Naruto: A Century as an Arrancar, Starting Off by Killing the Demi-God

Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi was well aware of the Sharingan embedded in Danzo's body.

He hadn't stopped him either largely due to the influence of Tobirama Senju's early ideological teachings.

Hiruzen believed, perhaps too firmly, that most members of the Uchiha clan were arrogant, power-hungry, and posed a real threat to the village.

Thus, the quiet suppression of the Uchiha was done under his tacit approval.

The title of Hokage might have appeared noble and radiant on the surface.

But behind the scenes, it was steeped in hidden darkness.

Promoting Minato Namikaze to the Fourth Hokage was, in part, a way for Hiruzen to make maneuvering behind the curtain more convenient.

Minato was kind-hearted, respectful to his elders, and usually open to their guidance.

So ever since he assumed the Hokage position, much of his policy aligned with Hiruzen's wishes.

And Hiruzen took full advantage of that trust to tighten his grip on Konoha's power structure.

Minato, however, had no idea of the full truth behind this facade.

But this time... things were different.

The Fourth Hokage had shown a rare display of force, a level of resolve that shocked both Danzo and Hiruzen.

They realized something important:

Minato had changed.

And the cause of that shift?

It all started with one seemingly simple act of framing and deceit that took place a month ago.

Not only had it cost Danzo the freshly implanted Sharingan, it had also forced him to endure excruciating pain.

How could he not be furious?

"Find them! I want the bastard who set me up found and exposed. That insolent rat will pay in blood!" Danzo roared.

With his command, Root operatives scattered across the village.

Danzo sat in one of the few unbroken chairs, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"The Fourth is no longer easy to manipulate. Hiruzen better handle this... or I'll deal with it myself."

…

Konoha Medical Division.

A white-haired youth lay on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Kakashi was anxious not only about whether he could recover his Sharingan, but also about his teacher's safety.

"I wonder if sensei succeeded. If he defied Lord Third's orders... what will happen to him?"

Flash!

A burst of light filled the room as a tall, golden-haired figure appeared.

"Sensei! You're alright?!" Kakashi exclaimed with joy.

Minato didn't waste time.

"I'm fine. I used Lord Third's decree to enter Root's base and confronted Elder Danzo directly. I made him remove the bandages from his right eye."

"And? Was my Sharingan in his socket?" Kakashi's voice trembled with anticipation.

"No. It wasn't."

Minato shook his head.

"There was nothing in his eye socket. The wound was very old. If your eye had recently been removed, it wouldn't look like that."

"What?!"

Kakashi froze.

"Then... could it be that Elder Danzo really didn't do it?"

He didn't doubt the eye Danzo had wasn't his.

Because just before he passed out, he'd seen Danzo shove the eye into his own socket.

So there was no way Danzo had simply hidden it.

Which meant...

Danzo had really been framed?

Thinking back, the people who ambushed him had acted strangely like they wanted him to believe they were Root members.

"Kakashi, are you thinking clearly now?" Minato asked with a smile.

"Have you remembered anything useful?"

"Yes, sensei."

Kakashi scratched his head, guilt written all over his face.

"Those people were probably enemies in disguise, trying to frame Elder Danzo. We may have misunderstood him. He really didn't have my Sharingan."

Minato shook his head.

"It's true we misunderstood part of it. But make no mistake Danzo likely did have a Sharingan. Just not yours."

"What? Elder Danzo actually "

"Shh."

Minato raised a finger to his lips.

Then he quickly scribbled a coded message on Kakashi's hand.

"The walls have ears. Let's use our team's secret code to talk."

"Got it."

Out loud, the two carried on a surface-level conversation about having falsely accused Danzo.

But behind their backs, they used a series of subtle hand signs and pressure points to exchange covert messages.

Before long, their discussion ended.

While Minato hadn't uncovered any definitive evidence regarding Danzo's right eye, he had sensed something disturbing from his right arm.

A very faint, distinct chakra signature.

One that only the Sharingan could emit.

(Note: At this point in time, Danzo only had a few Sharingan implanted in his right arm, so there was no need for specialized sealing devices. It wasn't until later when he collected ten Sharingan that more extreme measures were required.)

It was clear...

These Sharingan had once belonged to various Uchiha members who had ventured outside the village.

Once or twice could be dismissed as coincidence.

But this many incidents? And Hiruzen hadn't noticed?

Minato found that impossible to believe.

This was the first time he truly saw a darker side to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After parting with Kakashi, he activated Flying Thunder God and reappeared atop a high telephone pole overlooking the village.

He stared at the carved stone face of the Third on the Hokage Rock, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"So you're not the righteous and noble man I once believed you to be..."

Minato's gaze darkened.

"No wonder Lord Uwa once said... if you were the one standing in his way, he wouldn't hesitate to kill you."

…

Amegakure.

Inside the tallest spire of the village.

Rip!

A massive spatial rift tore open.

From it emerged three figures:

Uwa, Orochimaru, and a rather flustered Kabuto.

Orochimaru looked stunned.

"Lord Uwa, you can use space-time ninjutsu? You just jumped from the Land of Fire to Amegakure in an instant?!"

"It's nothing special."

Uwa replied coolly, deliberately showing off a little.

"Enough chatter. I need you to help restore a young man's life force. Any suggestions?"

"I'll need to examine him first. I must assess his condition before developing a treatment plan," Orochimaru rasped.

"Fine. Follow me."

Uwa led them down a long corridor.

Soon, they arrived at a large underground platform.

There, a red-haired boy sat strapped to a reinforced steel wheelchair.

Numerous black rods pierced his back, his face gaunt and weary.

But the moment Orochimaru saw his spiral-patterned eyes, he gasped.

"Who is this boy? He has the legendary Rinnegan?!"

For a moment,

Orochimaru was seized by the desire to steal those eyes.

But the moment he remembered the deadly presence behind him Uwa he quickly pushed the thought away.

Uwa's power alone was terrifying.

And this red-haired boy didn't look like someone easy to defeat either.

Still, the boy had the Rinnegan?

Incredible.

Amegakure had been hiding such a powerful trump card?

As Orochimaru studied the boy's face, a sense of familiarity surfaced.

"You... you're one of those three kids from the Second Great Ninja War? I can't believe you survived. Tsk. You're a lucky one."

Nagato couldn't be bothered to reply.

He turned to Uwa and asked,

"Elder Uwa, are you certain he can replenish my life force... and heal my legs?"

"I'm certain. As for your legs... he doesn't need to handle that. I can help you walk again right now," Uwa said with a nod.

Nagato: ⊙_⊙!!

Orochimaru: ⊙_⊙!!