Naruto: Burning Will

For Konoha shinobi, desecrating the body of the First Hokage is considered a grave taboo. Even if such an act is claimed to serve the village's interests, violating human ethics and the sanctity of the dead is never justifiable.

Shimura Danzō, once a student of the Second Hokage and a war veteran who survived multiple shinobi wars, bore the scars of countless battles. His body was already deteriorating under the weight of age and trauma. The bandages wrapping his head and concealing his right eye, along with the cloth covering his seemingly disabled right arm, were not merely for modesty or concealment—they served to hide the results of forbidden experimentation. His right eye housed a stolen Sharingan, and his arm, embedded with Hashirama Senju's cells and multiple Sharingan, was a grotesque product of his ambition and pain.

Danzō's rise to power was not solely due to his status as a Hokage's disciple. He was a ruthless pragmatist who genuinely believed he was protecting Konoha by taking on the "darkness" the Hokage could not afford to. As the head of Root (Ne), a secret subdivision of the ANBU, he trained generations of elite shinobi through harsh, unforgiving methods. From a certain perspective, Danzō could be seen as a dark guardian of the village—a necessary evil.

Some have criticized Danzō for his absence during the Nine-Tails' attack on the village. However, based on the intelligence Mizuki managed to gather, it's highly probable that at the time—twelve years before the main story—Danzō was still recovering from imperfect transplantation of First Hokage cells. Balancing those unstable cells with the Sharingan implanted in his eye likely left him in a fragile state, preventing him from actively participating in the defense of the village.

This inference is supported by the timeline: the Uchiha Massacre occurred several years after the Nine-Tails attack. By then, Danzō had seemingly recovered enough to take an active role in orchestrating that tragedy. Sasuke had already entered the Academy at the time, meaning Danzō's physical enhancements were likely completed sometime in between.

So when the Nine-Tails ravaged the village, it's not surprising that Danzō was powerless, forced to watch as the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, gave his life to protect the village.

Later, when the position of Fifth Hokage was vacant following the death of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō saw an opportunity. Had Jiraiya not returned to the village, Danzō might have succeeded in becoming Hokage himself. Once in the position of acting Hokage, he could have quietly removed the "acting" prefix over time.

But against Jiraiya—Hiruzen's student, a Sannin with far greater public prestige and strength—Danzō stood no chance, especially when he couldn't afford to reveal the truth about his body. His ambitions were, for the moment, stalled. When Danzō learned of Jiraiya's return, he knew his carefully laid plans would once again be postponed.

For Mizuki, the rest was out of his hands. After Danzō issued a few final instructions, the meeting dispersed.

"Kakashi, thanks for today," Mizuki said sincerely. Despite everything, he felt a strange pride in getting along with the future Sixth Hokage. It gave him the illusion that maybe he, too, was someone important.

"It's nothing," Kakashi replied. "It was on the way. But don't expect much downtime—things are only going to get tougher."

"I'm leaving tomorrow, right after the Third Hokage's funeral. Not much time left to prepare."

"No need for preparation," Kakashi shrugged. "It's mostly ceremonial. The victors flaunt their strength, the defeated acknowledge it, and we make sure the world sees that Konoha remains the dominant force among the Five Great Nations."

Mizuki sighed. "Strange that none of the Elders or high-ranking jōnin are going. Not even a few heavy-hitters."

Kakashi and Might Guy weren't going—understandable, given that Konoha needed powerful shinobi to remain and defend the village. Asuma Sarutobi, son of the late Third Hokage, would've made sense as a diplomatic representative, given his strength and lineage. But everyone seemed tied up with other duties.

Instead, the appointed envoy to Sunagakure was an unexpected figure: the head of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi Hyuga.

Hiashi certainly had the strength and status necessary to represent Konoha, but the Hyuga clan had distanced itself from the village's inner political workings for years. In contrast to the ambitious Uchiha, the Hyuga rarely interfered with the Hokage's affairs. Ever since the death of Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi, and Konoha's controversial decision to cover up the event to appease the Hidden Cloud, tensions between the Hyuga and the village leadership had been quietly simmering.

Even so, no one could deny the Hyuga clan's strength and legacy. With so few available candidates, sending Hiashi was a logical choice—perhaps the only one.

"Kakashi," Mizuki asked curiously, "why has the Hyuga clan never tried to vie for the Hokage position? They've got the power, and even if they've been marginalized at times, they're still a major force."

Kakashi considered the question before replying, "It might be due to tradition. Especially… the Caged Bird Seal."

"Yeah... what a pity," Mizuki muttered, noncommittal.

But in his view, Kakashi's answer only scratched the surface. The real reason likely went deeper. Unlike clans such as the Uchiha, who placed family and power above all, the Hyuga were bound by a rigid hierarchy and internal control, like the Branch and Main House divide. The Hokage, by contrast, often came from smaller clans or the civilian population—people whose loyalty was more centered on the village itself rather than a bloodline.

The clash between family interests and the village's greater good—whoever prioritized the latter was ultimately more suited to hold the Hokage's hat.

After parting with Kakashi, Mizuki returned home. Night had fallen. He opened the door and noticed the room had been cleaned, with a fresh dinner still steaming on the table.

"Still warm… looks like they left not long ago."

Two untouched dinner servings sat side by side, clearly intended for him and someone else. But the other person had gone, likely in a rush. Mizuki let out a small, wry smile.

"Guess I won't be getting much rest for a while..."

After quickly finishing the meal, he took a hot bath and collapsed onto his bed. His body felt heavy with exhaustion. All the mental and physical preparation he'd done—countless contingencies, endless planning—had largely gone to waste. The outcome hadn't changed much, but the process had taken its toll.

Sleep didn't come easily.

Eventually, he reached for a booklet by the bedside and began flipping through it absentmindedly.

"Tsubaki's experimental records? I didn't realize she'd compiled so much."

He scanned through the notes without much focus. Most entries were mundane—routine, expected outcomes.

"Just the usual... nothing out of the ordinary."

That is, until he reached the final page.

His expression shifted.

"Wait... what is this?" he whispered. "Are they completely ignoring the boundary between living and non-living matter...?"

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