But Otsutsuki Toneri had no intention of giving up so easily. The more Byakugan, the better. He would have a use for them in the future.
He truly valued the Byakugan more than the Mangekyō Sharingan. After all, using the Mangekyō Sharingan too much led to blindness.
The requirements for upgrading to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan were even worse. Having to transplant a blood relative's Mangekyō Sharingan eyes was far too much of a pain.
Though they really were powerful. Hadn't Madara dominated the Warring States period with a pair of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?
Later, after being brought back through Impure World Reincarnation, his Perfect Susanoo had crushed the Five Kage as though they were children.
He had even declared, "Have you ever seen an adult get serious with children?"
What did it mean to be badass? That was it!
That showed just how powerful the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was. Obtaining those eyes already meant standing at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World!
But again, the conditions for awakening the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan were simply too harsh.
As for why Otsutsuki Toneri needed other pure Byakugan, naturally, he was preparing for the future.
Danzo fell silent for a moment at those words, the look in his lone eye constantly shifting.
"Fine. Two pairs of Byakugan at most... Young friend, please understand one thing. These are the Main Family's Byakugan!" Only after a long while did Danzo compromise in a low voice.
But seeing that Otsutsuki Toneri seemed about to say something else, he spoke first, his tone growing a little firmer.
Did this greedy little brat really not know when to quit while he was ahead?
If Hiruzen Sarutobi's life had not been worth far more than a pair of Byakugan, he would never have agreed to give him another pair.
After all, that meant a slightly greater chance of his actions being exposed.
For him, who could currently only endure and seek an opportunity to strike back at Hiruzen Sarutobi, that was extremely unfavorable!
"All right, two pairs it is. I'll come to collect the eyes at this time tomorrow," Otsutsuki Toneri said with a hint of regret.
That tone made Danzo's eyelid twitch...
"Fine. Then let's discuss Hiruzen next!" Danzo's eye flickered with a bone-chilling cold gleam as he spoke calmly to Otsutsuki Toneri.
This was what concerned him most!
Once Hiruzen Sarutobi died, with Konoha currently having no one else available, he had a very good chance of taking power!
After all, among the Sannin, Orochimaru had defected, while Jiraiya and Tsunade were nowhere to be found. In Konoha, only he had the seniority and prestige to serve as Hokage!
"Certainly. But Lord Danzo, you understand that I'm only responsible for taking action. If you can't lure the Third Hokage out, we won't have an opportunity."
Otsutsuki Toneri nodded, then spoke casually. This really was no great matter to him.
Besides, he was quite happy to personally send off this Third Hokage, whose fame had spread throughout the Shinobi World for decades.
But he would not volunteer to act as bait. Moreover, the Third Hokage was every bit as shrewd.
"Of course I understand that." Danzo nodded, then propped his chin on his hand and sank into thought.
Now that he had Otsutsuki Toneri's help, he did not think killing Hiruzen Sarutobi would be particularly difficult. The difficulty lay in finding an opportunity to strike!
(I went to visit relatives this afternoon... Now I'm back to write. It's a new month, so please support me!)
Chapter 33: My eyes can see! Third update!
Shimura Danzō pondered. Striking inside Konoha was out of the question.
Unless they wanted to die!
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was old, he was certainly not someone who would let others slaughter him. His strength was indeed no longer what it had been in his youth, but he was still much stronger than Danzo.
Even with Otsutsuki Toneri, killing Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably take some effort.
If they struck inside Konoha and failed to take Hiruzen Sarutobi down quickly, things would become extremely troublesome!
After all, Konoha could be considered both large and small, but the shock waves and noise from the three of them fighting would certainly be enough to draw others over.
When that happened...
Was he, Danzo, the renowned Root leader of Konoha, supposed to become a rogue ninja?
Absolutely not!
"This is indeed rather troublesome..." Danzo had a bit of a headache. The Shinobi World was far too peaceful right now. There was simply no need for Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, to leave and handle matters outside.
But if he did not leave the village, they would have no opportunity to strike!
Even if they lured Hiruzen Sarutobi to Root headquarters before attacking him inside the village, it would not be foolproof.
Danzo knew Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength very well. His summoned beast, Enma, was no weakling either. Breaking through the ground above them...
Was not impossible.
"Take your time thinking it over, Lord Danzo. I'll take my leave for now. Rest assured, I'll keep today's promise firmly in mind. You can contact me at any time."
Seeing Danzo lost in thought, Otsutsuki Toneri shook his head and smiled, preparing to leave. He had no time to waste here with Danzo.
Killing Hiruzen Sarutobi while keeping their identities hidden really would not be easy.
