Danzo's Scheme Backfires

Shimura Danzō would definitely lose a layer of skin over this.

"Ha ha ha..."

Thinking about Shimura Danzō being chewed out by her grandmother and not even daring to squeak, Tsunade could not help but burst into laughter, rolling all over the bed.

Unfortunately, Mito Uzumaki had no intention of personally stepping forward to reprimand Shimura Danzō.

Given Mito Uzumaki's status and position, if she personally disciplined Shimura Danzō, he truly would not dare show the slightest temper. But doing so would be beneath her.

More importantly, she did not want to lay eyes on Danzo, whose mind was filled with nothing but ambition.

Rather than handle it herself, it was better to bring the matter to the Hokage Office Building and let the Third Hokage and the Elder Council deal with it.

Thus, the busy Third Hokage in the Hokage Office was summoned.

The Third Hokage immediately set down his work and hurried to the Senju ancestral residence. Not long after, he returned to the Hokage Office with a dark expression.

"Monkey, what was so important that you called me here in such a hurry?"

After the First Shinobi World War ended and the Third Hokage had firmly secured the Hokage's seat, the big fellow Torifu Akimichi chose to fade away from the upper ranks in order to seek better development for the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.

He spent his days holed up in his clan, researching food and the Soldier Pills mastered and produced by the Ino-Shika-Cho.

"Let's wait until the others arrive before discussing it."

The Third Hokage nodded slightly, signaling Torifu Akimichi to sit and wait. Torifu Akimichi patted his huge belly, glanced twice at the somewhat small chair before him, then simply pulled over a cushion and sat on the floor.

Making his enormous body sit in a chair was truly asking too much of him.

Soon, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura also arrived at the Hokage Office.

As the two entered, they noticed Torifu Akimichi sitting on the floor with nothing to do and could not help laughing. "Fatty, you've gotten fatter again."

"Can't be helped." Torifu Akimichi laughed heartily, not forgetting to have Mitokado Homura pat his large belly and test how it felt.

Watching the two fool around as they always had, Utatane Koharu scolded them irritably, "What status do you two have now? And you're still messing around like this? Have some decorum."

Fine, he could not afford to provoke her.

Torifu Akimichi immediately turned his face away, pretending nothing had happened.

Mitokado Homura also pulled over a chair and sat down, as if he had not been the one patting Torifu Akimichi's belly moments ago.

Only after seeing the two behave themselves did Utatane Koharu walk over and sit in the chair beside the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen, did you call everyone here so urgently because something important happened?"

Since Danzo had not arrived yet, the Third Hokage chose to give the three of them a heads-up first.

"Mito-sama just summoned me. The reason was that Danzo personally went to warn Jingyi Hyuga, telling him not to get close to Kushina."

"Has he gone mad?"

Utatane Koharu was straightforward by nature and blurted out, "Wasn't Kushina's matter already settled? Jingyi Hyuga is a disciple Tsunade personally trained and has also earned Mito-sama's approval. Danzo turned around and warned him anyway—is he trying to tear up the agreement?"

Well, damn.

Torifu Akimichi and Mitokado Homura exchanged a look.

Other people lifted a stone only to smash their own feet. Shimura Danzō was better—he lifted a stone and smashed his own people.

And it had happened right after an agreement had been made.

Where was his shame?

Jingyi was someone Tsunade had trained and someone Mito Uzumaki had approved of.

That made him one of their own.

If not for the fact that he came from the Hyuga clan, he would have been a pure Hokage faction member. Moreover, their upper-echelon group had already reached an agreement with Mito Uzumaki's side.

Yet Shimura Danzō had turned around and started causing trouble.

"Mito-sama is very displeased about this." The Third Hokage wished he could strangle Shimura Danzō to death.

Where was his brain?

"Is today's discussion related to me?"

Shimura Danzō, who had arrived late, heard someone mention his name from far away.

When he entered the Hokage Office, he saw the Third Hokage's dark face, Utatane Koharu's unhappy expression, and the helpless looks Torifu Akimichi and Mitokado Homura gave him, warning him to be careful.

Had Jingyi Hyuga gone to complain?

Shimura Danzō considered the possibility.

"Danzo, what exactly are you trying to do?"

With Shimura Danzō finally here, the Third Hokage exploded on the spot. "We already made an internal decision regarding Kushina, and you were there at the time. We reached an agreement with Mito-sama. Why did you do this?"

"For the village's stability and the controllability of the Jinchūriki."

Shimura Danzō refused to yield. "A Jinchūriki should not have romantic feelings. Jingyi Hyuga is from the Hyuga clan, and he is even from the Hyuga Branch Family. He is an uncontrollable factor."

"You all know how dangerous it is when a Jinchūriki gives birth."

As he spoke, Shimura Danzō looked toward Utatane Koharu and the others, hoping they would take his side and support him.

Utatane Koharu's face turned livid, and she had no intention of offering Shimura Danzō any support. Mitokado Homura could only shake his head.

"Cough, cough!!"

Seeing the ball land in his court, Torifu Akimichi coughed dryly and reminded Shimura Danzō, "Danzo, Kushina is only six."

She was just a six-year-old girl, yet he was already thinking about her growing up and having children. Was that not getting a bit ahead of himself?

"What do you mean?" Shimura Danzō frowned.

Pretending not to understand, huh?

Torifu Akimichi was speechless. Danzo's old habit was acting up again.

When he had a point, he clung to it relentlessly. When he did not, he argued sophistry.

Torifu Akimichi said helplessly, "Danzo, we know what you are worried about, but don't you think your concern is a little unnecessary? Kushina is only six. According to the Anbu investigation, in his everyday interactions, Jingyi Hyuga is more inclined toward Tsunade than Kushina."

As he spoke, Torifu Akimichi began joking around and nudged Mitokado Homura with his hand.

"Homura, when you were thirteen, would you have liked a six-year-old brat?"

Mitokado Homura cast a strange glance at Shimura Danzō, whose face was beginning to flush, and cooperatively replied, "Of course not. Aren't beautiful older sisters better? Hiruzen liked them too."

"Enough!!"

As the Third Hokage's expression began to crack, Utatane Koharu simply could not listen any longer.

She was still sitting right here, yet these men were rambling on and on, making the topic increasingly improper.

Fortunately, improper as the topic was, they were at least speaking the truth.

"That's enough."

Utatane Koharu, that tigress, had erupted. The Third Hokage hurriedly pulled the topic back before it drifted any further.

Konoha's upper echelon was holding an important meeting, yet the meeting's content was that everyone liked older sisters. If that got out, countless people would laugh their teeth out.

"Danzo." The Third Hokage issued a stern warning. "From now on, all matters concerning Kushina, large or small, will be handled personally by me. Neither you nor the Elder Council may interfere again."

"Sarutobi, you..."

Danzo immediately became anxious upon hearing that. This was not the outcome he wanted.

He had wanted to take a step forward, but instead of advancing, he had taken a step back.

"I will not regret it, and I am the Hokage." Knowing Shimura Danzō well, the Third Hokage chose to cut him off.

He stole Shimura Danzō's words, leaving Shimura Danzō with nothing to say.