I Thank You on Konohagakure's Behalf

"Nonsense!"

The Third Hokage flatly rejected Danzo's proposal.

Dealing with a ninja clan as hated as the Uchiha had already stirred unrest within the village, and he still wanted to go after the Ino-Shika-Cho?

He was really asking for too much.

Those clans had exceptionally good reputations within the village.

Thinking of this, the Hokage grew increasingly agitated.

The Ino-Shika-Cho were different from other ninja clans. Not only were they powerful, but they were also the Hokage's staunchest supporters.

At such a critical time, how could they possibly choose to oppose the Hokage?

When the other ninja clans saw this, they would wonder, What is going on with the Hokage?

Why have even the Ino-Shika-Cho betrayed them?!

They would begin to question the Hokage.

That would be a devastating blow to him.

In the past, the Hokage had used the Ino-Shika-Cho to maintain his rule and gained many benefits from them. Now, the backlash had come.

He paced back and forth in the office.

The Uchiha were probably delighted. That was only natural. Even the Ino-Shika-Cho had run into trouble—this was practically the prelude to a castle collapsing.

Now, their concern was no longer dealing with the Uchiha, but stabilizing themselves.

Suddenly, the Hokage stopped and looked coldly at Danzo. "Danzo, is the list of people you demanded from the Ino-Shika-Cho really the one you showed me?"

Danzo answered firmly, "Yes!"

"You bastard!" the Hokage roared, pointing at Danzo's nose. "Danzo, I know you too well. You're lying. Take it out. Hand over the real list."

"Hiruzen..."

"In the name of the Hokage, I order you to take it out immediately."

Danzo's lips moved slightly. Under the Hokage's cold stare, he handed over the real list.

As expected, the moment the Hokage saw it, his vision swam, and he nearly fainted.

On the original list, there had only been a handful of people from the Ino-Shika-Cho, fewer than ten across all three clans.

The Hokage had calculated that, as his staunch supporter, Shikaku Nara would probably grant him this favor, so he had agreed.

He had even specifically crossed out several more sensitive names.

But what about Danzo's real list?

There were over fifty people from the Ino-Shika-Cho combined, and even the weakest among them were Chunin.

The list nearly brought the Hokage to tears.

How many Jonin and Chunin did the Ino-Shika-Cho have in total? Danzo had practically packed up their core members and taken them all.

Danzo, why not just become Hokage yourself?!

And the Aburame Clan—he had even demanded their clan head.

Danzo, he was truly ruthless!

The Hokage's lips trembled as he looked at Danzo. "What were you thinking? Do you have a grudge against me?"

Damn it, Danzo, just tell the truth. When did he defect to the Uchiha's side?

Did he dare claim the Ino-Shika-Cho had not been driven over there by him?

Shikaku Nara was still too mild-tempered. If it had been the Hokage, he would have come over long ago and slapped Danzo's one eye senseless.

Danzo's voice was low, yet exceptionally resolute. "Hiruzen, everything I did was for Konohagakure!"

The Hokage sat weakly before his desk, his expression somewhat vacant.

Again, it was for Konohagakure!

I thank you on Konohagakure's behalf!

I thank your ancestors for eight generations!

Shimura Danzō, why was he so outstanding? As Hokage, Hiruzen felt ashamed standing beside him.

After a long while, he finally said in a hoarse voice, "You are relieved of all your duties, Danzo. Starting today, you will remain at home and reflect on your actions!"

"Hiruzen!"

Danzo said angrily, "You can't do this to me. And Root? What happens to Root?"

Root was affiliated with the Anbu, yet completely independent. It had also grown into a massive force that no one could ignore.

Root was currently being reorganized and reinforced. Without Danzo, what would happen to it?

The Hokage's expression was calm. "I'll have Koharu and Homura go to Root."

"Those two?" Danzo laughed in fury. "Hiruzen, have you lost your mind? They'll destroy Root."

Danzo did not merely look down on those two fence-sitters. He simply disregarded them altogether.

"Better than you destroying Konohagakure!"

