Protest within the Senju Clan!

After all, this was common knowledge!

The bond between Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi ran incomparably deep; they could be said to be as close as brothers.

Moreover, the Root organization led by Shimura Danzō was a sharp dagger in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand, specially used to handle matters in Konoha that were difficult and troublesome for the Hokage.

At this very moment, the many shinobi lurking in the shadows of the Hokage Building were all direct members of the Sarutobi Clan. They were well aware of the tangled connections between their own clan and the Shimura Clan.

Under normal circumstances, the two clans had intermarried for generations and formed a solid alliance. Wind and fire complemented one another; their relationship was deeply entwined, their fortunes shared. They were practically inseparable, like conjoined twins.

Let alone ordinary verbal disputes—even when the two sides came to blows, so long as Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō had not issued explicit orders, their subordinates had no need to interfere or seek trouble for themselves.

After all, those who had acted on their own in the past had not received any rewards. Instead, they had been punished in all manner of ways.

That showed just how close the two men were.

"Are we really going to remain deadlocked like this?" Faced with Hiruzen Sarutobi's hesitation, Shimura Danzō asked with a helpless look. He was not the Hokage and could not, by his own command alone, mobilize the entire village's power to make such a decision.

"Let's wait patiently for now. Allow me to observe the war a little longer. Perhaps... an unexpected turning point will emerge later." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, took a deep drag from his pipe, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke that shrouded his face in a haze.

Then, changing