The Difference Between Doing and Not Doing

At the moment his shadow clone was engulfed by the explosion, Naruto, standing by the window, instantly became aware of what had happened in the Forest of Death. As he gazed at the distant flash of light, he suddenly sensed two chakras disappearing in succession.

The ones that vanished were the Third Hokage and his summoning beast, Enma. It seemed they had used Reverse Summoning to escape.

Orochimaru's chakra, however, was still present. Naruto could sense that he had burrowed deep underground and was moving at an astonishing speed—he was already close to the barrier at the edge of the Forest of Death.

As expected of a master and disciple.

Still, Naruto understood that while his clone's Great Spiraling Wheel Rasengan had exploded swiftly, its range wasn't particularly wide.

That clone didn't have much chakra to begin with, so the explosion's power wasn't overwhelming for opponents like Orochimaru and the Third Hokage. As long as they reacted fast enough, they could escape relatively unscathed.

However, what truly surprised Naruto was the fact that Orochimaru had appeared in the Forest of Death at all.

Wasn't this guy supposed to be a member of the Akatsuki right now? Why had he suddenly returned to Konoha?

Could he also be a spy sent by Konoha to infiltrate the Akatsuki?

Naruto quickly dismissed that idea. Someone obsessed with immortality and uncovering the world's secrets wouldn't waste time on something so trivial.

Even when Pain forced him to join the Akatsuki, Orochimaru was merely looking for an opportunity to steal the Rinnegan.

So why had he returned to Konoha? It definitely wasn't to see the Third Hokage—if that were the case, the Hokage wouldn't have brought people to capture him...

Just as he thought of the Third Hokage, an image flashed through Naruto's mind.

Danzo!

Orochimaru must have come back for Danzo. Naruto recalled Danzo's arm full of Sharingan. The connection between these two had persisted even into Shippuden.

But the timing was off. The Uchiha Clan hadn't been wiped out yet, had they?

Naruto did a final sensory sweep of the village, noting the ninja moving hurriedly through the streets. Then, glancing at the tightly shut window, he decided it was time to rest...

Late at Night—Hokage's Office

Despite the late hour, the Hokage's office remained brightly lit. A man with a cane, his long shadow stretching behind him, stepped into the room.

"Hiruzen, I'm here."

"Do you have something to explain, Advisor Danzo?"

The speaker was none other than the Third Hokage. Somehow, he had returned to Konoha and was now seated at the head of the conference table, still clad in his combat attire.

Two others sat at the table—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, Konoha's current advisors.

Danzo, leaning on his cane, did not immediately reply to Hiruzen's questioning. Instead, he glanced at the other two advisors before silently taking a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"There is nothing to explain about Orochimaru." Danzo spoke, his tone firm but composed. "In fact, I see no need for an explanation at all. Everything I have done is no different from what you have done—it is all for the sake of Konoha."

The Third Hokage's expression darkened. "If that's the case, then as of now, you are dismissed from your position as Hokage's advisor. Additionally, Root will be disbanded!"

The moment he finished speaking, the other two advisors, who had remained silent until now, immediately objected.

"This matter requires further discussion, Third Hokage."

"Lord Hokage, Advisor Danzo's Root division cannot be disbanded. Their current operations are crucial to the village, and Root's contributions to Konoha have been immense."

The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed. "Are you opposing me?"

Homura shook his head slightly and pulled a scroll from his sleeve, placing it in front of the Hokage.

Hiruzen opened it, his expression changing drastically. "Is this confirmed?"

"My intelligence is never wrong," Danzo said, opening his eyes, his expression unreadable. "This is detailed information personally recorded by Uchiha Shisui. Since you left the village, the Uchiha Clan has been secretly gathering and holding frequent meetings."

The Third Hokage carefully read through the scroll again. His expression softened slightly as he said, "I understand. However, you still need to explain your connection with Orochimaru."

Danzo's expression turned cold. He glanced at the two silent advisors before finally speaking. "It was merely a trade. I acquired some intelligence from outside Konoha."

The Third Hokage's face remained stern. "What kind of trade? What information?"

Danzo's gaze sharpened, and a trace of mockery flickered in his eyes as he stared at Hiruzen. "He was your student. You should already know what the trade involved. I don't need to explain. However, the intelligence was indeed valuable—it was information about the Akatsuki in the Land of Rain."

The Third Hokage's anger flared, though he kept his expression unreadable. He had already guessed what Orochimaru had traded. But he pressed on. "Didn't you say that Hanzo had wiped out the Akatsuki years ago?"

Danzo shook his head. "Not completely. The Akatsuki now controls the entire Land of Rain. Furthermore, all of its members are S-rank rogue ninja. Orochimaru himself is one of them."

The Third Hokage's eyes darkened. "Do you have more detailed intelligence?"

Danzo shook his head without hesitation. "No."

The Hokage immediately stood up, walked to his desk, and swiftly wrote on a blank scroll. Then, turning toward the window, he gestured.

An Anbu ninja appeared from the shadows.

"Send this intelligence to Jiraiya via messenger crow."

The Anbu took the scroll and vanished into the darkness.

The Third Hokage returned to the conference table, his face grim. "Now, let's discuss the Uchiha Clan's activities."

Upon hearing this, a barely noticeable trace of satisfaction appeared on Danzo's otherwise cold face...

The Next Morning—On the Way to the Hokage's Office

As the sun rose, Naruto was already walking toward the Hokage's office. It wouldn't be long before he arrived.

"Naruto, are you sure about going to see the Third Hokage right now?"

"Father, what's the issue?"

"It's not really a problem, but last night you saw the Third Hokage and Orochimaru in the Forest of Death..."

In the sealed space, Minato seemed puzzled by Naruto's timing.

"Hmm..." Naruto paused for a moment before replying. "I just want to reassure him... and keep him busy."

The streets of Konoha were eerily quiet. It seemed that last night's events had left everyone on edge. Naruto hardly saw anyone, though he sensed numerous hidden shinobi stationed around the village.

Just two more streets to go.

Suddenly, a commotion caught his attention.

"Please, sir! Have mercy! I swear I only stole once!"

"Hmph! Still lying? Do you think my Sharingan is wrong? You stole from multiple shops."

"Stealing during the chaos? Come with us to the Konoha Police Department!"

"I'm innocent! My children need food, please!"

"Sir, he's pitiful. Let him go."

"Yeah..."

Turning a corner, Naruto saw several Uchiha police officers standing tall, escorting a frightened man through the street.

"Hmph! What's so special about the Uchiha? They're just catching a thief."

"They act like they own the place, using the Police Department as an excuse to push people around."

"Didn't you hear him say he was innocent?"

Naruto ignored the chatter and continued walking.

"...Sigh."

After a few steps, Minato sighed within the sealed space.

"What's wrong, Father? Do you pity the thief?"

Minato shook his head. "No, but the villagers' words are unfair. The Police Department's job is to maintain order. Those Uchiha officers didn't do anything wrong."

"They shouldn't turn this into a clan issue."

As Naruto approached the Hokage's office, he said, "Whether their words are fair doesn't matter. The biggest difference between doing and not doing something is that the latter has the right to criticize the former."

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