Naruto: True Darkness

Danzo awoke after a long night's slumber, with him having to look at himself in a mirror to ensure that he was either still in the body of Danzo Shimura, or if he had woken up from the dream he felt he was in since the situation seemed absurd.

'I wonder how I ended up in this world? I mean, I doubt that I just randomly appeared in this body one day, but even if I didn't, what could I possibly do about it. And did I really have much going on in my past life? Perhaps living as Danzo could be far more eventful that simply living in my past.' Danzo thought as he took his bath for the day, with him resting fully from the tiresome events from the day prior.

'Knowing Obito, he should be cautious of getting involved in the Leaf's affairs, with him not knowing what level of strength I possess nor wishing to risk his life this early in his plan. That gives me time. Time to build up the next generation. Even if I can't grow strong enough to take down beings like Madara or Jigen, I can definitely ensure that the next generation is prepared. And with my knowledge gained from Markarov, as well as the ability to not just use, but also teach what is essentially Ninjutsu without Seals, I can properly handle whatever comes my way.

But right now, it would be best to deal with the Uchiha Clan. Perhaps taking Itachi as a student? No, Fugaku would think I'm wanting a spy. Maybe I could take Shisui as a student while Itachi studies under Minato? That would give two Uchiha the ability to become Hokage due to them being apart of the Hokage lineage. I'm sure Fugaku is no fool. Well, it seems I need to visit Hiruzen.' Danzo thought as he submerged himself under water, preparing for the tiresome day he would have ahead of him.

~

"Would you like some tea while you wait, Danzo?" Biwako asked from the side while wearing a slight smile. 

"I would love some, Biwa." Danzo answered with a smile of his own.

She quickly poured him a cup at the table as they awaited for Hiruzen to arrive home, with Biwa looking slightly sad as she looked at Danzo.

"Kaya would have truly loved this tea." Biwako said, making Danzo paused before he resumed drinking his tea. (Does everyone except the ROOT possess good tea?)

Danzo merely sighed, with him putting his cup on the table.

"Knowing her, she likely would have. But then she would have added to much sugar to it and ruined it's flavor." Danzo spoke while reminiscing and Biwako laughed.

At that moment, the door opened, though it revealed a teenage Asuma who was followed by a tired Hiruzen.

"I told you that I-" Asuma's words cut off as he saw Danzo staring at him with his sole exposed eye, the expression on his face being as cold as always.

'This old bastard always creeps me out.' Asuma thought, though he politely spoke before going to his room, though not before slamming the door.

Hiruzen merely sighed as he joined his old friend at the table, with Biwako pouring him a cup of tea before excusing herself.

"So, what can I do for you, old friend?" Hiruzen asked as he sipped his tea.

"I'm sure you have questions about last night, and I'll be sure to answer them after I finish my response, but we need to begin planning on what we shall do about the situation with the Uchiha." Danzo spoke, though Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.

'I guess even after everything, some things truly don't change.' Hiruzen thought.

However, his train of thought crashed upon hearing Danzo's next sentence.

"I have a plan to get the Uchiha back on our side. But I'm afraid that it will impede on your leisurely life that you seem to be planning on having." Danzo spoke.

Hiruzen paused for a while, and after an entire minute of being stunned, he finally asked his question.

"Why?"

"Hmm? Why what?" Danzo responded.

"Why do you wish to help the Uchiha Clan? It's not that this change is unwelcomed, but I would expect you to want to impose harsher restrictions after last night's incident." Hiruzen asked.

"It's due to last night's incident. Hiruzen, think about it, if the Nine-Tailed Fox were to be released, who would we feel was the most likely person to do so, especially since the information was known only to people close to Minato and Kushina, including their friends Mikoto and Fugaku, and a Clan that has controlled the beast in the past? We would blame the Uchiha, leading to a division between us until the situation grew volatile. And knowing that a Uchiha with a single Mangekyo Sharingan could pose a threat to both of us, I would rather that if another pair were to appear, it be on our side." Danzo answered.

Hiruzen sat in thought for a moment, with him contemplating on how to respond to the situation.

'Danzo is right. With tensions that high, the Uchiha would have been a likely suspect in case of such an attack. And even their relationship with Minato wouldn't have mattered at that point.' Hiruzen analyzed.

"What's your plan?" He asked.

"I plan for us to visit the Uchiha Patriarch and ask to take Shisui and Itachi as our students, with them being a bridge between our two groups. I also plan to introduce to other topics, which include..."

The two old comrades discussed in great length about the plan, with them heading out to enforce it shortly thereafter.

