Naruto: The Flame That Reshapes Fate

"Are Hyūga Hiashi and Uchiha Rēn still at Shōchikutei?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Do we know what they're talking about?"

"No. Your subordinate is incompetent Hokage-sama."

The ANBU bowed deeply.

Trying to eavesdrop on a conversation between the heads of the Hyūga and Uchiha clans—any fool could tell how unrealistic that was. But since the one asking was the Hokage, they could only blame themselves for failing in their duties.

This was Konoha Hospital.

After the meeting ended, the Third Hokage hadn't returned to his office, nor to the Sarutobi clan residence. Instead, he came to Konoha Hospital to visit the room of his old comrade, Shimura Danzō, now slipping irreversibly toward death.

"You may leave."

The Third waved his hand, unable to conceal the frustration on his face.

Gratefully dismissed, the ANBU withdrew, leaving the room to the Third and the two elders... and, of course, to Shimura Danzō, the Hokage's advisor, who was still clinging to life by a thread.

Yes,

Shortly after the Third arrived at the hospital, the two elders, like loyal shadows, followed right behind. Once again, Konoha's ruling trio had once again gathered in this spacious, luxurious hospital room.

"Damn it! Uchiha Rēn, Hyūga Hiashi—those two bastards!!"

As soon as the ANBU were gone, Utatane Koharu exploded in rage.

"Koharu, calm down. Shouting for a whole day won't help anything. Instead of wasting your energy like this, we should calmly think about how to contain this situation," Mitokado Homura said. Though he too was in a foul mood, he managed to keep his composure.

Koharu stiffened her expression and fell silent.

"Sarutobi."

Homura looked toward the Third, who stood by the window, puffing on his pipe, not at all concerned about the patient lying in the bed. "What's your plan? Hiashi and Rēn are meeting openly. If we don't punish them, the situation will only spiral out of control."

"The Hyūga have been reaching out to various clans since last month."

The Third held his pipe calmly. "According to ANBU's investigation, nearly every clan that's had contact with them has experienced some form of disturbance. We still don't know what the Hyūga are really planning. I had believed the village's main threat lay with the Uchiha... but now, it's clear: all these noble clans are unstable elements. In their eyes, the clan is above the village. I was careless this time."

As long as the Hokage remained in power, he was the core of Konoha's authority.

Almost nothing happened in the village that escaped the Hokage's notice—especially not one who'd held office as long as Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But years of holding absolute power had dulled his vigilance. He had focused entirely on suppressing the Uchiha, ignoring the Hyūga's growing movement—and now, they had seized the opportunity.

"Enough with the commentary, Sarutobi. We need to know what you plan to do. Only then can we help you," Homura snapped. Circumlocution and riddles were tolerable under normal circumstances, but now was not the time to waste words.

No one knew what kind of ripple effect the meeting between Hiashi and Rēn might cause. They needed to act before anything happened—only then could they crush the threat at its root.

"What if we just eliminate Uchiha Rēn and Hyūga Hiashi?"

Koharu suddenly suggested.

"Eliminate them?"

Homura furrowed his brow. If it were feasible, it was certainly a clean solution—cut the fire off at its source. As for the risk of provoking a Uchiha uprising, there were ways around that. As long as Rēn was alive, Fugaku wouldn't act rashly.

But if Rēn were removed and they appealed to Uchiha survival and the village's interests, they might use Fugaku to stabilize the rest of the clan.

As for the Hyūga,

He wasn't worried at all. Given the Hyūga Main Family's nature, if Hiashi died, there was a good chance no one would avenge him. They'd be too busy fighting over the clan leadership.

The problem was, Homura couldn't calculate how many men it would take to kill both Rēn and Hiashi. Too few, and they'd only give the targets an excuse to retaliate. Too many, and they wouldn't be able to hide their tracks. Unless... there was a proper excuse or justification...

"If only Danzō could still move."

The Third walked to Danzō's bedside. Staring at his gaunt, ghost-like comrade, he sighed quietly.

Upon hearing this,

Both Homura and Koharu fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded in agreement. Yes—if Danzō were still capable, they wouldn't need to twist themselves in knots over how to deal with Rēn and Hiashi. Danzō would've taken up the task himself without hesitation.

But now Danzō lay like a corpse.

He couldn't move, couldn't open his eyes or mouth. Though still technically alive, he was already as good as dead.

"Sarutobi..."

Koharu began, but didn't finish.

"Homura, Koharu—those two have placed clan above village. To prevent them from doing even greater harm, I've decided to eliminate them with overwhelming force—even if... it means paying a heavy price."

The Third had made his decision.

The alliance between the Uchiha and Hyūga was completely unexpected. In the past, the two clans had competed for the title of Konoha's top noble house. Their relationship wasn't outright hostile, but it was never friendly. They might cooperate on the battlefield, but in the village, they'd always kept their distance.

Still,

He had never imagined Hiashi's resentment would linger this long.

If those two great clans truly united, the consequences were unthinkable. To avoid such a future, he was willing to gamble everything. After all, preparation could never be perfect.

"This should've been done from the start."

Koharu said bitterly.

The Third shook his head. Regret was meaningless now—it only highlighted their past failures.

"Sarutobi, you're going to..." Homura began to ask which unit would carry out the operation, but his eye caught Danzō in the corner. Suddenly, inspiration struck. "Root! Sarutobi, are you planning to use Root against Rēn and Hiashi?"

"There is no more Root. Konoha has only one ANBU."

The Third answered coldly.

If Danzō could rise up, he'd be furious. After all, he'd spent decades cultivating Root's elite. But now, Sarutobi had taken over everything—and was preparing to use those forces at any cost to kill Uchiha Rēn and Hyūga Hiashi.

Even if the plan succeeded,

The losses would be unimaginable.

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