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  The Root ander felt severe pain radiating throughout his body. He slowly moved the rubble atop him and took several deep breaths of air. At that momeiced the st remaining root ninja being killed by Hiruzen's Anbu from the er of his eyes. "To think I would be reduced to such a state within the span of an hour…"

  "It was much more than an hour." Hiruzen replied as he recalled the day he assigned his agents with the task to infiltrate Root.

  Danzo's jaws ched as he looked up at his rival. "Yes… You've been studying me for some time now haven't you?"

  Hiruzen nodded. "It took years but I've piled a detailed list of your men, your assets inside and outside the vilge, your tacts in the capital and the structure of your Root… The more I learhe more I knew you would bee a problem one day. But I couldn't act rashly."

  "That's why you've waited until now. You've been looking for an opportunity to get me while I was at my weakest.(Cough)" Danzo coughed up some blood and he felt his vision blurr for a moment. 'It looks like this arm isn't as good as the one Orochimaru gave me. The power of Hashirama's cells is much weaker in this.'

  Hiruze go of his staff and it turned back to its monkey form. Enma uood why Hiruzen did such a thing. "Are you sure you don't need me here?" He still asked.

  "I'm sure. This is between me and him now. Thank you for the assistanma."

  The summoning creature nodded and gazed at Danzo. A mome vanished in a puff of smoke.

  Danzo looked up at the Hokage and saw a hint ret in his eyes. "Hmph. Even now after everything, you feel pity for me… Well, I don't ."

  Danzo slowly got to his feet. The two veteran ninjas of the Leaf vilge stood with her oending to give in to the other. "You're right... It's too te for me now Hiruzen."

  The Hokage sighed as he looked at the stubborn man. "Danzo, that's enough. Stop. Just surrender. You've lost too much already."

  Danzo's expression twisted with rage and despair. "Never... The vilge... must be protected… I have to bee Hokage. I'm the only one… who unify the shinobi world and bring peace. I 't fail now."

  The Hokage frowned after he heard that goal. "Do you really think your methods will unify the world? You 't be that will only cause more chaos."

  The one eyed old ninja sneered. "You're the one who's naive Hiruzen!" Danzo roared in anger.

  "This peace you enjoy is because of the sacrifices of dozens of my shinobi. Self sacrifiever seeing the light of day. Toiling in the shadows. That's the way of the Root. This world won't fun on your ideals and pleasantries. No. It needs people like me to keep this fragile peace."

  Hiruzen was silent for several seds before speaking in a low tone.

  "Danzo, I won't deny the sacrifices made by those who work in the shadows. You are right… Your tributions, the Root's efforts, they've pyed a role in maintaining our vilge's security. But that doesn't justify the lengths you've goo. The ends do not always justify the means."

  Danzo's eye glinted with fierce determination. "You always were too soft, Hiruzen. Do you think merd uanding lead to true peace? The world is a harsh pce, full of threats. Only through strength and trol we achieve peace. The other vilges, the other nations—they o be shown strength, not coddled with kindness."

  Hiruzen sighed. At that moment his shoulders felt heavy with the weight of their shared history and his position as the Hokage. "Strength isn't just about force, Danzo. It's also about passion, uanding, and the willio seek out a better path. The methods you've used... they don't lead to true peace. They lead to fear, distrust, aually, rebellion."

  Hearing those words, Danzo's eye fred with intense anger. "You're too idealistic. Toiving. That's why we've had so marayals, so many threats from within. The shinobi world is brutal, and only through absolute trol we hope to survive."

  "And that's where you're wrong," Hiruzen tered, his voice firm. "True peaes from uanding, from cooperation. I know it's hard, it takes time, and yes, it requires sacrifice. But not the kind of sacrifice you envision. Not ohat turns people into mere shadows of themselves."

  Danzo took a shaky step forward but his resolve began to flicker. "You... you don't know what it's like, Hiruzen. To make the hard choices, to bear the hatred of others so that they live in peace."

