My Sign-in System in Naruto

After a night of rest, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group prepared to continue their journey to the Land of Iron. However, just as they finished breakfast and were about to leave the inn, Torune Aburame caught up to them.

"Haru…"

Torune immediately recognized Haru, who was standing beside the Third Hokage. This was the man who, alongside Itachi Uchiha, had killed Danzō.

"Torune?"

Hiruzen also recognized the newcomer, and a sense of foreboding washed over him. If Torune had chased them all the way from the Leaf Village, it could only mean something serious had happened.

"Lord Third Hokage."

"Let's talk in my room."

Hiruzen glanced around. Since Torune had come all this way, the matter likely concerned the village. As a ninja, he naturally wouldn't discuss sensitive information in public.

"Understood."

Torune followed Hiruzen, keeping a wary eye on Haru. Hiruzen didn't miss this detail. "You come too," he said to Haru. "This seems to involve you."

Torune's heart sank at these words. He was about to request a private meeting, but Hiruzen stopped him with a gesture.

Haru, on the other hand, remained calm. He had already learned about the situation through his clone the previous night. If he had to guess, Torune had come to inform Hiruzen about Danzō's death and warn him to be cautious of Haru.

Of course, when dealing with Danzō, Haru's clone could have easily killed Torune with a flick of a finger. The reason he spared him wasn't out of any special consideration. Even if Torune died, Root still had Sai and other ninjas who would repeat the same actions. Unless he killed them all, which would only weaken the village's strength unnecessarily.

More importantly…

Haru had no intention of hiding what had happened. In fact, he wanted the Third Hokage to know that he and Itachi Uchiha had taken down Danzō together.

"Speak. What happened in the village that has you so alarmed?"

Once they were back in his room, Hiruzen began his inquiry. Haru stood by the door, appearing nonchalant.

Torune clenched his fists, then knelt on one knee, though he remained on high alert, fearing Haru might choose to strike at any moment.

"Lord Danzō is dead."

Torune spoke gravely, but his attention was entirely focused on Haru.

"What?!"

Hiruzen was stunned. His eyes widened slightly, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Torune swiftly drew his weapon, positioning himself protectively in front of Hiruzen while keeping his gaze fixed on Haru.

However, to Torune's surprise, Haru's expression remained unchanged, as if he had no idea what Torune was talking about.

"I thought you'd attack immediately…" Torune muttered instinctively.

"Because I killed Danzō?" Haru shrugged indifferently. "This was something I agreed upon with the Third Hokage."

"What?!"

Now it was Torune's turn to be shocked. On his way here, he had imagined countless possibilities, but he never expected the Third Hokage to be aware of this.

Hiruzen: "???"

"Lord Hokage, you said that after the Kage Summit, you'd hand Danzō over to me to deal with, didn't you?"

Haru shook his head helplessly, a faint smile on his lips. "And I did this for the sake of the village."

Torune: "???"

Hiruzen: "???"

"Don't joke around," Torune said, staring directly at Haru, completely unable to accept this explanation.

Haru and Itachi Uchiha had suddenly stormed into Root and killed Danzō, and now he was claiming it was for the village? Danzō had borne the darkness for the sake of the village. He was the Root of the Leaf!

"What… exactly is going on?"

Despite his shock, Hiruzen tried to remain calm. Rather than blaming Haru, he wanted to understand the reason behind his actions.

In truth, Hiruzen didn't want Danzō to die. Not only was he a close friend, but he was also a ninja who deeply loved the village. Most importantly, Haru's actions made him seem narrow-minded.

"Torune, I hope you can answer me honestly," Haru said in a low, pressing tone.

"What?"

"Before Danzō died, he summoned all the Root ninjas. What do you think he was planning to do?"

Torune hadn't expected this question. Danzō had indeed gathered everyone to speak, but before he could say anything, Haru and Itachi had killed him. As for Danzō's plans, even Torune wasn't entirely clear.

"Exactly," Haru nodded. "It's something that can't be spoken of."

"That's not what you think."

"Then why did Danzō gather so many ninjas?"

"I don't know."

"Enough," Hiruzen interjected, cutting off the two. He turned to Haru. "Explain what's going on."

"It was Itachi," Haru paused. "The one who killed Danzō wasn't me, but Itachi Uchiha. I merely sent a Wood Clone to assist him in this matter."

"Itachi Uchiha?" Hiruzen was shocked once again. He hadn't expected Itachi to be involved.

"Yes. Itachi has already informed me of the situation. The Uchiha clan is planning a coup, and Danzō was aware of it. The reason he gathered so many people was to prepare for the massacre of the Uchiha clan."

Haru paused before continuing, "The founding of the Leaf was a symbol of the friendship between the Senju and the Uchiha. Because Hashirama-sama excelled in Wood Release, the village was named the Leaf. Because Madara Uchiha mastered Fire Release, the leader of the village was called the Fire Shadow."

"Danzō planned to eliminate the Uchiha while you were away from the village. I stopped him. That's all."

After hearing Haru's explanation, Hiruzen fell silent. He knew that what Haru said was true. The Uchiha clan had considered a coup more than once, and he had been trying to resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and the village. As a hawk, Danzō had indeed proposed the idea of eliminating the Uchiha before they could grow stronger, to eradicate the village's enemy.

Itachi Uchiha was also well aware of these matters.

"Torune, you can leave now," Haru said slowly.

Torune frowned, clearly unable to accept all of this.

"Light and darkness without either, the world cannot function properly. The Leaf needs Root, and it needs darkness."

Haru sighed. "That's why I will take over Root."