The next morning, early in the morning, just as the dark sky turned bright, the Acting Hokage, Danzo, arrived at the Hokage's Office early.
Danzo sat on the very chair that Hiruzen used to sit on, narrowed his eye, and gently ran his fingers over the armrests.
Although the chair was old and worn out, it filled Danzo with an intoxicating sense of reverence.
This… was the pinnacle of power.
Danzo did not sleep all night last night and had even gone out of his way to wear his most dignified outfit today.
It was clear just how seriously he took this.
Even when leaving his home this morning, he had greeted his subordinates with an uncharacteristically benevolent smile.
He knew that he was no longer the same person as before and that he could no longer act the same way as before.
After all, if he wanted to secure this position for good, he needed the people's approval.
As long as he could get the villagers' recognition, even if Tsunade returned, it wouldn't matter.
'Every decision must be for the sake of Konoha! To earn everyone's acknowledgment!'
Clenching his fists, Danzo thought to himself.
After a long time, he looked out the window, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
"Hiruzen... I couldn't understand the decisions you made before."
"But now… I think I do."
Knock knock…
Hearing the knock on the door, Danzo straightened his collar, coughed twice to clear his throat, and then spoke, "Come in."
The door opened, and Yamanaka Fu stepped inside, carrying a stack of documents.
When Danzo learned that he had become the Acting Hokage, he immediately replaced the office staff with his own trusted subordinates.
Now, Fu served as his Hokage's assistant.
This was also a precaution for when Tsunade eventually returned.
By then, he will have gained everyone's recognition, and with the Hokage Tower full of his people, Tsunade's chances of reclaiming the position would be slim to none.
'Still… I must tread carefully. Not a single misstep can be allowed… I can't leave any room for my enemies to exploit!'
When Danzo saw the thick pile of documents in Fu's hand, his eye was filled with anticipation and excitement.
'So this is what it's like to truly experience a day as Hokage?'
Fu respectfully placed the documents on the desk, his expression hesitant, as if he wanted to say something.
But seeing that Danzo was in high spirits, he decided against it. After all, if he spoke up now and ruined Danzo's mood, he would most likely be sent out of the office… in a body bag.
After thinking for a long time, Fu finally said goodbye to Danzo and left the Hokage's Office.
The moment the door closed, Danzo's stern facade melted away, replaced by the giddiness of a child.
Rubbing his hands together, he muttered eagerly.
"Let's see what's been happening in the village these past few days…"
Danzo had been busy adapting to his new power and transplanting the Sharingan these days, so he hadn't bothered gathering intel on the village's affairs.
In fact, he hadn't even known about his appointment as the Acting Hokage until receiving the official documents yesterday.
Under normal circumstances, any movement in the Hokage Tower would not escape his notice.
Danzo picked up the first document in front of him and read it with great enthusiasm.
[Regarding the handling of complaints against Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura...]
The very first document was about villagers reporting Sasuke and Sakura's antics, along with a formal request for action.
Danzo slammed his fist on the desk in fury.
'Damn it!'
'Do these brats have a death wish?!'
"Fu!"
"Call the Root's Shinobi immediately..."
Just as Fu pushed the door open, Danzo suddenly stopped talking.
"What is it, Hokage-sama?"
"…Never mind. You can go first."
Danzo rubbed his temple. He had instinctively reacted like the leader of Root just now.
In the past, he might have been able to secretly deal with these two, but the problem was that he was now the Hokage and he had to give an explanation to the villagers so that everyone would recognize him.
'Think… What would Hiruzen have done in this situation?'
'If he could handle it, then so can I!'
Danzo's mind raced frantically, constantly searching in his mind for the most gentle way to deal with the situation.
Three minutes later...
"Damn it!!"
"This kind of thing never happened when Hiruzen was in charge!!"
Danzo was very angry now. The position of Hokage was good, but it was like putting invisible shackles on his hands and feet.
After thinking for a long time, Danzo finally gave up.
Looking at the thick stack of documents, he decided to deal with the ones at the back first.
'I'll come back to deal with this problem when I have time later.'
[Konoha villagers' petition for relocation...]
[Reconstruction work on the outskirts of Konoha Village...]
…
The subsequent issues weren't too difficult to handle, as it was just a matter of spending money for Konoha's reconstruction.
Danzo signed the documents with gusto and began to call out to Fu outside the door.
After entering the room, Fu glanced at the documents and his face twisted into something between horror and despair.
After hesitating for a long moment, he finally spoke up.
"Um… Hokage-sama…"
"These documents...these documents..."
Seeing his hesitation, Danzo tilted his head slightly, imitating Hiruzen's grandfatherly smile.
"Fu..."
"Times have changed. We live in the light now. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly."
"There's no need to be as cautious as before."
Danzo's sudden change left Fu stunned for a long time.
He really wanted to tell Danzo that his smile was terrifying...
But he felt that if he said that, that would be the last thing he ever did.
Fu took a deep breath and spoke hesitantly, "That, Hokage-sama..."
"Regarding the reconstruction of the outskirts of the village..."
"The current Konoha Village can't afford it."
Hearing this, Danzo's smile froze instantly.
However, he didn't lose his temper.
Instead, he wagged a finger at Fu, like a wise elder lecturing a foolish youth.
"Fu, you are still young!"
"There are many things you don't understand yet, and that's fine!"
"But these reconstruction projects are for the sake of improving our villagers' lives!!"
"This is of the utmost importance!"
"You may face difficulties today, and I may face difficulties tomorrow, but what about the villagers' difficulties?"
"We must think of the people!"
Fu pursed his lips. He felt that his boss was even more terrifying when he saw him like this.
"The thing is… the village is out of money."
"Out of money?"
"Even if we don't have money, we can't just not care about the people's suffering..."
"Wait…!!"
"What did you say!?"
Danzo, who was still immersed in the experience of teaching his subordinate a lesson, suddenly registered the words Fu just said.
He suddenly stood up with his eye wide open.
"Are you joking with me?!"
"I remember the funds from the dDaimyo just came in last month!!"
Danzo was so angry that he grabbed Fu's collar and sprayed spit in his face.
It has to be known that this is Konoha's entire year's budget!!
And it hadn't even been a full month since they received it!!
Now he was being told there was no money left?!
"TELL ME!"
"WHERE DID ALL THE MONEY GO?!"
Danzo's visible eye was red, like he had awaken Sharingan himself, and the feeling of oppression from being the Root's leader once again struck Fu's heart, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.
"It… it all…"
"Went to compensating the Konoha's villagers."
"RIDICULOUS!"
"HOW COULD COMPENSATING VILLAGERS DRAIN AN ENTIRE YEAR'S BUDGET?!"
Danzo wanted to continue cursing, but the words suddenly got stuck in his throat.
He quickly found the first document he had just read and read it carefully several times...
Ten minutes later, Danzo punched the desk so hard it split in two.
"THAT DAMNED INHERENTLY EVIL UCHIHA BRAT!!!"
"I… I…"
Danzo really wished he could kill Sasuke right now.
But as the Hokage...
He can't do that.
'DAMN IT!!!'
'WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!'
Danzo was panting with rage, and at this time, the two Hokage's Advisors came to the Hokage's Office.
After entering, they immediately spoke in hurried tones, and their eyes were panicked, but they also contained a hint of… glee?
"Hokage-sama, there are over a thousand villagers gathered downstairs..."
"They said that the Hokage should give everyone an explanation."