Biwako came out of her room then, with her looking at the two walk away with a bit of sentimentality.

'If you were here, Kaya, this would have never stopped happening.' Biwako thought with a smile.

~

Danzo and Hiruzen walked through the streets of Konoha, with Danzo using a slight Genjutsu over their surroundings so that no one would be able to listen to their conversation.

"We're failing, Hiruzen." Danzo said abrubtly.

Hiruzen said nothing as he stood beside his old friend, merely waiting for him to give some form of clarification on what he meant by his statement.

"The Village is failing. When Hashirama Sensei was alive, the world stood still. No nation dared to even utter a word of war while he was alive. His very existence has the world afraid. I have no doubt that the only reason he gave away the Tailed Beasts was due to his wishing to form some type of balance, yet that balance couldn't begin until after his death, after all, who wants to deal with a man who can deal with their greatest weapons as if they were minor annoyances.

Then, after his death, the inevitable happened: War.

It was no surprise that all the other Villages wished to establish their supremacy, over the others, who wouldn't after living in that man's shadow. But, thanks to our efforts after the death of Tobirama Sensei, we fully established that Konoha stood above the other Villages.

From you mastering the Third Levels of each of the base Elemental Chakra Natures, something that most Kage can barely do with one, my mastery of Wind Release, Juinjutsu, and Yin Release all being capable of taking out the most powerful Shinobi if they made even a single mistake, and Kagami's overwhelming Fire Release and Genjutsu that made people feel horrified just by even being near him.

Then there was the Hyuga who could use their techniques to destroy Ninjutsu at the highest level, the Uchiha, who were made to be assassins and capable of killing Shinobi even above their rank through the weapon known as the Sharingan, the Senju, who were made for the battlefield and had the ability to take down dozens of Shinobi for each one of them that fell, and the Akimichi Clan, who could battle even the Tailed Beast if they mastered their techniques to the highest level. And that's without counting the dozens of other Clans our Village possessed.

Our sacrifices led to nearly two decades of peace, with no nation daring to engage in conflict with us, even those who felt they had conquered the world.

New heroes made their name during the next war, with the 'Sannin' and the 'White Fang' making their presence felt, showing that Konoha's new generation had arrived and that we were still to be feared.

But before we could properly rest, Sakumo's failure to eliminate that noble from Iwa led to us being sent into another war, one that we weren't yet ready for. His subsequent death caused by the instigation of our foreign adversaries, something that we allowed in the hopes of rooting out more spies, led to him committing Senppuku, with us forgetting that his honor mattered far more than we thought.

The Third War only gave us a single character, Minato Namikaze, and while his potential seems to be on the same level as Hashirama Sensei's, he is far from arriving at the level of power that we need him to be.

Now look at us, we find enemies at every doorstep, yet the clans I just mentioned have maybe one or two Shinobi still capable of those feats. Our greatest ally, the Uzumaki, was sacrificed by us as both us and them faced an invasion from all four of the other nations and a plethora of minor nations.

The Senju, by the order of Tobirama Sensei, fully integrated their genes into the Village, strengthening us overall but losing access to our greatest group of warriors.

The Uchiha have isolated and feel more distant than ever before, likely due to us fearing their strength rather than using it, simply due to the prejudice that we gained from our Sensei.

But while we fall, our enemies still exist, and I have no doubt that if we show a moment of weakness, the other Nations won't hesitate to bare their fangs at us once again.

The legends of the old era are gone Hiruzen. Almighty A, The Whitewalker Kori Yuki, and The Black Death Gasa are all dead and gone.

Only you and that bastard Onoki of the Two Scales remains as the last Kage of the Third Generation that still lives.

So it is time for the New Era to rise. 

We can't depend on ourselves to last, nor can we depend on an Alcoholic, a Deranged Fool, or a Pervert for the future, as they are either too lost in their sorrows or desire to truly be dependable when we need them most. And though I plan to get them back on the right track very soon, they won't be what we need right now.

We can only depend on the new geniuses that will come, like Hatake, Namikaze, or the new geniuses of the Uchiha.

Now, let's go forge a new era in the history of this Village: 

The Renaissance Era."

Hiruzen couldn't contain the shock as he heard his old friend's words, yet he saw that Danzo seemed unfazed by what he was saying, only continuing to walk with his cane.

"Very well, Danzo. If you truly believe in the words you speak, then you shall have my support, for as long as you have my back, I won't need to worry about much." Hiruzen responded.

~

Fugaku Uchiha couldn't understand why the Third Hokage and the Elder of the Leaf suddenly decided to visit his home.

