Chapter 9: Danzo, I am the Hokage!

“Lord Danzo! The Hokage requests your immediate presence at an emergency meeting!” Inside the Root base, an Anbu ninja under the direct command of the Hokage bowed respectfully to Danzo, who sat behind his desk.

“I understand. I shall depart at once.” Danzo, with half his face wrapped in bandages, responded with a composed expression.

After the Anbu ninja departed, Danzo immediately summoned his trusted subordinate, Aburame Tatsuma.

“Has the situation from last night been investigated?” Danzo’s right hand, heavily swathed in bandages, tapped lightly on the armrest.

His arm, transplanted with Hashirama’s cells, was throbbing with a dull ache.

“Reporting to Lord Danzo,” Aburame Tatsuma said in a low voice, “Last night, a mysterious masked ninja attacked the Hyuga clan compound. Hyuga Hizashi was severely injured and sent to the Konoha Hospital, Hyuga Hiashi also sustained minor injuries, and the Cloud Village envoy has gone missing.”

“The Hyuga clan?” Upon hearing it was a mysterious masked ninja, Danzo’s left eye narrowed, and his brow furrowed.

He couldn't help but recall that the current Akatsuki organization also seemed to have a mysterious masked man within its ranks.

But after that battle four years ago, the Akatsuki had gone into hiding and stopped recruiting outsiders; Danzo’s subordinates had no further intelligence on them.

He could only obtain sporadic information about the Akatsuki indirectly through eyes planted in Amegakure.

“Is it someone from the Akatsuki?” A sinister glint flashed in Danzo’s eyes; the regret of failing to seize the Rinnegan still rankled him to this day.

“It is unlikely,” Aburame Tatsuma analyzed. “The spies lurking in Amegakure have sent no such news. If the Akatsuki were to seek revenge, their primary target should be Hanzo of the Salamander, and there is no reason for them to attack the Hyuga clan.”

During that encirclement four years ago, Danzo had joined forces with Hanzo of the Salamander and deployed the majority of the Root’s ninja to drive Yahiko to his death, which also triggered the awakening of Nagato’s Rinnegan.

The current Akatsuki was nothing more than a few remnants hiding in Amegakure, hoarding strength for revenge.

If the Akatsuki were to strike, their first target would undoubtedly be the closer Hanzo of the Salamander.

“Let’s go. Don’t keep the Hokage waiting.” Danzo rose slowly, hiding his bandaged right arm within his wide robes.

Aburame Tatsuma followed behind him.

——————

Inside the Hokage building’s conference room, the atmosphere was heavy and thick with smoke.

When Shimura Danzo entered the room with a grim face, the high-ranking officials of Konoha were already present.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat in the head seat, wearing his Hokage haori.

To his left were the two high-ranking advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

To his right sat the injured Hyuga Hiashi.

An Anbu ninja wearing a white cat mask stood silently behind the Hokage.

“Danzo, you’re a bit slow,” Mitokado Homura said, pushing his glasses up with his right index finger, his gaze scrutinizing his old friend from behind the lenses.

“Root affairs are complex,” Danzo replied curtly before walking over to sit beside Hyuga Hiashi.

“Very well, everyone is here.” Sarutobi Hiruzen set down the documents in his hand, took a puff from his pipe, and said to the Anbu behind him, “Kakashi, show this document to Advisor Danzo.”

“Yes!” The silver-haired Anbu bowed slightly, picked up the file from Hiruzen’s desk, and walked over to Danzo.

Upon seeing the report compiled by the Anbu, Danzo’s left eye narrowed.

Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, “The mysterious person who attacked the Hyuga clan last night killed the Cloud envoy and dumped the body in the Hyuga compound, intending to frame the clan. Fortunately, Hiashi discovered the anomaly in time and took the initiative, avoiding more serious consequences.”

“However, the opponent’s strength is formidable. Hizashi is severely injured, and Hiashi also sustained some minor injuries.”

“I sent Anbu to pursue, but we lost the trail. The enemy seems to be very familiar with Konoha’s barrier. This matter is of great importance; I have already ordered the Barrier Team and the Anbu to conduct a thorough investigation.”

