Two Choices

"Did you hear that, Lord Advisor? He said he was acting on Lord Danzo's orders." Ye Ning smiled, not in the least surprised by the outcome.

Since he had chosen to bring Danzo down, he had made all the necessary preparations.

How could he fight a battle he wasn't sure he could win?

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura stood nearby, both shocked.

Danzo had actually...

Really sent his subordinates to assassinate the Daimyo's Son, the heir to the Land of Fire!

Had he gone mad?

As for whether the Root ninja's words were true, they had no doubts at all. It had never even crossed their minds to question them.

After all, the Root ninja were extremely loyal to Danzo. Even the Third Hokage couldn't make them do his bidding.

The Third Hokage rubbed his temples and sank weakly back into his seat, his mind clouded with confusion.

He knew it was over!

It was all over!

Danzo had undoubtedly picked up a rock and dropped it on his own foot!

He had put the lid on his own coffin with his own hands—and nailed it shut!

Danzo looked equally incredulous.

He had never doubted the loyalty of the Root ninja.

After all, most Root ninja had been trained into emotionless weapons. With the Cursed Seal of Root in place, he could kill any Root ninja who revealed information or betrayed him. Naturally, he had never questioned his subordinates' loyalty.

But he had never imagined that one of his subordinates would turn against him at the critical moment and strike him with such a devastating blow!

"You're talking nonsense! Fujiyama Nakakage, do you even know what you're saying?"

Danzo's furious outburst didn't frighten the Root ninja. Instead, a look of sorrow spread across his face.

"Lord Hokage, Lord Daimyo, every word I've said is true!"

"Bastard!"

Danzo had never expected things to reach this point. He stumbled back two steps, swayed, and nearly fell.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura hesitated, but didn't go to support him. They let him slowly straighten up with one hand against the wall.

"Lord Advisor, what do you have to say for yourself now?"

The Root ninja's defection wasn't some change of heart. Ye Ning didn't have a protagonist's silver tongue, able to change someone's mind in just a few words.

This was the result of his efforts over the past few days.

It was true that the Root ninja were absolutely loyal and obedient to Danzo, who also held their lives in his hands.

But some things were far more terrifying than death.

Which was more frightening: death or the Eighteen Levels of Hell?

Ye Ning had merely used a little genjutsu on the Root ninja.

The Eighteen Levels of Hell were still under development and far from complete. So far, he had only developed Tongue-Ripping Hell, but that was more than enough to torture someone.

Tsukuyomi, the technique Uchiha Itachi used, merely dragged a person's mind into an illusory space, tied them to a cross, and repeatedly stabbed them with a Ninja Blade for seventy-two hours. How could that compare with the pain of Tongue-Ripping Hell?

So although the Root ninja didn't appear to be acting strangely, his mind had already broken.

He had been unconscious for three days before Tsunade revived him. Turning against Danzo on the spot was only natural.

"It seems the matter is settled, Sarutobi Hiruzen."

The Daimyo gave a cold laugh and put more pressure on the Third Hokage.

Catching sight of Danzo standing there in a daze, the Third Hokage sighed to himself and replied:

"Lord Daimyo, I will give you an explanation for this."

"Don't give me that nonsense! I can't trust you."

The Daimyo fired back without the slightest courtesy. "Don't think I don't know that Danzo is your close friend, Sarutobi Hiruzen. You grew up together. You'll go on making excuses until, in the end, the whole matter is swept under the rug again, won't you?"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, I won't make things difficult for Konoha."

At this, the Third Hokage's eyes lit up. He finally felt a little relieved, but the Daimyo's next words sent his heart plunging to the depths.

"I'm giving you two choices."

"First, keep protecting him, and Konoha's funding for the next few years will be canceled. Second, strip Danzo of all his positions, throw him into Konoha Prison, and keep him under strict guard for the rest of his life!"

Yikes...

That was a blow straight to the heart!

Ye Ning clicked his tongue, his expression thoughtful.

The Daimyo was forcing the Third Hokage to choose between Danzo and Konoha!

Either save Danzo and figure out how to fund Konoha yourself for the next few years.

Or strip Danzo of all his positions and throw him in prison!

That said...

There was no need to wonder what the Third Hokage would choose.

Going without funding for several years would be worse for the Third Hokage than being killed.

Konoha had been at war for years, and now that the fighting had finally ended, there were expenses everywhere. If it really went without funding for several years, there was no telling whether Konoha could even survive. Even if it did, the other great shinobi villages would soon overtake it.

So the Third Hokage's choice was already clear.

And from the Daimyo's perspective, this was hardly an overreaction.

Ever since the Land of Fire was founded and this arrangement with Konoha was established, the two had always enjoyed good relations. There had even been a bond of kinship between them. Over the years, the Daimyo Mansion had never been stingy with its support or funding for Konoha.

Without that support, Konoha could never have remained the dominant power in the Shinobi World after the age of Hashirama.

It was thanks to the Daimyo Mansion's steady support that Konoha could continue to grow and afford to maintain so many ninja.

But today, the Daimyo's only son had been targeted for assassination.

That was something the Daimyo simply couldn't accept.

I give Konoha so much money every year, and this is what you use it for?

You raise a bunch of ninja, then send them to assassinate my son.

What are you trying to do?

I give you money, and you use it to raise ninja who threaten me. Are you taking advantage of an honest man?

"Third Hokage, I've laid out your choices. There are only two paths. I don't want to hear any more excuses."

The Daimyo gave a cold laugh and threatened him. "My son and I don't feel safe here in Konoha. We have to be on our guard against you at all times. I might as well give that money to another shinobi village. I'm sure great villages like Iwagakure and Sunagakure would be more than happy to protect my son and me!"

The Third Hokage clenched his fists, then let them fall helplessly.

He was breaking down.

Danzo's actions had always reassured him. He had never thought things could spiral into a situation like this!

The Daimyo had even brought up villages hostile to Konoha. It was clear how furious he was.

The Third Hokage no longer had the presence of mind to consider whether the Daimyo truly intended to meddle in Konoha's affairs. All he could think about was how to calm the Daimyo's anger as quickly as possible.

Konoha would need money for a long time to come!