"Fourth Hokage, I demand a reasonable explanation! Root shinobi have their dignity too. I've been working hard to protect Lord Danzō while waiting for the Lord Third to take charge. Why did you suddenly hit me with a Rasengan?" Aburame Zhixiang said through gritted teeth.
"Huh? But the Lord Third said you were holding Elder Danzō hostage and plotting a rebellion!" Namikaze Minato said, looking bewilderedly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hmm? Root Shinobi A told me that Zhixiang had asked me to go to Root and take charge. He also said Elder Danzō was going to kill himself. How could I possibly believe something so absurd? So I had reason to suspect your intentions were impure. To be safe, I had Minato step in and stop you!" Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, his brow furrowing even deeper.
"Then may I ask whether Lord Danzō's actions just now counted as an attempted suicide? You acted so decisively without even understanding the situation, Lord Third?" Aburame Zhixiang was Danzō's subordinate, and normally wasn't under the Lord Third's command. He'd never felt that the Lord Third had much authority over him. Besides, Danzō had deliberately cultivated Root to be loyal only to him. In their eyes, the Lord Third was less intimidating than the powerful Namikaze Minato.
"Senior Shinobi Zhixiang, I'm sorry you got caught up in this. The Lord Third was worried about Danzō's condition and acted in haste. It was all for Konoha, so please understand. Don't worry, this counts as a workplace injury. Go to the medical unit and get patched up. I'll speak to Elder Danzō about sick leave later!" Namikaze Minato said, smoothing things over and winning people over.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent throughout. Looking at Namikaze Minato, he seemed to see himself back when he'd first taken office. But Minato was still a little green.
At that, Aburame Zhixiang said no more. He nodded and withdrew.
In the meantime, the medical ninja had stabilized Danzō's injuries, and he had fully regained consciousness.
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi hurried over...
"Danzō, what happened to you? Why did you lose hope and try to kill yourself? Doesn't this irresponsible behavior betray the trust I placed in you? And what about Teacher Tobirama's high regard for you?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, heartbroken.
"You? Don't come any closer!!!!!!!!!!" Shimura Danzō looked even more distraught than Bu Jingyun.
Terrified by Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face, he scrambled backward, retching as he went.
Those seventy-two hours in the Tsukuyomi World had completely changed Danzō's outlook on life. Before, all he thought about was dealing with the evil Uchiha, securing funding, expanding Root, defeating Hiruzen Sarutobi, becoming Hokage, and reaching the pinnacle of his life!
Now, scenes of himself being beaten down by twenty Hiruzen Sarutobis kept popping into his mind. Whenever he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face, he felt a stabbing pain in his rear.
"Danzō, what's wrong with you? It's me, Hiruzen!" Hiruzen Sarutobi hurried over and shook Danzō, who was retching and vomiting.
"I know you're Sarutobi. Please, just get out of my sight. Now. Immediately! Namikaze Minato, help me~ Come save me! I can't breathe!" Danzō clutched at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his features twisted in panic, his limbs flailing and his body writhing as he cried out in a shrill voice.
It was enough to make anyone who heard it lose their mind and anyone who saw it burst into tears! Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Hiruzen Sarutobi was trying to assault him!
What on earth had the Lord Third done to Elder Danzō? Even Namikaze Minato couldn't help wondering as he watched. Elder Danzō might be a bad person, but he was a battle-hardened veteran who'd seen every kind of scene. He couldn't possibly fall apart so easily, could he?
The Lord Third must have done something unspeakable to Elder Danzō behind the scenes! Namikaze Minato's imagination ran wild. Elder Danzō had been his teammate for decades! How could the Lord Third do such a thing to him? At the thought, the way Minato looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi changed.
"Namikaze Minato, what are you standing there for? Get this pervert Sarutobi off me! Would you be happy if I died?" Danzō turned his twisted expression toward Namikaze Minato.
"Huh? The Lord Third? A pervert?" Namikaze Minato seemed to understand everything in an instant. Instead of approaching, he took a few steps along the wall.
"Lord Third, please let go of Lord Danzō. You both need to calm down! This is a public place, after all, and there are so many Root comrades watching."
"Danzō, have you gone mad? How can you slander me out of nowhere? I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, have always acted with complete integrity. I have nothing to do with being a pervert! Get a grip!" Hiruzen Sarutobi scolded him, his face taut.
"I'm perfectly clearheaded. Please stay away from me, thanks! The farther away you are, the clearer I'll be," Danzō said, fighting back the urge to vomit.
"Danzō, you... sigh! I'm leaving. You can stew on it yourself!" Seeing that Danzō was impossible to reason with, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to leave for now. Something about this whole business felt suspicious! And with Danzō treating him this way, he could only rely on Minato to talk to him.
He gave Namikaze Minato a meaningful glance. Minato shuddered all over.
Normally, the two of them worked well together, and Minato wouldn't have read anything into it. But after watching Danzō break down like that, anyone would have gotten the wrong idea. After all, he was still an innocent young man, with a wife and child waiting for him at home!
Becoming Hokage was his dream, but if he had to sell his body for the job, he'd rather give it up!
He'd always thought Elder Danzō was the darkness of Konoha. He'd never realized he'd misunderstood him—that Danzō was the one who'd silently borne the burden and sacrificed for Konoha all along!
Hiruzen Sarutobi, you've hidden your true nature better than anyone!
"Minato, even you...? I really didn't do anything to Danzō!" Seeing Namikaze Minato's expression and behavior, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt like he was going to cough up blood.
"I understand! I understand everything. It's late, so leave this to me. You should go home and rest, Lord Third!" Though Minato said this, his backside didn't budge an inch from the wall.
Seeing this, the Root shinobi seemed to understand as well, and followed suit.
"You... you all! Sigh~ Danzō, you've ruined me!" Hiruzen Sarutobi left Root in anguish. On the way, everyone who saw him pressed themselves against a wall, and everyone who heard about him kept their distance!
"All right, Elder Danzō, it's okay now. The Lord Third has left. Can you tell me what happened?" Only after Hiruzen Sarutobi was gone did Namikaze Minato feel safe enough to approach and ask.
"I... he... Utatane... sigh~ It's too shameful to put into words!" Danzō tried to say something, but lowered his head in humiliation.
"What? Elder Utatane was involved too?" Minato drew a sharp breath. These old folks were even wilder than us young people! His imagination ran riot, conjuring up a whole string of illicit films starring Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō, and Utatane Koharu, with titles like Springtime in the Hidden Village.zip!