Danzo, I Am the Hokage!

Menma was shocked by Danzo's words, but he reacted immediately, putting on a look of being moved, proud, and resolute, and answered loudly,

"Yes! Thank you for your teaching, Lord Danzo!"

At this moment, Gato, who had been acting as a background wall, suddenly spoke up, "Um, Lord Hokage. It's not that I don't trust Konoha, ha, but can you assign me a few more outstanding ninja?"

"Hmm?" Danzo's expression shifted, naturally majestic without anger.

Gato was so frightened by Danzo's aura that cold sweat poured down, and he hurriedly explained, "Uh... uh... I'm not questioning Lord Hokage's decision, it's just that these ninja lords still look like children no matter how you look at them..."

Before Danzo could speak, Kakashi became displeased. With a body flicker, he appeared behind Gato, holding a kunai pressing against Gato's throat, and said in a low voice, "These very children, every single one of them has the power to easily kill you ten times over, understand?"

Gato trembled in both legs, cold sweat poured down, and his lips quivered without being able to speak a word.

Danzo simply waved his hand, signaling Kakashi to let go of Gato, and explained to him, "Don't let their young age fool you; their strength is truly formidable.

Among the three of them, Sakura is the daughter of the Fourth Hokage, Sasuke is the young clan head of the Uchiha clan—Konoha's strongest clan—and Menma has also received my true teachings.

Not to mention they also have Konoha's most formidable Jōnin, Kakashi Hatake, serving as their captain.

Well, do you still have any problems now?"

"None at all, none at all! I completely obey Lord Hokage's arrangements!" Gato hurriedly replied in a loud voice.

Seeing this, Danzo waved his hand to signal Yamanaka Fū to take Gato outside.

Then, Danzo said to Kakashi, "Do you know what the main focus of this mission is?"

Kakashi said, "Please give us your instructions, Lord Danzo!"

Danzo picked up the teacup at his side, took a sip of tea, and said deliberately and unhurriedly, "Aside from the surface-level protection mission, Kakashi, your team must also accomplish the following points:

First, briefly investigate the mineral and resource situation of the Land of Waves.

Second, establish a good relationship with Gato, the leader of the Land of Waves, and ideally develop the Land of Waves into an allied nation.

Third, repel all enemies who obstruct the mission.

The fourth and most important point is to protect your subordinates well. If you encounter an emergency, I permit you to abandon the mission, but you must bring them back safely. Do you understand?"

"Yes! Mission guaranteed!" Kakashi answered loudly.

After coming out of the Hokage Building, Kakashi instructed the three of them to go home and prepare supplies for a long journey, announcing their dismissal after setting tomorrow as the gathering time at the Konoha main gates.

The three of them each went home to prepare.

Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Office.

Danzo sat behind his desk, looking at the old comrade before him with a swirl of mixed emotions in his heart, "Hiruzen, you aren't staying in your Root, what are you doing running over to my place?"

"Danzo, you've lost your mind!" The elderly man speaking had hair and a beard as white as snow, his face covered in age spots and wrinkles, topped with a goatee, and he spoke to Danzo with a face full of grief and indignation, "How could you take on the mission in the Land of Waves? Don't you know that Gato is just a black-hearted merchant who drinks human blood?

You are helping him suppress the masses of the Land of Waves, isn't that aiding and abetting an evildoer? Helping such an unjust person, aren't you afraid it will affect Konoha's reputation?"

"You are too naive, Hiruzen!" Danzo said with severe words, "The shinobi world cares nothing about justice and injustice, it only cares about whether there are profits. I accepted the commission starting from Konoha's interests, what is wrong with that?"

"That doesn't mean you can accept just any commission. You know very well that the Land of Waves is a strategic hub between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, and you even sent Kakashi to investigate the internal armed forces of the Land of Waves—this is bound to cause astonishment among friendly nations." Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to patiently advise.

"Enough, Hiruzen! How can you utter such words?! Do you still even know your own status? You are a shinobi of Konoha!

Causing astonishment among friendly nations, what friendly nation? Who is a friendly nation? Just listen to the bullshit you've said! Do you even know where your loyalties lie anymore?!!

If Lord Tobirama hadn't made me take care of you on his deathbed, you would have been locked up in Konoha Prison long ago, you know that?!" Danzo said in a fit of rage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also knew he had spoken wrongly, but decades of open and hidden struggles with Danzo made him unable to swallow his pride to admit his mistake, so he had to change the subject, "Fine, fine, fine, everything you say is right, but why did you send Team 7 to execute such a dangerous mission? Wouldn't sending others be fine?

You know the identities of those Genin in Team 7. If any single one of them meets with an accident, Konoha will fall into massive chaos!"

"Are the lives of the Genin in Team 7 lives, while the lives of other Genin aren't lives? Just because their identities are noble and their backgrounds powerful, Konoha has to treat them like treasures and worship them? Hmph, if you want to enjoy more resources, you must make greater contributions!" Danzo said righteously.

"However..." Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to say something more, but the moment the words left his mouth, Danzo interrupted him, "Alright, Hiruzen, there's nothing else, you can step down."

"...Danzo, you will definitely regret this."

"Hiruzen, I am the Hokage!"

Hearing these words, a trace of distortion appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, and an impulse to destroy everything rose in his heart, but he ultimately held it back. All his lingering grievances and anger transformed into a cold snort as he slammed the door and left.

Leaving the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced back. Sooner or later, he would take Shimura Danzō's position.

"Hmph!" Another cold snort, and Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly walked away.

Watching his old buddy leave, Danzo waved his hand to summon the Hokage guard Torune Aburame, "Hmph, my Hokage Office is just like a sieve; classified news travels faster than gossip in a third-rate tabloid. What on earth are the ANBU doing?

Torune, go investigate and see which clans are meddling behind the scenes!

Find them out, and chop off their dog claws!"

"Sir!"

Deep beneath Konoha, the location of the Root headquarters.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in his office, thinking about the humiliation Danzo had just inflicted on him. With an ashen face, he muttered to himself, "Just wait, Danzo. You won't be arrogant for much longer. I will never let you drag Konoha into the quagmire of war."

After a while longer, he waved over a Root ninja wearing a black hooded robe and a hoot owl mask, "Owl, go find Orochimaru and tell him that if he wants those children to be safe and sound, he had better do as I say!"

Konoha's nights remained lively and peaceful. Hidden beneath the thousands of household lights was an endless darkness. Menma still did not know that at this moment, undercurrents were surging in Konoha, and a conspiracy concerning a struggle for power was brewing. Who knows when this beast called conspiracy would bare its sharp and bloodthirsty fangs...