As Long as Hiruzen Sarutobi Still Needed Him, He Would Not Fall

He just had not expected Hanzō, whom he had already had firmly under his thumb, to suddenly turn on 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 the Third Hokage would not kill him. At most, he would merely lock him up.

His current state was no different from being imprisoned anyway. He might as well lie low for a few years.

The Third Hokage needed him—needed him as a black glove, needed him as a scapegoat, needed him as a shadow in the darkness.

His return and rise to power were only matters of time.

And you still had the nerve to ask?

Torifu Akimichi dearly wanted to slap Shimura Danzō across the face.

Utatane Koharu could no longer hold back. She stepped forward and cursed:

"Danzo, we may not care much about the shady things you do, but why did you leak the village's intelligence and use it to make a deal with Hanzō?"

"The village had barely finished an important meeting before the information was sold. You really were willing to do it. What a pity—you're blind!!"

"???"

What did that mean?

Had he misjudged someone?

"Hanzō captured the people you left behind and interrogated them. They're dead now. Then that old poisoner personally carried the corpses to the entrance of the border camp and exposed everything you did—right in front of dozens of shinobi."

"..."

Had he really been blind?

Was this something Hanzō could do?

No.

Why? Did he not care about Amegakure and the Land of Rain?

Was he not afraid of dragging the Land of Rain into war?

Shimura Danzō could not understand why the person he had already controlled had suddenly turned against him and sold him out so thoroughly.

Shimura Danzō never figured out that question.

Even after the Anbu took him away and locked him in their prison, Shimura Danzō still could not understand it.

It was not just Shimura Danzō who was baffled. Even the Third Hokage was utterly confused.

Yet this kind of thing... had happened.

Hanzō even claimed he had no intention of becoming enemies with Konoha, but was something like this really solvable with a few words?

Dragging Amegakure into the mess had become the village's consensus.

A peaceful day was shattered by the latest announcement from the Hokage Office Building.

The instant the announcement was released, the entire village erupted.

"Why would Lord Danzo assassinate the village's shinobi?"

"I don't know. The announcement says he not only assassinated the village's shinobi, but also leaked the village's intelligence and betrayed its interests."

"How could he do something like that?"

Once the announcement came out, Shimura Danzō instantly became a hated figure, with a thoroughly rotten reputation.

The people of Konoha eagerly devoured this juicy scandal while praising the Third Hokage.

Shimura Danzō had been arrested and imprisoned the moment the incident came to light. That was all thanks to the Hokage.

As for Shimura Danzō's outcome, few people cared. He had already been arrested and locked up, and everyone believed the Hokage would hand down severe punishment.

The Hokage Office Building's announcement and the arrest operation directly washed away the anger and hatred that had erupted among the villagers and the village's shinobi.

The situation did not escalate. After some time had passed, most people would gradually forget about Shimura Danzō's affair.

"So no one knows why Hanzō turned against him?"

Sarutobi Mishima nodded. "Yes, Lord Hokage. The other side had no intention of explaining. After exposing Danzo's... exposing Shimura Danzō's actions, he left the corpse behind and departed. The corpse was verified to be a shinobi from the Shimura Clan."

After returning to the village, Sarutobi Mishima immediately met with the Third Hokage and gave him a detailed report on the matter.

"You've 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 come to an end here.

For the foreseeable future, the Third Hokage would not allow Shimura Danzō to show his face, much less give him any opportunity to stir up trouble.

As for when Shimura Danzō could openly emerge again, that depended on when Hiruzen Sarutobi needed this scapegoat and black glove.

Naturally, it also depended on the situation at the Senju ancestral residence.

Before Mito Uzumaki left, it would not be appropriate to release Shimura Danzō.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Having completed his task, Sarutobi Mishima rested in the village for a night before setting out for the camp.

The moment he returned to the camp, Sarutobi Mishima publicized the Hokage Office Building's announcement regarding the punishment.

For a time, many shinobi who had been feeling resentful cried out in excitement.

All manner of praise and admiration for the Third Hokage filled the camp.

When he arrived at the Medical Department, Sarutobi Mishima informed Jingyi about the announcement and said:

"The Hokage takes this matter very seriously. For the time being, just focus on recovering. The captain and I will handle the camp's affairs together."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Vice Captain."

Jingyi agreed politely.

It had to be said that the Third Hokage had played this move beautifully. Not only had he gained a wave of goodwill, he had also successfully protected Shimura Danzō.

He had covered the matter up.

Everyone in the village was focused on the punishment announcement. How many would truly care whether Shimura Danzō's punishment was actually severe or properly enforced?

The camp itself showed how effective this move was.

When the matter had first been exposed, many shinobi in the camp had harbored deep resentment. Now, each and every one of them was beaming and joyfully praising the Third Hokage.

They were only one step away from setting up a shrine and worshipping the Third Hokage.

It seemed rather dramatic, but with the matter now concluded, 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 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.

When 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 internally, earth-shaking changes had taken place.

Jingyi's body had recovered.

To the camp's shinobi, this was good news. The weight hanging over their hearts had finally been lifted.