Danzo's unusual behavior puzzled everyone, but they had to admit that it was a good suggestion.
If Akatsuki could assemble an elite squad, why couldn't Konoha? Besides, Danzo had volunteered this time, giving them a chance to find out just how much power Root had under his command.
After a moment's consideration, the Third said to Danzo, "If you want to hunt down Akatsuki members, go ahead. But you must submit the list of any additional recruits for my review."
Having received the Third's permission, Danzo said no more. He had achieved his goal.
With his current strength and the Wood Release Squad under his command, he only needed to earn publicly acknowledged achievements by hunting down Akatsuki. Then he could approach the Land of Fire Daimyō and apply for the Fifth Hokage Election.
At that moment, a faint smile seemed to appear on Danzo's expressionless face.
Tsunade and Jiraiya watched Danzo without saying much. The Advisory Duo, however, gave him several suspicious looks. After decades together, they knew his personality and behavior all too well.
The Third also noticed the change in Danzo. He seemed to have grown younger.
With everyone harboring their own thoughts, the meeting came to a hurried end. Before the Third could ask him to stay, Danzo vanished into the shadows.
After a soft sigh, the Third asked Oto Uchiha to stay and inquired about Naruto's recent situation. To prevent the Masked Man from controlling Naruto, he had no choice but to assign an Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan to protect him.
If the Nine-Tails inside Naruto broke free, it would inevitably bring enormous trouble to the village.
As he grew older and his strength declined, he could no longer deal with the Nine-Tails. Perhaps his only option would be to follow Minato's example and