How to Deal With Danzo

Anyone with eyes can see that Danzo is finished, utterly finished. He has no chance of turning things around and is destined to be forever nailed to the pillar of shame of Konoha.

The interrogation is over, and the matter is basically settled. Now, almost everyone in Konoha knows what a heinous person Danzo is, and what crimes and sins he has committed.

Now that the interrogation is over, it's time for the verdict. What punishment should this Danzo, the greatest sinner in Konoha's history, receive? How should he be punished?

Seeing that the interrogation was over and the thick stack of documents in his hand had been flipped through, Morino Ibiki looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Yun Yan sitting over there, and nodded:

"Lord Hokage, everyone, the interrogation of the criminal Danzo is complete. Danzo has confessed to his numerous crimes. The next step is to determine how Danzo should be punished, which is not my job."

Even the exhausted and dejected Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded at this moment, and said to Morino Ibiki:

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. You can go now."

Upon receiving this order, Morino Ibiki left the trial bench immediately, and the rest of the matter and work were no longer his concern.

So, what kind of punishment should be imposed on Danzo, a man so heinous?

This is no easy task; we must satisfy so many people, including the citizens of Konoha, and ensure that Danzo's fate is truly satisfying.

Thinking of this, the now extremely aged Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Yun Yan sitting beside him, and he couldn't help but seek Yun Yan's opinion:

"Yun Yan, what do you think should be done with Danzo?"

When asked, Yun Yan shook his head. He didn't say anything directly, but simply Hiruzen Sarutobi area below the judgment platform.

Below the judge's bench, the many Konoha citizens were once again agitated. They waved their fists, their angry shouts rising and falling, almost forming a continuous chorus, as they yelled at Danzo on the judge's bench to kill him.

For a time, shouts of "Kill him! Kill Danzo!" echoed from below the judge's bench.

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared even more weary and aged. He sighed deeply, knowing that Danzo were no longer simply a matter of incurring public wrath.

"Sigh... It seems Danzo is going to die this time no matter what. If he doesn't die, the people of Konoha will not stand for it."

Yun Yan calmly nodded at this moment, expressing his opinion:

"Yes, Danzo heinous crimes and had to die. If he didn't die, he wouldn't be able to win the hearts of the people of Konoha, and the people of Konoha would be collectively angry because of it."

To paraphrase what you, Sarutobi, said, if Danzo doesn't die, Konoha will inevitably be filled with unease, potentially plunging into chaos and turmoil.

Didn't you often use similar words to threaten or warn others before? Now those words have really come true, and Danzo is the one who has to die.

"Hey old man Sarutobi, now that things have come to this, you're not going to try to save Danzo's life, are you?"

Hearing Yun Yan say this, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head with a wry smile:

"How could that be? I'm aware of my own limitations now. In the current situation, let alone me, even if the First Hokage were to be resurrected, he wouldn't be able to save Danzo's life from the enraged people of Konoha."

Yun Yan laughed at this moment, and his laughter was extremely sarcastic:

"Sarutobi, you're wrong. If the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, were to come back to life right now, he wouldn't just be able to save Danzo's life; he'd probably be the first to smash Danzo's head to pieces! Do you believe me?"

Not only the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, but even the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, even if Danzo was his student, the Second Hokage, upon learning of Danzo's actions, would likely not have shown mercy and would probably have cleaned up the sect."

At this point, Yun Yan stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his eyes filled with vigilance and warning:

"Only you, old man Sarutobi, only you, even now, even though you realize there's no hope left, even though you understand perfectly well that Danzo must die, in your heart, deep down, you still want to save Danzo's life, don't you?"

Having his secret exposed by Yun Yan, Hiruzen Sarutobi became even more dejected, his expression somewhat mournful, nodding painfully and forcefully.

"Yun Yan, you're right. No matter what, Danzo has been my old partner for so many years. In my heart, if possible, I still want to save his life."

"Impossible, don't even think about it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't surprised at all by Yun Yan's direct rebuke, but he was still deeply pained and regretful.

So why, even now, did Hiruzen Sarutobi still want to Danzo's life? Even knowing it was absolutely impossible, did he still harbor such hope and desire?

Yun Yan didn't quite understand, but Yun Yan had some guesses.

This world is inherently a relatively abnormal world; many people's thoughts and ideas are as if they have a serious illness, making them quite different from normal people.

For example, Itachi Uchiha and Uchiha Shisui. Their thoughts cannot be described as normal. In fact, trying to understand their thoughts is a mistake in itself.

The relationships between people are also quite strange. Some people are bound together by fate, just like Naruto and Sasuke.

These two are still children and are not currently connected by fate.

However, in the original story, how long did these two people's love-hate relationship last? Their fates were so intertwined that it was beyond simple entanglement.

To be even more specific, is there something wrong with Naruto's thinking? Is there something wrong with his brain? That's still a matter of debate.

But once Sasuke is involved, this kid seems to lose his mind. He insists on bringing Sasuke back no matter what, as if Sasuke is more important to him than anyone else.

Do you think this is a preordained entanglement of reincarnation between the Indra's Chakra and the Asura Chakra?

That seems to be part of the reason, but this inexplicable entanglement of fate is strange, and quite resilient.

In Yun Yan's view, the relationship between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō was exactly like this—a relationship entangled by fate that was impossible to unravel.

They were clearly two old men, two grown men, yet they had been intertwined and influenced each other their entire lives.

Just as light inevitably exists alongside darkness, two people are opposites, yet absolutely inseparable; they are intertwined, each containing the other, practically inseparable.

So Yun Yan simply ignored this inexplicable feeling, this inexplicable fateful entanglement, and let it be. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi for Danzo after Danzo's death, he didn't care!

The term "suicide for love" seems a bit inappropriate, but upon closer reflection, in a certain sense, it does seem quite fitting.

In short, Hiruzen Sarutobi has begun to realize this fact: no matter what, no matter how unwilling he is, Danzo is doomed to die this time.

Looking at the vast and angry Konoha citizens below the trial platform, all shouting for bloodshed, Yun Yan sat firmly on the platform, pondering how to deal with Danzo.

While pondering this, Yun Yan simply spoke it aloud:

"Actually, from the very beginning I felt that Danzo was such a scoundrel that killing him was far too lenient. Death was more of a reward than a punishment for him."

"Old man Sarutobi, you've been sealing him all along—sealing his five senses, sealing his nerves, sealing all his channels for receiving and expressing information, leaving his consciousness and mind to suffer eternally in darkness. I find that quite interesting."

Upon hearing Yun Yan's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have guessed what Yun Yan wanted to say, and he looked at Yun Yan with some disbelief.

As expected, Yun Yan calmly and leisurely said:

"So, I think the best punishment for Danzo is to continue to seal him away like this, and let Danzo's mind continue to struggle painfully in the dark and hopeless seal."

Of course, this was to prevent Danzo's consciousness from being gradually eroded by time, and to prevent Danzo from being tormented to the point of mental breakdown and loss of consciousness.

Every so often, Danzo's seal must be broken, and Danzo must be released from the seal for a period of time to allow his mind to relax and prevent him from collapsing.

Then, no matter how much Danzo wept and begged, he was sealed away again, and he continued to suffer in the darkness.

When his spirit is about to give out, the seal will be broken and he will be released for a period of time. This cycle will continue, and he will be sealed and tormented in this way until his lifespan is exhausted and he dies of old age.