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The atmosphere in the Conference Room was somewhat heavy.

Sarutobi said nothing, sitting calmly in the seat of honor as he watched Danzo.

War was no joke. Since Danzo had made up his mind and intended to lead the charge, he would not refuse.

Thinking it over carefully, Danzo's decision was not without benefits for him.

On one hand, it could weaken the forces Danzo had hidden within the village. On the other, it could restore the face Konoha had lost to Kumogakure.

And as long as he remained in the Hokage's seat, no matter what Danzo did, the one ultimately praised would only be Sarutobi Hiruzen.

When the time came, he would gain both fame and profit. He would definitely not lose out.

After a long while, no one responded, and Danzo's expression darkened.

Ever since Sarutobi had voiced his proposal, not a single faction present had answered him.

"Cough, cough."

At last, Hyuga Hiashi broke the silence. Rising to his feet, he said, "If Lord Danzo can persuade the daimyo, the Hyuga Clan is willing to follow Lord Danzo into battle."

For the public good, Hyuga Hiashi should contribute to Konoha.

For personal reasons, Danzo's actions this time had protected his younger brother's life and the Hyuga Clan's reputation. He should also do his part to support Danzo's campaign.

At the very least, he could not let Danzo take Root to the front lines alone to die.

As Hyuga Hiashi suddenly rose, everyone else had their own thoughts.

Sarutobi frowned as well.

Ever since Madara Uchiha had defected from the village, the Hyuga Clan, though the second-largest clan in the village, had mostly remained neutral in both conduct and decisions.

After Sarutobi took office, they had followed closely in Sarutobi's footsteps.

Yet this time, they had actually chosen to support Danzo.

Had the pressure just now angered Hiashi?

Sarutobi thought to himself.

"Don't worry, Hiashi. Even for Konoha's sake, I will persuade the daimyo."

A faint smile finally appeared on Danzo's face. Though he was largely confident this war would not actually begin, if he truly went into battle with only Root and no other support, even he could not predict the outcome.

The moment Danzo finished speaking, Uchiha Fugaku beside him rose to his feet as well. "If the daimyo agrees, I will also lead the Uchiha to join this counterattack."

As soon as those words came out, Sarutobi's furrowed brow turned even uglier.

The other clans looked at one another. The first- and second-largest clans had both begun backing Danzo, so there was no reason for them to hesitate any longer. They all spoke up in succession.

A small portion of those from the Hokage faction, led by the Hyuga Clan, voiced their support for Danzo. Even the Uchiha, who had always been ostracized by the village and stood at odds with Danzo, had begun supporting him.

A chill filled Sarutobi's heart. What exactly had Danzo done behind the scenes?

Yet Danzo himself did not understand what was going on.

He stared blankly at Uchiha Fugaku.

The original Danzo had inherited the Second Hokage's beliefs and was extremely hostile toward the Uchiha. From his memories, every meeting between that man and the Uchiha had been tense and confrontational, never peaceful.

Yet this time, Uchiha Fugaku had actually spoken in support of him, leaving Danzo somewhat bewildered.

But he was not the original Danzo, and he did not particularly agree with the Second Hokage's views either.

Since the Uchiha intended to repair their relationship with him, Danzo naturally would not refuse. He put on a gentle smile and returned Fugaku's gesture with friendly warmth.

That smile made Uchiha Fugaku shudder from head to toe, and he began to regret his decision just now.

Setting aside the opposing positions of Danzo and the Uchiha, Fugaku actually supported Danzo. He also agreed with many of Danzo's decisions.

For example, the Kumogakure incident this time.

When he heard Danzo would not attend the meeting, he had thought the old man had abandoned the principles he had always upheld. But who would have expected him to strike so ruthlessly, directly killing someone and sabotaging the Peace Talks?

Fugaku—or rather, the Uchiha Clan—was also part of the pro-war faction.

A peace conference had begun with everyone being polite and amicable.

Thanks to Danzo's meddling, it had successfully turned into a mobilization meeting.

With all information sealed off, Kumogakure had no idea that Danzo would be the one leading Konoha's decisions this time.

In their minds, the aged Sarutobi Hiruzen would certainly choose peace rather than make a huge fuss and start a war.

Danzo cheerfully bid farewell to the Clan Heads of the major clans. Only the three old hands—Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura—remained in the Conference Room.

"You've changed quite a bit." Utatane Koharu was the first to speak, her eyes full of scrutiny as she looked at Danzo.

At first, she had opposed Danzo's decision as well. But somehow, Danzo had actually persuaded her, and she had not spoken again to stop him.

"Kumogakure is under no small amount of pressure as well. Although Ōnoki of Iwagakure is even older than Sarutobi, his heart is much stronger than Sarutobi's." Danzo glanced at Sarutobi's ugly expression in the seat of honor and could not resist mocking him again.

"Hmph."

Sarutobi Hiruzen snorted coldly but did not argue.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura said nothing either. They understood the matter in their hearts, but the main issue was that Konoha could not afford to gamble.

Ever since the First Shinobi World War, the Land of Fire and Konoha had been targets of public hostility because of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha.

When had they ever faced only one shinobi village fairly in a war?

Every time, several shinobi villages would join forces with a whole host of smaller ones and charge in chaotically. Konoha had won every war it fought, but the losses had been equally devastating.

They did not believe that if war truly broke out this time, Kumogakure would be the only village hostile to Konoha.

"If none of you have anything else to say, I'll be leaving first."

Seeing that they remained silent, Danzo had no desire to stay with these old hands any longer.

Though this body's seniority in the shinobi world was considerable, the soul within it was only in its thirties, in the prime of life and full of vigor.

"Danzo."

Just as he was about to leave, Sarutobi called out to him.

Staring intently at his old friend Danzo, who looked young and handsome yet impossible to read, Sarutobi asked, "What is Konoha to you?"

"Home."

Danzo answered without hesitation.

On the way back, Danzo no longer had Root's shinobi carry his sedan chair. Instead, he strolled leisurely through the streets alone, occasionally buying snacks and occasionally greeting acquaintances.

Like an ordinary civilian, he lived a calm and peaceful life.

"Youth! Youth means working hard at frog jumps!"

"Yes, A Kai Teacher!"

From far away came a familiar shout, followed by hurried footsteps.

One large and one small figure, both dressed in green bodysuits, hopped over from the entrance of the street.

Their strange attire and behavior made the civilians on the street laugh, but there was no mockery in their laughter. Instead, it was full of friendliness.

"A Kai, training with your disciple again?"

"Come to my place for barbecue after training! You need a full stomach to have the strength to train! I'll give you twenty percent off!"

As people greeted them warmly, A Kai and Xiao Li continued their frog jumps while responding to familiar faces.

They often carried out all sorts of training around Konoha, and the villagers had long grown accustomed to it. Over time, they had even developed a sense of admiration for them.

"A Kai Teacher! It's Lord Danzo!" Xiao Li suddenly pointed at Danzo, who was sitting by the roadside eating, and said.