With a loud bang, the door to the Hokage Office was kicked open.
Shimura Danzō strode into the office with his head held high. He swept his gaze over Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, who had clearly been waiting for some time, then went straight to his seat and sat down.
Right or wrong, Danzō's entrance immediately pushed his aura to its peak, ensuring he would not lack confidence when the confrontation began.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, raised his pipe and took a puff, silently watching Shimura Danzō without saying a word. In an instant, he dissolved Danzō's "offensive" into nothing.
"I heard the Root Ninja suffered grievous losses this time..." Mitokado Homura said, breaking the silence as he looked at Shimura Danzō's severed arm. "It seems Root's losses were far worse than I imagined!"
Utatane Koharu frowned as well. "Danzō, you owe us an explanation! What exactly did you do in the Land of Rain?!"
After escaping from Hanzō the Salamander, Shimura Danzō had gone straight to Konoha's main camp in the Land of Rain and received a series of treatments there. As such, there was no way his actions in the Land of Rain could have been kept from Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had even guessed that the sudden escalation of conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure on the Land of Rain battlefield was most likely the work of his old friend, Shimura Danzō.
What puzzled Sarutobi Hiruzen was what exactly Shimura Danzō had experienced over there to end up in such a miserable state.
Logically, given Shimura Danzō's caution and the strength of the Root Ninja under his command, he should not have ended up like this even if he had encountered Tsuchikage Ōnoki or Hanzō the Salamander!
Ignoring Mitokado Homura and