Inside the Hokage Office, the atmosphere was oppressive.
Senju Tobirama sat in the main seat, his face like still water, his sharp red eyes showing no emotional fluctuations, but it was this very calmness that sent shivers down the spines of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura below.
Advisor Su Yu was left outside; Tobirama clearly intended to deal with internal matters first.
"Speak."
Senju Tobirama finally spoke, his voice not loud, but it struck their hearts like a heavy hammer.
"Who goes first? Danzo, you, or Hiruzen, you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said with his head bowed, "Teacher, it's my fault. I failed to properly supervise Danzo, nor could I stop him in time, leading him to act disrespectfully towards Advisor Su Yu. Please punish me."
He took all the responsibility upon himself.
However, Senju Tobirama didn't even glance at him, his gaze still fixed on Danzo.
"Danzo, I asked for the details of the incident, not for you to listen to Hiruzen's self-reflection."
Danzo's body tensed. He raised his head, meeting Tobirama's icy gaze, and his heart involuntarily tightened. He knew that in front of Teacher Tobirama, any sophistry would be futile.
"Teacher..." His voice was a bit dry, "It was I who took the initiative to seek out Su Yu."
He gritted his teeth and recounted the entire incident from beginning to end. From his suspicion of Su Yu, to his rejected questioning of Hiruzen, then to his personal attempt to test him by the Naka River, and finally, being provoked by Su Yu's words and drawing his blade.
Throughout the process, he neither embellished nor defended himself, merely stating the facts calmly.
Because he knew that Hiruzen and Uchiha Kagami, who were present, were witnesses, he couldn't lie. More importantly, deep down, he still believed he had done nothing wrong.
"...That's how it happened." Danzo finished, straightening his back, "Teacher, I believe Su Yu is extremely dangerous! His origins are unknown, yet he can easily see through people's hearts. Today he could see through me, tomorrow he could see through all the Ninja of Konoha! Our thoughts, our will, will hold no secrets before him! This is a threat more terrifying than any enemy spy! I ask you to reconsider his appointment!"
His words were earnest, with a kind of fanatical obsession in his eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened beside him, his heart pounding. He hadn't expected that even at this point, Danzo was still clinging to his views.
"Danzo! You..."
"Hiruzen, let him continue." Senju Tobirama raised a hand to stop Hiruzen.
His gaze remained calm as he looked at Danzo and slowly asked, "So, you believe all your actions were for the Village?"
"Yes!" Danzo answered without hesitation.
"For the Village, you can disregard my orders?"
"For the Village, you can draw your blade against an Advisor appointed by the Hokage?"
"That's because he..."
"Enough." Senju Tobirama interrupted him, his voice finally tinged with disappointment and coldness, "Danzo, you've disappointed me greatly."
Danzo's body trembled violently.
"What disappoints me is not your suspicion of Su Yu." Senju Tobirama stood up and slowly paced, "Su Yu's origins are indeed questionable, and his abilities are certainly strange. Maintaining vigilance towards him is only natural. My appointment of him and placing him in the open was itself a form of surveillance and testing."
He stopped in front of Danzo, looking down at him.
"What disappoints me is your method of handling problems. Stupid, impulsive, and utterly without strategy."
"You suspected him, fine. You could report to me, you could provide your evidence and analysis. But what did you do? You privately sought him out, provoked him with clumsy words, and then what?"
Tobirama's tone suddenly intensified.
"He stripped away all your pretenses with just a few words! Your inner jealousy, your anxiety, your ambition, were exposed completely in front of Hiruzen and Kagami! You acted like a child crying and throwing a tantrum because his candy was taken, enraged and drawing your blade!"
"Danzo Shimura! Is this your capacity?! Is this how you protect the Village?!"
The last sentence was a sharp reprimand.
Danzo's face instantly turned ashen, devoid of color.
Every word from Teacher Tobirama was like a knife, precisely stabbing at his most painful spots. His pride in his profoundness and willpower was vulnerable before Su Yu, and now he was being reprimanded as "stupid" and "like a child" by his most respected teacher.
This was more unbearable than death.
"A Ninja's most important quality is controlling their emotions. A Ninja who loses emotional control is the first to die on the battlefield." Senju Tobirama's voice returned to its icy tone, "And you, today, not only lost control of your emotions but also exposed the deepest darkness within you. What did you let Su Yu see? He saw a Danzo Shimura who could be easily provoked and manipulated. What did you let Hiruzen and Kagami see? They saw a comrade who lost his reason due to jealousy and ambition."
