Danzo fell silent, imagining the situation from Qingguang's perspective.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi's adopted son, Qingguang had been rescued from the false Will of Fire by the Root's will. He'd betrayed his adoptive father without hesitation, staked his life on voluntarily undergoing the Wood Release experiments, and placed his wholehearted trust in Danzo—only to be deceived by him over something as trivial as an orphanage.
If Danzo were in his shoes, he probably wouldn't have been able to accept it either.
Besides, Qingguang was a simple-minded child who didn't know how to lie.
Thinking about it that way, Danzo felt he really was a piece of work.
What a monster!
He'd actually thought Qingguang might have picked up Hiruzen Sarutobi's indecisiveness and fondness for playing power games.
A child who'd embraced his teachings could even understand why Root took children from orphanages to train them.
How could he possibly stop trusting Danzo over a little budget issue?
Clearly, he was angry because he felt betrayed by the person he believed in!
At that moment, Danzo gave a sinister smile to himself. Hiruzen, I'm still far ahead of you.
You thought you'd used his own leverage against me to suppress me, but Qingguang's heart has always been with me. I'm the only one who can make him feel this way!
"Qingguang, I promise this will never happen again. From now on, I won't hide anything from you."
Only when Danzo said this did genuine joy appear on Qingguang's face. "Lord Danzo, I believe you. This is the Lord Danzo I trust."
Afterward, Qingguang reported all the recent news to Danzo, just as he had before. Naturally, he'd put an artistic spin on it.
The news about Wood Release especially delighted Danzo. When he learned that Qingguang could now defeat most of Konoha's