Danzo's Secret Exposed

"Was what Ye Fan said true?"

"It sounds like it very well could be!"

The Konoha higher-ups whispered among themselves, their eyes fixed on the bandages around Danzo's body.

They were intensely curious—and astonished—about what lay beneath them.

If Ye Fan was telling the truth, then Danzo's strength far surpassed anything they had imagined.

Being able to possess both Hashirama Cells and the Sharingan at once meant something they understood all too well.

Jiraiya was also stunned by Ye Fan's earth-shattering revelation.

He knew Ye Fan's character very well. Ye Fan would never lie.

And now that Ye Fan had said this, it meant Danzo must have many Sharingan!

Jiraiya stared at Danzo, forced to reassess him.

In his mind, Danzo's threat level had risen dramatically.

He had always been especially wary of Danzo. Now, he would have to be even more careful.

Nara Shikaku furrowed his brow, realizing there was a serious problem.

The Konoha higher-ups had long ago issued an order forbidding research into Hashirama Cells and the Sharingan without the consent of every single one of them.

By doing this, Danzo had undoubtedly crossed a line.

By obtaining power of that caliber without permission, Danzo had disrupted the balance of strength among the higher-ups.

That alone was enough to make them question his motives.

Under everyone's gaze, Danzo's expression turned grim as he repeatedly tried to figure out where things had gone wrong and how such an important secret had been leaked.

The Sharingan was his trump card, something that could save his life in a critical moment.

If a secret this important had been exposed, had his other secrets been exposed as well?

Earlier, when Ye Fan had said he possessed all the evidence, Danzo had thought he was just bluffing.

But now, it seemed Ye Fan really did know a great deal.

"This Ye Fan knows far too much. It looks like I'll have to get rid of him as soon as possible!"

Danzo grew increasingly anxious, worried that Ye Fan might reveal a few more of his secrets.

"Shimura Danzo, care to explain?" The Third Hokage's gaze was sharp.

Danzo fell silent.

Nearly all of Konoha's higher-ups were present today. He had no way to explain himself.

If only Hiruzen Sarutobi had been there, Danzo could have stated his motives without holding back.

But today, not only was the Third Hokage present, but so was the Land of Fire's representative.

If Danzo gave the real reason, he would certainly be treated as a threat to the country and eliminated.

Even if the people of the Land of Fire couldn't capture him, he was unwilling to give up the power he had spent years painstakingly building.

If the Land of Fire issued a wanted notice for him, everything he had devoted himself to over the years would go up in smoke.

As the Third Hokage questioned him, the Land of Fire's representative watched him, waiting for an answer.

The representative said nothing, but in his heart, he planned to report to the Land of Fire's daimyo as soon as the meeting ended.

He wasn't a fool. He knew Konoha couldn't be allowed to have an uncontrollable superstrong fighter with dangerous ambitions.

Ye Fan observed the representative's expression and guessed what he was thinking.

Ye Fan couldn't help smiling slightly. He was laughing at how naive the Land of Fire's daimyo was, as if he were living in a dream.

Even now, the daimyo still thought he controlled Konoha, unaware that Konoha had long since slipped out of the Land of Fire's grasp.

How could a country without sufficient strength control a powerful shinobi village?

Danzo stayed silent for a long while. He decided that once the meeting was over, he would send someone to kill the Land of Fire's representative, then frame another shinobi village.

He didn't think the Third Hokage would turn against the Land of Fire for his sake. After all, Konoha still needed the Land of Fire's help with many matters.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire couldn't learn this secret yet. His only option was to kill their representative.

"I have to become Hokage of Konoha. Only then will I have nothing to fear if some things are exposed!"

Danzo grew even more determined. He would become Hokage by any means necessary.

If he were Hokage today, he wouldn't be afraid of people learning that he had the Sharingan.

After all, what shinobi wouldn't want their village's Kage to be stronger?

But because he wasn't Hokage, this situation was so difficult to deal with.

As someone who wasn't Hokage, he possessed this kind of power. He would inevitably become a thorn in the side of the other factions, especially the Hokage faction!

"Danzo, you're one of Konoha's higher-ups. You should know that researching Hashirama Cells and the Sharingan requires unanimous approval, shouldn't you?"

"Don't you know why Orochimaru defected from the village?"

The Third Hokage questioned him again.

In the past, he had felt somewhat guilty, foolishly believing that Danzo had wrapped most of his body in bandages because he had suffered severe, incurable injuries on a mission for the sake of the village.

But now, it seemed he had wasted all those years feeling guilty. The story about being injured on a mission had been nothing but a lie.

Danzo had wrapped himself in all those bandages to hide the Sharingan and Hashirama Cells!

"I did this because I wanted to protect Konoha."

Danzo knew there was no way to hide the truth, so he chose to admit it openly.

"Third Hokage, you know the state of the shinobi world today."

"Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and the other great nations have many powerful fighters. Their Kage are in their prime, with their strength at its peak."

"And what about our village? You're already past seventy, and your strength is nowhere near what it used to be. Because of that, the other villages are all watching us like hawks, ready to invade Konoha at any moment."

"If we aren't strong enough, how can we stand against the other villages watching us? How can we guarantee Konoha's peace?"

Danzo spoke with righteous conviction, making his case sound noble.

The Konoha higher-ups looked livid, but none of them said a word.

Danzo's strength and influence were already deeply rooted in Konoha. Now that he had become even more powerful, they were all the more wary of him.

But as Ye Fan listened, he burst into laughter.

"Danzo, you really know how to make yourself sound righteous! You keep claiming that you're doing it for Konoha's peace, but in truth, you're a selfish, self-serving scoundrel, driven by nothing but your own desires!"

"Whether you implanted Hashirama Cells or the Sharingan, I don't care to comment on any of that."

"But! You're clearly acting out of selfish desire, yet you insist on putting on this grand show of righteousness. It's despicable!"

"Do the job that comes with the position you hold. Stop daydreaming all the time and coveting things beyond your abilities!"

Ye Fan leaned back in his chair and spoke disdainfully.

As the Konoha higher-ups listened, Ye Fan suddenly seemed much more likable to them.

He had said aloud the words they had buried in their hearts for a long time.

But Danzo reacted very differently. His face darkened, and his expression grew so stormy it seemed water might drip from it.