"You mean..."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and looked at Danzo.
"Back then, Uchiha Madara was able to fight the First Hokage to a standstill with his Mangekyō Sharingan. If there is anything that can suppress the First Hokage's cells, then the Mangekyō Sharingan is the best choice."
Danzo, leaning on his cane, slowly walked up to Orochimaru.
"So it really is the Mangekyō Sharingan? Who are you planning to attack? Don't forget that they are not weak. If it is Uchiha Meikyō, our strength alone is probably not enough."
Orochimaru licked his lips and said.
Danzo was unaware that Uchiha Obito Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, so Danzo's target could only be either Uchiha Meikyō or Uchiha Fugaku.
"If possible, I would of course choose Uchiha Meikyō. He is the Uchiha whose strength is closest to that of Uchiha Madara. I tried to recruit him to my side many times back then, but Hiruzen thwarted my plans time and time again."
However, Uchiha Fugaku's eyes were barely good enough.
"To target Uchiha Fugaku... But you should think carefully about how to handle the aftermath. The head of the Uchiha Clan is a high-ranking Danzo, probably can't cover this up."
"I have my own plans regarding this matter."
Danzo looked very confident.
"In that case, Danzo, what brilliant plan do you have? I am all ears."
Orochimaru smiled slightly and began to listen to Danzo explain his plan.
The day after Orochimaru heard Danzo's plan, he leaked the information.
"Danzo is actually planning to attack Fugaku?"
Dan Katō at Orochimaru, speechless.
"That's right. In the past, because of insufficient funds for my experiments, only Danzo's Root could provide me with funding, so I had no choice. But now, I want to be a good person."
Orochimaru said sincerely.
Perhaps it's because the Uchiha Clan offered more!
Tsunade couldn't help but mutter to herself.
The fact that the Uchiha Clan funded Orochimaru's experiments and had Orochimaru help develop a drug that could restore the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was an open secret within Dan Katō's small team.
Because Tsunade had previously promised Meikyō to research the First Hokage's Cells to solve the problem of the Mangekyō Sharingan power.
However, she is currently busy contacting and cultivating the connections left by the Senju Clan in the past to prepare for the upcoming Hokage Election, so she has not focused on this for the time being. Therefore, she has handed over all her previous research results on the First Hokage's Cells and White Zetsu Cells, which is why Orochimaru was able to obtain results so quickly.
"That Danzo repeatedly targeted the Uchiha Clan. Meikyō, I think it's time to get rid of this scourge!"
Uchiha Fugaku was so angry that he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Do you really think he Uchiha Fugaku, is an easy target?
"With the Hokage election just around the corner, would eliminating Danzo at this time have any negative consequences?"
Tsunade said with some concern.
Everyone couldn't help but turn their attention to Dan Katō.
"No, not at all. Danzo cannot shake the overall situation!"
Dan Katō closed his eyes and pondered for a while before speaking.
"Danzo was originally our direct competitor in this Hokage Election. Taking him down will actually reduce one variable for us. Without this troublemaker, no matter what the Third Hokage thinks, or whether other dark horses will emerge, there will be no force in the entire village that can rival us!"
Even the Third Hokage himself!
Dan Katō, Tsunade, Uchiha Meikyō, Uchiha Fugaku, Orochimaru.
These five Kage Level powerhouses and their subordinate forces are not lacking in strength, wealth, or prestige. Together, they could not only run for Hokage, but also build a ninja village on the scale of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Of course, that would be very difficult.
Hokage of Konoha through legitimate means would definitely be the best option.
"Master Dan, what are you planning to do?"
Meikyō looked at Dan Katō and said.
Dan Katō's statement suggests he likely has his own plans.
"I think I understand what 'breaking off' means; does it mean I should go along with their plan?"
Orochimaru chuckled and said.
Dan Katō.
This plan was easy to come up with.
"To get rid of Danzo, we don't necessarily have to do everything ourselves. At the very least, we need to prevent some people who have the ability to influence this matter from taking action, or to make them stand on the neutral side."
Meikyō took a sip of tea and suddenly added a sentence.
"Meikyō, do you mean Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze?"
