If you wanna read ahead of my stories, you can check out the advanced Chapters on my subcribestar, at the same username - 0Jordinio0

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"And you’re absolutely sure Daiki-kun wasn’t too antagonistic in his message to the Raikage?" Hiruzen raised a brow at his old friend as they both sat together, fishing.

"Hiruzen, Daiki-kun asked me personally to oversee his terms for the Raikage. He was exceedingly generous and polite," Danzo assured the former Hokage, "I am in fact in awe of his skill when it comes to diplomacy."

Hiruzen stared at his old friend dubiously. Daiki was many things. Obscenely strong, resourceful, bombastic, cunning in ways that would surprise many who could not see below the surface of his arrogant cocky demeanour.

Diplomatic was not one of those things though.

But then, maybe in this time what Konoha truly needed was one who would not consider diplomacy first.

"The fact you of all people oversaw the letter, sends a chill down my spine," Hiruzen snorted, puffing on his pipe, shaking his head, "And when did you become so close to Daiki-kun to be asked to do such a thing."

Danzo glanced at him from the corner of his single visible eye, and despite himself Hiruzen still had to resist the urge to reach over and rip the other eye he now knew of, hidden under his bandage from his skull, "He is monitoring my progress quite closely in regards to Root," Danzo replied, before looking back to the lake in front of them, "And I’d hardly call it close. The Daiki-kun in his office most of the time has been a clone, and they switch regularly. The real Daiki-kun is much too busy to be stuck in an office all day like you were."

Was that a jab at him?

Well, Danzo would not be Danzo if he did not try to needle him so. So juvenile, even in his old age, "I remember when I used to do such a thing," Hiruzen chuckled, shaking his head, "Of course, that was until Homura and Koharu lectured me constantly on how disrespectful it was to our people, the other nations and foreign visitors for a clone to handle my official duties."

Danzo scoffed, "And that is why you are weak, and needed to be replaced, " his old friend huffed in disgust, "Do you think Daiki-kun would ever allow anyone to tell him what to do? Needle like an annoying pair of flies until he bows to their whims like you did?"

He resisted the urge to sigh. It was all so black and white for Danzo at times. He could never understand compromise. It was a lot more complicated than simply being weak and giving in to needling from old friends who thought they knew better.

He was not wrong at the same time though, for he truly could never see Daiki doing such a thing.

While the Hokage had always been a dictator as a whole, their word law. His predecessor and himself were much more soft handed about it. Daiki, was a true blue dictator that had only truly been in office for a short time, but had already pushed the village towards war, annexing other countries, conquering other nations, stealing the bijuu and more.

He’d even started already on propaganda. He’d heard the most outlandish rumours about the Godaime Hokage lately.

Such as him donating blood to a wounded boy, and that boy then going on to become the First Hokage.

And absurd as it was, it was one of the tamer rumours he’d heard about the ’Legendary Daiki’.

And it was genius he had to admit. Normal propaganda, might work with the younger generation. But the older, more experienced veterans? They would see through it for what it was. They would not be swept along.

However, framing these legendary feats as a joke as Daiki was doing and taking them to the extreme, while mixing in some of the truthful ones. Made them an amusing cultural reference that even the older more experienced shinobi and kunoichi could get a chuckle out of, even he had found himself laughing at a few of them.

Like the one about Daiki’s tears having the power to cure any wound or disease. But it was just too bad he’d never cried.

"No, I suppose you are right in that regard," Hiruzen shook his head, "Poor Homura is walking on egg shells right now, afraid to approach Daiki-kun after their confrontation during that first council meeting."

Danzo scoffed, "As he should, the fool. If he had a problem, he should have brought it up privately. Decrying the Hokage in front of his subordinates makes him lose face and look weak," he snorted, "He was lucky Daiki-kun was so merciful with him."

Well, he doubted Homura thought being crushed by the Hokage’s raw chakra presence was merciful at all.

He was quite humiliated.

But he supposed that was better than being dead.

’They really are similar in more ways than one.’ Hiruzen mused, glancing down at his hand.

Specifically where the Dimension Force Seal he’d copied from Daiki was inscribed upon his palm. And where a certain set of documents were hidden away for now.

It was surprising, yet not so much in the end considering everything. In fact, it made a certain amount of sense.

All things considered.

"I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you out here." he said after a moment

"No actually I was not," Danzo rolled his single visible eye, "I just assumed this was some sentimental attempt to spend time with me before I got executed."

"You are the last person I’d want to spend my relaxing retirement with, and Onoki is on that last," Hiruzen shot back with a snort, "Do you remember Tobirama-sama’s plan for the Senju clan?"

"I thought that was forbidden to speak about?" Danzo raised a single brow at him, almost mockingly so, "The former Hokage breaking the law? How shameless."

He resisted the urge to punch him. As if he of all people had any right to talk such rubbish.

Such an annoying obstinate man his old friend was indeed.

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