To Save More Lives, They Had to Give Up Danzo

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly to Shimura Danzō's account. It was the first time he had done so since becoming Hokage.

But those words alone were enough to make Hiruzen realize that Danzō had become a completely different person.

"Danzō, what is the world after death like?"

Shimura Danzō had expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to ask about his plans. He was also prepared for Hiruzen to lecture him.

But... asking about the world after death?

Only now, as Shimura Danzō looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged, frail appearance, did he finally realize that this was no longer their era.

"I don't know. Maybe it's an eternal slumber, or maybe Impure World Reincarnation simply can't preserve the memories of the dead."

"None of that matters. What matters now is that we can't let the Uchiha Clan continue like this."

"Forming a purge squad again—do they think we're still in the Warring States period?"

"And taking on missions without authorization is tantamount to betraying the village!"

"Homura, you're too soft."

Shimura Danzō's face was icy, and his eyes—distinctive to Impure World Reincarnation—made him look terrifying.

In response to Shimura Danzō's accusations, Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly took a puff of his pipe and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.

"Danzō, give up!"

"Though I don't know exactly how Ensei Uchiha did it, his power is now on par with the Nine-Tails."

"No—even the First at his peak couldn't have been much stronger."

"Besides, he's done a good job of resolving the Uchiha Clan's rebellion for us."

"For the village, stability is what matters most."

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have lost his fighting spirit. He didn't look like a Hokage, but a kindly old man.

If Ensei Uchiha had been there, he would have seen Hiruzen Sarutobi's condition at a glance.

As everyone knew, Hiruzen Sarutobi was tough on the inside and weak toward outsiders.

Now, though, the Uchiha Clan had been placed in the "outsider" category. Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to stand firm against them. He was even somewhat grateful that Ensei Uchiha hadn't destroyed Konoha.

Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Shimura Danzō was now completely consumed by madness.

"Enough, Homura... you're too soft!"

"I have to... I have to eliminate those threats to Konoha..."

Hearing this, Hiruzen seemed to realize what Danzō was about to do. He hurriedly called out, "Stop, Danzō. Don't bring disaster to Konoha..."

But Shimura Danzō had never approved of Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions. Why would he listen now?

"Shut up. You chose the light, so stand there quietly. I'll deal with the evil lurking in the shadows."

By now, Hiruzen Sarutobi was panicking. He hurried forward to stop Shimura Danzō from leaving.

"Enough, Danzō! I'm the Hokage!"

"You're already dead. Leave this world to the living."

Facing Hiruzen Sarutobi's attempt to stop him, Shimura Danzō formed Hand Seals without hesitation and unleashed a barrage of Wind Release: Vacuum Spheres.

While Hiruzen Sarutobi dodged, Shimura Danzō used the Body Flicker Technique to escape, leaving behind only one parting remark.

"Hiruzen, I told you that you'd regret this!"

An unknown enemy had attacked the Hokage's residence, naturally drawing the attention of the patrolling Anbu.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want to reveal Danzō's presence, so he made up an excuse to dismiss the Anbu who had come to help.

But he couldn't keep it from his wife, Biwako Sarutobi.

With the situation so urgent, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned the two Hokage advisors that night to discuss Shimura Danzō.

After receiving a message from the Anbu, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu hurried to Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence.

As soon as they met, Hiruzen Sarutobi told them about Shimura Danzō's current state.

The two were deeply saddened to learn that their former comrade had become an Impure World Reincarnation, but what to do next was something they needed to discuss.

The leader of Root, hidden in the shadows, posed a great threat to Konoha if he went out of control.

Though none of the three believed Shimura Danzō would betray Konoha, at this point, none of them dared to take that chance—especially when they couldn't risk provoking the Uchiha Clan, a powder keg ready to explode.

In the end, after discussing the matter, the three decided to secretly arrest Shimura Danzō. If they could undo Impure World Reincarnation, that would be best. If not, they would have to seal him away.

In the past, for Konoha's sake, they had allowed Danzō to sacrifice many lives.

Now, for the sake of even more lives, they had to give up Danzō.

But before they acted, Mitokado Homura suddenly asked Hiruzen Sarutobi a question.

"If we follow Danzō's plan, what are the odds of restoring peace to Konoha?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi replied:

"Not even one in ten. The rest of the Uchiha Clan are already a troublesome threat."

"And Ensei Uchiha... the only thing I can see is that if we push him too far, I don't know whether he'll die, but Konoha will certainly vanish."

At this point, there was no longer any doubt about what they had to do.

Next, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura began gathering resources to track down Shimura Danzō.

Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly went to Kushina Uzumaki's door and entrusted her with the mission of sealing Shimura Danzō.

As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she should have been a trump card that Konoha used only as a last resort.

But now, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know who else to send against Danzō.

If Shisui hadn't gone missing, or if one of the other Sannin hadn't left Konoha, things would have been easier.

After hearing what Hiruzen Sarutobi had to say, Kushina Uzumaki agreed without hesitation.

Although she hadn't had much experience carrying out missions over the years, ever since the Nine-Tails' Rampage, she had spent every day either caring for Minato or studying various Medical Ninjutsu techniques.

The Yin Seal she had already developed was proof enough of her hard work.

As for Naruto, the Mikoto Uchiha family would take care of him.

The next day, as Ensei Uchiha was getting ready to study Sealing Jutsu, he suddenly spotted Naruto Uzumaki wandering around the Uchiha Clan's grounds.

At first glance, Ensei Uchiha thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Only after confirming that it really was Naruto did Ensei realize that Kushina Uzumaki was still alive, and Naruto Uzumaki couldn't possibly be the pitiful child from the story.

"Naruto, did you come to challenge Sasuke to a ninjutsu match today?"

Ensei Uchiha greeted him casually.

But Naruto Uzumaki's reply immediately revealed some important news.

"No, Brother Yansheng. Mom went out on a mission. She's going to capture a bad guy who came back from the dead—someone named Danzō."