Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura made no attempt to conceal their intentions as they spoke.
They were old acquaintances who had come this far together. They all knew what the others were thinking, so there was no need to beat around the bush.
After hearing them out, Danzo's lips curled slightly.
"You two have finally figured it out."
"Look at the arrangements Hiruzen has made over the years, then look at the Sarutobi Clan's current momentum. Doesn't that make everything clear?"
"Shikaku Nara holds the position of Jonin Commander, Shinnosuke Sarutobi is the ANBU Captain, Ibiki Morino runs the Interrogation and Torture Department, and even the principal of the Ninja Academy is Hiruzen Sarutobi himself."
"The village's real fighting forces, along with the training of the next generation of shinobi, are all firmly in his grasp."
At this point, Danzo swept his gaze over the two of them.
"Now look at yourselves."
"Koharu manages Konoha Hospital, and Homura oversees the mission hall. Those sound like departments with real power."
"But ultimately, they're administrative institutions. If Hiruzen Sarutobi really moved against you, you might not even be able to mount a proper counterattack."
"The power in your hands doesn't even compare to the Uchiha's Konoha Military Police Force."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura remained silent.
Danzo did not mind and continued, "As for Root, which I control, it may look formidable, but what does that have to do with Hiruzen?"
"To put it plainly, Root started as nothing more than an ANBU training program. I built it into what it is today by prying authority from his hands, bit by bit."
"Why doesn't Hiruzen dare to completely restrict Root even now? Because he needs someone to handle the things he can't bring into the light."
His voice was quiet, but every