Shibi Aburame, You're Here Too?

Shimura Danzō is a walking disaster!

If that guy were left at the scene, he would inevitably spout nonsense and provoke the emotions of the victims.

If a conflict were to break out again, today's situation would be impossible to salvage.

If it reached the point where he had to "shed tears while executing Ma Su," wouldn't Third Hokage be in a real bind?

Killing Danzō is something Third Hokage is unwilling to do, nor can he bring himself to do it.

He only has a few classmates left, and there is no better candidate for his dirty work.

But if he doesn't kill Danzō, Third Hokage will lose the support of four staunch ninja clans.

Without the support of the Ino-Shika-Cho-Aburame, he would have to pull out the Sarutobi Clan to fill the manpower gap.

But if that happened, the true numbers of the Sarutobi Clan would be completely exposed, seen by everyone in Konoha...

That would be even worse!

Many things weigh little until they are put on the scale, but once weighed, they are heavier than a thousand catties!

Therefore, it is better to keep Danzō far away.

Third Hokage habitually chose to cover things up, delaying the resolution of problems rather than solving them, hoping that these conflicts would slowly diminish over time.

Seeing this, Yamanaka Chujiu knew that Third Hokage's feelings for Shimura Danzō were unshakable, at least for today.

He had already pushed his own abilities to the limit; it was time for his older brother, Inoichi, to step forward and demand guarantees.

He quietly shifted his feet, shielding the others behind him.

Then, using the Heart Severing Realm to grasp the relaxed emotions of everyone present, he gradually lowered his own presence and completely withdrew from the center of the stage.

The result was not unexpected: Third Hokage promised to restrain Shimura Danzō, apologized for the offense, and offered tangible compensation.

The four clans of Ino-Shika-Cho-Aburame all squeezed out smiles, indicating that the past was in the past and that they remained loyal subordinates to Third Hokage!

Both sides exchanged pleasantries, but the awkward atmosphere remained impossible to mask.

Regardless, this is a time of war with a formidable enemy at the gates; everyone needs to band together to resist, and they cannot ignite the flames of civil war within Konoha.

Shikaku quietly reminded Third Hokage: "Third Hokage, you... you need to confirm the Fifth Hokage as soon as possible, otherwise Danzō will..."

Third Hokage seemed to be suddenly jolted awake; he gasped in front of Shikaku, his face darkening as he said: "I know, I will handle it."

After Third Hokage left, Inoichi asked: "Shikaku, do you think Third Hokage will actually handle Danzō?"

Shikaku shook his head: "How could he?"

"If he were capable of making up his mind, Shimura Danzō's name would have been on the Memorial Stone long ago."

"My suggestion is for the Third to quickly decide on a candidate for the Fifth. Whether it is Orochimaru, Tsunade, or even the unreliable Jiraiya, any one of them is better than having no Hokage in office!"

Inoichi said: "Chujiu told me that Orochimaru believes Third Hokage might take the position himself."

Shikaku and Choza were both shocked: "Third Hokage restoring his own rule? How is that possible?"

Shikaku suddenly jumped up: "Damn it!!"

"Orochimaru is right; Third Hokage really might be planning a restoration!"

"That's right, Orochimaru is right! There's no mistake about it!!"

"The things Third Hokage has done these past few days, along with those personnel arrangements—I was wondering why everything was so chaotic, and if the Third had just gone senile."

"If what the Third wants is a restoration, then it all makes sense!"

Inoichi said: "A restoration by Third Hokage is not a good thing for Konoha; it's just a stopgap measure that ignores the future for the sake of the present!"

Torifu Akimichi sighed: "Your guess is likely correct. That is simply Third Hokage's personality; he lacks any long-term vision."

"If he truly had vision and decisiveness, he wouldn't have let Danzō establish Root, leading to this situation where the tail is too big to wag."

Inoichi asked: "Shikaku, what should we do?"

Shikaku said: "I only have one piece of advice: the Ino-Shika-Cho must always follow the Hokage. Who the Hokage is doesn't matter."

Inoichi said: "In other words, it depends on Orochimaru's attitude from here on out."

"If he is willing to compete for it, we, the Ino-Shika-Cho, will support him. If he is obsessed with his experiments and unwilling to be the Fifth Hokage, we have no choice but to follow Third Hokage wholeheartedly."

Torifu Akimichi nodded with satisfaction: "Very good. This generation of Ino-Shika-Cho has Inoichi and Shikaku; that is enough to keep the three families safe."

Shibi Aburame agreed: "Shikaku is truly clever, and Inoichi is truly wise! My Aburame Clan will follow your lead."

Inoichi: "..."

Choza: "..."

Shikaku: "..."

Torifu Akimichi: "...Ah? Shibi Aburame, you haven't left yet?"

Shibi Aburame sighed deeply: "Yes, Senior Torifu Akimichi, I have been by your side the whole time."

"Should I not have listened..."

Shikaku Nara waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, it is best that Shibi-senpai is here. If our four clans remain aligned, we will be better equipped to handle the changes that lie ahead!"

Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi were drenched in sweat, nodding in agreement: "Yes, that's right, exactly!"

Having agreed that the Ino-Shika-Cho and the Aburame Clan would remain in lockstep, the three clan heads very politely saw Shibi Aburame off.

After confirming multiple times that he had truly left, Inoichi Yamanaka let out a long sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, we didn't let anything fatal slip this time."

Shikaku Nara wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve: "We must be twice as careful from now on. Even though I was specifically trying to confirm Shibi-senpai's departure, I still ignored him without even realizing it."

Choza Akimichi pressed a hand to his chest and pulled out a braised chicken leg, using the delicacy to soothe his startled heart.

As he ate, he muttered: "That talent for low presence is truly terrifying, absolutely frightening!"

Torifu Akimichi chuckled: "It's fine. The relationship between the Aburame Clan and us is quite good; it doesn't matter if Shibi heard some of that information."

"Of course, we must still be twice as careful in the future."

"Let's leave things settled as they are. I don't think that old fellow Lukaku would have a better idea anyway."

"Inoichi, since young Chujiu has become a student of Orochimaru, this is a good thing for us. Have him observe Orochimaru's reactions to determine his true intentions."

Inoichi Yamanaka stood up and bowed: "Understood, Torifu-senpai. I will instruct Chujiu."

Once everyone had completely dispersed, Chujiu Yamanaka stepped out from the shadows of the courtyard wall, dispelling the effects of the Heart Severing Realm before letting out a long, deep stretch.

He was very satisfied with his performance today: "Excellent. I am already capable of being even less noticeable than Shibi Aburame-senpai."

The effects of the Heart Severing Realm were even stronger now; one could even say he had been reborn.