Third Party

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The hand gripping Danzo's cane trembled, and it was impossible to tell whether his expression showed rage or fear.

He had failed!

He had considered the possibility of failure, but he had never imagined it would be this disastrous!

Fourteen jonin—even if some of them were Special Jonin, they had been Special Jonin specifically chosen to deal with Kazuna.

Special Jonin occupied a very particular category. They were not as well-rounded as true jonin, but they possessed exceptional talents in certain areas.

Some Special Jonin could completely surpass true jonin in several specific fields.

This time, Danzo had sent several such Special Jonin.

Their abilities had been tailored to counter Kazuna!

Against Kazuna, they would have been even more effective than actual jonin.

They had all been genuine talents!

Yet all fourteen of them had been wiped out!

The blow to Danzo was enormous.

It was also a severe blow to Root. Root's jonin had been nearly wiped out, leaving them with hardly any jonin worth fielding.

Especially Aburame Shikuroo, the user of nano-scale insects. His death made Danzo's heart convulse.

That had been a true trump card in Danzo's hand!

"Damn Kazuna, damn Uchiha!"

Danzo's expression twisted savagely.

Having lost control, he pressed the cane in his hand straight into the ground.

He did not want to admit that he had begun to fear Kazuna.

Fourteen jonin specifically selected to counter him had been flawlessly killed by Kazuna. Just how strong was Kazuna?

In his memory, only two people seemed capable of such a feat.

Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze!

The two Hokage whose speed stood unrivaled in the Shinobi World.

Could Hiruzen Sarutobi do it?

Who knew before, but he absolutely could not now!

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi had only made a move once since becoming Hokage!

Whoosh!

An Anbu appeared before Danzo.

"I understand. Tell Hiruzen I'll be there shortly!"

Before the Anbu could speak, Danzo answered first.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi had not come looking for him, he had been preparing to see the Third Hokage.

"Yes!"

The Anbu paused for a moment, then vanished again using the Body Flicker Technique.

"Uchiha, just wait," Danzo muttered coldly. "This will not end here. This is only the beginning. You evil creatures will bring unimaginable harm to Konohagakure. You must be destroyed."

"Everything is for Konohagakure!"

"Shikaku, Inoichi, what's wrong with you two?"

At Shikaku's home in the Nara clan compound.

The three members of Ino-Shika-Cho were drinking tea.

Choza Akimichi looked suspiciously at the two men, whose expressions were grim.

Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka exchanged a glance.

"Choza, we've been thinking about what Uchiha Kazuna said," Shikaku Nara said.

"Uchiha Kazuna?" Choza Akimichi scratched his head. "Which thing he said?"

"The part that concerned us!"

"Oh! That Ino-Shika-Cho were the ones who assassinated him." Choza Akimichi understood, but became even more puzzled. "Didn't Uchiha Kazuna say that was a joke?"

"If it really were a joke, that would be wonderful," Inoichi Yamanaka said helplessly.

"No way!" Choza Akimichi's eyes widened. "We didn't... Mm, those clan members Danzo took from us?"

"That's right!" Shikaku Nara's expression darkened, tinged with urgency. "Danzo took clan members from all three Ino-Shika-Cho clans."

"Our clan was the most useful to him, so we also had the most clan members taken," Inoichi Yamanaka said with a self-mocking laugh.

At those words, even Choza Akimichi fell silent.

"He stole our clan members and trained them into Root operatives to carry out his missions. If they succeeded, Danzō reaped the benefits. If they failed, like this time, the Uchiha redirected part of their hatred onto us. He truly lives up to the name Darkness of Shinobi!"

Shikaku Nara's expression darkened further.

The three of them were the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.

Shikaku Nara was also the leader of Ino-Shika-Cho.

There were many matters they simply could not avoid.

"Forget it. We got used to it long ago." Inoichi Yamanaka looked helpless as he said, "Are we really going to confront him head-on?"