"You not only failed to uncover any of Su Yu's true nature but instead turned yourself into a complete joke, a weakness that can be exploited!"
"Tell me, what exactly have you done for the Village? You've only satisfied your own pathetic desire to prove yourself!"
Danzo's body began to tremble slightly. He bit his teeth so hard that blood seeped from his gums, yet he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
Because everything Tobirama said was true.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood beside him, his heart heavy. He felt both shame for Danzo and sorrow for how their once intimate friendship had come to this point.
He knew that from today onwards, a rift had formed between him and Danzo.
Senju Tobirama looked at Danzo's ashen face, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by a layer of ice.
"Danzo Shimura." He announced, "From today, you are relieved of your duties as Vice-Captain of the Elite Squad, and all your missions are suspended. You need to stay home and reflect properly. When you understand what it truly means to be for the Village, then come to see me again."
This punishment was undeniably severe.
For an elite Ninja who was in his ascendancy and eager to achieve great deeds, this was tantamount to being sidelined.
Danzo suddenly looked up, his eyes full of shock and unwillingness.
"Teacher! I..."
"This is an order." Senju Tobirama gave him no chance to argue.
He turned and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his gaze equally stern.
"And you, Hiruzen."
"Yes!" Hiruzen's heart tightened.
"As a Captain, you failed to restrain your subordinate. As a friend, you failed to pull him back when he strayed." Tobirama's voice carried a hint of weariness, "Your heart is too soft. Weakness towards comrades is irresponsibility towards the Village. The will of the Hokage must not only have a side that warms all things like the sun but also the determination to burn away all shadows."
"Do you understand?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "...Yes, Teacher, I understand."
He knew that his teacher was instructing him. The future Hokage could not possess only benevolence.
"You may both leave." Senju Tobirama waved his hand, sat back in his chair, and closed his eyes, seemingly unwilling to say another word.
"Yes."
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo silently exited the office.
The two walked one after another down the corridor, neither speaking.
Reaching the door, Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped, turned, and looked at the expressionless Danzo, his lips moving as if to say something.
"Danzo, I..."
"No need to say anything, Hiruzen." Danzo interrupted him, his voice hoarse and cold, "You are right, I am wrong. You are the future Hokage, and I am just a loser blinded by jealousy."
His tone was filled with self-mockery and a deep sense of alienation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank. He knew that some things, once broken, could never be put back together.
Danzo didn't look at him again, walking straight past him, his figure disappearing at the end of the corridor. His retreating back appeared incredibly lonely and gloomy...Inside the office.
Senju Tobirama opened his eyes. He said to the empty doorway, "Come in."
The door opened, and Su Yu walked in, yawning, looking utterly bored.
"Yo, Nidaime(2nd)-sama, family meeting over?" he asked casually.
Senju Tobirama ignored his teasing, merely watching him with his deep red eyes.
After a long while, he slowly spoke.
"Su Yu, what kind of existence are you exactly?"
Su Yu pulled over a chair, sat down casually, and crossed his legs.
"Me? I'm just a psychological Advisor." He spread his hands, "A harmless, peace-loving mascot dedicated to providing mental health services to all Ninja friends."
Senju Tobirama snorted coldly, "Harmless? The 'weapon' you used today is sharper than any Ninjutsu. With just a few words, you completely destroyed the will and dignity of an elite Jonin."
"You can't say that." Su Yu wagged a finger, "I didn't use any weapon; I merely stated some facts. It's his own psychological defenses that were too fragile, shattering at a touch. You can't blame me for that."
"You deliberately guided him."
"I merely gave him a chance to look in a mirror. He just didn't dare to face the person in the mirror." Su Yu smiled, "Ultimately, what defeated Danzo Shimura was never me, but the darkness within himself."
Senju Tobirama fell silent.
He had to admit, Su Yu was right. Danzo's failure stemmed from himself. All Su Yu did was brutally dig out that root cause.
"This power..." Tobirama's voice was low, "...must be controlled."
Su Yu smiled at this.
"Nidaime(2nd)-sama, there you go again. I've already said, my ability is useless against people with strong resolve and steel-like will like you. It can only deal with those who have skeletons in their closet and are full of contradictions." He paused, changing the subject, "Like...spies."
Senju Tobirama's pupils suddenly constricted.
He looked at the lazy smile on Su Yu's face, and for the first time, a strong impulse surged within him.
He wanted to pry open this man's brain and see what was truly inside.