Ambition

As it turns out, Shimura Danzō's feelings went through several ups and downs during these two periods.

First, they received rumors that the Seven-Tails might be in the Land of Waterfalls, which delighted them. Then, they thought they could forcibly take Jinchūriki from the Land of Waterfalls, but unexpectedly, the Danzo was acting with Sakura Haruno. The two Kage Level fighters were too much for Root to handle, and their plan to seize the Seven-Tails fell through, leaving them greatly disappointed. Then, unwilling to give up, Danzo sent people to secretly follow the Danzo until they discovered that they had encountered Akatsuki. Danzo was hoping that these two tigers would fight to the death, so that he could gain the credit for his efforts and recruit the most scarce "Kage" level fighters in Root!

However, in the end, Kisame died, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was taken away, and Itachi and Sakura stopped fighting halfway through...

All the ideas came to nothing.

The fantasy in his heart was suddenly shattered, and the huge gap between imagination and reality made Danzo, who was usually calm and Danzo, unable to hold back his anger!

Call...

Danzo a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger.

"Sakura Haruno likely knew Uchiha Itachi's identity..." Danzo, having calmed down, quickly guessed the inside story, "That's why she let Itachi leave."

"Forget it... let's ignore Uchiha Itachi, now is not the time to make a move against him!"

"Keep a close eye on Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha." Danzo's voice was as cold as ice, as if devoid of warmth. "She's fought two consecutive battles, and her aura has weakened considerably... her strength has greatly diminished!"

"Since that's the case..."

He put away his trench coat and cane, revealing a tight-fitting outfit.

This seemingly hunched old man stood upright, his aura surprisingly powerful and surging, even more imposing than the robust young ninjas around him!

Those cloudy, dim old eyes suddenly flashed with divine light, sharply sweeping over the group of Root ninjas kneeling before him.

Looking at his loyal subordinates, Danzo felt a surge of heroic spirit that he hadn't felt in a long time.

"If we can't get the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki," Danzo's cold words were filled with deep malice, "Then we'll make up for it with Ice Release Kekkei Genkai and the Sharingan!"

"Let's go, let's go meet this ninja who uses Ice Release!"

Danzo swung his right hand down suddenly, creating a whistling sound, and the Root ninjas below him responded in unison.

"Set off!"

For a moment, the Root ninjas, who were usually gloomy and sneaky, felt a surge of excitement and heroic spirit as they stepped into the sunlight.

But... just thinking about it for a moment, is it really heroic to only dare to attack ninjas who have fought two consecutive battles and are exhausted?

Furthermore, is Sakura Haruno really as weak as he imagined?

"It seems their target really is only the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki."

After carefully reviewing the documents twice more, Sakura Haruno finally came to a conclusion.

Regardless, although Danzo was cunning and didn't care about the lives of his subordinates, he wasn't stupid. Over the past two years, as Sakura Haruno's strength had grown, Danzo's attempt to recruit her as Root ninja had become increasingly laughable.

After all, anyone with a little common sense would know that Root simply cannot tolerate the existence of a Kage Level powerhouse: treatment, prestige, and even methods to improve strength are all denied to Root—and even if they were, they would be given priority to Root's leader Shimura Danzō.

Back then, when Danzo stopped her in the street, anyone else, with Sakura Haruno's current strength, might have tried to Danzo and get revenge to achieve a sense of satisfaction and peace of mind. However, Sakura Haruno had a very good attitude and was too lazy to bother with such things. As long as Danzo didn't provoke her, she didn't care about getting revenge.

Given her personality, she either doesn't act at all, or if she does, it's definitely not as simple as just "getting revenge"...

Fortunately, Danzo wisely chose to back down and didn't cause any more trouble for our protagonist, Sakura Haruno. After all, in terms of both status and strength, Sakura Haruno has already reached the top of Danzo Konoha. Danzo doesn't have any fatal weaknesses about her or anything she desperately needs. Danzo currently has no power to coerce or entice such a ninja.

So when Sakura Haruno was surprised to find the Root ninjas monitoring the battlefield, she realized that they weren't after her, but after the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.

"You guys know what's good for you."

The Ice Release ninja snorted coldly and gestured for his clone to step forward and close the dead man's eyes.

"Though you are Root ninjas, you are still Konoha people after all. Now that I've seen you, I'll let you rest in peace..."

The pink-haired girl sighed deeply and said softly.

Just as she showed a hint of pity and tenderness, Sakura Haruno's expression suddenly changed. The next moment, the softness on her face vanished, replaced by frost.

"Danzo..."

The girl and her clone both turned their gaze toward the world beyond the hidden cave.

Outside the cave.

Is Sakura Haruno in here?

Danzo and the Root ninjas following behind him appeared at the cave entrance. Before they could even stand still, he asked anxiously.

"Huff, huff... Yes, Sakura Haruno hasn't left yet after entering this place." The sensory ninja at the front of the group answered, panting heavily, pointing to the cave entrance.

"Well done, Ryūichi..."

Unfortunately, due to his eagerness and hasty pace, Ryūichi had exhausted all his energy and was no longer able to participate in the remaining actions. However, fortunately, he had already cornered Sakura Haruno inside the cave, so the presence or absence of sensory ninjas wasn't a major issue...

Danzo at the sweat-drenched sensory ninja and his other subordinates, who were also slightly out of breath, silently assessing his own forces. The closer they got to success, the less careless they could afford to be. Although eager, Danzo forced himself to slow down, doing nothing until his mind calmed before walking past the sensory ninja and coldly saying, "Ryūichi, you stay outside and rest!"

"Yes... sir!" Ryūichi stepped aside and replied in a low voice.

"Next..." Danzo his gaze into the dark cave, a hint of fanaticism hidden in his eyes, "Let's go in."

Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno...

Beneath his rock-hard expression burned Danzo's heart with a fierce fire. The thought of retrieving a new Danzo of Sharingan and acquiring Kage Level subordinates to help Root break through its current predicament was like a blazing flame, constantly stimulating his heart...

Filled with excitement, Danzo followed his subordinates, who were acting as his vanguard, into the cave.

From Ryūichi's perspective outside the cave, darkness gradually swallowed Danzo's figure... He watched Danzo go deeper into the cave, and for some reason, a bad premonition arose from the keen intuition of a perceptive ninja!

However, Ryūichi did not have the courage to stop Danzo's advance.

Having served under Danzo for so many years, he knew Danzo's stubbornness and arrogance. Once Danzo made a decision, he would not tolerate anyone opposing him, and those who opposed him usually did not have a pleasant end...

Ryūichi hesitated for just a moment, and Danzo had already disappeared from his sight. By then, Danzo couldn't hear him anymore...

(One more chapter to come.)