Hiruzen leaned back in his council seat and took a long draw on his pipe. His breath hissed out as he sighed with the weight of responsibility, smoke curling out along his hat's brim, trapped within the long cloth that hung from his Hokage hat. The hat was large and angular, a stylized straw hat that was red and white with a small white area at the front bearing the Kanji for fire; it was heavier than any crown. As Hokage, Hiruzen was the de facto leader of the Hidden Leaf. His decisions could lead to the rise or fall of their proud village. He had made many tough choices over the years, choices that many who weren't in his shoes would call despicable, maybe even evil. He had a responsibility to do anything that was required of him to solidify his power and the strength of the Hidden Leaf. Hiruzen Sarutobi had experienced many good days and many bad ones since he became the Hokage. Today was one of the bad ones, as he was faced with one of those possibly evil decisions, a decision he had been preparing to accept for many years.

He glanced around the room, looking at the other members of the ruling council; everyone's eyes were cast in a fierce light. Danzo in particular looked like he could crush boulders with his one-eyed gaze. A man hardened by war and ready to commit any atrocity to feed the roots of The Hidden Leaf. Danzo was both a friend and a bitter rival to Hiruzen, constantly vying for power over the village and filled with envy over Hiruzen's appointment to the position of Hokage. He had even managed to push events forward in their current situation by undercutting and undermining their target. His actions had hastened this decision instead of finding a solution for peace, a solution that Hiruzuen wished for because he believed it would leave the Hidden Leaf in a stronger position. Danzo disagreed, and he had managed to bury his roots in many of the other council members. Shills, the lot of them, were only looking to gain power and favor as they adopted the mindset of people who had just come out of a major war. They weren't ready to put that thinking behind them and embrace the peace the Ninja world had found. Danzo presented a strong image for these kinds of people.

The target in question was none other than their very own Uchiha clan. A clan that had served as a formidable force during the war, cementing many of their victories versus enemy Ninja. Hiruzen had been monitoring the situation surrounding the Uchiha Clan for many years. He knew that Danzo wanted nothing more than to strike them down, to remove the threat before it became an issue. Hell, he would massacre them single-handedly if he thought his skill could measure up to the Uchiha's.

Hiruzen was of a different mind on this matter, a fact he chose to mention at every opportunity. Even so, that didn't mean that he hadn't prepared contingencies for these exact circumstances. Such were the burdens of leadership.

The Uchiha were planning a coup, something Danzo only happily spurred on from the shadows. On the surface, it looked like Hiruzen wasn't aware of these actions, but Hiruzen approved of the mindset behind Danzo's decisions even if he didn't agree with the outcomes.

Tensions with the Uchiha clan started with his predecessor, Lord Second; he distrusted the clan and made many advances to ostracize and weaken them. He took action to place the Uchiha in the position of the military police force, a crippling disguised as a peace offering. He moved them to an isolated location on the outskirts of the village so they could be easily watched and not gain much influence over the village and the other Ninja clans. It didn't help that none of the Uchiha were nominated to the position of Hokage even after all of their contributions to the war effort. By the time Hiruzen had been promoted to the position, tensions were already so high that he was forced to take many actions to reduce their influence within the village and prevent a civil war from breaking out.

Then came Minato, the fourth Hokage, a student of Hiruzen's disciple, personally selected to take over for Hiruzen by Hiruzen himself. Minato was powerful, loved by almost everyone in the village, and known to the world as the legendary yellow flash. He even helped bridge the gap between the village and the Uchiha clan. Unfortunately, events arose that stopped the development of friendly relations from advancing. Minato fell in battle, giving his life to protect the village. Someone had attacked the village and forced the release of the Hidden Leaf's resident-tailed-beast. This nine-tailed beast was a being of pure chakra known as the nine-tailed fox, The Kyuubi. The Kyuubi, like many other tailed beasts, was sealed into the body of a young Leaf Villager, a Kunoichi, or female ninja, known as Kushina Uzumaki. This was done to control and harness its power as a weapon, a shield, for the Hidden Leaf Village. The removal of the tailed beast from its wielder, its Jinchuriki, resulted in the death of young Kushina, the subsequent defeat of her husband Minato, and countless other casualties. It was a dark day for the Hidden Leaf.