  "I aowledge the sacrifices you've made in the past." Hiruzen said softly, the pain of their shared past was evident in his eyes. "But you're not that person anymore, Danzo. Over the years yoals have bee distorted. You've lost yourself in the pursuit of your twisted vision."

  Danzo ched his fist, frustration evident in his expression. "You still don't uand, do you? The shinobi world is built on blood and sacrifice. It's a cycle of hatred and flict. It's not gettier, it's getting worse with each year. It won't be long before the start of the great war. I wao break that cycle by any means necessary, even if it meant dirtying my hands. I was willing to be the vilin if it meant creating a better world."

  Hiruze Danzo's gaze with a mixture of sadness and resolve in his eyes. "I uand your iions, Danzo. I do. But there's a differeween proteg the vilge and ruling it with fear. The vilge needs leaders who inspire hope, not just obedience."

  The Root ander shook his head when he heard those words. "Hope won't protect the vilge from its enemies. Hope won't prevent wars. Only absolute trol do that." Danzo's voice trembled with anger and desperation.

  "Perhaps," Hiruzen replied softly. "But trol gaihrough fear is brittle. It breaks easily and leaves nothing behind but ruins. True strength lies in the bonds between people, in their willio work together for a better future. Even if they have different philosophies, even if they have different opinions on something they'd be willing to work together for a on goal… Like we used to long ago… That's something you've lost sight of, Danzo."

  The old Root ander's face torted in a mixture of pain and realization. He knew Hiruzen's words held some truth, but his pride and belief in his owhods were too deeply ingrained.

  "Everything I did, I did it for-"

  "Don't!"

  Before Danzo could finish that sentence Hiruzen cut him off. His voice took a much harsher tone.

  "Don't you dare say it… A decade ago I would have believed it. But sihen, you tried to have me assassinated, you tried to kill a loyal ninja of this vilge and tried to steal his Sharingan and years ter you succeeded in that with Shisui. You experimented with Lord First's blood when I strictly forbade it. You colborated with a known criminal, sent your men to attack Tsunade and abduct Daichi. Because of your paranoia and unsaned as, someone who could have been an excellent medija of this vilge is now w for that traitor Orochimaru. And finally in yreed to bee Hokage, you had your men infiltrate my ranks and here you are pnning a coup…"

  Hiruzen was breathing hard and shaking with anger as he listed Danzo's crimes.

  The one eyed man merely closed his eye and held his head down as Hiruzen listed his faults.

  The Hokage took a deep breath and trolled himself. "You didn't do any of that for the vilge. You did it for yourself!… You did it for yourself… Somewhere along the way, you put yourself above the vilge… It's time to stop."

  Both of them became silent as the words of the Hokage rang in their ears. Several seds ter Hiruzen saw Danzo g his fists and tensing up.

  The Hokage immediately gathered his st remaining chakra. He was ready to unleash a jutsu in case he faced an attack but trary to what he expected Danzo didn't fight him.

  "What's the point of askio surrender now? It won't make any difference. We've gone well past the point of return." Danzo asked his former friend with a straone.

  "It makes all the difference! What you decide now will define yacy. And… It will ge how I feel about you." Danzo has been Hiruzen's childhood friend and one of the few people remaining from his geion. He was hoping his friend wouldn't force him to make a regretful choice.

  Danzo was silent as he looked into Hiruzen's eyes. "I'll never bee Hokage, will I?" The old Root leader spoke in a small soft tone.

  "No."

  Hearing that single word from Hiruzen, Danzo finally let go of his resistance. His fingers loosened and his shoulders slumped. It was as if a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders and for the first time in a long time, Danzo felt free.

  He sensed miremors inside his building at the beginning but now it was all quiet. "It seems this war between us is ing to an end… I won't resist anymore, Hiruzen…" Danzo spoke as he khe advantage id with the man standing in front of him. "You win."

