't be naïve, Hiruzen. It's wartime—of course they fight for the village now.

But what about after the war?"

"Who can guarantee they won't turn traitor?"

"Have you forgotten how that man left the village?"

At the mention of "that man," Hiruzen involuntarily shuddered.

Images from his childhood flashed through his mind—of that towering, godlike figure, someone no ordinary human could match.

Only the First Hokage's Wood Style could counter him.

But the First Hokage was long gone. If another Madara Uchiha were to rise, did Konoha have anyone left who could stop him?

Through the haze of smoke, Hiruzen's expression grew complicated.

In the end, he muttered:

"You're overthinking it. That man… the First Hokage… they were exceptions. No one else will ever reach that level again."

"Is that so?" Danzo replied, unconvinced.

Seeing the conversation going nowhere, Hiruzen softened his tone.

"We're in the middle of a war. Your previous proposal—to deploy Uchiha ninjas exclusively to the Mist and Sand fronts—has already triggered serious dissatisfaction within the Uchiha clan.

From now on, stop making unauthorized decisions."

"Heh…"

Danzo chuckled faintly but said nothing more.

He turned and walked toward the door.

Just as he reached it, he paused and said:

"Hiruzen, you are the light of the village.

I am its shadow.

Anything that might threaten this village… I will never let it go."

With that, he strode out without looking back.

Hiruzen stared at the door in silence.

After a long while, he picked up the first report again—his eyes lingering on Uchiha Haruki's battle record.

His expression was unreadable.

No one could say what he was truly thinking.