Chapter 82 - The Calm Before the Storm (2)
"Enough. What's done is done—we must focus on finding a solution."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice, though steady on the surface, could not hide the weight pressing on his shoulders. The room fell into a hush, broken only by the creak of his chair as he leaned back slightly, eyes closed, fingers steepled beneath his chin.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips—low, but filled with resignation.
"We sent him to deal with Iwagakure," he murmured, "and he killed Kitsuchi."
"We ordered him to repel the Mist forces—and he annihilated their army."
"And now…"
Hiruzen opened his eyes, the dim light reflecting the deep lines that age and regret had etched into his face.
"We tried to use Hanzo to eliminate him."
"But instead, he marched into the Rain Village and executed a living legend."
Silence.
His voice had grown hollow.
"At this rate… who in the shinobi world can even stand against him?"
The question hung in the air like the scent of blood on a battlefield.
From the corner of the room, Koharu Utatane broke the stillness. Her voice was calm, clinical—but under her carefully controlled expression lay a storm of unease.
"Hiruzen," she said coolly, "be honest with yourself."
"Could you have defeated Hanzo?"
"That man ruled the Land of Rain with iron for decades. He earned the fear of every major village. And now he lies dead at Kazane's hand."
She folded her arms across her chest, her aged eyes narrowing.
"And Kazane didn't rely on poison or subterfuge. He killed Hanzo head-on—with nothing but swordsmanship."
The implications were chilling.
Even Hiruzen—the 'Professor,' the Shinobi no Kami—could not offer a denial.
Everyone in the room understood the truth Koharu had dared to voice aloud, but no one had wanted to be the first to say it.
Now that it was out in the open, no one could ignore it.
Homura Mitokado, who had remained quiet until now, finally broke his silence.
His voice trembled, just slightly.
"Hiruzen… are you sure he doesn't know?"
"That we… That we were behind the attempt on his life?"
"And if he does know…"
He hesitated.
"Should we just… let Orochimaru become the Fourth Hokage?"
"You did promise him, didn't you?"
His words shocked the room—but it was not a suggestion born of loyalty or trust.
It was fear.
True, bone-deep fear.
Homura had seen many monsters rise and fall over the course of his long life. He had watched Uchiha Madara tear through armies like paper. He had witnessed Tobirama Senju leap into death to protect them all.
And now—
Kazane reminded him of that same era of terror.
But what terrified him most was that this time, there was no Senju to keep the darkness in check.
"This boy…"
"He's growing too fast. Too violently."
"A man like that cannot be caged for long. If crowning Orochimaru keeps him leashed… then perhaps that's the only option."
But before Hiruzen could answer, the room shook with a loud thud—Danzo Shimura had slammed his hand onto the desk.
"Homura, you coward," he growled.
"You think that will stop them?"
"You think letting Orochimaru become Hokage will save you?"
His tone was bitter, sharp.
"My agents in Rain confirmed it—Hanzo spoke before he died."
"He told Kazane everything."
Danzo's voice darkened like a storm cloud.
"The boy already knows."
"There is no more diplomacy. No more compromise."
"We are exposed."
"And if Orochimaru becomes Hokage, we'll all be executed one by one."
"Especially me."
Danzo clenched his fists.
He'll never forgive what I did to his father, Sakumo.
He'll never forget the caged potential I tried to bury under bureaucracy and seals.
"Kazane will come for me first."
"Then you."
"Then this entire village."
Danzo's words were not just prophecy—they were a confession.
In his mind, there was only one solution left.
"No more half-measures."
"Kazane dies—or we do."
Hiruzen closed his eyes once again. His hands trembled ever so slightly, hidden beneath the desk.
His mind was a battlefield of memory and regret.
Orochimaru, his most gifted student.
Sakumo, the fallen White Fang.
Kazane, the demon born from their legacy.
And now… the war.
The mask of Hokage was growing heavier by the day.
"Enough arguing," he said quietly, but with iron behind the words.
"Danzo is right."
"This is no longer about power, or succession, or pride."
"This is about survival."
His voice grew harder, more resolute.
"I trained Orochimaru. I trusted him. But if he becomes Hokage, I lose everything. My authority. My village. My legacy."
"He won't kill me—he'll simply make me irrelevant."
"And then he'll unleash that monster on the world."
"But I am still Hokage."
His eyes flashed—not with the softness of a teacher, but the steel of a veteran shinobi.
"I still have strength. I still have allies."
"I will not surrender Konoha to Orochimaru."
"And I will not allow Kazane to destroy everything we built."
"There is only one solution."
He leaned forward.
"Minato Namikaze."
"Young. Talented. Loyal to the village."
"With him as the Fourth Hokage, we have a chance to preserve balance."
"Or, if necessary—"
His gaze sharpened.
"I will remain Hokage."
His words echoed in the tense silence that followed, thick with implication.
For the past hour, the room had been consumed by debate, but now—his declaration silenced all. It was not merely a statement of preference. It was a warning. A boundary. One only the boldest would dare cross.