Dan Katō asked Meikyō.
"Ah, yes, don't forget that White Fang's son is Minato's disciple. Considering our past experiences, I'm confident I can persuade Minato to join us in dealing with Danzo. At that time, Jiraiya will find that both his former teammates and current disciples have chosen to Danzo. What do you think he will do then?"
Meikyō said with a smile.
"Jiraiya Jiraiya's idiotic personality, he's unlikely to get involved. After learning what happened, he'll most likely choose to run away or remain neutral."
Orochimaru chuckled.
He knew his childhood friend very well.
With the action plan finalized, everyone quickly chose a time to take action.
In order to minimize the negative impact of this action on the Hokage Election and to catch the Third Hokage and others off guard, the timing of the action was chosen to be the day before the Jonin election.
"Orochimaru, you said Uchiha Fugaku would appear here, and now that I'm here, where is Uchiha Fugaku?"
In the Forest of Death, Shimura Danzō by a group of Root experts, arrived at the place he had arranged to meet Orochimaru.
"Hehe, Danzo, there's no need to rush. Uchiha Fugaku is no easy opponent. If we want to defeat him, we must be fully prepared. I have already contacted Uchiha Fugaku and informed him that the First Hokage's Cells have the potential to repair the defects of the Mangekyō Sharingan. We have agreed to meet in my laboratory in twenty minutes. These twenty minutes are enough for us to make some preparations."
Orochimaru spoke to Danzo with an air of confidence.
"A laboratory? It seems you were indeed conducting other experiments behind my back. Otherwise, you wouldn't have placed the laboratory in the Forest of Death. It must be some kind of shady experiment."
Danzo sneered, but he had no doubts about Orochimaru's plan.
Orochimaru's intelligence is still quite trustworthy.
The premise is that he is one of our own.
Following Orochimaru, Danzo and his Root members arrived at a rather rudimentary basement, carved out using Earth Style Release techniques, where experimental equipment was scattered about.
"Danzo, please hide with these people. I will bring Uchiha Fugaku in shortly, and then..."
Orochimaru stood at the doorway, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, and spoke to Danzo.
"I know."
Danzo tapped his cane, watched Orochimaru leave, and then he and several Root members each found a dark corner to hide in.
Not long after, two footsteps sounded outside the door.
Uchiha Fugaku followed Orochimaru into the laboratory.
"Senior Orochimaru, the Uchiha Clan is willing to invest in your research."
With his hands behind his back, Uchiha Fugaku spoke to Orochimaru while rapidly scanning everything in the laboratory with his Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Upon witnessing this scene and confirming Uchiha Fugaku's identity, Danzo, knowing that his subordinates' hidden abilities could not escape the Danzo of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, led four of his men in a fierce attack.
"Ninja Technique· Four Violet Flames Formation!"
A purple, semi-transparent square barrier rose up, surrounding Danzo, Orochimaru, and Uchiha Fugaku.
"Danzo, what are you doing...?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Shimura Danzō and asked without the slightest panic.
"Your mental fortitude is quite impressive, worthy of being the head of the Uchiha Clan. Unfortunately, you are an evil Uchiha, and the Uchiha Clan is blocking my path."
Danzo, leaning on his cane with one hand and with the other behind his back, spoke with a rather imposing air.
"That monkey can't see it, but I can. You're putting on an act with that brat Uchiha Meikyō, deliberately making it seem like there's a factional struggle between you to gain Hiruzen's trust. I'm afraid that by tomorrow's Hokage election, the Uchiha Clan will be fully supporting Dan Katō under your leadership. At that time, what will the others have to compete with you?"
"For the sake of Konoha, I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure: to eliminate you on the spot and disrupt the situation. Only then, when I join forces with Sarutobi Orochimaru to eliminate Dan Katō, will there be any hope of continuing."
"What does this have to do with Konoha?"
Uchiha Fugaku shook his head.
"In the end, all of this is just for your own selfish reasons, Danzo."
Danzo's face immediately darkened.
"Why waste words? With me and Orochimaru here, the outcome of this matter is already decided. Uchiha Fugaku, even if you have the Mangekyō Sharingan, you are not Uchiha Meikyō. How can you possibly deal with me and Orochimaru?"
