Of course, that was easier said than done.
Unless his life was in danger, Shiraishi Yoshijo would never summon the Ninja Butterflies.
He didn't believe the nonsense about the Ninja Butterflies being the spirits of his relatives, but he still wouldn't use them—creatures who had lived and died alongside his clan—as cannon fodder.
After all, he needed something to hold on to.
With all this power, Shiraishi Yoshijo really did feel as if the Hokage was nothing special.
As for Danzo, just as Shiraishi Eizawa had said, what was Danzo, who wasn't even the Hokage?
Shiraishi Yoshijo finally understood why Danzo had gone to such lengths to start wars and keep them going.
There was no way to keep those shinobi clans under control without waging war against other countries.
Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't know whether anyone like him had ever existed in Konoha's history.
But he was living here now.
Even if Konoha really did go to war, he wouldn't be stupid enough to take those shinobi clans to the battlefield.
Of course, if those clans wanted to go to war themselves, he wouldn't stop them.
For every person who believed in the Will of Fire that died, his own eventual defection would be that much safer.
He even thought that rather than letting people like that die on the battlefield, it would be better to let them die in Konoha's internal power struggles.
If he weren't afraid someone would see through his intentions, he would have already encouraged those clans to fight Hiruzen and the others.
Because Shiraishi Yoshijo was in the Anbu, those clans were all behaving themselves for now.
With them no longer causing trouble, Hiruzen's policies and orders were increasingly carried out without resistance, and his prestige continued to rise.
He had now completely escaped the influence of the First and the Second Hokage, and truly become the Hokage in name and deed.
Shiraishi Yoshijo had nothing to say about that. When he was weak, Hiruzen had pulled him out from under Danzo's shadow. Hiruzen deserved this much.
It was just a transaction.
So Shiraishi Yoshijo felt no gratitude toward Hiruzen.
He felt no gratitude toward the clans that supported him, either.
They each got what they wanted. That was all.
He was selfish, after all.
If there was anyone he did feel grateful toward, it was the Takemoto Family. His feelings for them had grown more and more complicated.
They had money when he needed money and people when he needed people. The Takemoto Family had never been stingy with anything they could provide.
He wasn't truly made of stone.
Over the past few years, his ties to the Takemoto Family had grown deeper and deeper.
He had even wondered what effect his defection would have on their clan, and whether he could make proper arrangements to deal with the aftermath.
Until he had thought those matters through, he wouldn't defect lightly.
People were social creatures, after all. Without realizing it, he had changed too.
Shiraishi Yoshijo had noticed the change in himself, but feelings weren't something you could simply cast aside.
What was more, Shiraishi Eizawa had asked him on his deathbed to look after the clan. Shiraishi Yoshijo had always done his best to honor that request.
The clan received compensation every year for those killed in battle, and anyone struggling to make ends meet received extra.
If someone urgently needed money, all they had to do was come to him, and he would give it to them.
The clan had more and more shinobi now, and he had taught them everything except the Secret Techniques without hesitation.
Sometimes he even personally taught his clansmen how to train.
In short, in other people's eyes, he had become a capable clan head.
Of course, none of this changed his selfish nature, nor his determination to defect from Konoha.
The longer he lived in Konoha, the more stifled he felt.
He had revised his defection plan again and again. By now, it was unrecognizable, riddled with holes.
The Will of Fire and his own will were like spear and shield, their conflict growing ever more severe and impossible to reconcile.
He still hadn't thought of a solution.
He only knew that growing stronger wouldn't solve the problem.
A sudden crash in the distance interrupted his thoughts.
The four of them exchanged glances and rose at the same time.
Hanari used Earth Release to erase every trace that they had been there.
Hatake Sakumo looked into the distance and frowned. "It's probably our people. The Rain Ninja may have found them, and they're fighting. Let's go take a look."
The four of them started toward the sound. As they went, Shiraishi Yoshijo sent out a Summoning Butterfly.
About five minutes later, the butterfly returned, and the four of them stopped in an open clearing.
Shiraishi Yoshijo clicked his tongue. Of course it would be him.
"It looks like Danzo's squad. They're being hunted. I don't think we should go over there. Whoever can hunt Danzo is probably Hanzo of the Salamander."
Hatake Sakumo said irritably, "Are you planning to stand by and watch him die?"
"That's not what I mean. I'm just thinking that if we go over there, Danzo might use us as cannon fodder to cover his escape. Captain, there's a very good chance he'd do that."
