Danzo's Plan to Take the Blame

Chapter 26: Danzo's Plan to Take the Blame

The Uchiha Clan's territory was far from Konoha's bustling center, situated instead in a secluded corner near Konoha Prison.

But Shen Mo was in no hurry to go there.

As he walked, he pondered what type of Jars to recommend to Sasuke later.

Meanwhile.

Shimura Danzō, his head and arm wrapped in white bandages, stood grimly outside the Hokage's Office.

He had been standing there for several minutes.

Yet he had not pushed the door open.

Because he had not received the information yet.

Not until a ninja with a deathly pale face came staggering over, gasping for breath.

"Ippei." Danzo called out his name.

Though his voice was very soft, the Anbu ninja named Ippei trembled uncontrollably, as if he had been stung by a venomous scorpion.

He immediately dropped to his knees.

"Lord Danzo, I—"

Creak—

The doors to the Hokage's Office suddenly opened.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in the Hokage's robes, stood before the window with his back to them.

"Come in."

His voice was old, yet forceful.

Danzo said nothing and strode inside, but Ippei's face turned even paler.

Nominally, he belonged to the Hokage's Anbu.

Yet he still obeyed Danzo, his former superior and the founder of Root.

"Hiruzen, why did you summon me here in the middle of the night? Is there something important?" Danzo asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Danzo, you should address me as Lord Hokage." Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around. His eyes, somewhat clouded during the day, now gleamed with a blade-like sharpness. "Why did you give Ippei that order?"

Ippei's body trembled again.

He lowered his head deeply.

Tonight.

Lord Hokage had ordered him to invite over the man who had been dining with Lady Tsunade.

But when he set out.

Danzo had given him new instructions, telling him to take the opportunity to test that man's strength. If he was weak, Ippei was to bring him directly before Danzo.

The result of that test was already plain to see.

"Why?" Danzo's lips curled faintly in what seemed like mockery, but it quickly vanished. "Let's be direct, Hiruzen. When you sent Ippei to carry out that mission, weren't you tacitly approving—even hoping—that I would give such an order?"

Although Root had been disbanded by Hiruzen Sarutobi after the Uchiha Clan's massacre.

Many of its members still served in the Anbu and remained loyal to Danzo.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew this perfectly well.

Under such circumstances.

Sending Ippei, a former Root member, to invite the mysterious man who had appeared beside Tsunade made the purpose obvious.

He had been prompting Danzo to give the order.

Ippei could not stop his cold sweat.

He had never expected that Lord Hokage's purpose in assigning him the mission was to hint for Lord Danzo to interfere.

And now that the mission had failed...

Wouldn't the responsibility fall on Lord Danzo?

"Forget it. What's done is done." Hiruzen Sarutobi did not continue discussing the order. He took a deep drag from his pipe, and his tone seemed to soften somewhat. "You didn't see it, but Ippei should have experienced that merchant's strength firsthand."

"Yes!"

Ippei's body began to tremble slightly.

Not only because he had become embroiled in the contest between Lord Hokage and Lord Danzo, but because—

He recalled the fear from earlier.

"This subordinate... this subordinate only felt..." Ippei swallowed, his voice becoming unsteady. "That was no human at all. Even when facing the Nine-Tails twelve years ago, this subordinate had never felt such terror. He didn't even do anything. He merely stood there, and this subordinate completely lost consciousness. My mind went blank..."

He did not know what words could describe it.

In short.

He had simply felt overwhelming strength, strength so great that it left no room for even the slightest hope of resistance.

"Genjutsu? A dōjutsu?" Danzo's exposed eye narrowed.

He could naturally tell that Ippei had not suffered any physical injuries. His mind alone had been struck by a nightmare-like shock.

Either Genjutsu or a powerful dōjutsu could achieve such an effect.

"If I'm not yet so old as to be useless." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked toward the desk in the office. "Then it was likely just the oppressive aura produced by sheer strength. The First Hokage possessed it as well, but this man surpasses even him."

Danzo followed Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze.

He saw the shattered crystal.

And he saw the deep wariness in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

It was the first time Danzo had ever seen such a look on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

Have you truly grown old, Hiruzen?

"If you're worried, leave this matter to me," Danzo said slowly.

He was not being arrogant. Rather, a spark of motivation had risen within him—the drive to surpass Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The things you cannot do.

I can! I can even do them better than you!

Ever since the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, Hiruzen Sarutobi had removed Danzo from his position as "Hokage's Advisor" and disbanded Root. The conflict and resentment between the two had deepened by the day, and Danzo's desire to become Hokage and surpass Hiruzen Sarutobi had only grown stronger.

"No." Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly shook his head. He glanced at Danzo and spoke bluntly. "I hope you can take responsibility for tonight's conflict."

"..."

Even Danzo's face flushed with an unnatural redness.

From anger.

I thought you called me here to discuss a plan, but you just want me to take the blame!

"That merchant is even more mysterious than I expected. At the very least, before we learn more, Konoha has no need to provoke further conflict with him." As though he had not seen Danzo's fury, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his voice as if speaking to himself. "Most importantly, Tsunade has returned."

That final sentence was the key.

Tsunade had returned.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew very well that, at present, there was only one candidate for the Fifth Hokage: Tsunade.

Prestige, temperament, ability...

If her Hemophobia had not been cured, that would have been one thing. But since it had been resolved, even without his support, Tsunade could still take the position of Fifth Hokage if she wished.

That was why he feared Tsunade might be deceived and even used Danzo's hand to test her.

And the result of that test.

Had not reassured him at all. It had only made him more cautious.

The reason he had summoned Danzo tonight was to warn him not to make any more unauthorized moves before they had more information, escalating the conflict. Danzo also had to provide an explanation for tonight's events.

Danzo stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with his single eye. In the end, he still looked away.

"I am no longer even a Hokage's Advisor. What can I possibly do?"

He turned his back and walked alone toward the door, his figure filled with loneliness.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his old friend depart step by step, and a trace of reluctance stirred in his heart.

But he did not know that the instant Danzo turned around, restrained fury filled his eye.

Hiruzen Sarutobi believed he was being cautious.

But Danzo saw only fear!

Since when had Konoha reached the point where even the Hokage had to fear others?

Plans raced madly through his mind. Then, he thought of someone.

Itachi Uchiha!

Since Hiruzen Sarutobi believed Konoha had no need to clash with that so-called merchant, would the Akatsuki Organization be interested?