He couldn't understand why such an event was happening, as he had not foreseen anything like it during the last time he used his ability.

While he couldn't see anything past a certain point, he had learned during the war that changing fate was extremely hard, with him ultimately resigning himself to giving up as he knew his youngest son would at least be strong and live if all things went according to plan.

But, the fact that the two people with the most political power (Because there was no way Minato had taken over power from the Council so soon) decided to visit him left him slightly nervous.

"I hope that the tea is to your liking, Lord Hokage, Elder Danzo." Fugaki said lightly.

"There is no need to refer to us as that. We visited you two as merely Hiruzen and Danzo today, with it simply being a request that we hope you don't take lightly. And the tea is quite delicious." Hiruzen responded while smiling.

"Fugaku. I wish to take Shisui as my apprentice. I will teach him everything that I know. I need a successor and I feel that this could be one of the bridges needed to rebuild the relationship between the Village and your Clan." Danzo stated plainly.

Fugaku seemed to shortcircuit for a moment, with him understanding fully what Danzo was asking.

"And I would like for Itachi to become my student after he graduates from the Academy, with me wishing to guide him." Hiruzen added with a smile, a bit amused by Fugaku's expression.

'WHAT!?! Do they wish to teach them?? Could it be a move on their Sharingan? No, they would not do such a thing so obviously. Wait, the Village didn't go through the attack? Did Fate truly change??' Fugaku thought in quick succession, though he finally managed to get his words out.

He knew that if this was true, then it meant that two Uchiha were being added to the Hokage Lineage. And that was the most unbelievable thing about this.

"Yes. They would both be honored. I shall call them over for you to be introduced to them." Fugaku said before he left with what appeared to be excitement on his face.

Hiruzen and Danzo then sat in silence, though Danzo spoke first.

"My student will be better than yours." 

Hiruzen immediately narrowed his eyes, with Danzo smirking back at him while taking another sip of tea. (I'm telling Ryu to rob tea from everywhere in Konoha when I get back to the base.)

After another two minutes, Fugaku entered the room again, this time accompanied by Shisui and Itachi.

"This is Lord Hokage and Elder Danzo. They wish to take the two of you as students." Fugaku said briefly, though Danzo and Hiruzen could see the slight excitement on his face when he said it.

Hiruzen began introducing himself to Itachi, while Danzo merely stared at the talkative Shisui.

"Perhaps... We should switch students?" Danzo said after looking at both of their personalities, with Hiruzen shrugging his shoulders.

What followed was an argument between the two over who should teach which, with them deciding to let Itachi and Shisui decide when they return the next week.

As they left the Uchiha Compound, Danzo glanced over at Hiruzen and spoke.

"How about we go show a serpent why it can only lay in the grass but never climb the tree." Danzo asked, to which Hiruzen grimaced but agreed.

~

'What could have made them change their actions? Maybe...' Fugaku thought to himself as his Sharingan began to spin rapidly and transform into a brand new shape.

However, rather than the linear path he was so accustomed to, his mind nearly broke due to the vast number of paths that he foresaw for the future.

Collapsing on the floor and gasping heavily, Fugaku had a large smile on his face.

"The future... it looks so much brighter." Fugaku said to himself.

~

Minato sat in his office as he tried to interpret the actions of the current enigma on his mind: Danzo.

The man went from one of the most untrustworthy people that he knew, a dangerous and uncalculatable factor, to the sole reason that his Village didn't face an attack from an unknown Uchiha, that could have likely lead to the death of his Wife or Son.

And that fact, that alone, made the man both a benefit and a danger to the Village.

Make no mistake, he couldn't understand why Hiruzen had chosen to divide his power over the Village in half, limiting his ability to do anything major without consulting with his other half. 

But, he wouldn't allow the Darkness of Shinobi to stop him from achieving any of the changes he wished to bring to the Village, even if he was an ally. Because while most were wary of the ROOT, when you were considered a deterrent to large groups of Shinobi, numbers tended to lose their value.

And even if he did decide to stand in his way, he would show Danzo why he made the Tsuchikage, Roshi, and Han afraid to even stand before him on the battlefield. 

Because he was the Yellow Flash, the Fourth Hokage, a fearless individual, and the man who woul-

"MINATO!!! Why are you here when your Son has just been born!!!" A Red Demon yelled as they entered the building.

Scratch that, he DID still fear one person, and they had just made their presence known.

'Hopefully Ramen will be enough.' Minato prayed to himself.

[Decided to post another chapter since i just posted Ch 3 On my P@treon. I try not to hoard too bad]