Although the matter in the Land of Rivers had ended, it wasn't truly over.
During the surprise attack orchestrated by Sunagakure, several powerful ninja had naturally caught the attention of the higher-ups.
Shimura Danzō, who had made a serious mistake in the affair, received no real punishment. He remained one of Konoha's frontline commanders. It wasn't that the village believed past merits outweighed present mistakes; Konoha simply lacked capable people. If they couldn't use Danzō now, who else could they rely on?
With the Third Hokage's current authority, removing Shimura Danzō would be easy. But what then? Who could he depend on afterward?
Unless the Third Hokage came to the front lines himself, he would still have to rely on Danzō. All he could do was hope his students would grow up quickly.
In the Third Hokage's eyes, his students were reliable enough. Heh, there were three suitable candidates for the next Hokage, so he could take his pick.
In short, during this unusual period, Shimura Danzō's position was as solid as ever.
At that moment, Shimura Danzō was studying people he could bring under his control.
"Hatake Sakumo, born into the Hatake Clan. He keeps his distance from the Hokage faction, but after the last incident, he made a name for himself and caught Sarutobi's attention. Trying to bring him under my control would draw too much notice..."
At the thought, Shimura Danzō made an expression that seemed both disdainful and self-mocking. In the eyes of most Konoha ninja, he, too, was a typical member of the "Hokage faction"—despite being a frontline commander.
"There's no need to consider Sarutobi's three students. They're out of the question."
Shimura Danzō was being too narrow-minded. In fact, some time later, he and Orochimaru would work together with remarkable intimacy. They would be