"Why not?"

Shikaku Nara's words were startling.

"Shikaku..."

Inoichi and Choza stared blankly at Shikaku Nara, blurting out, "Have you gone mad? Ino-Shika-Cho has always been the Hokage's staunchest supporter."

"Is Danzō the Hokage?"

Shikaku asked in return.

"No, but..."

"That's enough!" Shikaku cut Inoichi off. "Inoichi, Root suffered enormous losses this time. Danzō will definitely replenish its ranks. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans will inevitably have many members chosen by him. Just wait—it won't be long before the pressure falls on us. Is that what you want to see?"

"This..."

Both Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi frowned deeply.

"Ino-Shika-Cho may have always followed the Hokage, but how many more years can Hiruzen Sarutobi remain Hokage?"

Shikaku Nara's expression was cold. "He's already over sixty. He should have stepped down from the Hokage's seat long ago. If not for Minato's death..."

His fists clenched.

Ino-Shika-Cho had always followed the Hokage.

After Minato Namikaze took office, Ino-Shika-Cho became his supporters and received special consideration in return.

Because of Minato Namikaze's youth, he had been sidelined by the Third Hokage and the others after just becoming Hokage, reduced to little more than a figurehead.

Yet Shikaku Nara had keenly spotted an opportunity. He decisively led Ino-Shika-Cho to side with Minato, earning Minato's esteem and being entrusted with important duties.

Things unfolded just as Shikaku Nara had expected. With Ino-Shika-Cho's assistance, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage who held the moral high ground, gradually began to take power into his own hands.

Ino-Shika-Cho benefited alongside him.

Everything seemed to be developing in a wonderful direction.

And then, at that very moment, Minato died in battle!

The Third Hokage actually returned to office. That was when Ino-Shika-Cho's problems began.

It was not as though Hiruzen Sarutobi would purge them. His attitude remained the same as before, and his words were full of praise for Ino-Shika-Cho!

But was it truly the same?

As the Jonin Commander, Shikaku Nara felt ice-cold all over.

He saw things too clearly.

Danzō used his power to seize ninja from the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans.

The Hokage directly kicked him out of the circle of power.

Ino-Shika-Cho appeared to be the Hokage's diehard supporters, yet a mountain stood between them.

"Now, we have no choice but to act as well!"

Shikaku Nara's voice was filled with resolve.

"Why?"

The other two asked in confusion, "Because of the Uchiha?"

"Don't you understand yet?" Shikaku sighed. "Today, Uchiha Kazuna singled out Ino-Shika-Cho and the Aburame Clan. That was a warning!"

"Our people from the four clans laid hands on the Uchiha Vice Clan Leader. No matter who gave the order, he can ignore that and place the blame on the four of us, because they are our clan members."

Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi's brows furrowed as well.

"If that were all, it would be one thing."

Shikaku Nara gave a bitter laugh. "Think about Shimura Danzō. Is he trustworthy? And even that man... is he worth confronting the Uchiha head-on for?"

"I guarantee it!"

Shikaku Nara raised one finger. "If the Hokage goes to war with the Uchiha, we'll be pushed to the front lines."

"From beginning to end, the Hokage and the others never considered us one of their own. In their eyes, only those four are their own people! Our value lies in sacrificing ourselves for them."

"From another perspective, if we continue following the Hokage, the Uchiha will also regard us as targets. We have no choice but to change!"

"What do you intend to do?" Inoichi Yamanaka asked heavily. "Help the Uchiha?"

"The Uchiha..."

Shikaku Nara murmured as if deep in thought. His gaze gradually hardened with determination. "The Uchiha cannot become Hokage. That is inevitable. And Ino-Shika-Cho must stand on the Hokage's side."

The two stared at Shikaku Nara in shock. They vaguely understood what he was planning.

Shikaku Nara smiled faintly. "Hiruzen Sarutobi should step down. We'll choose the new Hokage ourselves!"