Danzo's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

The Hokage said coldly, "Danzo, because of your reckless actions, Root lost a great number of outstanding ninja. On top of that, you forced a rift between the Hyuga, the Ino-Shika-Cho, the Aburame, the Inuzuka, and the Hokage. Isn't everything you've done destroying Konohagakure?"

"Ha ha!" Danzo could not stop himself from laughing, then growled, "So now, every mistake is because of me, is that it?"

"Isn't it?"

"No, it is. You're right, Hiruzen!"

Danzo nodded lightly and stared deeply at the Third Hokage. "Everything the Hokage says is correct."

Did Hiruzen Sarutobi not know about everything he had done?

Of course he knew!

He had even provided plenty of help, including the assassination of Kazuna.

Now that things had spiraled out of control, all responsibility had become his alone.

Because he was not the Hokage!

If he were the Hokage...

Danzo turned and walked out of the Hokage's office. When he saw the person approaching him, he paused slightly and revealed an eerie smile.

"Lord Danzo!"

The newcomer hurriedly lowered his head upon seeing Danzo.

Danzo was about to speak when the Hokage's voice came from the office behind him.

"Shisui? Come in!"

"Yes!"

Uchiha Shisui hurried into the office.

Danzo looked thoughtfully at Shisui's back, then turned and left.

"Hokage-sama!"

Uchiha Shisui knelt on one knee before the Hokage, looking at him with respect.

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly. "Hokage-sama, you..."

In his eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked exhausted. His complexion was pale, and the wrinkles on his face had deepened.

The last time Shisui had seen him was a week ago. Compared with then, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have aged ten years.

"What is it?" The Third Hokage smiled faintly. "Don't recognize me anymore?"

"No, it's just..." Shisui lowered his head, his voice exceptionally low and tinged with sadness.

"You really are a good child, Shisui!"

The Third Hokage rubbed his brow and sighed softly. "Too many things have happened recently. Sigh."

Shisui's fists slowly clenched. "Everything that has happened was because of the Uchiha. It was our fault."

"Yes!" the Hokage said directly. "Everything that happened was because of the Uchiha. But can all of this really be blamed on the Uchiha? Danzo is to blame, and so am I!"

"How could you be to blame?"

"Because I am the Hokage! This is the Hokage's responsibility!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi merely spoke those words with a resolute expression.

Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi like this, Shisui closed his eyes and slowly said, "It isn't your fault. Uchiha Kazuna is the source of everything."

"Hokage-sama, I will kill him with my own hands!"

"Oh, something like that happened?"

Kazuna laughed as he looked at the people before him. "The Ino-Shika-Cho actually caused trouble at a time like this? And they brought in the Aburame and Inuzuka too?"

Inabi said gravely, "This is a good opportunity. Should we do something?"

"No, we do nothing!" Without even thinking, Kazuna said, "We proceed according to the original plan. Ignore them."

The beauty whose palm Kazuna had read, Uchiha Shiraha, furrowed her lovely brows. "What about the Ino-Shika-Cho? We just leave them alone?"

"Why should we care?" Kazuna said indifferently. "We originally considered the Ino-Shika-Cho our enemies. Now, they've chosen another path and may end up walking beside us. That can only benefit us. At worst, things return to how they were before."

Shiraha said unhappily, "You're still leaving at a time like this?"

"Yes!"

Kazuna lightly lifted Shiraha's smooth chin and smiled. "I said it already. The original plan remains unchanged. No one is allowed to object."

Inabi and the others exchanged glances, then nodded. "Yes!"

Yashiro sighed from the side. "This really is a good opportunity. If we can seize it..."

"There will be plenty of opportunities!" Kazuna cut Yashiro off directly. "We should proceed steadily. The Uchiha cannot afford any mistakes now. No one can be certain whether this matter with the Ino-Shika-Cho is a trap."

"Yes!"

"What about the information I told you to investigate?"

"Here!" Yashiro handed over a Scroll and asked curiously, "My lord, the Evil God Cult is merely a small, evil sect. Why are you interested in them?"