Plan Success, Shimura Danzō's Ambition

It only took Tsunade five minutes in the Pharmaceutical Department before Utatane Koharu's angry shouts echoed, "Tsunade, this is blackmail! This is extremely irresponsible!"

"How am I blackmailing you? How is it irresponsible?" Tsunade retorted, not backing down an inch.

"I work hard to produce medicine, all I want is a little compensation for my labor, is that not allowed?"

"A little compensation? You call that a little?" Utatane Koharu trembled with rage. "You're demanding 40% of the profits right off the bat! This is the village's wealth, how can it go into your personal pockets?"

"When did I ever say it was going into my personal pockets?" Tsunade shot back, clearly annoyed.

"I want to use this money to establish a Medical Ninjutsu Research Department, specifically to study various Medical Ninjutsu. This is a good thing for the village, so why can't it be done?"

"I say no, and that's final!"

"Heh, Elder Utatane, don't forget, without me, Tsunade, you wouldn't be able to produce those medicines!"

"I never expected you, Tsunade, to be so arrogant." Utatane Koharu was furious, smoke practically coming out of her ears. "Without you, the Pharmaceutical Department would still be the Pharmaceutical Department, and the medicines that need to be developed will still be developed."

Tsunade scoffed, "Heh, really? I don't believe you!"

"Hmph, Tsunade, we'll see!" Utatane Koharu ordered the guards beside her, "Show her out!"

"There will come a day when you beg me, I'm waiting for it!" Tsunade walked out of the Pharmaceutical Department with her head held high, feeling completely refreshed.

She hadn't expected Uchiha Dan to have a solution to break the deadlock, and it wasn't that difficult either.

After a simple display of arrogance, she had essentially forced Utatane Koharu into becoming Uchiha Dan's ally.

And that was indeed the case. Right now, Utatane Koharu disliked Tsunade more than Uchiha Dan.

Therefore, she absolutely could not let this insatiably greedy person succeed.

In comparison, Utatane Koharu still felt Uchiha Dan was better. He had helped her for five years without asking for a single cent.

At worst, she would be a little more polite to him in the future.

What's the big deal?

It was much better than someone who wanted money. That wasn't asking for money, it was asking for her life, Utatane Koharu's life.

In reality, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Utatane Koharu hadn't failed to notice that Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade were intentionally protecting Uchiha Dan.

But profit was the priority.

Just as the desire to eliminate Uchiha Dan was driven by profit, temporarily sparing his life was also for profit.

While the two of them compromised for the time being, someone else was not happy.

In the Hokage's office, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a figure strode in, clearly angry.

"Hiruzen, I need an explanation. Why did you suddenly change your mind?" Shimura Danzo questioned with great dissatisfaction as soon as he entered.

"Danzō, what are you referring to?" Hiruzen Sarutobi pretended ignorance and asked, confused.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Shimura Danzo said coldly. "How many times have I told you, Uchiha Dan is a menace if left alive, and you agreed to let me eliminate him. Why are you stopping me now?"

"It's one thing that you didn't agree to let me form Root before, but why are you going back on your word even on decisions that were already made? What do you even consider me to be?"

Shimura Danzo was truly unhappy.

Did he really want Uchiha Dan dead?

Among the higher-ups, Shimura Danzo had always been the most insistent on eliminating Uchiha Dan, even more so than Utatane Koharu. However, he was actually the least inclined to see Uchiha Dan die.

What he truly wanted was Uchiha Dan himself.

This was also why he had to find a way to force Hiruzen Sarutobi to let him act.

Because only then could he make Uchiha Dan disappear without a trace.

But in reality, what he truly wanted was to make Uchiha Dan serve him.

As an ambitious man, Shimura Danzo had always coveted the position of Hokage.

However, as the Hokage Assistant, his power was tightly controlled by Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaving him with very little he could do.

Helpless, he could only find another way. On one hand, he wanted to form Root, and on the other, he wanted to secretly build his own faction.

If there was anyone in Konoha he most wanted to recruit, it was the Uchiha Clan.

Having personally witnessed the power of Madara Uchiha, Kagami Uchiha, and many other Uchihas, Shimura Danzo had long yearned for it.

How he wished he could recruit a genius from the Uchiha Clan and train him to be his right-hand man.

He even fantasized about one day, through this genius, and the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and Brainwashing Technique he created to control him, secretly controlling the Uchiha Clan.

But the Uchihas were too arrogant and didn't give Shimura Danzo any face at all.

That detestable Kagami Uchiha was like that, and others were no better.

And Uchiha Dan, this guy who had been expelled from the Uchiha Clan, was the talent he had always wanted.

After a long period of analysis, Shimura Danzo firmly believed that his teacher's dying command to monitor Uchiha Dan and forbid him from training must be because this guy's talent was too high, reminding him of Madara Uchiha. Otherwise, why would it be like this?

What's more, if such a person disappeared, no one would care.

This was not only his intention, but also the intention of Orochimaru, who was secretly cooperating with him and had already shown incredible research talent. The two ideas perfectly aligned.

Originally, Shimura Danzo had planned to make a move on Uchiha Dan after Root was established, as he didn't have a suitable place to house Uchiha Dan.

This is a secret, absolutely no one else can know.

However, Orochimaru's words not long ago made him change his mind, and he only wanted to complete this goal quickly.

When the time comes, as long as Uchiha Dan is brainwashed, this person will become his Kagami Uchiha.

No, according to Orochimaru, its effect is even greater than Kagami Uchiha's.

Originally, Shimura Danzō was smug because Hiruzen Sarutobi had agreed the day before to let him act soon.

But who would have thought that a wrench would be thrown in the works.

Uzumaki Mito and Tsunade suddenly intervened to protect Uchiha Dan. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Utatane Koharu, those two useless people, actually changed their minds.

Especially Utatane Koharu, who was clamoring the day before that Uchiha Dan must die, but today she stated that Uchiha Dan cannot die yet, making Shimura Danzō exclaim "useless teammate."

"Hiruzen, I'm asking you a question? Is it that hard to answer?" Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi remain silent, Shimura Danzō became even angrier and questioned him again.

"Danzō, you need to understand that everything I do is for the village. The reason I changed my mind is the result of weighing the pros and cons."

"Before, we wanted to get rid of Uchiha Dan simply because keeping him was not in the village's interest. But now, Uchiha Dan living is more beneficial to the village, that's all."

"Only you are for the village? Am I not?" Shimura Danzō couldn't stand Hiruzen Sarutobi's righteous words the most, and snorted coldly.

"Danzō, I hope you understand that some things are decided once they are decided. After all, I am the Hokage." Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression had already turned somewhat unpleasant.

This Shimura Danzō was reaching his hand out further and further, which made him very unhappy.

Shimura Danzō froze abruptly at this remark, an inexplicable rage surging to the crown of his head.

It's this sentence again, this sentence again!

Isn't it just because you're better at flattering? Teacher clearly valued me more. How can you, Hiruzen Sarutobi, compare to me?

But he could only rage ineffectively!

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!" Throwing down a sentence, Shimura Danzō could no longer suppress the anger in his heart and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Fine, since you don't agree, don't blame me for not showing any respect. I'll do it myself.

Having long seen through Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality, he knew very well that if he acted first and presented Hiruzen Sarutobi with a fait accompli, Hiruzen Sarutobi would at most scold him a few times, and the most severe consequence would be to confine him at home for a period of reflection.

Compared to the gains, this level of punishment was simply insignificant.

Wasn't it the same when he designed the incident to kill Kagami Uchiha?

As long as I deny it to death, and you can't produce any evidence, what can you do to me?