  Hiruze go of a breath he didn't know he held. He knew from Danzo's face that this was no trick. His friend has given up.

  Danzo took several deep breaths of air to pose himself. "You defeated me... I want to know. How did you do it so easily?" He asked calmly.

  Hiruzen was silent for a few moments before he sighed and gave the answer. "Like I said before, I have a detailed analysis of yents and their strengths. Information is the critical key to victory after all."

  "I'm curious. I know you have one of your men inside my anization, but who is he? How did he get past the ter measures I put in pce?" Danzo asked. He was only curious.

  Hiruzen paused as he looked at Danzo. He was internally debating whether to ahat question or not. After a few seds of silehe kage spoke. "I'll answer your question if you answer mine first."

  Danzo was silent for a moment before he gave a small nod.

  "Who is the sed in and of Root?" Hiruzen saw Danzo's face tense for a split sed and he immediately uood that the answer might not be a pleasant ohat's one of the few things my Anbu couldn't figure out."

  "Why are you ed about that?"

  Danzo's defensive non answer sent arm bells in the Hokage's mind.

  "I want to know Danzo. After the Uchiha massacre I told you to stop and ordered you to disband Root. After the atta Tsunade, I've had you under surveilnce for quite some time. But even during all that time your operations were still running smoothly. Even when you were indisposed, you had firm trol over your men."

  "I'm smart, Hiruzen. You should know that."

  "I'm aware. You're clever. But cleverness only take you so far. You had help. Help from someone you trust to look over your entire anization. And for the life of me I 't figure out who it is. Because as far as I know you rust anyone. So I'm going to ask you again. Who is it?" Hiruzen's eyes slightly narrowed.

  Danzo sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before replying. "Hotaru Yasaji."

  That name sent a jolt through the Hokage, startling him. "Wh-What did you say?"

  "Hotaru. He was my sed in and."

  fusion fshed through the 3rd Hokage. "But he's dead."

  "He was…"

  Hiruzen immediately uood the implications of that short reply. "You- you used the reanimation jutsu t him back to life didn't you."

  "Yes."

  Anger was bubblih the Kage's skin. "Do you have any idea what Kensei will do if he finds out you used his dead son as a puppet?"

  "It's exactly why his existence was a secret only I knew until today. That's why you also have to keep it from Kensei."

  Hiruzen trolled his rage and asked. "Why Hotaru?"

  "His information gathering skills, his infiltration and espioeiques, they were all a valuable asset. It was through him that I created several sleeper agents. He was also the only ohe reanimation jutsu worked on and since I could trol him and know what he was doing at all times, he became the perfect tool. You were right about me. If it was anyone else I wouldn't have trusted them with such trol over the Foundation."

  "Yoing to undo that jutsu. Where is he?" Hiruzen asked with a bit ency.

  Danzo shook his head. "He's already gohe jutsu was undone before our battle began."

  The kage crossed his arms and looked at the defeated man. "First Kabuto and now this. This will bee another headache you've created for me…"

  "I've answered your question. Now answer mine. Who has such ter surveilnce skills in the vilge that they pee my anization and stay hidden for years."

  Hiruzen decided to indulge the man for old time's sake. "Before he became Anbu directly under me, he art of Kensei's squad. He traihe boy and taught him everything he knew. A chameleon who blend in anywhere."

  'During Kensei's time? Must have been someone who joined Anbu during the st war.' Danzo thought of several faces and a feeared at the forefront of his mind. 'He must have killed my men i and taken their identities to stay ahead. So that's how he was able to avoid dete.'

  Just then Danzo recalled the name Hiruzen spoke a few moments ago. "You said first Kabuto. What do you mean by that?"

  Author's Note:

  Before writing this chapter I watched Danzo's fight with Sasuke. In that st momehought about his friendship with the third hokage. So I decided to give him a Dignified ending. What do you guys think?

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