A glint of amusement flashed in Hanari's eyes. "So what do you think we should do?"
"Better them than us. We can sneak over and throw a few Shuriken just to look busy."
Hatake Sakumo drew the short sword from his back and stared at him without expression.
Shiraishi Yoshijo immediately backed down.
Hatake Sakumo was genuinely powerful now. Without revealing his hidden trump cards, Shiraishi Yoshijo couldn't beat him.
Even if he used every trump card he had, he still couldn't kill Hatake Sakumo.
He had lost count of how many times the White Fang of Konoha had held that short sword to his neck.
"Got it. A mile ahead, Danzo has brought a dozen or so people. More than forty Rain Ninja are pursuing them."
Only then did the four of them continue on.
They caught up with Danzo's squad in a dense forest.
Danzo's squad was already surrounded by the Rain Ninja.
Hatake Sakumo led them straight toward the enemy, intending to join up with Danzo, but Shiraishi Yoshijo hurriedly grabbed him.
"Captain, there's really no need to join up with Danzo. What if—"
He didn't need to finish. The others understood what he meant.
Just as he'd said, Danzo really might do that.
Hatake Sakumo drew his short sword once more, then fixed him with a blank stare.
Shiraishi Yoshijo: "..."
That's my man Sakumo—tough as nails, and not one to waste words.
"I'm the captain. Follow behind me and cover me as we charge in."
Hatake Sakumo charged ahead. The short sword in his hand was indestructible, and almost no Rain Ninja who stood in his way could last a single exchange.
After he killed five Rain Ninja, the commotion on the flank finally drew the enemy's attention.
"Konoha reinforcements! Quick, kill them!"
Shuriken fitted with Explosive Tags came flying at them in a wild barrage.
Hanari began forming Hand Seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
Four earthen walls rose up around them.
The Explosive Tags went off in a continuous series of blasts.
When the explosions began to die down, a figure burst out of the smoke, whirling a short sword and leaving a trail of death in his wake.
Shincho followed right behind her.
"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"
Hanari charged out too.
"Wind Style: Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"
Shiraishi Yoshijo stayed at the back, tossing out Shuriken fitted with Explosive Tags and doing his bit from a safe distance.
That was how their squad fought. Shiraishi Yoshijo always stayed in the safest position, since he was still a Medical Ninja, after all.
The commotion of their assault on the Rain Ninja's encirclement soon reached Danzo's squad.
Danzo didn't even need to give the order. The Root shinobi under him joined in and launched a fierce assault.
Three minutes later, the two squads joined up.
When Shiraishi Yoshijo saw Danzo, he nearly burst out laughing. Luckily, his mask hid his expression, so no one noticed anything strange.
Danzo looked truly miserable. He was clutching one eye, and blood covered his face and body.
There was no denying that Danzo was a ruthless man. Despite being so badly wounded, he still stood firm.
Hatake Sakumo stepped forward and asked, "Lord Danzo, what happened?"
"My informant among the Rain Ninja was exposed. Hanzo of the Salamander ambushed us."
There was a venomous edge to Danzo's voice. He clearly hated Hanzo to the core.
Hatake Sakumo sighed and looked toward Shiraishi Yoshijo, signaling him to treat Danzo's injuries.
Shiraishi Yoshijo shrugged. A green glow, the distinctive sign of Medical Ninjutsu, lit his hands.
"Lord Danzo doesn't look too good. Would you like me, the Medical Ninja, to treat you?"
He hadn't intended to treat Danzo, but Hatake Sakumo was the captain, so he had no choice but to obey.
Danzo stared at him with his one remaining eye. After a moment, he said, "Sorry for the trouble."
Was this really Shimura Danzo?
He was actually saying something like that to him.
The injuries must have been serious. That eye was probably gone for good. Danzo's bandaged look was about to make its official debut.
A smile tugged at the corner of Shiraishi Yoshijo's mouth as he stepped forward to treat Danzo's wounds.
He deliberately slowed the treatment down.
The longer Danzo had to suffer, the better. He wasn't the one in pain, after all.
After the two squads joined up, the Rain Ninja acted strangely.
They didn't attack. Instead, they began to withdraw.
It gave the two squads a rare chance to catch their breath.
As Shiraishi Yoshijo treated Danzo, he kept an eye on their surroundings.
He suddenly felt the ground tremble faintly.
A moment later, the shaking grew more violent.
A giant salamander burst through the ground.
A man stood atop its head.
The Demigod of the Ninja World, Hanzo of the Salamander.
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