The person who released this horror upon the village immediately took control of the beast to wreak further devastation, and since the only known way to control an enraged tailed beast was via the Uchiha's Sharingan, the Uchiha had come to be blamed for the devastation. Even with Danzo redirecting some of the hatred toward the young child Naruto, many people in power were still aware of this fact. It saddened Hiruzen to lose his successor, Minato, who was kind and just. He didn't deserve to die, and his son didn't deserve this fate. It was too soon for Hiruzen to be called back to lead the village, way too soon.

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"Lord Hokage, we must do something; even if we are not certain that the Uchiha are going to make their move, we cannot let the threat they pose continue." One of the elders interrupted Hiruzen's reverie.

Hiruzen's brows furrowed. "I will not take action until we are certain; I cannot in good faith condemn an entire bloodline to be forgotten just because of fear and distrust."

Danzo spoke up: "You and I both know that it is more than that; the Uchiha have been threatening civil unrest for a long time, and your ANBU, my ROOT, has heard the whispers of civil war many times. We have enough evidence. We should move forward with the defense of our people, for the good of the Hidden Leaf!"

Hiruzen slammed his hands against the table and said, "That is not your decision to make, Danzo; you would have me condemn every man and woman to be discarded? What of the children?"

Hiruzen knew the answer to these questions, but even with this looming threat, he was forced to show a different face to position himself as the strong leader the Hidden Leaf needed. The face of the kind and just leader that the people could trust

Danzo's eyes darkened. "I would do what I must to ensure the prosperity of the Hidden Leaf!"

One of the other council members spoke up: "I agree with Danzo, the Uchiha must be dealt with."

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair again and said, "They will be dealt with. Whether through peaceful negotiations or another more unsavory method, We will protect the village, but I refuse to give the order until we have absolute proof. The Uchiha are powerful allies; it would be a terrible blow to lose their strength."

Danzo ruminated on this. His eyes were cold and calculating as he responded, "Powerful allies make for powerful enemies."

Just then a form blurred into the council chambers, causing those on the civilian side of the council to tense up. Everyone else knew who this was from his chakra signature and what his arrival would likely portend.

The intruder was on one knee in front of the council with his head bowed, and his eyes were filled with resignation, pain, and betrayal. He looked like a young man damaged by the weight of duty and its many requirements.

Before the council knelt none other than Itachi Uchiha, the black-haired prodigy of the Uchiha clan.

When he spoke, everyone waited with bated breath.

"Lord Hokage, Elders, I come bearing grave news. The Uchiha Clan is without any doubt gearing up to stage a coup."

Nobody looked shocked, but they all wore grim expressions.

"You have proof?" Hiruzen questioned him, leaning forward with his fingers clasped in front of his face and his eyebrows cast in a look of harsh reprisal.

"Irrefutable, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen knew this day would come; he'd even let Danzo groom Itachi into the perfect contingency should the Uchiha make their move. An inside source to spy on and undermine the plans of the clan. It saddened him to have used Itachi in this way, but the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few in this case.

Hiruzen struck a match and took a long draw from his pipe.

"We will prepare, do not take any actions until they make their move, and we will give them every chance to retract this plan of theirs. Hopefully, we can find another solution before more bloodshed occurs."

Many of the other council members looked perturbed by this response; some even looked like they would speak out, but everyone held their tongues—after all, the Hokage was the strongest member of this village, and he had only led them to the light since his leadership began.

"If there is nothing else, that will be all. The meeting is adjourned. Itachi, you are dismissed."

A smattering of "Yes, Lord Hokage." rang out, and Itachi Body Flickered away, moving faster than the untrained eye could track.

The other council members began to file out of the room; only one didn't make any motions to leave, but Hiruzen expected as much from Danzo.

Once everyone had left, Danzo spoke up: "We must protect the Hidden Leaf."

"Do not dare to question my intentions. We will; I am."

"And yet you choose to take no action yet again," Danzo looked angry as he spoke, "When we have the proof of their plans, we just do nothing?"

Hiruzen grew enraged, "I will not let the Uchiha stage a coup!"

Danzo was unaffected by his outburst. "At least we agree on something," he motioned to leave, and just as he was reaching the doorway, Hiruzen spoke.

"Preparations only..."

Danzo froze on the threshold, "Of course, Lord Hokage, old friend," he was unhurried as he made his exit.

Hiruzen knew what Danzo would do. He knew that Uchiha's days were numbered. He wished it could have happened another way, but his words to Danzo were as good as him pulling the trigger himself. At least this way he could frame Danzo as the only culprit in the eyes of those with the clearance to know what had happened. Everyone else would only see poor Itachi, the kin-slayer, as the one responsible. He didn't want it to be this way, but it was time to make an evil decision.