HTP: Ch. 48

On the moss-covered stone wall, the banner bearing the message "Reform and Start Anew," personally inscribed by the Third Hokage, had already begun to fade.

Why hasn't Hiruzen come to see me yet?

Staring with his single eye at the faint light coming through the vent, Danzō felt increasingly suffocated and uneasy in the monotony of prison life.

The world is about to descend into chaos. I made the situation with Akatsuki very clear in my letter to Hiruzen. Now is the time for me to once again burn for Konoha.

In the prison, he banged his shackled wrists against the special chakra-infused iron bars and couldn't help shouting out, "Has Hiruzen still not replied to me? Is he not even reading the secret intel I wrote?!"

No one responded.

"Or is it you lot playing tricks?!"

His voice grew louder and his emotions more agitated.

"You're delaying a critical opportunity! You'll be held responsible for this in the future!"

The jailers clearly wanted nothing to do with a political prisoner like him.

"You listen well! I am Danzō, disciple of the Second Hokage!" Danzō roared, suddenly surging forward, his chains clattering, "I am the Darkness of the Shinobi! I earned merit on the battlefield back then! I contributed! I demand to see the Hokage! If no one replies to me, I'll go on a hunger strike!"

Perhaps finally fed up with his shouting, the sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"The Hokage has not replied," a guard said. "The Hokage reminds you to take your blood pressure medicine on time."

"I'm not taking it! Tell Hiruzen to come see me!" Danzō yelled. "Were my letters intercepted by Homura and Koharu?"

The guard replied, "They have officially retired. Here's today's newspaper."

At the same time, a newspaper slipped through the iron bars and fluttered to the ground.

Danzō picked it up with one hand.

The headline read: "The Land of Fire, Wind, and Water Sign Alliance Treaty"

Subheadline: "New Raikage Recognizes Akatsuki's Crimes, Heads to Konoha in Apology"

---

In the interrogation room, Hiruzen's pipe released wisps of smoke as he wrote "Uncooperative" for the fourth time on the case file.

Kisame remained silent with his head bowed.

"Think it over again. Konoha treats you with such leniency only because I treasure talented people. I can also see the Will of Fire in you."

Hiruzen sighed heavily, feeling like the world had completely lost its sense of reason.

This was already the fourth interview with Kisame, shouldn't someone as sincere as the Hokage himself be able to win him over?

But Kisame remained stubborn and indifferent, completely uncooperative. Even after Hiruzen told him that the masked man wasn't Madara at all, but rather just a boy, Obito.

The whole "world-saving plan" was a lie. Kisame was just a pawn.

Hiruzen's competitive streak was starting to flare up.

What was so great about Obito's Infinite Tsukuyomi anyway?

He launched into a speech about the Will of Fire and his grand vision for how Konoha's ideology would eventually radiate across the entire shinobi world. Compared to Obito's delusional scheme, wasn't this much more practical?

Suddenly, inspiration struck him, "How's Konoha's food... compared to Akatsuki's or Kiri's ration pills?"

Kisame stayed silent for a long while, then finally spoke, "Much better. Regardless, I must see Itachi once. Otherwise, my doubts will never be resolved."

Then he fell silent again.

Clearly, after Orochimaru, Itachi had become another man's psychological shadow.

Hiruzen was about to continue persuading him, when two ANBU appeared.

"Hokage-sama."

Saru poked his head through the door. "The new students at the Ninja Academy are waiting for your lecture on the founding history of Konoha..."

Hiruzen coughed and said, "Got it, I'm heading over now. Kisame, think it over once more."

Clearly, the first class had to be taught by the Hokage himself, it must begin with the history of Konoha.

I wonder how things are going on Itachi's end…

Before leaving, he turned back to glance at the prison.

This place might need to hold a lot more people in the future. Since the Marines have a place called Impel Down… Then Konoha's can be called...

"Kitsu, pass the word down. From now on, Konoha Prison will be renamed Iron Leaf Bastion. Hopefully the inmates within will have a chance to reflect and start over as better people."

The ANBU all praised the Hokage for his compassion and benevolence.

---

In Impel Down, behind the iron bars, Ace, who had just come back to his senses, smiled casually.

"You again, old man. So, have you thought over what I said last time?"

Garp clenched his fist and growled in a low voice: "You idiot. The execution platform is already built. The date is almost here."

"Hahaha." Ace chuckled. "I'm not going to die here! Luffy, Sabo and I still have dreams to fulfill! How about joining my crew!"

Ever since he had been imprisoned, he had completely changed from the boy Garp remembered, always unsure whether he should have even been born into this world.

This was enlightenment under pressure.

Garp's temple throbbed violently, and he shouted, "You are trying to recruit people while still in shackles!"

Hearing Ace invite him onto a pirate crew once again, he was left speechless.

"Why couldn't you just live the way I told you to, Ace…"

Though he didn't understand where Ace's confidence came from, he still said, "Whitebeard won't win."

"If you're not planning to join my crew, then you don't need to say anything more," Ace said seriously. "I'm Roger's son, Whitebeard's adopted son, a top-tier pirate, who will storm Mary Geoise and capture the Five Elders alive. And you're a washed-up Marine hero, a relic of the past…"

Now Garp was getting angry. With a sudden motion, he ripped open the cell door.

The guards in the distance were thrown into panic.

He bellowed, "Don't interfere! I'm going to give this punk a good beating, as a Marine officer!"

The guards, terrified of his reputation, were unsure how to react.

He charged forward and began pummeling Ace, who was still shackled with seastone.

Ace raised his hands in surrender and quickly said, "I may be a pirate, but I'm still family!"

Hearing that, Garp became even more speechless, and raised a heavy punch toward Ace's face.

But, Ace, who was supposed to be restrained by seastone, dodged it easily.

Garp looked at Ace, then at his own fist, puzzled.

Observation Haki?

In the end, with a dark expression, he said in a low voice, "The execution is in three days. No matter what tricks you've got, you're not escaping this, you bastard."

A clueless Ace from before might not have picked up on the deeper meaning. But the stronger, wiser Ace understood immediately: In three days, the execution's coming. If you've got a plan, use it. Don't actually die out there.