"Every clan is part of Konoha. We cannot let them lose heart."
Danzo Shimura felt a surge of delight. Hiruzen Sarutobi meant exactly what he said on the surface: they could not let so many Ninja Clans lose heart.
But it was enough as long as they did not lose heart.
They merely needed to "voluntarily" offer up some of their elite clan members to join Root. Some elite disciples from those clans would also believe they ought to contribute to their families and willingly enter Root. Danzo Shimura only needed to give them a little reminder.
In any case, the Ninja Clans could not show any objection on the surface. As long as they did not openly object or lodge complaints with the Hokage, that would be enough.
How could Danzo Shimura fail to understand what his old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi meant?
As he grew older, Hiruzen Sarutobi had become increasingly indecisive and overly cautious. He feared losing power, yet also worried that the next Hokage would weaken the Sarutobi Clan. He fretted over every possibility and no longer possessed the bearing of the heroic ninja he had been in his youth.
"They will not have any objections." Danzo Shimura answered in a deep voice, his expression grave, though other thoughts were stirring in secret within him.
Hiruzen, your heart has grown weak. Only I... still uphold our teacher's will. Danzo Shimura's resolve had never faded. With each passing day, his obsession with becoming Hokage only grew stronger.
Only I am qualified to be Hokage!
Hiruzen, your weakness means you are no longer fit to sit in that position!
Whenever he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi seated in the Hokage's chair, Danzo Shimura could not help recalling how, back then, he had hesitated for only one second—and the position of Hokage