Danzo Grows Restless, Time to Make a Move!

The warm sun of autumn and winter shone over the entire village. Everything looked peaceful and tranquil, and the residents lived prosperous lives for the most part. This was the Konoha that other villages envied most.

Yet behind that bright and splendid facade, deep underground in the forest behind Hokage Rock, lay Root's base.

The base was dimly lit, its surroundings all reinforced walls of steel. Only a few incandescent lamps hung high overhead, casting circles of light onto the floor. Everywhere beyond those spots was exceptionally dark.

"Lord Danzo, Jiraiya has returned to the village. He is currently with the Nine-Tails jinchuriki and has moved into his home."

Aburame Ryoma knelt on one knee before Danzo as he reported this information about Jiraiya.

Upon hearing this, Danzo's expression immediately twisted. His already ugly old face now looked even more like a withered chrysanthemum.

"I understand. Dismissed."

"Yes!"

Aburame Ryoma immediately vanished in a Body Flicker.

Danzo then hurried without pause to Hiruzen Sarutobi's Hokage office.

Bang!

Danzo forcefully shoved open the door and stormed into the office.

"Hiruzen! How could you let Jiraiya live in the Nine-Tails jinchuriki's home? Don't you know Jiraiya's personality? The jinchuriki cannot be left in the hands of that carefree fellow Jiraiya!"

Faced with Danzo barging in furiously, Hiruzen Sarutobi had assumed the Uchiha had done something else to provoke him. Yet after listening, he had not expected it to be about Jiraiya and the jinchuriki.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.

"Danzo, Jiraiya has decided to stay in the village this time. That is why I allowed him to remain by Naruto's side. Is there a problem?"

Danzo's expression immediately darkened. He had deliberately pretended to be angry and burst through the door this time to probe for information on Jiraiya, fearing that Jiraiya would remain in the village for good.

Ever since the Nine-Tails had been sealed inside Naruto, Danzo had never given up on the idea of taking control of the jinchuriki. He had merely failed several times.

But lately, as he watched the Uchiha clan develop better and better, Danzo had begun to feel increasingly uneasy. He had also been doing everything he could to strengthen Root.

He had demanded people from the major clans, constantly tempted shinobi within the village, and even sent Root shinobi out of the village to abduct wandering shinobi and bounty hunters. Then he used the Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu to forcibly turn them into his pawns, all to strengthen Root.

Just as he had begun to set his sights on the Nine-Tails jinchuriki again, Hiruzen had unexpectedly summoned Jiraiya back. Danzo had therefore ordered Aburame Ryoma to track Jiraiya's movements.

But the report made him worry. He feared that Jiraiya would simply remain in the village, staying by the Nine-Tails jinchuriki's side.

That was why, the moment he learned the news, he had rushed over to Hiruzen to test the waters. Yet the thing he feared most had happened—Jiraiya truly intended to stay in the village.

And Hiruzen had actually agreed to let Jiraiya look after the Nine-Tails jinchuriki. It gave Danzo the feeling that the woman he liked had been stolen by someone else. Though he had never liked any woman, that was simply how infuriated he felt.

"Hiruzen, I object! You must understand the danger of Naruto Uzumaki being the Nine-Tails jinchuriki! A jinchuriki should not have emotions. He should only be a tool. Hand him over to Root and let me train him."

Danzo's words made Hiruzen's blood pressure rise.

"Danzo! I've told you many times! What is wrong with you? Fine, you don't trust the Uchiha, but what now? You don't even trust Jiraiya? He is my disciple!"

"Orochimaru was your disciple too! Don't forget that! Didn't Orochimaru defect back then as well? How can you guarantee that Jiraiya's request to stay beside the Nine-Tails jinchuriki after returning to the village isn't a conspiracy?"

When Danzo mentioned Orochimaru, Hiruzen's heart ached again. His tone lost its earlier agitation, and he calmed down.

"Danzo, Orochimaru and Jiraiya are different. You cannot lump them together. Jiraiya does not have the evil within him that Orochimaru did. They are not the same kind of person."

Danzo smiled.

"Hiruzen, Hiruzen, how laughable. You should know that Orochimaru only went down the wrong path after coming into contact with experiments involving the First Hokage Cells. By letting Jiraiya stay beside the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, aren't you afraid the same thing will happen again?"

"You should know that if Jiraiya truly cared most about the village, would he have chosen to travel outside for so many years? Would he have left the village before the Cloud Village sent its delegation?"

"Do you truly think your disciple has no ulterior motive in approaching the Nine-Tails jinchuriki? Isn't he trying to take the Nine-Tails jinchuriki away from you?"

"Even setting aside Orochimaru, the rogue ninja, Tsunade left the village and Jiraiya traveled outside. Did you only order Jiraiya to return to the village this time? I doubt it. Then why was Jiraiya the only one who came back? Why did he request to look after the Nine-Tails jinchuriki the moment he returned?"

Danzo's words echoed one after another in Hiruzen's ears, making his initially unwavering faith in Jiraiya begin to waver.

Watching Hiruzen gradually become indecisive, Danzo began to feel pleased.

He knew this old friend of his far too well. Though Hiruzen was capable, suspicion, jealousy, and greed for power had always been his greatest flaws.

Back then, Hiruzen had agreed to frame the White Fang of the Leaf only because Danzo had egged him on. The exposure of Orochimaru's human experiments had also been Danzo's handiwork.

Hiruzen's physical abilities had now declined, but after losing and then regaining the position of Hokage, his attachment to it had only grown stronger.

After the Third Shinobi World War, Hiruzen had unexpectedly been determined enough to step down and pass the position to Minato. Yet when faced with Minato as the sitting Hokage, he had constantly meddled and refused to relinquish power. Then, after Minato's death, he had returned to the position himself.

Danzo had seen through his dear friend Hiruzen. Hiruzen truly loved the village, but his greed for power and suspicion were just as real!

After a long silence, Hiruzen finally spoke.

"What you said does make some sense, but I still choose to trust Jiraiya. I firmly believe that Jiraiya will not betray my trust."

This answer was beyond Danzo's expectations. He had thought Hiruzen would be swayed by his words as he had been in the past. Why? Why had his manipulation failed?!

"You! You!"

The furious Danzo pointed a trembling arm at him.

"Since what I said makes sense, why won't you hand the jinchuriki over to me? Do you no longer trust me? I am your shadow in the darkness!"

Hiruzen looked at Danzo, his clouded eyes filled with determination.

"Danzo, it is precisely because I know you too well. I believe you would not use the Nine-Tails jinchuriki to harm the village, but I also believe Jiraiya would not."

"I trust both of you, but we have already caused Naruto far too much harm. Let Jiraiya stay by his side and make it up to him properly."

But Danzo was still unwilling to give up and wanted to continue speaking, only for Hiruzen to cut him off.

"Enough, Danzo! I am the Hokage!"

"Hiruzen! You will regret this!"

Seeing Hiruzen say those words, Danzo knew his scheme had come to nothing this time. All he could do was utter that classic line before leaving in bitter resentment.