Here's @riojiyo131, your trusted writer.
You can now get early access to Chapter 96 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my Patreon. You can also read up to Chapter 32 of Naruto: Satoru Senju.
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"I want every Jōnin in the village on patrol! Seal all of Konoha's entrances and exits! I want immediate reports on any suspicious activity! Have the sensory squads reinforce the perimeter! Search every corner of the forest! Find the culprit, no matter the cost!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi had had a dreadful start to his day.
He wasn't even at the Hokage Mansion when it all happened.
Kakashi had to visit him at the Sarutobi Clan Compound to inform him of what had occurred.
The corpses of the Konoha Council elders —Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzō Shimura— had been found in the forest.
All three had been brutally murdered.
Hiruzen rubbed his head with both hands, his forehead soaked in sweat. He was struggling to breathe.
All his friends, those he had grown up with, who had shared the village's foundations with him, were gone. Massacred.
Even though they had barely understood each other lately, Danzō was still his closest friend. His brother. And losing him in such a way... shattered him inside.
The relationship had deteriorated, yes, but deep down, Hiruzen had never stopped caring for him. Danzō was his brother, his oldest ally... and his absence had left a void.
And now...
Hiruzen couldn't get the image of his three old comrades' corpses out of his head.
Danzō's body was in atrocious condition, nearly unrecognizable.
After an extensive investigation, DNA from the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had been found on his body, as well as multiple Sharingan implanted in his right arm.
Hiruzen had never imagined Danzō would go to such lengths for more power.
He had suspected Danzō had allied with Orochimaru, especially before it was discovered that the latter was conducting experiments on children from the village.
But he never thought it would go this far.
Now he finally understood why Danzō had been so obsessed with the Uchiha Clan in recent years.
No. Perhaps that obsession began after the death of Kagami Uchiha, the only friend Danzō had truly trusted, other than him.
But there was no point in wondering why anymore... Not now that both were gone.
As for Homura and Koharu...
Hiruzen collapsed into his chair, dizzy, his gaze lost.
Koharu had been beheaded, while Homura had been burned until he resembled a humanoid piece of charcoal.
Rage overtook him. But he couldn't let the pain defeat him.
"Itachi," he called suddenly, setting aside his ANBU alias.
Itachi appeared before the Hokage without his mask, awaiting orders.
"Summon the Patriarch of the Nara Clan, the Hyūga Clan... and the Uchiha Clan," he ordered with a rough, unyielding voice.
Itachi showed a slight expression of surprise upon hearing the Hokage mention his father.
Hiruzen noticed his reaction and sighed with resignation.
"The village is in a critical state, Itachi. The Konoha Council must be reestablished immediately. I can't allow the village to appear weak before the other nations."
Itachi nodded. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, the Uchiha Clan..."
Hiruzen frowned. His gaze hardened.
"All the more reason, Itachi. Konoha must be united right now. I won't allow this tragedy to open the door to a civil war. I won't allow the Uchiha Clan to think this is the perfect moment to plan a coup."
Itachi lowered his head once more, obeying. But deep down, he felt relief.
Knowing the Hokage sought to rebuild bridges with his clan sparked a glimmer of hope in his heart. Although he knew his father well. Fugaku would not accept a seat on the council without setting conditions.
Hiruzen stood again, turning to the Jōnin awaiting orders.
"I want constant surveillance in every residential zone of the main clans. Activate the protection seals around the Hokage Mansion, the Academy, and the Secret Archives."
One of the Jōnin asked, "And the civilians?"
"Evacuate the families of high-ranking officials to the underground bunker until further notice. As for the rest, keep them calm, but station Chūnin on guard in the streets. Nothing should appear out of control, but no one should lower their guard."
Another voice: "Do we inform the Feudal Lord?"
"Only what's strictly necessary. This situation is not yet public. Until we have the culprit in our hands, Konoha cannot allow its international image to collapse. Understood?"
Everyone nodded. Hiruzen took a deep breath, looking out the window, the sun rising over a wounded, vulnerable village.
And as silence settled over the room, only one thought crossed his mind:
"Today I lost those I trusted most... but as long as I live, the flames of the Will of Fire, of Konoha, will not go out."
...
While chaos shook Konoha, Satoru was at home, completely unaware of the disaster, buried up to his neck in a mountain of sweets.
"I haven't tried this one before...! Meh, it's nothing special" he muttered after popping one into his mouth. It was rare for him not to like something —he loved sweets more than breathing.
But this time, the disappointment was immediate.
"Strawberry...? Who the hell likes strawberry?" he grumbled, spitting it out without thinking, with the expression of someone who had just tasted poison.
"Ah... Satoooru~! I like strawberry, don't throw it away!"
Naruko, who was also swimming in the mountain of sweets, suddenly popped her head out.
Satoru looked at her with a mix of skepticism and resignation.
"I don't know why, but I'm not surprised... Only crazy people like strawberry," he muttered, more to himself than to her.
Naruko pouted, and before she could start whining, Satoru shoved a handful of sweets into her mouth to silence her.
Naruko fell silent instantly, happy, chewing and savoring the chocolate like nothing had happened.
"By the way, Naruko, has that old bastard asked you to do something for him again?" Satoru asked curiously.
He hadn't forgotten the day he found out Hiruzen had asked Naruko to stay close to him.
Naruko finished savoring her sweets before answering.
"He hasn't... Why?" she replied, tilting her head with a confused expression.
Satoru nodded to himself, visibly relieved. He didn't want Hiruzen to keep manipulating her.
"No reason. Let's change the subject," he said, flashing a small smile.
"You're still far from not being a kid anymore, but tell me... have you thought about what you want to be when you grow up?"
He didn't know how much Hiruzen had influenced her. Maybe he had already planted that ridiculous idea in her head about becoming Hokage. This was a good chance to find out.
"I'm not a kid anymore! I'm seven years old, Satoooru~!" Naruko protested, crossing her arms with an annoyed pout. "Besides, we're the same age!"
Satoru rolled his eyes at her.
They might be the same age, but he didn't consider himself a kid.
"You don't get it, Naruko. I'm already a man," he replied solemnly, closing his eyes and crossing his arms, amused.
He still remembered his time in the DC Universe, those nights with models, those adventures no one here could even imagine.
Yeah. Without a doubt, he wasn't a kid anymore.
"I'm also a dad," he added mockingly, remembering how many times he'd been called "daddy."
Naruko didn't seem to hear that last part, absorbed in the previous question.
"I don't know what I want to be when I grow up..." she murmured, and then, with more enthusiasm, exclaimed:
"But I do know what I want! I want all my birthdays to be like today! I want to be with you...!"
She paused and glanced sideways at the mountain of sweets.
"And I want a mountain of sweets on all my birthdays too!"
Satoru couldn't help but burst out laughing when he heard her. He nodded, his smile unwavering.
"I'll make sure of it..." he said, wiping away a small tear that had come from laughing so hard.
"I promise."