Black Naruto: Shadow Moon

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the evidence on the table, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Danzo has been his comrade-in-arms and friend for many years. Although the two have differences in their ideologies, they have always maintained the balance of Konoha, one in the light and the other in the dark.

However, this time Danzo went too far, forcing Sakumo to death, destroying Konoha's reputation, and even the number of mission commissions began to drop sharply.

"In that case, let's make a decision." Sarutobi Hiruzen said solemnly, "We cannot deal with Danzo's affairs publicly, otherwise the unrest in the village will intensify. But an explanation must be given internally."

After discussion, the three reached a unanimous decision: to deprive Shimura Danzo of his position as the leader of the Root, to place him under house arrest for six months, and to prohibit him from participating in any village affairs during this period. This would not only give an explanation to the ninjas and major families of Konoha, but also avoid directly dealing with Danzo in public, which would cause greater unrest.

"This way of handling the matter will not intensify conflicts within the village, and will also stabilize the situation internally." Mizuto Menyan nodded in agreement.

Koharu Utatane added: "As for whether Danzo can continue to serve as the leader of the Root after the confinement, we need to observe his behavior and decide whether he is still qualified."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. Although the decision made him unhappy, he knew that this was the only way to balance the situation in Konoha.

Inside the Root base, Danzo Shimura was standing in his office with a normal look on his face, as if he was unaware of the storm outside.

Suddenly, there was a sound of heavy footsteps outside the door. A moment later, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, Mito Kado En and other Konoha high-level officials entered the Root base.

Danzo raised his head slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

He had heard rumors from the outside world and knew the consequences of Konoha White Fang's death, but he did not expect Sarutobi Hiruzen to act so quickly.

"Huruzen, Koharu, Menen, what's the matter that brought you here to see me?" Danzo's tone was calm, but a hint of displeasure was faintly revealed in his words.

Sarutobi Hiruzen walked up to Danzo, not hiding his inner coldness, and said in a heavy tone: "Danzo, we are here to announce a decision. Regarding the death of Hatake Sakumo, your actions have plunged Konoha into turmoil. The Root incited public opinion and pushed him to commit suicide. This time, you went too far."

Upon hearing this, Danzo's face darkened, with a hint of incredible anger in his eyes: "Are you blaming me? Everything I did was for the benefit of Konoha! Those incitements were just means. Hatake Sakumo is too weak and is not worthy of being a Kage-level powerhouse in Konoha. He couldn't even survive a political struggle, so he deserved to die."

Hearing Danzo's cold response, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but clench his fists and his expression became even more serious.

He suppressed his anger and said coldly: "Danzo, Konoha does not need you to define who should die and who should live. Your actions with the Root have crossed the line. You must be responsible for what happened this time."

Danzo's eyes flashed with contempt, and he sneered, "Hiruzen, what are you going to do now? Take away my power? Without me, who will deal with the dark side of Konoha? You will regret it."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped arguing with Danzo. He took a deep breath and said in a cold voice, "We have unanimously decided to deprive you of your position as the leader of the Root and to ground you for half a year. You are prohibited from participating in any village affairs during this time. You have done many shady things for Konoha, but this time, you went too far."

Danzo's expression turned gloomy, with a hint of anger and unwillingness in his eyes: "Hiruzen, you will regret this! Without me, you can't deal with those real enemies at all. The roots are the roots of Konoha. Without the roots, the tree cannot thrive!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes were firm as he responded coldly: "Danzo, I am the Hokage. I will decide what is best for Konoha. Your actions this time not only failed to protect Konoha, but also plunged the village into chaos. We can no longer protect you."

The atmosphere between the two of them suddenly became tense.

Danzo clenched his teeth, his eyes revealing a hint of resentment and dissatisfaction, but he also knew that it would be useless to resist at the moment.

Although he still believed that he had made countless contributions to Konoha, this time he was forced to accept Sarutobi Hiruzen's decision.

"Alright, Hiruzen, I'll accept your arrangement," Danzo said coldly, before turning away and disappearing into the shadows of the Root.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo's back, with complicated emotions welling up in his heart.

He knew that although this decision temporarily stabilized the situation, Danzo would never compromise easily.

This struggle has only come to a temporary end, and in the future, there may be even bigger storms waiting for Konoha.

As the news that Shimura Danzo was stripped of his position as leader of the Root and confined to his home for half a year spread among the upper-class families of Konoha Village, the major families of Konoha began to quietly pay attention to the subsequent developments of this power struggle.

Although the Konoha high-level officials have not publicly acknowledged Danzo's specific responsibility in Hatake Sakumo's suicide, there is a consensus among the upper-class families of Konoha that Danzo Shimura was the mastermind behind all this.

All the major families knew that although Danzo's actions had always been in the interests of Konoha, this time his methods were too extreme, causing Hatake Sakumo, a Kage-level strongman who enjoyed a high reputation in the village, to choose suicide.

This result not only plunged the village into turmoil, but also caused many families to have deep doubts about the decision-making of Konoha's top leaders.

"If Danzo hadn't made an extremely serious mistake, Sarutobi Hiruzen would never have taken action against him." A family elder said privately to his fellow clansmen.

Many families have similar views - Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo have had a deep relationship for many years and have cooperated for a long time. The reason why Sarutobi Hiruzen was able to decisively deprive Danzo of his power shows that things have reached a point where they cannot be avoided.

On the other hand, in order to make up for the losses caused by the death of Hatake Sakumo, the Konoha high-level officials decided to posthumously confer the title of Konoha Hero on Hatake Sakumo and engrave his name on the Konoha Memorial Monument.

The memorial is one of the highest honors in Konoha Village, and usually only ninjas who sacrificed for Konoha on the battlefield can receive such treatment.

The suicide of Hatake Sakumo, logically, did not meet the criteria for entering the cemetery, but considering his great contribution to the village and his profound influence among the Konoha ninjas, the top leaders finally made this symbolic move.

After the decision was announced, the atmosphere in the village changed subtly.

The controversy and doubts that were originally caused by Hatake Sakumo's suicide gradually subsided as he was posthumously named a hero.

Those ninjas who were originally dissatisfied with Sakumo began to re-examine his life and contributions.

The ordinary ninjas of Konoha also felt some comfort in the decision made by the higher-ups to posthumously confer the title.

Many Konoha clans were positive about this.

Hatake Sakumo is not only one of the few strong men in the village who can deal with Kage-level enemies alone, but also a hero who has saved Konoha ninjas countless times on the battlefield.

Although his sacrifice was not in battle, it did not prevent him from being regarded as one of the symbols of Konoha.

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in front of the window, looking at the atmosphere in the village gradually calming down, but his heart was still filled with heavy pressure.

The decision to deprive Danzo of his Root leadership was not an easy one, as he knew it would make his old friend resentful.

But in order to maintain the stability of Konoha, he had no choice.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also understood that the major families had lost trust in Danzo, and this rift could not be easily repaired.