Goals: Marry Several Wives

Inside the Hokage Building, aside from the four bigwigs seated there, there were three other people.

One was an Anbu in a white trench coat and a white cat-face mask, standing behind the Hokage. Another was a stern-faced middle-aged man wearing a forehead protector, standing beside Utatane Koharu. The last had concealed both his presence and figure, but the unusual sword aura he gave off could not escape Guo Wang's notice.

"Minister, what are your orders?"

Danzo still held the position of Anbu Minister, so when he called out, the Anbu behind the Hokage dared not fail to respond.

"From today onward, you will be the Anbu Chief."

"Th-this..."

The Anbu codenamed White Cat hesitated. Though he would take this position sooner or later, he truly did not dare accept it under these circumstances.

"He is still young. Danzo, continue acting as his proxy for another year, until the war is completely over."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke. Though Anbu regulations prohibited their identities from being exposed, all the bigwigs present knew that White Cat was the Hokage's eldest son.

"No. This war has made me realize many things. In my life-and-death clashes with the Raikage and Tsuchikage, I discovered my greatest weakness."

Guo Wang had no desire to waste time on meaningless political struggles. He urgently wanted to speak with Orochimaru in person and see how far Living Corpse Reincarnation had progressed, along with all kinds of forbidden techniques, Kekkei Genkai, and more.

Rather than spend time on that, he might as well analyze the origins of this world.

"A weakness? You, who believed you had severed everything and cast aside all emotion, still have such a thing?"

Utatane Koharu's mockery was merciless. Their bickering had never stopped since their student days. Danzo was quite skilled at insulting people, but now that he was older, he preferred taking real action rather than merely wasting breath.

"Yes. Precisely because I cast aside emotion, I understand very little about that aspect."

Huh?

Everyone present was utterly confused, unable to tell what Guo Wang was getting at.

"Looking back over the years, I alone gave up my clan, love, family, and even myself for Konoha..."

At those words, Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer sit still. In comparison, he had a happy family, both his sons had grown into adults, and from time to time he could even use his crystal ball to enjoy some exotic sights. Though the Sarutobi family was not comparable to the Uchiha or Hyuga Clan, it was the leader among the second-rate clans. He himself was also the leader of a village, bearing the title of Hokage.

"Danzo, I am sorry. I have always made you sacrifice so much."

After Senju Tobirama died, the former classmates had exhausted themselves to stabilize Konoha's internal and external situation. Among them, Kagami Uchiha had died avenging his teacher after overtaxing his life force, while Torifu Akimichi had taken too much Secret Medicine on the battlefield, leaving his body weaker by the day. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who handled the rear lines, had also become gray-haired and wrinkled from worrying over funding and logistics.

But the one who had sacrificed the most was still Danzo.

The Shimura Clan, once capable of rivaling the Sarutobi family, had nearly all died in the Second Shinobi World War, leaving behind only the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Later, Danzo, who idolized Senju Tobirama, personally disbanded it.

And to prevent emotion from interfering with his impartiality, Danzo had remained unmarried his entire life. Once he died, the Shimura family, renowned during the Warring States Period, would be completely extinct.

No elders, no descendants, no family, no selfish desires. There was only Konoha in his heart. That was the leader of Root, Shimura Danzo.

"Now that the situation has basically stabilized, at our age, we probably will not live to see the Fourth Shinobi World War. So in my remaining years, I want to experience things I never paid attention to before. White Cat may not yet match you or me in strength, but he has been in the Anbu for twenty years and is the best candidate to replace me."

With things put that way, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no reason to refuse. He naturally allowed his son to take up the Anbu banner, and with the three Elders present, immediately approved the appointment.

"Then what are your plans next, Danzo?"

Guo Wang felt that even Sarutobi's tone had become much warmer.

"I will teach some of Root's members and cultivate Konoha's future. Perhaps when I have time, I will guest lecture at the Ninja Academy. After that, I will sample the food from every region. Of course, most importantly, I will take several wives and leave an heir for my clan."

The Hokage and the others kept nodding through the first part. As expected of Elder Danzo, whose resolve was the greatest—he had not forgotten the village even in retirement.

But at that final sentence, Torifu Akimichi, who had just raised his teacup and taken a hearty gulp, could not help spraying it out.

"You, getting married?!"

"What? You have a problem with that?"

Guo Wang's expression suddenly darkened. A faint crimson gleam seeped into his pitch-black eyes, and the big fat man immediately waved his hands and shook his head. Since their student days, he had basically never won a fight against Danzo. If not for the Hokage's order today, he truly would not have wanted to come.

"I was just wondering who would ever fall for an old geezer like you."

In the end, Torifu Akimichi could not help laughing. When he was young, his appearance had nearly left him single for life.

Yet who could have imagined that Shimura Danzo, the handsomest, coolest, coldest, and most charismatic among them in their school days, would be the only one to remain single for his entire life?

"That is none of your concern. I can marry a wife first and slowly cultivate feelings afterward. In any case, my main purpose is to leave an heir for the Shimura Clan."

That was an excuse. Guo Wang had risen from Huanxi Pavilion at the very bottom of the Dao Realm, and the foundation of his rise had been built on the Dual Cultivation Method. But for a man past fifty to visit brothels in the village was a little inappropriate, so he needed to give these familiar people some warning in advance.

That way, when they heard that he had brought a beautiful wife into his home, they would not be so shocked that their jaws dropped.

How could a clan with only one man left flourish again?

The best method was naturally to sow seeds on a grand scale. Everyone present nodded, indicating that they understood Danzo.

"Well then, if there is nothing else, I will head back first. As it happens, Yakushi Nonō from the Medical Department and I fell in love on the battlefield. In about half a month, I will marry her and bring her home. All of you must come then."

"Hey, Danzo, making a move on someone beside you is not what a good leader does."

Utatane Koharu did not believe that nonsense about being in love. As one of the higher-ups who knew Yakushi Nonō's identity, she knew that the Wandering Miko could not possibly have love.

Yet what she found most unbelievable was that Danzo was actually interested in women.

This man was a cultivation maniac. His only goal had been to defeat Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Back at the Ninja Academy, Danzo had been the school heartthrob, with an entire row of girls trailing behind him, yet he had never even blinked at them.

"The two of us are together because of love."

Guo Wang, who had already risen to his feet, lied through his teeth. Then he remembered something and spoke to White Cat, who had just taken over as Anbu Chief.

"Bring the Scroll of Seals. I will write Vacuum Infinite Sword in it."