Danzo

Hearing Uchiha Chen, who stood before him, express ignorance of the situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly, thinking to himself: In truth, the moment he learned there was someone else involved besides Anko Mitarashi, he had already vaguely sensed the clues to the matter.

Asking Uchiha Chen at this moment was merely to confirm his suspicions.

Since he did not know, there was no need to press further; once Anko Mitarashi regained consciousness, everything would naturally come to light.

With that, he began to chat casually with Uchiha Chen.

On the other side, after exchanging a few idle words, Uchiha Chen, who remained oblivious to the underlying implications, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and realized he had no reason to stay.

Unless the Third Hokage took the initiative to ask him to remain, but considering the tragic fate of the Uchiha clan in the original story, he knew that was nearly impossible.

At this thought, Uchiha Chen felt a touch of regret and spoke up: "Since you have arrived, Third Hokage, I shall take my leave."

With that, he turned to depart.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the departing Uchiha Chen, suddenly realizing this was an excellent opportunity to bridge the distance between them.

He had already pondered the information regarding Uchiha Chen many times over in his mind. This young man was not only powerful but also solitary, drifting outside the affairs of the world and maintaining little connection with the Uchiha clan.

Such traits made him a target of great value for recruitment.

In that instant, Hiruzen Sarutobi made his decision; he would seize this chance to establish a closer connection with Uchiha Chen.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's insight was sharp; from those few short, seemingly casual remarks, he had already sensed the affection Uchiha Chen held deep within for Anko Mitarashi.

Yet, where did this affection originate?

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not know for the moment, but he understood that using this opportunity to draw closer to Uchiha Chen would be an easy task.

With this thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly spoke to detain him: "No rush, no rush. Since you saved Anko Mitarashi, why not wait here a while longer for her to wake up?"

As he spoke, he did not forget to take a deep drag from his pipe, exhaling a cloud of smoke before continuing: "After all, we can't have her wake up without knowing who her savior was."

Hearing the request in Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Uchiha Chen did not understand his true intentions, but since it aligned with his own desires, he did not refuse.

For the moment, the two engaged in pleasantries, conversing quite happily.

Meanwhile, in a cold, damp, and sunless underground base, a figure sat quietly in the shadows beneath a dim light.

The man's right eye was tightly wrapped in thick bandages, obscuring it completely and revealing nothing; only his left eye remained exposed, radiating an expression of extreme indifference.

Listening to the report from a Root operative who knelt before him wearing a mask and exuding an aura of emptiness, Shimura Danzō remained silent for a moment before speaking abruptly: "Oh? So that is what happened."

His voice was low and magnetic, yet it seemed to harbor an endless darkness.

He nodded slightly, signaling his approval: "Hmm, very good. This was reported in a timely manner. You may withdraw."

After the Root operative vanished like a ghost, Shimura Danzō stood up alone and muttered to himself, lost in thought: "Hiruzen, oh Hiruzen, you are always far too soft-hearted."

"Someone like Anko Mitarashi, who has been abandoned, is the most suitable talent for our Root."

"After all, she was once favored by Orochimaru; even if she has been cast aside now, it is the perfect time to unearth her potential within Root."

"Furthermore, she has now dared to kill someone from Konoha; you can no longer shield her."

Having said this, a sharp glint flashed in Shimura Danzō's eyes.

His body suddenly blurred, as if merging into the surrounding air.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the Root base, moving rapidly toward Konoha Hospital.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Chen was still chatting with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

On the surface, he appeared relaxed and cheerful, but his heart was filled with irritation and dissatisfaction.

This old man, why does he keep dragging me into pointless small talk!

He muttered to himself, Even if he wants to recruit me, he should have sent some beautiful female ninja! How annoying...

Indeed, in such a short time, Uchiha Chen had sorted out his thoughts and understood the Third Hokage's intent.

He thought: Although I haven't experienced it myself, I at least went through nine years of compulsory education.

As long as I recall the previous behavior of the original body, everything becomes self-evident.

However, Uchiha Chen felt nothing but disdain deep down, thinking: He actually harbors delusions of recruiting me?

In another two months, when Kotoamatsukami is fully restored, both you, the Third Hokage, and that 5.5th generation 'Pot Kage' will all be kneeling at my feet!

At this thought, Uchiha Chen's mood brightened, his smile becoming increasingly sincere; he even felt a bit more tolerant toward the still-babbling Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After all, this man was an important pawn in his future, so what harm was there in enduring his nagging for a while?

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing to the side, saw Uchiha Chen's expression turn so earnest and mistakenly believed that the Will of Fire he had just expounded upon had deeply moved the young man.

He prepared to strike while the iron was hot and further instill this ideology into Uchiha Chen.

Unexpectedly, the sound of a cane tapping against the floor reached his ears.

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately realized who had arrived and revealed a helpless, bitter smile.

Sure enough, accompanied by the "tap-tap" of the cane, before the figure even appeared, a gloomy voice drifted over: "Hiruzen! Anko Mitarashi killed the Konoha chunin Suzuki Hiro; this crime is punishable by death! Arrest her immediately and subject her to rigorous interrogation; we must find out if she has any other accomplices!"

The speaker walked forward, his gaze locked firmly onto Uchiha Chen, as if he had already decided that he was the non-existent accomplice.

Hearing these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart skipped a beat, his expression shifted slightly, and he barked in a low voice: "Danzō! Anko Mitarashi is my grand-student. I know the character of this child better than anyone; she would never betray Konoha! Stop trying to smear her name! And as for Chen, he is merely her savior and knows nothing else. Don't you dare harbor any crooked intentions toward him!"

With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared coldly at Shimura Danzō.

Uchiha Chen, standing to the side, was ready to lash out upon hearing such absurd claims from Shimura Danzō and feeling his malicious gaze.

However, after hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, he suppressed his anger, deciding to endure for the time being.

He merely calculated in his heart that when he eventually controlled Shimura Danzō, he would have to teach him a lesson to vent his frustration.