Danzo shook his head and looked at Orochimaru.
"Make your move, Orochimaru."
"Yes, Danzo."
Orochimaru smiled slightly, Hand Seals, and his figure instantly vanished.
What appeared in the Four Violet Flames Formation was his Shadow Clone.
Before Danzo could react, four screams rang out from outside.
Four Root ninjas were bound by Orochimaru's summoning snakes, which he had prepared beforehand, and were subsequently killed by four Uchiha ninjas who suddenly appeared.
Uchiha Shinjō, Uchiha Yōsuke, Uchiha Inohikari, and Uchiha Jin —four Uchiha members with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Ninja Art: Uchiha Flame Formation!"
A fiery red barrier, far wider than the previous four purple flame arrays, instantly surrounded Danzo and Meikyō.
"Orochimaru, what are you doing...?"
Danzo looked outside with an incredulous expression.
"Hehe, the commotion here should have attracted other people already. I'll go and deal with them first."
Orochimaru ignored Danzo, nodded to Uchiha Fugaku, and then disappeared from the spot.
Danzo quickly turned his head and looked at Uchiha Fugaku.
Orochimaru... is one of yours too!
Uchiha Fugaku, who was opposite Danzo, nodded slightly.
"You seem quite confident, but as I just said, you are not Uchiha Meikyō. If it were him, I would most likely be no match for him, but if it is just you, Uchiha Fugaku, I might not necessarily lose."
As Danzo, Uchiha Fugaku's smile grew increasingly sinister. He then reached out and tore off his own face, revealing the face of Uchiha Meikyō.
"Danzo old dog, since you know you're no match for me, why don't you just kill yourself?"
Uchiha Meikyō said to Danzo with a light laugh.
He used the Vanishing Facial Copy Technique to impersonate Uchiha Fugaku, and that human face was created by Orochimaru through plastic surgery on a death row inmate who looked similar to Uchiha Fugaku.
"Uchiha... Meikyō! I knew you would be a menace ten years ago!"
Danzo finally changed, and he no longer maintained his previous composure. Instead, he quickly formed hand Hand Seals.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
One after another, bullet-like blasts of wind shot out from Danzo's mouth, sweeping towards Meikyō.
Meikyō sneered and instantly conjured more than a dozen clones. Using the senses brought by his Observation Haki, he dodged the wind bullets and rushed towards Danzo. At the same time, his hands kept moving, slashing out countless fiery sword energies.
"Jing's Body Flicker Technique... I've long ago come up with a way to deal with it!"
Danzo a mudra with both hands again.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
Countless enormous wind blades shot out in all directions, enough to cover the entire area where the terrain was restricted by the Uchiha Flame Formation.
"That old guy's Wind Style is pretty good."
With his Mangekyō Sharingan wide open, Meikyō commented on Danzo's Wind Style with great interest.
This old guy's mastery of Wind Style is indeed the strongest I've ever seen. No wonder he had the ability to compete with the Third Hokage when he was young.
Danzo, however, knew that things couldn't continue like this.
With his limited Chakra reserves, he couldn't sustain such a large-scale Ninjutsu for long, especially since Uchiha Meikyō hadn't yet used the Mangekyō Sharingan's Dojutsu. He had to be on guard.
With a "snap," Danzo bit his left thumb with his teeth, pressed it against the palm of his right hand, and formed a hand seal.
"Summoning Technique: Baku!"
Danzo summoned a large summoning beast resembling a mammoth, which frantically sucked up the surrounding air, creating a whirlwind.
Meikyō immediately planted the Ama-no-Ohabari sideways in the ground in front of her to block the suction force, but the ground beneath her feet was still shaken by the gale and shattered into huge rocks that flew toward the Baku's mouth.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Style!"
The surging fireball, amplified by the gale, spread rapidly and struck the Baku's head.
If you don't know the information, then the Baku is definitely a powerful summoning beast whose threat level is no less than that of Manda Gamabunta. But once you know its weakness, as long as your Fire Style is strong enough, you can easily defeat it.