Mockery, ridicule, delight.
Some of the higher-ups even couldn't help laughing out loud.
But Danzo knew he had made a grave mistake this time. His clenched fists slowly loosened.
Being stripped of his position as Root's leader and confined to his home for three years was already the lightest punishment possible for him.
If this had happened in Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage Ay might have thrown him out of his office to his death long ago.
In Kirigakure, he might have been fed to sharks...
Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious, yet he still gave Danzo a way out. After all, this was the bond he had shared through life and death...
After standing up, Danzo took a deep breath. Though unwilling, he had no choice but to accept it.
"I accept Lord Hokage's decision."
At that moment, Danzo wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.
It was utterly humiliating.
It nearly left the proud man unable to hold his head up.
However, as long as he remained within the sphere of power, he would still have another chance to compete for the position of Hokage.
After all, becoming Hokage had been his lifelong ambition.
Yet he had failed to gain enough political capital from the war against Kumogakure, which Danzo considered a major misstep. That was also related to his own strength.
Danzo was only suited for plotting in the shadows.
Or carrying out other intelligence-gathering work.
He did not possess the ability to lead a ninja army.
The clan heads all wore faint smiles when they saw this. They had long been dissatisfied with Danzo and were happy to see the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, Mitokado, and other clans suffer heavy losses.
They all secretly reveled in his misfortune.
But they were all shrewd people, so none of