Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly listened to Shimura Danzō's account. This was the first time since becoming Hokage that he had done so.
Yet these words alone made Hiruzen Sarutobi realize that Danzo had completely become another person.
"Danzo, what is the world after death like?"
Shimura Danzō had originally assumed Hiruzen Sarutobi would ask about his next plans, and he had prepared himself for a reprimand.
But... asking about the world after death?
Only then, as Shimura Danzō looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged appearance, did he finally realize that this was no longer their era.
"I don't know. Perhaps it is an eternal slumber, or perhaps Impure World Reincarnation simply cannot carry memories from after death."
"None of that matters. What matters most now is that we cannot let the Uchiha Clan continue like this."
"Reform the purge squads? Do they think this is still the Warring States Period?"
"And accepting missions without authorization is practically equivalent to betraying the village!"
"Hiruzen, you are too weak."
Shimura Danzō's face was filled with coldness, and combined with the distinctive eyes of an Impure World Reincarnation body, he gave off a terrifying feeling.
Faced with Shimura Danzō's accusations, Hiruzen Sarutobi merely took an unhurried puff of his pipe and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.
"Danzo, give up!"
"Although I don't know exactly how Uchiha Ensei did it, his current strength is no weaker than the Nine-Tails."
"No, he may even be no weaker than the First in his prime."
"Besides, he has resolved the Uchiha Clan's rebellion problem quite well for us."
"For the village, stability is what matters most."
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have lost all his drive. He no longer looked like a Hokage, but rather like a kind old man.
If Uchiha Ensei had been here, he would have seen through Hiruzen Sarutobi's current state at a glance.
Everyone knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi was tough internally and weak externally.
And now, the Uchiha Clan had been categorized as "external." At that level, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally could not be tough. He might even have been grateful that Uchiha Ensei had not destroyed Konoha.
Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Shimura Danzō finally went completely mad.
"Enough, Hiruzen... you are too weak!"
"I must... I must eliminate those hidden dangers for Konoha..."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to realize something and hurriedly spoke. "Stop, Danzo. Don't bring trouble to Konoha..."
But Shimura Danzō had never approved of Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions. How could he possibly obey now?
"Shut up. Since you chose the light, then stand there obediently. I will deal with the sins hidden in the shadows."
Only then did Hiruzen Sarutobi grow anxious. He quickly stepped forward to stop Shimura Danzō, who was preparing to leave.
"Enough, Danzo. I am the Hokage!"
"You are already dead. Leave this world to the living."
Facing Hiruzen Sarutobi's obstruction, Shimura Danzō immediately formed hand seals with both hands and released a barrage of Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets.
While Hiruzen Sarutobi was dodging, Shimura Danzō used the Body Flicker Technique to leave, leaving behind only one sentence.
"Hiruzen, I told you that you would regret this!"
The Hokage's residence being attacked by an unknown enemy naturally caught the attention of the patrolling ANBU.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi did not wish to expose Danzo's existence, so he found an excuse to dismiss the ANBU who had come to provide support.
However, he could not hide it from his wife, Biwako Sarutobi.
With the situation urgent, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned the two Hokage advisors overnight to discuss Shimura Danzō.
After receiving the ANBU's summons, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu hurried to Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence.
The moment they met, Hiruzen Sarutobi explained Shimura Danzō's current condition.
Seeing their former comrade turned into an Impure World Reincarnation body, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura both felt deeply saddened. But what to do next became a matter requiring discussion.
If the leader of Root, hidden in the shadows, went out of control, the danger he posed to Konoha would be enormous.
Although none of the three believed Shimura Danzō would betray Konoha, at this point, none of them dared gamble on it—especially when they did not dare touch the Uchiha Clan, that powder keg.
In the end, after deliberation, the three decided to secretly arrest Shimura Danzō. If they could undo the Impure World Reincarnation, so much the better. If not, they would seal him away.
In the past, for Konoha, with their tacit approval and under Danzo's operations, they had abandoned many lives.
And now, for the sake of more lives, they would abandon Danzo.
But before taking action, Mitokado Homura suddenly asked Hiruzen Sarutobi a question.
"If we act according to Danzo's plan, what are the chances that Konoha will return to peace?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's answer was:
"Not even a ten percent chance. The other members of the Uchiha Clan are already troublesome enough."
"As for Uchiha Ensei... the only thing I can see is that if we push him too far, I don't know whether he will die, but Konoha will definitely vanish."
At this point, no one had any further doubts about their choice.
Next, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura began mobilizing resources to search for Shimura Danzō's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly went to Kushina Uzumaki's door and entrusted her with the task of sealing Shimura Danzō.
As the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, she should have been Konoha's trump card, to be used only at the final moment.
But at a time like this, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer knew whom he could send to deal with Danzo.
If only Shisui had not disappeared, or the other three Sannin had not left Konoha.
After hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Kushina Uzumaki agreed without hesitation.
Over the years, although she had not gained much experience in carrying out missions, ever since the Nine-Tails' Attack, aside from caring for Minato each day, she had spent her time studying all kinds of Medical Ninjutsu.
The fully formed Yin Seal was enough to prove her efforts.
As for Naruto Uzumaki, Mikoto Uchiha's family would help look after him.
The next day, when Uchiha Ensei was preparing to study Sealing Jutsu, he suddenly spotted Naruto Uzumaki wandering around the Uchiha Clan compound.
At first glance, Uchiha Ensei thought he was seeing things.
Only after confirming Naruto Uzumaki's figure did Uchiha Ensei realize that Kushina Uzumaki was still alive, so Naruto Uzumaki certainly would not be the pitiful child he had been in the original story.
"Naruto, did you come to spar with Sasuke in ninjutsu today?"
Uchiha Ensei casually greeted him.
But immediately afterward, he learned an important piece of news from Naruto Uzumaki.
"No, Brother Ensei. Mom went out on a mission. She's going to capture a bad guy who came back from the dead, someone called Danzo."
Before you continue