Danzo Stirs, Time to Make a Move!

The warm autumn and winter sun shone over the entire village. Everything looked so peaceful and prosperous, and the residents lived comfortable lives. This was Konoha, the village envied most by all the others.

Yet behind that dazzling facade, deep underground in the forest behind Hokage Rock, lay Root's base.

The base was dimly lit, surrounded by walls of steel. Only a few incandescent lamps hung high overhead, casting circles of light onto the floor. Everywhere beyond those spots was especially dark.

"Lord Danzo, Jiraiya has returned to the village. He is currently with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and has moved into his home."

Ryoma Aburame knelt on one knee before Danzo and reported this intelligence regarding Jiraiya.

Upon hearing this, Danzo's expression immediately twisted. His already ugly old face now looked even more like a withered chrysanthemum.

"I understand. Dismissed."

"Yes!"

Ryoma Aburame immediately vanished in a Body Flicker.

Right afterward, Danzo rushed without delay to Hiruzen Sarutobi's Hokage office.

Bang!

Danzo shoved the door open and stormed into the office in a fury.

"Hiruzen! How could you let Jiraiya live in the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's home? Don't you know what Jiraiya is like? The Jinchuriki cannot be left in the hands of a loose cannon like Jiraiya!"

Faced with Danzo barging in so angrily, Hiruzen Sarutobi initially thought the Uchiha had done something to provoke him again. But after listening, he had not expected it to be about Jiraiya and the Jinchuriki.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.

"Danzo, Jiraiya has decided to stay in the village this time. That is why I allowed him to remain by Naruto's side. Is there a problem with that?"

Danzo's face darkened at once. He had deliberately burst in pretending to be angry because he wanted to probe for information about Jiraiya, fearing that Jiraiya might remain in the village.

Ever since the Nine-Tails had been sealed inside Naruto, Danzo had never abandoned his plans to seize the Jinchuriki, though he had failed several times.

But lately, as he watched the Uchiha clan grow stronger and stronger, Danzo had begun to feel uneasy. He had also been searching for ways to expand Root's power.

He had demanded people from the major clans, constantly tempted shinobi within the village, and even sent Root shinobi outside the village to abduct wandering shinobi and bounty hunters. Then he used the Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu to forcibly turn them into his pawns, all to strengthen Root.

Just as he had begun eyeing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki once more, he had not expected Hiruzen to summon Jiraiya back. That was why he had ordered Ryoma Aburame to track Jiraiya's movements.

But the report made him worry. He feared Jiraiya would stay in the village, staying beside the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

That was why he had immediately come to Hiruzen to sound him out after learning the news. Yet the thing he feared most had happened—Jiraiya truly intended to remain in the village.

And Hiruzen had even agreed to let Jiraiya look after the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It gave Danzo the same angry feeling as having the woman he liked stolen away by someone else. Not that he had ever liked a woman, but that was exactly how it felt.

"Hiruzen, I object! You must understand the danger posed by Naruto Uzumaki as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! A Jinchuriki should not have emotions. He should only be a tool. Hand him over to Root and let me train him."

Danzo's words made Hiruzen's blood pressure rise.

"Danzo! How many times have I told you? What is wrong with you? Fine, you don't trust the Uchiha, but what now? You don't even trust Jiraiya? He is my student!"

"Orochimaru was your student too! Don't forget that! Didn't Orochimaru also become a Rogue Ninja back then? How can you guarantee that Jiraiya's request to remain beside the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki after returning to the village isn't part of some plot?"

When Danzo mentioned Orochimaru, another pang of pain struck Hiruzen's heart. His tone lost its earlier agitation, and he calmed down again.

"Danzo, Orochimaru and Jiraiya are different. You cannot lump them together. Jiraiya does not have the same evil in his heart as Orochimaru. They are not the same kind of person."

Danzo smiled.

"Hiruzen, Hiruzen, how laughable. You should know that Orochimaru only went down the wrong path after coming into contact with experiments involving First Hokage's Cells. By letting Jiraiya stay beside the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, aren't you afraid the same thing will happen again?"

"You should know, if Jiraiya truly cared most about the village, would he have chosen to wander outside for so many years? Would he have left the village before the Hidden Cloud sent its delegation?"

"Do you truly think your student has no ulterior motives in approaching the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Isn't he trying to take the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki away from you?"

"Even setting aside Rogue Ninja Orochimaru, Tsunade left the village, and Jiraiya traveled outside. Did you only order Jiraiya to return to the village this time? Probably not. Then why was Jiraiya the only one who returned? Why did he ask to care for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki the moment he came back?"

Danzo's words echoed in Hiruzen's ears one after another, causing Hiruzen's absolute faith in Jiraiya to begin wavering.

Seeing Hiruzen gradually become uncertain, Danzo began to feel pleased.

He knew this old friend of his far too well. Though Hiruzen was quite capable, his suspicious nature, distrust, and thirst for power had always been his greatest flaws.

Back then, Hiruzen had only agreed to frame White Fang of the Leaf after Danzo's instigation. Danzo had also been the one behind exposing Orochimaru's human experiments.

Now, Hiruzen's physical abilities had declined, but after losing and then regaining the position of Hokage, his attachment to that position had only grown stronger.

After the Third Shinobi World War, Hiruzen's determination to step down and pass the position on to Minato had even surprised Danzo. Yet later, when Minato was in office, Hiruzen kept pointing fingers and refused to relinquish power. Then, after Minato died, he took the position again.

Danzo had seen through his close friend Hiruzen completely. It was true that he loved the village, but it was equally true that he craved power and distrusted others!

After a long silence, Hiruzen finally spoke.

"What you said does make some sense, but I still choose to trust Jiraiya. I firmly believe Jiraiya will not betray my trust."

This answer was beyond Danzo's expectations. He had thought Hiruzen would be swayed by his words as he had been in the past. Why? Why had his manipulation failed?

"You! You!"

The furious Danzo pointed at him with a trembling arm.

"If what I said makes sense, then why won't you hand the Jinchuriki over to me? Don't you trust me? I am your shadow in the darkness!"

Hiruzen looked at Danzo, his cloudy eyes filled with resolve.

"Danzo, it is precisely because I know you too well. I believe you would not use the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to harm the village, but I also believe Jiraiya would not do so either."

"I trust both of you, but we have already caused Naruto too much harm. Let Jiraiya make it up to him properly by staying at his side."

But Danzo still refused to give up and wanted to continue, only for Hiruzen to cut him off.

"Enough, Danzo! I am the Hokage!"

"Hiruzen! You will regret this!"

Seeing Hiruzen say those words, Danzo knew that his plans had come to nothing this time. All he could do was spit out that classic line before leaving in bitter resentment.