Killing a village's Kage was already difficult, let alone eliminating one without anyone knowing. The hardest part was precisely doing it without a sound!
After all, a Kage was the highest authority in a ninja village and usually stayed in the village to handle its affairs.
Outside of wartime, they generally did not leave their villages.
Danzo pondered briefly at those words, then nodded. He truly had no good ideas right now.
As for worrying that Otsutsuki Toneri would turn against him, he really was not concerned. He had already witnessed the darkness in Otsutsuki Toneri's heart.
With someone like that, he firmly believed their cooperation would continue as long as he remained valuable to Otsutsuki Toneri.
Conversely, the same applied to Otsutsuki Toneri from Danzo's perspective. Cooperation between people...
Stripped bare, it was mutual exploitation. Because you could bring me benefits, there was an opportunity and value in our cooperation.
It was that simple.
"Hiruzen... Don't blame me. Only I can lead Konoha to its greatest heights and toward new glory!" After Otsutsuki Toneri left, a cold light flickered in Danzo's lone eye as he murmured softly.
The last trace of attachment in his eye was already like a candle guttering in the wind, liable to go out at any moment.
"Root... Heh." Otsutsuki Toneri walked out of the house and looked up at the clear blue sky, softly uttering the word. It was impossible to tell whether his tone held mockery or emotion.
Then Otsutsuki Toneri sensed Otsutsuki Quxian's location. It had only been an hour since he entered Root.
Otsutsuki Quxian should still have been instructing Kurenai Yuhi at the training ground.
Following Otsutsuki Quxian's location, Otsutsuki Toneri hurried over.
Konoha had many training grounds. After all, Konoha was a ninja village, and ninja had a great need for practice and training.
That made training grounds extremely important.
But upon arriving at the training ground, Otsutsuki Toneri frowned slightly. Otsutsuki Quxian was fighting someone.
And that person's presence was not Kurenai Yuhi's!
Otsutsuki Toneri opened his Rinnegan slightly, then his eyelid twitched.
The small, slender Otsutsuki Quxian's pristine white Sage robe fluttered as her two fair little hands constantly parried her opponent's fierce, stormlike attacks.
Her opponent had a shiny black bowl cut, extremely thick eyebrows, a green bodysuit, and a rugged face. Most importantly...
"Oh-ho! You're strong indeed, but youth will never allow me to give up! Fifth Gate!"
"Gate of Limit! Open!"
Looking at the young man enveloped in a dense vortex of chakra, Otsutsuki Toneri immediately realized who he was!
Such vibrant confidence, talk of youth every time he opened his mouth, and those Eight Gates!
Eight Gates Might Guy! The man who had nearly kicked Six Paths Madara to death!
But why was he fighting Otsutsuki Quxian? Otsutsuki Toneri wondered as he watched Might Guy, whose presence had grown much stronger after opening the Eight Gates.
"Hey, hey, hey! Guy, surely you don't need to use that?" Seeing Might Guy bring out even the Eight Gates, the silver-haired young man standing with Kurenai Yuhi a short distance away covered his face and sighed.
"Kakashi's here too?" Otsutsuki Toneri turned his head toward Kakashi, a smile involuntarily curling his lips.
This was rather interesting.
"Ohhh! I'm fired up now! Come on, this is the first strike of my youth!" Might Guy completely ignored Kakashi's complaint. His eyes remained fixed on the girl opposite him, his rugged face brimming with enthusiasm and excitement.
Then, in an instant, he vanished!
Otsutsuki Quxian knitted her brows slightly and quietly activated her Byakugan. Her opponent was getting rather fast!
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
A loud shout came from behind Otsutsuki Quxian as a powerful spinning back kick hurtled toward her waist.
"Don't be naive! My eyes can see!"
Otsutsuki Quxian gave a cold smile, bringing her fingers together into a palm strike wreathed in faint white chakra to meet Might Guy's powerful kick.
"Divine Sky Strike!"
(Asking for all kinds of support! More tonight!)
Chapter 34: The time is drawing near! Fourth update!
Divine Sky Strike was one of the taijutsu techniques passed down through Hamura Otsutsuki's line, a technique Hamura Otsutsuki had developed by weakening Kaguya Otsutsuki's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.
Compared with Might Guy's foot, Otsutsuki Quxian's fair, delicate palm looked extremely small and slender, even giving the impression that it would crumble at a touch.
But the instant palm and foot collided, Might Guy's expression changed as a sharp pain shot through his leg.
The unimaginable force left him unable to hold out for even a moment, instantly knocking his sweeping kick aside.
Before you continue