Choose How You Want to Die

"Lord Danzo, careless words bring disaster. I suggest you stop talking, or you'll have only yourself to blame for the consequences!" Minato Namikaze interrupted Danzo.

An expression of vindication settled over Danzo's face as he said contemptuously, "Looks like I guessed what you were plotting! Now you're threatening me. How could Lord Ziyan's handwriting possibly be this ugly? Hahaha! Am I right, Tsunade?"

Tsunade looked at Danzo as though he were an idiot. "Where did you hear that Grandpa Ziyan had good handwriting? He never shows anyone his handwriting precisely because it's so ugly. He usually has someone else write his letters for him. He only writes them himself when they're for someone very close to him or concern something especially important."

Danzo stood there, dumbstruck. Had Minato Namikaze just been trying to stop him from saying something reckless? Had he not been trying to defend himself at all?

He spent every day suspecting one person after another, scheming against this person and that! Had he finally schemed himself into a trap?

As if remembering something, Danzo raised his head and spoke to the two of them in a fawning tone. "I won't insist that Minato Namikaze come back with me anymore. I'll even grant you one additional request. Please don't tell Lord Ziyan about this!"

Danzo could already imagine it. Hatake Ziyan had spent all these years hiding his ugly handwriting, and now Danzo had exposed it in public. Given that man's temperament, he could probably start making his funeral arrangements!

"Just one additional request?"

"Yes. Anything short of my life. Whatever you ask me to do, as long as it's within my power, I'll find a way to accomplish it-even if you want me to kill the Hokage!" Danzo pleaded with his head lowered.

Minato and Tsunade looked at the person sitting in the chair behind Danzo, struggling to hold back their laughter for fear they might laugh aloud.

"Danzo, if you don't understand me, why run your mouth like that? If you're looking to die, at least choose a decent way to go. Choose me, and your death might be very ugly!"

When Danzo heard that voice again, he realized something was wrong. It had come from behind him, and why did it sound so much like Lord Ziyan's?

Danzo turned his head with difficulty. When he saw the person sitting in the chair, he fell flat on his backside. At the sight of him, Tsunade burst out laughing.

"Lord Ziyan, Lord Ziyan! Let me explain! I didn't... that's not what I meant... I was defending your authority, I..." Danzo knelt on the floor, babbling incoherently.

"Danzo, quiet! Don't speak. I understand!" Hatake Ziyan held an index finger to his lips, signaling for Danzo to be silent. Once Danzo quieted down, he said, "Tell me how you want to die!"

Danzo immediately stopped talking at Hatake Ziyan's words, but after hearing him out, despair welled up from the bottom of his heart.

Watching the despair in Danzo's eyes, Hatake Ziyan maintained his stern expression and said evenly, "Should I just cut off your head? Or slice away your flesh with a small knife, one piece at a time? Or make little cuts all over your body and let tiny insects slowly eat your flesh? What do you think, Danzo? I'm having such a hard time choosing."

As Danzo listened to Hatake Ziyan, the fear in his eyes grew stronger. Slowly, an idea arose in his mind. Even if I can't beat Hatake Ziyan, I can still escape using Izanagi, then defect. Fuck the Hokage position-is it more important than my life? The more Danzo thought about it, the more feasible it seemed! He steeled himself and was just about to stand up and provoke Hatake Ziyan.

Hatake Ziyan naturally noticed the change in Danzo's eyes. He knew all about Danzo's trump card. Bending down, he whispered in Danzo's ear, "You'd better not use Izanagi. That way, I'll only torture you once. Of course, if you'd like to experience both methods of torture, I can oblige!"

Hatake Ziyan's words sent a chill through Danzo, instantly snuffing out the idea that had just formed in his mind. Now he only wanted to know where Hatake Ziyan had learned that he could use Izanagi. He had never told anyone.

"Too bad you only have one Sharingan right now. It belonged to Kagami Uchiha, didn't it? Otherwise, you could experience a few more kinds of torture. I only briefly mentioned two just now! But that's all right. Tsunade's here. If I torture you half to death, I don't think she'll have any trouble saving you, so you should still be able to try a few more!" Hatake Ziyan added.

Hatake Ziyan's words shattered the last line of defense in Danzo's heart.

"Lord Ziyan, I offended you. I don't ask for your forgiveness. I only ask that you grant me a quick death!" Danzo said with lifeless eyes.

Standing nearby, Tsunade and Minato couldn't help shuddering at Hatake Ziyan's words. They both made the same decision: no matter who else they offended, they must never offend the man before them.

Hatake Ziyan returned to his seat and looked at Danzo, who lay slumped on the floor. "Wouldn't it have been better to cooperate like this from the start? Why insist on stopping Minato at the risk of offending me? Is the Hokage position really that wonderful? Is it worth resorting to any means necessary just to become Hokage?"

Danzo didn't answer. He merely stared blankly at Hatake Ziyan.

Seeing that Danzo wasn't responding, Hatake Ziyan recalled the earlier task and said, "You don't have to die just yet. There's something I need you to do. If you do it well, I won't kill you!"

At Hatake Ziyan's words, Danzo raised his head as though he had grasped a lifeline. "Tell me, Lord Ziyan. Whatever it is, I'll make sure to accomplish it for you!"

Hatake Ziyan said, "Once this war is over and Minato Namikaze takes office, I want you to propose at the Konoha High Command Meeting that the position of Hokage Advisor Elder be abolished and a Konoha Council established. Major matters concerning Konoha will be discussed and decided by the council. You can discuss the number of members yourselves, but including the Hokage, it must be an odd number!"

Hearing that it was something so simple, Danzo nodded repeatedly. "A wise decision, Lord Ziyan. I'll be sure to carry out your proposal!"

Hatake Ziyan nodded. "Oh, right. You promised Minato and Tsunade a favor in exchange for not telling me about this, didn't you? They still haven't told me anything! So you ought to honor your promise. But I thought about it-how are two people supposed to split one favor? Let's make it one each! What do you say, Danzo?"

Danzo turned to look at the two of them. Remembering that his life was still in Hatake Ziyan's hands, he said, "You're right, Lord Ziyan. I didn't think it through. We'll do as you say, one request each. Whatever it is, just say the word, and I'll do it!"