Naruto: I Use Chakra to Upgrade Bloodline Limit Chapter 14

It was not Naruto that he hated.

It was the Nine-Tails inside Naruto.

As time passed, fueled by the idle gossip of the ninjas around him and the fact that the damage the Nine-Tails fox had caused to Konoha was simply too great, he too began to loathe little Naruto.

Hiruzen was the Hokage; there were many things he could not show.

He could only hide them silently within his heart.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Sarutobi Hiruzen dispelled his Telescope Technique.

The crystal ball returned to its calm state.

An old man dressed in white, his right eye wrapped in bandages, walked slowly into the Hokage's office.

His face was rigid and stern, exuding an icy, sinister aura.

As he looked toward Hiruzen's Hokage seat, a surge of intense jealousy welled up in his heart.

The man who had arrived was none other than Shimura Danzō, the leader of Konoha's Root.

He had originally had a chance to sit in the Hokage's chair!

At present, he was also the nominal superior of Orochimaru.

"It's you; what a rare guest." Upon realizing it was Danzō, Hiruzen took a deep drag and exhaled a ring of smoke.

As an old fox himself, Danzō could not miss the sarcasm in Hiruzen's tone; he sat on the sofa and spoke with an expressionless face.

"As the highest leader of the village, appointed personally by the Daimyo, you are the Hokage. Although I am the leader of Root, I am still your subordinate. You wouldn't refuse to discuss work with a subordinate, would you?"

Danzō had once sent men disguised as wandering ninjas to assassinate Hiruzen, only for the latter to easily see through the plot.

However, Hiruzen did not pursue the matter further.

After all, the two had once faced life and death together, forging a deep bond.

But their relationship had since become subtle.

Hiruzen snuffed out his pipe.

He stood up, walked over, and sat on the sofa to Danzō's left, then asked, "What is it? Speak plainly."

Danzō spoke slowly.

"The only ones in Konoha capable of controlling the Nine-Tails are the Uchiha clan. It has been over a year since the Nine-Tails incident, and the Uchiha have yet to prove their innocence."

"On top of that, forcing the Uchiha to relocate to the outskirts has only caused the relationship between the village and them to deteriorate."

"Lord Tobirama once said that the Uchiha are a clan of evil. Rather than waiting for them to rebel, it would be better to eradicate them early!"

As he spoke, Danzō made a throat-slitting gesture.

He had always loathed the Uchiha.

He wanted them gone, and the sooner, the better!

Hearing these words, Hiruzen furrowed his brows deeply.

The Nine-Tails incident from a year ago—the Uchiha indeed could not clear their name.

Hiruzen shook his head in refusal, then explained.

"The Uchiha are, after all, one of the founding families of Konoha, and they have produced powerful ninjas like Kagami Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha who were willing to sacrifice themselves for the village. If we were to move against the Uchiha, it would inevitably chill the hearts of clans like the Hyuga and the Ino-Shika-Cho. We cannot do this."

Danzō struck the floor with his cane and said angrily, "As Hokage, you cannot be soft-hearted! Eliminating the Uchiha is the only way to better protect Konoha!"

Hiruzen stood with his hands behind his back.

He, too, knew that the Uchiha were a threat.

Hiruzen seemed to be deep in thought; after a while, he murmured, "The time is not yet right. Or, even if we were to wipe out the clan, the blame must not fall upon us. Do you understand?"

A glimmer of light flashed in Danzō's eyes.

The other party seemed to be hinting at something.

A conspiracy began to take shape in Danzō's mind!

"I understand!"

Although Hiruzen had not given a definitive answer, the fact that he had provided a hint proved that he had given his tacit approval.

Danzō continued, "I have one more matter to discuss."

He gazed at Hiruzen with longing in his eyes.

"Lord Hokage, entrust the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to me for training. I will absolutely turn it into the most powerful weapon to protect the village!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around, his gaze cold and sharp as he stated, "That is wishful thinking! It is impossible!"

He rejected Danzo's proposal without a second thought.

First of all.

The power of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was extremely unstable.

If it were used recklessly.

It might lead to a repeat of the natural disaster that occurred a year ago.

At that time, there would be countless casualties.

Other hidden villages might even seize the opportunity to attack Konoha.

Secondly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was well aware of Danzo's wolfish ambitions.

If he were allowed to fully grasp the power of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

It would not only be a threat to the village.

It would also threaten his own position.

He would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen!

Danzo tried to persuade him, "Hiruzen, are you really going to let the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki just grow up, go to school, and become an ordinary ninja?"

"The disaster already cost us the Fourth Hokage and his wife, two of our top combatants. Konoha is currently plagued by internal and external troubles. Hand the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki over to me, and before long, I will train him into a war machine that obeys Konoha completely!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a cold laugh, a trace of mockery appearing on his aged face.

"You mean obeys you, don't you?"

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was old, he was not senile.

To truly hand little Naruto over to Danzo.

Would be no different than raising a tiger that would eventually turn on its master.

He would absolutely never agree to this matter.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also took the opportunity to issue a warning.

"If anything happens to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, I will personally lead Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the Anbu to raze your Root to the ground!"

"You..." Hearing these words, Danzo's face flushed red with anger.

He had not expected the other party to be so stubborn and set in his ways.

"Someone, see him out," Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered, dismissing him.

"Swish, swish," two sounds rang out.

Immediately, two Anbu ninjas appeared in the office in an instant.

"Lord Danzo, please leave."

The Anbu ninjas gestured for him to exit.

Anyone with eyes could see.

That if Danzo dared to make a move, they would strike.

"Fine, Hiruzen, you just remember this!" Danzo flicked his sleeve and left.

Thinking of all the dirty work.

He had done for Sarutobi Hiruzen in the shadows over the years.

To be kicked out of the Hokage office like this.

Danzo's chest was filled with a raging fire.

Just before reaching the office door, Danzo turned slightly, his expression blank as he spoke word by word.

"The Nine-Tails is a collection of evil. To let it run wild without restraint will only harm the village. Hiruzen, you will eventually regret your actions today."

"The Nine-Tails is an enemy; it cannot be treated with kindness, only controlled. If it cannot be controlled, then it must be destroyed. Everything I, Danzo, do is for the sake of Konoha, and I have no complaints."

After Danzo left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed out at the distant Hokage Rock and scoffed, "You think you can master the power of the Nine-Tails?"

"Delusional!"

Late at night.

Deep within a basement at the headquarters of Root.

"Ahhh!"

Piercing screams echoed out from time to time.

Inside the basement.

A tall, slender middle-aged man with a pale complexion was holding a scalpel, cutting and dissecting a living person.

Bright red blood flowed across the operating table.

His golden slit pupils revealed a look of excitement, appearing deeply eerie.

The anesthetic had worn off.

The Konoha ninja lying on the experimental table let out a shrill, miserable scream.

Orochimaru remained expressionless, focused intently on his dissection and research.

Not long after.

The ninja stopped screaming.

His breath grew as thin as gossamer.

His vitality continued to dissipate.

"Orochimaru, there aren't many test subjects left; you need to use them sparingly."

Witnessing the cruel scene.

There was not the slightest ripple of emotion on Danzo's face.

"The meaning of a ninja's existence is to have value in being utilized. Konoha has never lacked people; you can just have the Root ninjas go out and capture some more when the time comes."

"Am I right, Lord Danzo?"

Danzo did not refute him, merely letting out a faint, cold snort.

Orochimaru's attainments in scientific research were extremely high.

He was of great help to Danzo.

He would not create conflict with a partner over such a trivial matter.