Sarutobi Hiruzen sat alone in his office. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from the faint glow of the evening sun slipping through the blinds. After a long period of silence, he sighed heavily and slowly sank into his chair. With trembling hands, he lit a cigarette, then another, and yet another, as he buried himself in the haze of smoke and thought.
Unbeknownst to him, someone was lurking in the shadows.
Black Zetsu stood concealed in the darkness, a twisted grin playing on his lips. His yellow eyes gleamed with wicked delight as he observed the Hokage's behavior.
"Oh my goodness…" Black Zetsu muttered to himself, unable to hide his glee. "So, the Uchiha clan actually intended to rebel, and Danzo knew about it in advance? This is more interesting than I expected."
He narrowed his eyes, thinking deeper. "That must mean there's a traitor in the Uchiha clan—someone who leaked the plan to Shimura Danzo."
Initially, Black Zetsu had only wanted to use some basic leverage to blackmail Sarutobi Hiruzen. But now, he had stumbled upon something far more valuable—an internal betrayal within the Uchiha clan. With that kind of information, he could potentially earn a fortune. If he found the traitor and sold the intel to Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head would surely pay a high price to know who had betrayed them.
A sly smile curved across Black Zetsu's face. "Heh, I really do have a knack for business, don't I?" he chuckled to himself.
But in his moment of pride, he let his guard down and spoke aloud.
Suddenly, Sarutobi Hiruzen's sharp voice rang through the room. "Who's there? Come out!"
His eyes scanned the shadows with laser focus. He had clearly heard the voice just now. Years of battle experience had sharpened his senses, and even a whisper couldn't escape him.
Black Zetsu froze, realizing he had revealed himself out of sheer arrogance. There was no use hiding now.
With a slow, deliberate movement, he phased through the wall and stepped into the room, a mocking smile on his face. "Hey now, don't be so tense, Hokage-sama," he said casually. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to talk business."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened in alarm as he saw the strange dark humanoid form emerging from the solid wall. Instinctively, he stepped back, his fingers moving subtly behind his back to prepare for hand seals. If needed, he was ready to unleash a deadly ninjutsu on the intruder.
Black Zetsu, however, remained calm, almost playful. "Relax, Hokage-sama," he said again, his tone dripping with fake politeness. "This won't take long. I just want to offer you a very… interesting deal."
As he spoke, he slowly reached into his cloak and pulled out a peculiar green stone. He held it in his palm and extended it toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Hokage's eyes narrowed. He had never seen anything like it before.
"This," said Black Zetsu, holding the stone with reverence, "is a recording stone. It can project everything that has occurred within its vicinity over the past three days."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned puzzled. "Recording stone?" he muttered.
Black Zetsu smirked and continued, "I figured if I tried to confront you empty-handed, you'd deny everything. So I paid a high price to obtain this from Peter. Very high-quality merchandise."
He infused the stone with chakra, and a soft light began to glow from its core. Within seconds, a light curtain appeared above the stone, casting an image into the air.
The image played.
"This one is too small… not good. This one is a bit old and sagging…"
"Hehehe… this one's perfect. If I could touch it, I'd die a happy man…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat.
His face turned ashen as he watched the horrifying scene unfold on the projection. The images clearly showed him, peering through his crystal ball… into the women's bathhouse. His perverted expression, the lewd comments, even the steam rising from the hot springs—it was all captured with impeccable clarity.
He felt his body go cold.
His hands trembled. Beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. His entire life—the respect he had earned, the position he had held for decades—was now hanging by a thread.
The man known as the wise and benevolent Third Hokage… was now exposed as a disgusting voyeur. If this footage were to leak, it wouldn't just ruin his career—it would utterly destroy his reputation forever.
Black Zetsu watched him carefully, drinking in every second of Hiruzen's humiliation. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"So?" he asked, his voice gleeful. "What do you think of my little business proposal, Hokage-sama?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't respond. His mind was racing. He carefully calculated the distance between them. Could he strike down this shadowy figure in one swift move?
Black Zetsu noticed the shift in Hiruzen's expression and laughed. "Ah, planning to kill me, are you? I thought you might try that."
He stepped back cautiously and raised the recording stone into the air. "But here's the thing—if I crush this stone, the image will be broadcast across the entire ninja world. Every village, every shinobi, every child… will see the great Sarutobi Hiruzen peeping on naked women."
His voice was eerily calm, his confidence unshakable.
"And no offense, but even you can't stop me from running away," he added. "You see, Hokage-sama, my abilities are… unique."
Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his fists. The old man knew Black Zetsu was right. His ability to phase through objects and disappear underground made him nearly impossible to catch.
After a long, tense silence, the Hokage finally asked in a hoarse voice, "What do you want?"
"A billion ryo," Black Zetsu replied smoothly. "Pay me one billion, and the image stone is yours."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at him in disbelief. "Impossible," he said firmly. "A thief recently raided Konoha's treasury. All our funds are gone. We don't have that kind of money."
Black Zetsu shrugged. Of course, he knew that. He was the one who had stolen the village's treasury himself. But he just wanted to see how Hiruzen would respond.
"Fine," he said. "Eight hundred million."
Still, Hiruzen shook his head.
"Five hundred million?"
Again, the Hokage refused.
Black Zetsu's expression darkened. He had been generous with his offers—too generous. Now he realized Hiruzen was just stalling, trying to haggle. It infuriated him.
He sneered and raised the stone again. "Let me remind you, Hokage-sama—you don't want people to find out about your little bathhouse hobby, do you?"
He waved the image stone right in front of Hiruzen's face, taunting him.
Hiruzen hesitated. He had hoped to lower the price further—to maybe 200 million or even 100 million—but it was clear now that Black Zetsu had seen right through him.
Before he could respond, Black Zetsu cut him off. "Enough games. I don't care how you get the money, but I want eight hundred million in three days. That's your deadline."
"If you fail," he added coldly, "then the sky over every village in the ninja world will light up with your most shameful moment."
With that, he turned around and dove underground, disappearing as suddenly as he had arrived.
Hiruzen stood frozen in place, a mixture of rage, shame, and helplessness contorting his face. After several long minutes, he clenched his jaw and stormed out of the office. He had no choice—he had to find the money.
Hidden beneath the earth, Black Zetsu poked his head out with a grin. "Hehe, Peter's advice really works…"
Peter had told him before: "If you have the power to flip the table, show it. If not, people will walk all over you."
And it was true. After his display of strength and leverage, Sarutobi Hiruzen—the once proud Hokage—was now scurrying about to collect hush money.
Black Zetsu's gamble had paid off. He didn't need brute strength to bring down giants. Just a little blackmail, the right kind of dirt, and even the strongest would crumble.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, he knew he had no way out. He had built his entire legacy on the perception of wisdom and virtue. If that perception were shattered, everything he had worked for would be gone.
No price was too high to protect his image.
Even if it meant paying 800 million.