The Mangekyo Sharingan Awakened Just Like That?

Danzo knew his old classmate's temperament quite well.

Sarutobi Hiruzen cared deeply about his reputation and had a high tolerance threshold for most people. Even though Danzo challenged his authority time and again in all sorts of situations, Sarutobi Hiruzen had always dealt with matters on their merits and had never truly fallen out with him.

But today was an exception. This time, Danzo had truly touched the Third Hokage's bottom line.

First of all, the reason Sarutobi Hiruzen had repeatedly tolerated Danzo's recklessness was because he believed Danzo was impulsive and lacking in strategy, vicious in his methods yet incapable of winning people's hearts, someone who wanted to accomplish great things but cherished his own life too much.

Not a hero.

A ninja could be powerful, but if he could not win the support of the Jonin Council or Konoha's people, and wanted to become Naruto without ever volunteering for the front lines to earn military merit, relying only on petty tricks—

How could such a person possibly become Naruto?

Those truly qualified to become Naruto were people like Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Master Minato, and Uchiha Mai—people with good images, outstanding bearing, popularity, and military achievements.

Ultimately, it was because Danzo was a man of the old era.

The First Hokage had founded the ninja village, the Second Hokage had inherited the position after his elder brother, and the Third Hokage's rise to power had not exactly been aboveboard either. Danzo had lived through that era, leaving him with the mistaken impression that the position of Naruto could be obtained through clever schemes.

With such thoughts in his heart and so many flaws in his character, Danzo was destined never to succeed.

But... Danzo had used Sarutobi Hiruzen's habitual way of thinking in this matter, forcibly steering him into choosing