Uchiha Dan continued, "Another thing I learned from Utatane Koharu was that Shimura Danzō had always wanted to establish Root."
"Utatane Koharu once threatened me: 'Once Danzō's Root is established, I'll make sure you don't even know how you died, you evil little brat.'"
"After that, I started keeping an eye on the matter."
"Root was supposed to be a secret department that no one knew about."
"Its ideals sounded lofty: to become the village's shadow, protecting Konoha at any cost and shielding it from outside threats and internal unrest."
"But if the department were established, it would only become Shimura Danzō's private army. And once it was up and running, it would have just one purpose: secretly attacking anyone they didn't like."
"If this department really came into being, it could handle every shameless thing from then on, and no one would ever know. What do you think would happen?"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi had been suppressing himself for so many years, always walking on eggshells. There were many things he wanted to do but didn't dare, because he cared too much about his reputation."
"Once Root was established, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have to take responsibility for anything. Someone else would take the blame for him. Take a guess—would he completely let himself go?"
By the time Uchiha Dan had finished explaining, Tsunade's spine had gone cold.
Was this really the Konoha High-Ranking Officials she knew?
What kind of people were they? What kind of things had they been doing?
Embezzlement and corruption, abusing their power for personal gain, covering up crimes, and eliminating their rivals.
"So I want you to become Hokage for more than just my own sake," Uchiha Dan said solemnly. "If you don't agree, then I'll have no choice but to leave and secretly raise my little brother."
"He's still young, but he'll definitely listen to me. It'll just take a long time."
"What do you think, Senior Hatake Sakumo?" Uchiha Dan suddenly called out to a nearby tree.
Hatake Sakumo's figure flickered into view in front of Uchiha Dan and Tsunade.
"Was everything you just said true?" Even behind his mask, Hatake Sakumo's expression was clearly grim.
"Come on, big brother. You've been watching me longer than anyone. How many times have I gone to the Pharmaceutical Department? Have I been going to the hospital rooftop every day to admire the view? You know the answers, don't you?"
"Of course, you can report our conversation to Hiruzen Sarutobi exactly as it happened," Uchiha Dan said with a smile. "I just don't know whether you or I would be the first to die."
Hatake Sakumo's gaze shifted. His voice turned cold, edged with killing intent. "You deliberately dragged me into this?"
He now knew countless secrets about the Konoha High-Ranking Officials. If he reported everything honestly, Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably eliminate him before Uchiha Dan.
Besides, Hatake Sakumo was loyal to Konoha, not Hiruzen Sarutobi. How could he report something like this after hearing it?
"Hahaha, Sakumo, you got me. I am dragging you into this. So, are you going to kill me?" Uchiha Dan laughed fearlessly.
Tsunade was right there. Hatake Sakumo couldn't make a move.
Besides, he wasn't that afraid of Hatake Sakumo anymore. Even if he couldn't win, he could still run.
Given Hatake Sakumo's personality, if he didn't attack now, he'd just keep the whole thing to himself afterward.
"Uchiha Dan, why are you trying to ruin me?" Hatake Sakumo was furious.
"All these years, out of pity and concern for you, I've only ever watched you from a distance."
"I never restricted your freedom or interfered with your life. I even made sure to hide well enough that I wouldn't upset you. And this is how you treat me?"
"I'm not ruining you!" Uchiha Dan denied at once. "As long as you don't report what happened today, you'll remain safe and sound. The choice is yours."
"Besides, I'm helping you. I'm saving you!"
"Hmph, brat, do you think I'm that easy to fool?" Hatake Sakumo said coldly.
"You got it right. I really do think you're pretty easy to fool," Uchiha Dan admitted without hesitation. "You've been watching me for over four years now, haven't you?"
"I did a good job pretending, didn't I? You only recently realized I was more than I seemed. Before that, did you ever suspect anything?"
"I even made sure to look helpless, despairing, and miserable in front of you, then put on a brave smile for my adoptive parents and little brother the next moment. I did it so you'd pity me and feel sorry for me."
"You really did fall for it. As long as I didn't disobey Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders, you kept loosening the restrictions on me. There were times I even forgot you were following me."
"Brat, you've been manipulating me from the very beginning?" Hatake Sakumo was so angry he trembled.
He'd wondered more than once how much he'd pity a son of his own if that boy suffered the same hardships as Uchiha Dan.
And this kid had been playing him the whole time.
"You've got some nerve saying that!" Uchiha Dan immediately shot back. "You were badly injured, and I was the one who saved you."
"And this is how you repay me?"
"If it weren't for you, Hatake Sakumo, I would've run away ages ago."
"I might not be able to beat you, but there are plenty of other people I can beat. Do you really think just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could stop me, Uchiha Dan?"
After taking a moment to calm down, Uchiha Dan continued, "Of course, it's not just me. I bet Hiruzen Sarutobi also thinks you're easy to fool. He's been treating you like an idiot!"
"Brat, explain yourself!" Hatake Sakumo snapped.
"Fine, let's talk it through," Uchiha Dan said seriously. "How strong are you in the Anbu, Hatake Sakumo?"
"No one there can match me," Hatake Sakumo replied proudly.
"Before I revealed my true nature, how much of a threat was I to the village?"
"Hardly any threat at all!"
"Do you think Hiruzen Sarutobi was crazy or stupid? Why would he send a top-tier shinobi like you to watch me? And why keep you at it for over four years?"
"With all that time, how much could you have done for the village? How many missions could you have completed? How much money could you have earned?"
"If you hadn't been watching me day and night, you'd have gotten married and had kids ages ago. Your kid could probably already be running errands."
"I wasn't planning to get married that early!" Hatake Sakumo retorted.
"Shut up!" Uchiha Dan snapped. "Am I talking about whether you should get married?"
"The reason you were assigned to watch me, Hatake Sakumo, was that four years ago, you completed ten S-rank missions and twenty-two A-rank missions in a single year."
"Back then, a lot of people in the village knew your name. They thought you were a rising star."
"But you weren't exactly obedient, and Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't like you. He didn't want to see you become famous."
"On top of that, Shimura Danzō was whispering in his ear, saying you were dangerous."
"To put it simply, how are you any different from me? We're both unable to live as we please because the village's leaders are wary of us."
Uchiha Dan didn't know whether Hatake Sakumo already knew all this, but he didn't care.
If Hatake Sakumo didn't know, then he'd be telling him.
If Hatake Sakumo did know, then he'd be driving the point home.
Either way, ever since Sakumo had kept quiet about him and Tsunade that one time, he'd been on Uchiha Dan's side. He could forget about ever getting off this ship.
Tsunade, standing nearby, was dumbfounded.
She'd seen plenty of Uchiha Dan's tricks lately, but she hadn't expected him to have been scheming against Hatake Sakumo too—and to have started more than four years ago.
But she had no grounds to feel sorry for Hatake Sakumo.
Hadn't Uchiha Dan been manipulating her all along, too?
Before you continue