He just had not expected that Hanzō, whom he had already had firmly under control, would suddenly turn against him over an insignificant piece of intelligence.
"How was the information leaked?"
Shimura Danzō did not care whether he would be arrested or imprisoned.
Because he believed that the Third Hokage would not kill him. At most, he would be locked up.
His current situation was no different from imprisonment anyway, so he might as well lie low for a few years.
The Third Hokage needed him—needed him as a black glove, a scapegoat, a shadow lurking in the darkness.
His return to power was only a matter of time.
You've got the nerve to ask that?
Torifu Akimichi desperately wanted to slap Shimura Danzō across the face.
Utatane Koharu could no longer hold herself back. She stepped forward and snapped:
"Danzo, we would not pay much attention to the shady things you did, but why did you leak the village's intelligence and use it to make a deal with Hanzō?"
"The village had just held an important meeting, and the information was sold right afterward. You really did not hesitate, did you? What a pity—you're blind!!"
"???"
What did that mean?
Did I misjudge someone?
"Hanzō captured the people you left behind and interrogated them. They are dead now. Then that old poisoner personally carried their corpses to the entrance of the Border Camp and exposed everything you did—in front of dozens of ninja."
"..."
Was I really blind?
Was this something Hanzō would do?
No.
Why?
Did he not care about Amegakure and the Land of Rain?
Was he not afraid of plunging the Land of Rain into war?
Shimura Danzō could not understand why the man he had already controlled had suddenly turned against him and sold him out completely.
Shimura Danzō never figured out the answer to that question.
Even after the Anbu took him away and threw him into an Anbu prison, Shimura Danzō still could not understand.
It was not just Shimura Danzō who could not understand. Even the Third Hokage was utterly baffled.
Yet this had happened nonetheless...
Hanzō had even claimed that he had no intention of becoming enemies with Konoha, but was this the kind of thing that could be resolved with a few words?
Dragging Amegakure into this was the village's consensus.
A peaceful day was shattered by the latest announcement from the Hokage Office Building.
The moment the announcement was released, the entire village erupted.
"Why would Lord Danzo assassinate the village's ninja?"
"I don't know. The announcement says that not only did he assassinate the village's ninja, he also leaked the village's intelligence and sold out the village's interests."
"How could he do something like that?"
Once the announcement came out, Shimura Danzō instantly became a rat everyone wanted to beat, with a thoroughly rotten reputation.
The people of Konoha eagerly devoured the juicy scandal, all while praising the Third Hokage.
The moment the incident happened, Shimura Danzō had been arrested and imprisoned. That was all thanks to Lord Hokage.
As for Shimura Danzō's fate, few people cared. He had already been arrested and locked away, and everyone believed that Lord Hokage would hand down a severe punishment.
The announcement from the Hokage Office Building and the arrest operation directly washed away all the anger and hatred that had erupted among the villagers and the village's ninja.
The situation did not escalate. After some time, Shimura Danzō's affair would gradually be forgotten by most people.
"So, no one knew why Hanzō turned against him?"
Sarutobi Mishima nodded. "That is correct, Lord Hokage. He had no intention of explaining. After exposing what Danzo... what Shimura Danzō had done, he left the corpse behind and departed. The identity of the body was verified—it was a ninja from the Shimura Clan."
After Sarutobi Mishima arrived at the village, he immediately met with the Third Hokage and gave him a detailed report on the matter.
"You have worked hard, Mishima. Rest for a while, then return to the camp at once and announce the village's punishment. I cannot let Danzo's actions chill his comrades' hearts."
If nothing unexpected happened, this matter would end here.
For the foreseeable future, the Third Hokage would not allow Shimura Danzō to show his face, much less give him another chance to cause trouble.
As for when Shimura Danzō could openly return, that depended on when Hiruzen Sarutobi needed this scapegoat and black glove again.
Of course, it also depended on the situation at the Senju ancestral residence.
Before Mito Uzumaki left, it would be inappropriate to release Shimura Danzō.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Having completed his mission, Sarutobi Mishima rested in the village for one night before setting out for the camp.
The moment he returned to camp, Sarutobi Mishima publicized the Hokage Office Building's announcement regarding the punishment.
For a time, many ninja who had been feeling resentful shouted excitedly.
All kinds of words praising and revering the Third Hokage filled the camp.
When he arrived at the Medical Department, Sarutobi Mishima informed Jingyi about the announcement and said:
"Lord Hokage places great importance on this matter. For the time being, you can focus on recovering. The captain and I will handle the camp's affairs together."
"Then I'll have to trouble the vice-captain."
Jingyi agreed politely.
It had to be said that the Third Hokage had played this hand beautifully. Not only had he earned a wave of goodwill, he had also successfully protected Shimura Danzō.
He had covered the matter up.
The village's attention was fixed on the punishment announcement. How many people would genuinely care whether Shimura Danzō's punishment was truly severe or properly carried out?
The camp alone showed how effective this move had been.
When the news first broke, many ninja in the camp had been deeply resentful. Now, every one of them was smiling broadly and joyfully singing the Third Hokage's praises.
The only thing missing was a shrine where they could worship the Third Hokage directly.
It seemed somewhat dramatic, but now that the matter had come to an end, Jingyi could recover in peace and wait for the Tenseigan's third stirring to end.
The Tenseigan's third stirring lasted somewhat longer than Jingyi had expected. He had originally thought it would end in half a month, but it dragged on for more than a month.
Jingyi suspected that the Tenseigan's prolonged stirring period might be related to his lack of Otsutsuki chakra, along with the dilution of his bloodline.
Once the Tenseigan's stirring finally ended, Jingyi removed the white cloth covering his eyes and took out a spare mirror from a sealing scroll to examine himself.
He found that aside from his skin becoming slightly paler, he did not look much different from before.
There was no difference in appearance, but inside, he had undergone earth-shaking changes.
Jingyi's body had recovered.
For the ninja at the camp, this was good news. At last, they could put their anxious hearts at ease.
Before you continue