I Got Here Just in Time!

Should they suddenly strike and take the chance to slip away, or obediently cooperate with the Third Hokage and return to the village for punishment? Once these matters were exposed, they would be utterly disgraced. Becoming rogue ninja would almost be the better outcome.

Being arrested and severely punished would be the most tragic outcome.

"Hmph!!!!"

In the end, Danzo still chose not to resist. He knew that against the fully armed Third Hokage and a large number of Anbu ninja, he had virtually no chance of winning. Resisting would only make his crimes more serious, so he might as well cooperate with the Third Hokage.

He believed the Third Hokage would not lightly sentence him to serious punishment, even if he had committed acts that outraged both man and god. Of course, if he could shift the blame onto Danzo during the process, that would be the best outcome.

Danzo had harbored such thoughts from the very beginning when he recruited Orochimaru.

Unfortunately, that plan was destined to fail. From the start, Hiko had made Orochimaru prepare for all sorts of contingencies, precisely to prevent Danzo from shifting the blame onto him when the truth came out. That sinister old bastard Danzo was exceptionally good at dumping responsibility on others.

Thus, Danzo and Orochimaru cooperated with the Third Hokage without resisting. After some precautionary measures were taken, the two were brought back to the village and placed under strict Anbu guard to await their punishment.

The Third Hokage did not immediately spread the news. Instead, he arranged for the laboratory to be destroyed first and for every piece of useful intelligence to be collected. This concerned the sentencing of Orochimaru and Danzo. The dead also needed to be buried, while the living needed care.

Yamato, the sole successful test