"In the entire shinobi world," he continued, his eyes shadowed beneath the brim of his hat, "the only one who might be able to defeat Kazane… is the Third Raikage."
"The man who once battled ten thousand shinobi for three straight days and nights… and walked away."
The others nodded grimly, knowing the legend well.
"But he's in the Land of Lightning," Hiruzen muttered. "There's no way he and Kazane would cross paths naturally."
Unless…
Homura's eyes lit up with a dangerous spark.
"Hiruzen…" he began slowly, almost as if testing the words before he committed to them. "If we want that clash to happen—then you'd have to order Kazane to invade Kumogakure."
Silence.
Cold, suffocating silence.
It descended upon the office like a guillotine's shadow.
Koharu's gaze turned ice-cold. Danzo simply blinked, incredulous. Even Hiruzen froze—his expression unreadable, yet his aura unmistakably tense.
Homura felt the eyes fall on him, staring at him as if they were seeing an idiot.
Ordering Kazane to attack Kumogakure, knowing full well that the Third Raikage would be there… would be tantamount to sending the boy into a deathtrap.
And Kazane was no fool.
If he sensed even a whiff of betrayal, the result wouldn't be just rebellion—it would be annihilation.
It would be his own death sentence. All of theirs, perhaps.
Homura's cheeks flushed red with the realization.
"I… I meant it as a theoretical strategy," he backpedaled quickly, coughing lightly to cover his discomfort. "Obviously, that wouldn't be wise in our current situation."
Danzo scoffed under his breath. Koharu shook her head in disgust.
"Then what do you propose, Homura?" she asked coldly. "You've just ruled out our only capable opponent—and almost got us all killed with that idiotic plan. Do you have another suggestion?"
Before anyone could speak again—
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK!
A sudden knock pounded against the thick wooden doors of the Hokage's office.
All heads turned.
No one was supposed to disturb this meeting—not unless it was urgent.
"Enter," Hiruzen ordered sharply.
The door flew open.
An Anbu operative stepped in, his movements rapid and urgent, the cat mask on his face unmistakable—this was one of Hiruzen's most trusted intelligence officers.
"Lord Hokage!" the Anbu bowed low. "Emergency message from the northern border!"
He held out a tightly-sealed scroll, its wax still warm, the ink smudged from haste.
Hiruzen seized it from his hands and unrolled the parchment.
His eyes scanned the contents quickly—line by line—until he reached the bottom.
And then—
CRACK!
The scroll slammed against his desk, the force loud and jarring. His clenched fist trembled.
"Hiruzen!" Koharu called out sharply. "What happened?"
But he said nothing.
Instead, Hiruzen stepped away from the desk, crossing to the window. The glow from the late afternoon sun lit one side of his face, casting the other in shadow.
He retrieved his pipe with measured calm, yet his fingers trembled faintly as he lit it.
Danzo had already moved.
He picked up the scroll without waiting for permission.
His expression twisted into something between rage and disbelief as he read the contents.
"Impossible…" he hissed.
Then he slammed his palm down on the desk.
"This can't be happening."
Koharu snatched the scroll from him and skimmed it. Her breath caught in her throat.
It was worse than any of them had imagined.
> The Third Raikage has personally entered the battlefield.
He is accompanied by the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Blue B.
Konoha's forward units were decimated.
Jiraiya was gravely injured in battle.
Under Nara Shikaku's command, the remaining forces have retreated back within the borders of the Land of Fire.
A deafening silence followed.
They had spoken, just minutes ago, about whether to send Kazane to fight the Third Raikage.
But now—
The Raikage had come to them.
A monster of muscle and chakra, leading the living incarnation of a Tailed Beast, was now storming their borders—and Kazane, their strongest asset, had already been alienated.
Danzo stared at Hiruzen, his voice low, deadly serious.
"If we let Kazane fight them here… and he loses… there will be nothing left between Kumogakure and our gates."
Koharu paled at the thought.
If Kumogakure launched a full invasion now, with the Land of Fire weakened and Kazane potentially unwilling to obey orders…
Would Konoha survive?
Hiruzen's breath finally escaped his lungs in a slow exhale. He closed his eyes, letting the smoke from his pipe drift upward into the still air.
"So be it," he muttered.
When he turned back to face them, the look in his eyes was steel—no longer the old professor, but the warrior of decades past.
"It seems… I will have to step onto the battlefield myself."
His hand reached for the Hokage's haori draped behind his chair.
"I am still the Third Hokage. I bear the will of fire. And as long as I draw breath—Konoha will not fall... This is my responsibility."
No one spoke.
Because in that moment, all of them—Danzo, Homura, Koharu—remembered why Sarutobi Hiruzen had once been called the God of Shinobi.
TN/
Finally, after weeks of relentless translating of over ten chapters daily, System of Zoro is finally complete as of April 6, 2025. And all I can say about the ending while avoiding spoilers is that... It's really unexpected. The Final chapters will be out today on my Patreon(Zynos)