"
"You can ask," Hiruzen allowed. "And only ask.
No coercion. Either way, I doubt he'll agree.
"
"Don't bother," said Danzo, the first thing he had said all day. "He is too soft.
"
You mean his moral values are too strong, Hiruzen thought as the others reprised prior talking points for the nth time. The 'thesis' preceded its conclusion with an extended tract about research ethics and how the complete redaction of all names, dates, verbal tics, demographic details, and all other 'personally identifying information' – literally everything that could possibly help identify the people who obviously didn't know where their talks were headed – was insufficient ethical rigor.
Because it apparently wasn't enough to satisfy the principles of 'anonymity,' 'confidentiality', 'beneficence' and 'non-maleficence' if the research lacked 'authenticity. ' Which, in this case, was apparently undermined because the 'primary data collection' was done without the participants' 'informed consent.
'
Danzo beheld Hiruzen with his lone, gimlet eye. "You cannot mean to follow the lead of this man.
"
"Doctors are in the business of healing," he deflected. "Will we begrudge a man for trying to heal nations instead of individuals?" Konoha was not technically a nation unto itself, but Hiruzen could easily imagine the man setting his mind on even wider horizons.
"I suppose the matter is simple then," Homura murmured, which got meaningful silence from around the table and a weary sigh from the Jonin Commander who was glaring at Hanzo's frozen image on the screen. The man did not appreciate all the sleep he missed.
"I disagree," Danzo said severely. "We are ninja.
We do not simply accept information without verification. "
Shikaku slouched in his chair. "Except everything is easily verifiable since it all comes from public sources and common knowledge in the village.
"
"Nevertheless, I move to have him detained and subjected to a Yamanaka mind dissection. The matter is far too sensitive to risk.
"
"No," Hiruzen said mildly, ignoring Danzo's glare. "Neither he nor Inoichi warrant such duress.
" Or mental crippling.
"You cannot tell me you are ready to ignore all these… incongruities. There is nothing in the man's background that accounts for his-"
"Impressive skillset?" Shikaku interrupted where even Hiruzen's old colleagues were too hesitant. "You yourself said Root has been keeping track of his comings and goings ever since his second publication and never saw him dig anywhere he wasn't allowed, why are you only raising issue now?"
Danzo's one eye stared flatly at the other man. "Nothing in his file accounts for any of this… intelligence gathering expertise.
"
"Masanari Hanzo, Age 28, civilian, occupation: electrician, handyman and occasional inventor of toys and, only very recently, the odd ninja tool with built-in electrical functionality," Koharu read, before putting the very thin folder down. "We've seen similar changes in life paths for many after the Kyuubi attack, with much less blatant trauma.
The shift in interests can easily be explained by the tragic loss of a family to entertain and provide for. "
"You are making excuses for him now as well?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "I will not begrudge a man his competence-"
"Then you should begrudge his arrogance and presumption. "
"-Especially when he revealed it to me fully expecting the very motions you are setting forward right now, Danzo. That's why he asked for amnesty pre-emptively, which I will remind you was granted.
"
Danzo's eye narrowed.
"That man is a brave citizen of this village risking his own life to prevent the greatest tragedy Konoha may ever see. By your own admission, his conclusions are credible enough to push for crippling interrogation.
By your own admission, he's done nothing suspicious other than not being a ninja. "
That's the Root of it, isn't it old friend? He embarrassed you. His intelligence gathering embarrassed you.
Really, he embarrassed all of them, a mere civilian. And none of them could wash the insult away without literally destroying the research and killing the man as well as everyone else in the room.
The atmosphere chilled under Danzo's mood.
Hiruzen did not back down. It was hardly unreasonable for a civilian to fear overstep, especially in light of laws like the Kyuubi Taboo which the man had broken at several points during his 'defence.
' Particularly while summarising the section on 'potential sabotage by missing-in-action Uchiha survivors or defectors subverted by enemy factions. ' Fugaku had been offended at the insinuation, but a reminder of Madara's late life was as quelling as ever.
Hopefully Danzo would not take this personally like everyth-
"And what of the sensitive secrets he has stumbled upon? Are we to suffer those as well in his defenceless hands?"
There had been one and only point when Hiruzen almost lost his composure and nearly had the man arrested, despite having signed off on the pre-emptive amnesty. Masanari Hanzo had accurately inferred that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son, based purely on his appearance and the fact that Hiruzen had 'chosen the soft approach to inculcating the Will of Fire philosophy'.
The man dared question his intentions towards Naruto – the words had cut surprisingly deep – in the same breath that he pointed out how Naruto was publicly ostracised and vilified since before his pranking days, despite his close relation with Hiruzen. Which was apparently 'clear evidence of a conflict of interests on the matter so great in scope as to dictate the conduct of the entire Ville Hidden in the Leaf, from the lowest civilian to the highest ninja.
'
That was bad enough, but the man had also deduced Kushina's identity as the previous Kyuubi jinchuriki based on Minato's known relationship with her, his choice of vessel, and the timing of Mito's demise right after Kushina's arrival to Konoha. Then, as if half of everyone on the other side of the stands wasn't itching to have him permanently silenced already, the man went and theorised sabotage by third parties during Kushina's birth.
Based purely on the superlative sealing expertise of both Naruto's parents, the vitality of the Uzumaki, and the lack of Kyuubi rampage during Mito's own childbirth.
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