Meanwhile, Ueno Kei naturally had no idea about the twists and turns in Danzō's mind. If Kei had known what Danzō was thinking, he would have scoffed at it.
That was right—Kei did believe in being ruthless toward outsiders, but that did not mean he approved of Danzō's methods. Ruthlessness toward enemies did not mean abandoning all bottom lines.
In Kei's eyes, Danzō had no bottom line at all. No matter the matter or the person involved, he was far too extreme. That was something Kei could neither acknowledge nor accept. If it came to that, Kei would rather accept the Third Hokage's moderate faction. More importantly, the Third Hokage's moderation had limits; it was merely a matter of strategy.
It was not blind concession. That was also one of the reasons Kei could approve of his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen's methods. Although the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō belonged to two entirely opposing factions—
—the absolute difference between them was the existence of a bottom line. That was what Kei stood by.
"Kei-kun, since you are Hiruzen's disciple, you should understand his methods quite well. What do you think?" Danzō asked slowly, and there was even a trace of gentleness in his tone.
Kei almost wondered whether he had heard wrong. Were foxes offering prayers at henhouses these days?
Kei could not help but shudder. In his eyes, Shimura Danzō's words definitely carried hidden meaning, but outwardly, Kei's expression did not change in the slightest.
After carefully choosing his words, Kei said, "Lord Danzō, Teacher Sarutobi naturally has his reasons for acting as he does. As his disciple, it would not be appropriate for me to..."
Kei stopped halfway through, and his words carried implications of their own. The intent to evade the issue was obvious. Though he had not