Chapter 9: Danzo, I Am The Hokage!
“Lord Danzō! Hokage-sama requests your immediate attendance at an emergency meeting!” Inside the Root Base, an Anbu Ninja under the Hokage’s command respectfully bowed to Danzō sitting behind the desk.
“I understand, I’ll head out right away.” Danzō, with half his face wrapped in bandages, responded calmly.
After the Anbu Ninja left, Danzō immediately summoned his trusted aide, Yuruma Aburame.
“Has the situation from last night been investigated clearly?” Danzō’s right hand, fully wrapped in bandages, lightly tapped the armrest.
This was the arm where he had transplanted Hashirama Cells, and it was faintly aching.
“Reporting to Lord Danzō.” Yuruma Aburame said in a deep voice: “Last night, a masked mysterious ninja attacked the Hyuga Clan Territory. Hizashi Hyuga was seriously injured and sent to Konoha Hospital, Hiashi Hyuga also sustained minor injuries, and the Cloud Village Special Envoy went missing.”
“Hyuga Clan?” Hearing it was a masked mysterious ninja, Danzō’s left eye narrowed, his brows slightly furrowing.
He couldn’t help but think of the masked mysterious person who seemed to exist within the current Akatsuki organization.
But after that battle four years ago, the Akatsuki organization had gone into hiding and no longer recruited externally; Danzō’s subordinates had no further intelligence on Akatsuki.
They could only indirectly obtain sporadic intelligence on Akatsuki through spies lurking in the Rain Village.
“Is it someone from Akatsuki?” A glint of sinister intent flashed in Danzō’s eyes; the regret of failing to seize the Rinnegan still gnawed at him.
“Unlikely.” Yuruma Aburame analyzed: “The spies lurking in the Rain Village haven’t reported anything. If Akatsuki wanted revenge, Hanzo of the Salamander would be the primary target, and there’s no reason to attack the Hyuga Clan.”
In that encirclement four years ago, Danzō allied with Hanzo of the Salamander, deploying most of Root’s ninjas, forcing Yahiko to his death and triggering Nagato’s Rinnegan outbreak.
The current Akatsuki organization only had a few remnants, hiding in the Rain Village and gathering strength for revenge.
If Akatsuki wanted revenge, their first target would definitely be the closer Hanzo of the Salamander.
“Let’s go, don’t keep the Hokage waiting.” Danzō slowly stood up, hiding his bandaged right arm in his wide robe.
Yuruma Aburame followed behind.
——————
In the Hokage Building conference room, the atmosphere was heavy, smoke swirling.
When Shimura Danzō entered the conference room with a grim face, the Konoha High Council had all arrived.
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing the Hokage miko robe, sat at the main seat at the head.
To the left were the two high council advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
To the right sat the injured Hiashi Hyuga.
An Anbu Ninja wearing a white cat mask stood silently behind the Hokage.
“Danzō, you’re a bit late.” Koharu Utatane pushed up her glasses with her right index finger, her gaze through the lenses scrutinizing her old friend.
“Root affairs are complicated.” Danzō simply said that, then walked to Hiashi Hyuga’s side and sat down.
“Alright, everyone is here.” Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the document in his hand, took a puff from his pipe, and said to Kakashi behind him: “Give this document to Advisor Danzō to review.”
“Yes!” The silver-haired Anbu slightly bowed, picked up the document from Hiruzen Sarutobi’s desk, and walked to Danzō’s side.
When he saw this report compiled by Anbu, Danzō’s left eye narrowed slightly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued: “The mysterious person who attacked the Hyuga Clan last night killed the Cloud Village Special Envoy and dumped the body in the Hyuga Clan Territory, intending to frame the Hyuga Clan. Fortunately, Hiashi discovered the anomaly in time and took the initiative to strike, avoiding more serious consequences.”
“But the opponent was very strong; Hizashi was seriously injured, and Hiashi also sustained some minor injuries.”
“I sent Anbu to pursue, but we lost the target. The enemy seems very familiar with Konoha’s barriers; this is no small matter. I’ve already ordered the Barrier Division and Anbu to investigate.”
