Naruto: The Impending Annihilation of the Ninja World

Inside the Hokage Office, the solemn task of cataloging the Uchiha Clan's vast estate was nearing completion. Scrolls, ledgers, and crates filled with seized assets lined the chamber's edges — weapons, heirlooms, and jutsu records now bearing the seal of Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, quietly leafing through the final asset list. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes—those of a man who had seen too many winters—carried the weight of memory and guilt.

"Uchiha… ah…" he muttered.

A quiet sigh escaped his lips.

For all his slander in novels—The Professor, the God of Shinobi—Hiruzen was never truly a schemer. His legacy was not one of cruelty, but of tragic indecision. He was not blind to the cost of power, nor unaware of the slow rot that grew from inaction.

Once, the Uchiha were Konoha's pride. Under Madara, they had stood as giants—unmatched in battle, unshaken in will. But now? Now they were gone. Burnt away by a shadow war, and buried beneath the quiet lies of "peace."

In truth, it all went back to that first fateful fork in the road—when it was Hashirama who became Hokage instead of Madara.

If Madara had taken the seat... would history have dared to silence the Uchiha so easily? Would Tobirama have ever dared to brand them dangerous?

He closed the ledger slowly, the pages heavy with unspoken eulogies.

Before he could dwell further, a scroll bearing the seal of Uchiha Itachi was delivered—urgent.

Hiruzen's hands moved with a rare haste. The contents made his eyes go wide with disbelief.

"Uchiha Gen has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. His ability is not standard genjutsu... it distorts ideology itself. He's gone rogue. And worse—he may be the trigger for something world-ending."

His heart sank.

So this... this is what Hiashi was warning me about... and I ignored him?

"Kakashi!"

In an instant, the silver-haired Anbu appeared.

"Bring me today's full Anbu intelligence report. All of it."

Without a word, Kakashi disappeared, reappearing minutes later with a thick dossier. Hiruzen read swiftly, his face growing increasingly pale.

The black market reports aligned almost perfectly with Itachi's. Trajectory data, geological disturbance patterns, references to some kind of celestial anomaly. The implications were horrifying.

But just as the storm inside him reached a peak, the door slammed open with force.

Danzo.

He marched in with his usual contempt and severity.

"Hiruzen! Look at what your passivity has wrought!"

His voice carried the cold sting of accusation.

"I warned you for decades. The Uchiha were a curse upon this village! Now one of them has awakened a Mangekyō with apocalyptic potential, and you dare act surprised?"

Hiruzen's fists clenched under the desk.

"You—!"

His voice trembled with long-suppressed fury.

"You orchestrated the very collapse you now blame me for! Had you not pushed them into a corner with surveillance and fear, we might've avoided all of this!"

Danzo's eyes narrowed. His response was chillingly measured.

"I only followed Tobirama's doctrine. After the Nine-Tails incident, the clan should've been purged—Gen, Shisui and Itachi would have been just kids at the time without the Mangekyō. Instead, you coddled them. Now we all pay the price."

"You arrogant—!"

Hiruzen slammed his hand on the desk, rising to his feet.

"Is it your plan to throw fuel on the fire now? Accuse me while the world burns around us?" Hiruzen roared.

"Who is the Hokage here? Is it you or me, You cant just wave this off anymore Hiruzen... Your a sinner to Humanity!" 

Danzo took a step forward, his voice low and venomous.

"You're no true Hokage—just a sentimental fool clinging to worthless ideals that died with Hashirama."

"Danzo!"

Their glares collided like clashing blades, the air between them suffocating with unresolved tension and decades of betrayal.

But then, after a long pause, Hiruzen sat back down with a heavy exhale. He rubbed his eyes, burying the rage behind tired wisdom.

"...This isn't the time. Where is Uchiha Gen's body?"

Danzo's reply was immediate—and ice-cold.

"It's gone."

"What?!"

"Disappeared. Vanished before my agents could recover it. Along with several Root operatives. The Mangekyō he awakened is missing too."

Hiruzen's heart lurched.

"You... you knew this already and said nothing? You dismissed the rumors earlier to my face!"

Danzo sneered. "I dismissed your version of the truth. And now, we're beyond secrets, Hiruzen. You've utterly failed. You should resign."

"You bastard...!"

Hiruzen's voice echoed like thunder. His composure cracked once more, but this time his resolve crystallized.

"Mobilize all available forces. I want every inch of this village and the black market scanned for traces of Gen or his dojutsu. I want everything. No more half-measures."

Danzo scoffed, then turned his back.

"As you wish, 'Hokage.'"

He left without another word, leaving only the thick silence of disillusionment behind.

Hiruzen sank deeper into his chair. His fingers ran over the asset list of the Uchiha once more—symbols of pride turned relics of failure.

He had always believed peace could be preserved with dialogue, but now... the world had stopped listening.

A soft rustle broke the silence.

"Kakashi."

The masked shinobi emerged once more from the shadows.

"I need you to find Jiraiya."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden request.

"Mount Myōboku may hold insight into what's coming. If there is still a future to shape... it begins with foresight."

Kakashi nodded, but paused near the door.

"Hokage-sama," he said quietly. "Do you truly believe the Ninja World will survive this?"

Hiruzen looked at him—truly looked at him. In that moment, he wasn't the weary old man Konoha had grown used to.

He was the Third Hokage again. The fire in his eyes rekindled.

"No," he said.

Then added, louder:

"I believe we will make it survive. Now go."

Kakashi bowed low, then vanished.

And in the quiet that remained, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked out the window at the village below.

For the first time in a long while... he was truly afraid.

But he was also ready.