Is This Framing Really That Obvious?

This dealt a major blow to Sarutobi Hiruzen's prestige within Konoha.

If Senju Nawaki really led the Senju Clan back to Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen's position as Hokage would inevitably come under threat.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke was another obstacle he couldn't get past.

The Senju Clan had already taken a stand against Sarutobi Hiruzen.

That was why he wanted to take a gamble. He had coveted that position for a long time.

Even if there was only the slightest chance, he wanted to give it a shot.

If the Senju Clan returned, he would take the Hokage seat he had always dreamed of.

Boom...

As he pondered, an explosion ripped a gaping hole in the embassy roof. A battered corpse dropped onto the table in front of him.

"Protect Lord Danzō!"

The guards beside Shimura Danzō stepped in front of him and looked up at the hole in the roof.

Another man stepped forward to examine the body.

"Whose body is this?"

Everyone's attention turned to the corpse.

It lay faceup on the table, its body riddled with holes. The blood had long since dried into blotches, and it gave off a foul, fishy stench.

"He's been dead for over five hours. There are six penetrating wounds on his body, each thirty centimeters in diameter."

The ninja who had gone to investigate was full of questions. He turned to Shimura Danzō and reported his findings.

He searched his mind for what kind of weapon could have made those wounds, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall anything.

Shimura Danzō furrowed his brows.

What was going on? Why had this corpse appeared here?

"Lord Danzō, this is Senju Sakuragi of the Senju Clan."

His guard carefully studied the corpse's face, his voice tinged with surprise.

"Damn it!"

Shimura Danzō cursed under his breath, sensing other ninja closing in around them.

A corpse from the Senju Clan!

A frame-up!

As Konoha's dark side, he immediately thought of one possibility.

That was also why Senju Nawaki hadn't bothered to hide what he was doing.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Shimura Danzō formed Hand Seals and held them before his mouth. His chest swelled.

Whoosh...

A powerful blade of wind burst from his mouth, aimed at the corpse and the building in front of him.

Rumble...

The corpse was blown against the wall like a rag doll. Strangely, the wall crumbled into dust, but the corpse remained relatively intact and fell to the ground.

"How is that possible?"

Shimura Danzō's pupils narrowed as he looked toward where the corpse had landed.

With the power of his Wind Release Ninjutsu, even if the corpse had been made of solid stone, it would have shattered into pieces. He should have been able to destroy all evidence.

But during the attack, tiny saplings had sprouted from Senju Sakuragi's body, absorbing the force of the Wind Release and keeping the corpse intact.

His plan had failed.

Could it be Wood Release?

Step...

Step...

A series of footsteps sounded.

"Elder Danzō, long time no see."

Senju Nawaki led the Senju Clan ninja to the embassy, just in time to see Shimura Danzō use Wind Release in an attempt to destroy the corpse.

Fortunately, they had made preparations in advance and used Wood Release to protect the body.

He and Shimura Danzō had met a few times before. Because of his original self's carefree nature, he had never bothered to hide his disgust for Shimura Danzō.

Shimura Danzō, however, had always treated him with great courtesy.

"Senju Nawaki?"

A strange look crossed Shimura Danzō's face, and surprise stirred in his heart.

Senju Nawaki's appearance hadn't changed much, but he no longer seemed as warm and sunny as before.

In him, Shimura Danzō saw an echo of Sarutobi Hiruzen: smiling warmly at everyone on the surface, while already plotting how to use them behind their backs.

Would the once simple-minded Senju Nawaki really use such a frame-up?

The situation was growing worse by the moment. It seemed he had fallen into a trap.

The commotion drew plenty of attention. Representatives from other ninja villages who were staying nearby had also been startled by the loud noise and came out to watch.

They remembered their mission: to gather intelligence on the Senju Clan, especially its attitude toward Konoha.

This was exactly what they had hoped to see, and they watched with keen interest.

"The Konoha delegation has shown no sincerity at all. They killed an elder of the Senju Clan in our new home. That is a provocation against the Senju Clan. There's no reason for them to remain here!"

Senju Nawaki's face was calm, but his words shocked everyone.

What did he mean?

Did he intend to destroy Konoha's delegation?

Even when two hostile forces sent delegations into each other's territory, they would still protect their safety.

And the reason was a corpse of unknown origin.

The experienced ninja present could all see that the corpse had been dead for a long time. They realized something was off.

Senju Nawaki's excuse was too flimsy, riddled with holes.

The more perceptive onlookers took a few steps back, understanding what was happening.

Senju Nawaki was making the Senju Clan's position clear to them.

The conflict between the Senju Clan and Konoha was just as the Ninja World had heard: the two sides had fallen into an irreconcilable feud.

They stepped out of the battlefield and continued watching how things unfolded.

As the side being framed, the people from Konoha felt even more conflicted, seething with frustration and resentment as they looked to Shimura Danzō for guidance.

Some could no longer hold back.

"Senju Nawaki, do you not even know the most basic facts? A corpse in this state of decay couldn't have been killed by us just a few hours ago. Someone else is framing us!"

The Anbu that Sarutobi Hiruzen had planted to keep an eye on Shimura Danzō spoke up for Konoha. There was a hint of scorn in his words.

Even he, an Anbu with little experience, could see the flaw in the accusation.

"Exactly! A frame-up? Isn't that exactly the sort of thing Konoha—your Anbu—like to do?"

Senju Nawaki nodded, then shot back.

Konoha's accusations against him had been just as full of holes, yet people had believed them anyway.

Could he really command jonin from the Ino-Shika-Cho clans? And had he really blundered into an enemy trap out of greed for credit?

Senju Nawaki remembered the circumstances when he had been framed. Just like the Anbu standing before him, he had wanted to question the people who had accused him.

Only the person who wronged you knows how wronged you are.

Some people knew you had been framed but still refused to explain the truth for you. Either they lacked the ability, or it served their interests.

What he was doing now was also something he had learned from Konoha.

Shimura Danzō looked at the Anbu monitoring him, unable to understand why Sarutobi Hiruzen had sent such an idiot to watch him.

He had initially felt relieved. Now it seemed like a disaster.