Having said this, Sarutobi Hiruzen set down his pipe and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Naturally, it was impossible for Hyuga Hiashi to report truthfully that he himself had killed the Cloud envoy.

Hiashi had pushed everything from last night onto the mysterious person, and the cost of the clan leader’s two brothers—one severely injured and one slightly—was enough to satisfy Konoha.

Even if the Cloud questioned it, the high-ranking Hokage officials could not blame the Hyuga clan; otherwise, what would the other ninja clans think?

“Lord Third,” Hyuga Hiashi added, “When I returned to the compound this morning, I discovered that someone had broken into my study.”

Hm?

Sarutobi Hiruzen’s brows locked together, and he said in a deep voice, “It seems he shook off the Anbu pursuit and doubled back.”

“The enemy is very familiar with the layout of our village…” Sarutobi Hiruzen mused.

His first thought was of the rogue ninjas who had defected in recent years.

But counting them up, he couldn't think of any rogue ninja with such strength—capable of fighting the two Hyuga leaders alone. Such a powerful ninja could not be unknown.

In the current Konoha, Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi had not yet defected. Among the hundreds of recorded rogue ninjas, the strongest should be Hiruko.

“Are there any characteristics to the ninjutsu the opponent used?” After reading the Anbu report, Danzo questioned Hyuga Hiashi.

Could such a powerful ninja have held a grudge against the Hyuga clan since the last war?

Hyuga Hiashi weighed his words carefully: “The opponent’s taijutsu skills are extremely high, and he has quite a bit of research into the Hyuga clan’s Gentle Fist, but his specific style of taijutsu is unknown.”

Hiashi was embarrassed to say that the opponent had beaten both brothers to the ground in just over a dozen moves, so he had to weave a narrative.

“The ninjutsu he used was one I have never seen before. It seemed to condense chakra into a spherical shape, and its destructive power was immense,” Hiashi added.

“Condensing chakra into a spherical shape…” The first thing that came to Sarutobi Hiruzen’s mind was the Rasengan invented by the Fourth Hokage.

But Hyuga Hiashi continued, “It is somewhat similar to the Rasengan invented by the Fourth, but the size of the ninjutsu is much larger. And compared to the brightness of the Rasengan, the spherical ninjutsu the enemy condensed was dark in color, and its destructive power was truly astonishing. Hizashi was hit by this move and nearly lost his life.”

“Then what exactly is his goal?” Utatane Koharu asked, puzzled. “Is it to provoke a war between the Cloud Village and Konoha?”

The Cloud envoy died in the Hyuga compound. If the Hyuga clan hadn't held off this mysterious person until the Anbu reinforcements arrived, they might have been successfully framed.

Hyuga Hiashi said with a straight face, “Perhaps.”

In reality, he didn't know the mysterious person’s goal either. He had killed the Cloud envoy on the spot after discovering him kidnapping Hinata. If this mysterious person hadn't appeared, this meeting might have turned into the Konoha high command interrogating the Hyuga clan about their intentions.

“I will have people notify Jiraiya and the ninjas traveling abroad to inquire about this mysterious person.” The meeting ultimately failed to reach a clear conclusion.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could only order increased vigilance while sending people to contact Jiraiya and other ninjas abroad to gather information.

After everyone dispersed, only Danzo remained in the conference room.

“Hiruzen.” Danzo’s single eye looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was wearing the Hokage haori, and suddenly turned cold. “It has been less than three years since the Nine-Tails incident, and the village has been attacked again. Is this the political achievement you’ve made since sitting back in that seat?”

“The village is currently lacking in high-end combat power. Why not hand Naruto over to the Root…”

Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted sharply, “That is Minato’s child!”

“Precisely because he is Minato’s child, he should be cultivated vigorously!”

The Third Hokage said firmly, “Enough! Danzo, I am the Hokage!”

“Hiruzen! You will regret this!” Shimura Danzo left those words behind and slammed the door as he left.

Door: Bang!