With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe and exhaled a puff of smoke.
Last night’s events—Hiashi Hyuga naturally couldn’t report truthfully that he himself had killed the Cloud Village Special Envoy.
Hiashi Hyuga attributed everything last night to the mysterious person, and with the Hyuga Clan Head brothers paying the cost of one seriously injured and one lightly injured, it was enough to account to Konoha.
Even if Cloud Village questioned it, the Hokage high-level officials couldn’t blame the Hyuga Clan; what would the other ninja clans think?
“Third Hokage.” Hiashi Hyuga spoke up to add: “This morning when I returned to the clan territory, I found that the study room had been infiltrated.”
Hm?
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s brows furrowed tightly, and he said gravely: “It seems he shook off the Anbu Ninjas’ pursuit and then made a counterattack.”
“The enemy is very familiar with our village’s terrain…” Hiruzen Sarutobi mused thoughtfully.
The first thing he thought of was the rogue ninjas who had defected in recent years.
But upon careful consideration, he couldn’t think of any rogue ninja with such strength, able to fight the two Hyuga Clan Head brothers alone. Such a powerful ninja couldn’t be nameless.
In the current Konoha, Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha hadn’t defected yet. Among the recorded over a hundred rogue ninjas, the strongest should be Bishamon.
“Did the opponent’s ninjutsu have any distinctive features?” After finishing the Anbu report, Danzō pressed Hiashi Hyuga further.
Such a powerful ninja—could it be someone who had a grudge against the Hyuga Clan from the last war?
Hiashi Hyuga chose his words carefully: “The opponent’s taijutsu mastery is extremely high, and he has considerable knowledge of the Hyuga Clan’s Gentle Fist, but his taijutsu style is unknown.”
Hiashi didn’t want to admit that the opponent had taken only a dozen exchanges to defeat both brothers, so he could only weave some words.
“The ninjutsu he used was one never seen before; it seems to condense chakra into a spherical shape with immense destructive power.” Hiashi added.
“Chakra condensed into a spherical shape…” The first thing Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of was the Rasengan invented by the Fourth Hokage.
But Hiashi Hyuga said: “It’s somewhat similar to the Rasengan invented by the Fourth Hokage, but the ninjutsu’s form is much larger, and compared to the Rasengan’s brightness, the enemy’s spherical ninjutsu has a dark hue and astonishing destructive power. Hizashi was nearly killed by this move.”
“So what exactly is his purpose?” Homura Mitokado was somewhat puzzled: “Is it to incite war between Cloud Village and Konoha?”
With the Cloud Village Special Envoy dead in the Hyuga Clan Territory, if the Hyuga Clan hadn’t held off this mysterious person and persisted until Anbu Ninja support arrived, the frame-up would have succeeded.
Hiashi Hyuga said unflinchingly: “Perhaps so.”
In truth, he didn’t know either what this mysterious person’s purpose was. After discovering the Cloud Village Special Envoy kidnapping Hinata and killing him on the spot, if not for this mysterious person appearing, this meeting might have turned into the Konoha High Council questioning their Hyuga Clan’s intentions.
“I’ll send word to Jiraiya and the ninjas traveling outside to inquire about this mysterious person.” The meeting ultimately couldn’t reach a clear conclusion.
Hiruzen Sarutobi could only order heightened vigilance and send people to contact Jiraiya and other outside ninjas to gather intelligence.
Once everyone dispersed, only Danzō remained in the conference room.
“Hiruzen.” Danzō’s single eye looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in his miko robe, suddenly turning cold: “It’s only been three years since the Nine-Tails Attack, and the village suffers another attack. Is this the achievement from you resuming this position?”
“With the village short on high-end combat power, why not hand Naruto over to Root…”
Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted sharply: “That’s Minato’s child!”
“Precisely because it’s Minato’s child, he should be vigorously trained!”
The Third Hokage said resolutely: “Enough! Danzō, I am the Hokage!”
“Hiruzen! You’ll regret this!” Shimura Danzō left those words and stormed out.
Door: Bang!
