“However, according to the future development of the original parallel world, if Hiruzen dies, I still have more than ten years to wait. How can I possibly wait that long!”
“What’s more, even after Hiruzen dies, there’s Tsunade, whom they’ll push to be Hokage. If things follow the original path, the other high-ranking officials of Konoha wouldn’t allow me to become Hokage at all.”
“Since conventional methods won’t work, then I can only seize the Hokage position by force. But before that, I need to significantly reduce Hiruzen Sarutobi’s power!” Danzo Shimura said slowly, a sinister glint in his eyes.
Since the two people present were also among Danzo Shimura’s most trusted confidants, he did not avoid their presence.
He directly spoke out these internal machinations.
Although it wasn’t the first time Danzo Shimura had revealed his great ambition to become Hokage in front of his subordinates.
But to openly shout out his intention to seize the Hokage position by force in front of his subordinates.
This was the first time.
But now.
With the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki at his disposal.
Both Danzo Shimura and Ryuma Aburame and Sai, who were beside him, knew that he was indeed full of confidence.
At this, Sai, who had lowered his head, had a glint in his eyes.
“Indeed, according to that adult’s arrangement, the effect has appeared. Next, it’s my turn to act.”
“With the appearance of that adult, the course of history has been changed. If I don’t plug the loopholes in advance, with Danzo Shimura’s suspicious nature, my position here will be awkward!”
“I must proactively prompt Danzo to make more changes, so that whatever happens in the future won’t involve me, and Danzo himself will be able to realize that the changes were his own doing.” Sai thought to himself, his mind constantly reviewing the intelligence database from Uchiha Tenxiu.
“Danzo-sensei!” Sai said, feigning hesitation, a troubled expression on his face, as if unsure whether to continue speaking and reveal what he had to say.
“What is it?” Danzo Shimura asked, puzzled, then prompted, “You are my disciple, the future inheritor of Root’s will. You can speak freely about anything.”
“Actually!” Sai’s face showed a thoughtful expression, and he said in a slightly low voice, “In the world we are in, the you of that world also conducted an in-depth investigation into the Sarutobi Clan. And according to the records left by the you of that world, the Sarutobi Clan secretly possesses as many as five thousand Ninja! Moreover, the strength of these Ninja has at least reached the Chunin level.”
“There will be even more below the Chunin level; they are all lurking in the shadows, serving as Hiruzen Sarutobi’s hidden direct lineage, consistently solidifying Hiruzen Sarutobi’s position.” Sai’s voice conveyed deep concern as he stared intently at the other party, continuing, “With such a Ninja army, even if you possess the power of the Nine-Tailed, you must not expose it immediately. Otherwise, the outcome of this contest is truly unpredictable!”
In the Ninja World, besides extraordinary Ninja like Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the number of Ninja is also one of the key factors in determining victory. Thousands of Ninja, through special attack methods, sealing jutsu, and the use of barriers, can change the course of a war; and tens of thousands of Ninja can even unite to defeat powerful opponents with overwhelming advantage, even Kage-level powerhouses are not exempt.
What’s more, what Sai spoke of was not five thousand Genin, but five thousand Chunin!
This means that the hidden force Hiruzen Sarutobi controls has far greater combat power and influence than ordinary Ninja troops. Their loyalty is also far beyond that of ordinary Konoha Ninja.
And this.
Is only the minimum.
Upon hearing this astonishing number, both Danzo Shimura and Ryuma Aburame immediately straightened up, their eyes wide with shock, unable to close their mouths, and they both exclaimed in unison: “What? Five… five thousand Ninja!”
“You, are you sure it’s not five hundred, but five thousand?!”
This enormous number was simply too shocking, unbelievable.
Even Danzo Shimura, who was accustomed to grand spectacles, was startled.
How could the Sarutobi Clan possibly possess such a vast number of Ninja?
This was simply a fantasy!
If you said the Sarutobi Clan had 5,000 people, that would be more believable, and both people present could believe it.
After all, in the distant Sengoku period, everyone relied on extensive procreation to continuously increase their family's population in order to protect their family's interests.
Therefore, Ninja families with thousands of members were commonplace, and no one would be surprised by that.
Similar to the Uchiha Clan, Senju Clan, Hyuga Clan, Kaguya Clan, and Uzumaki Clan.
Basically, each clan had at least two or three thousand members, and when the number of wars decreased, there were even more, generally around four or five thousand people.
The proportion of Ninja among them was about 1/3, or 1/2, basically making them a nation of Ninja.
But even so, that’s only one or two thousand Ninja.
However, the Sarutobi Clan.
Even when joining Konoha Ninja Village, in order to elevate their status, they brought in a large number of ordinary people to join their clan and boost their prestige, yet they only had a little over five thousand members.
However, after these two consecutive Ninja World Wars, the population of all Konoha clans has not increased; instead, it has continuously decreased.
Even if the Sarutobi Clan, due to the protection of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, did not experience a significant population decrease and remained above 5,000 people, that would still be understandable.
However, you’re saying there are 5,000 Ninja? This is simply preposterous!
You must understand, to have 5,000 Ninja, at least tens of thousands of people are needed as a population base for reproduction.
Moreover, not everyone among these people necessarily possesses Ninja aptitude, and even if they do, fully training them would require a massive amount of resources.
Not to mention, elevating all these individuals with Ninja aptitude to Chunin level would consume an astronomical amount of resources. How could the Sarutobi Clan possibly afford such expenses?
Even if resources could barely sustain it.
How could such a large population go unnoticed within Konoha Village?
At the same time, with so many people living in Konoha Village, their every move would certainly attract the attention of others.
It’s completely impossible to hide!
However, looking at Sai’s assertive attitude.
It seemed to be true.
And facing Sai, this disciple, who even after crossing into a parallel world, still remained loyal to Root, could he possibly be lying?
The answer, of course, is no.
Given that Sai couldn’t be lying, it meant that the Sarutobi Clan indeed had over five thousand Chunin hidden in secret.
Suddenly, Danzo Shimura seemed to have realized something, his face darkened, and he said coldly, “Good, good. No wonder, Hiruzen, your past actions were always so strange. I always thought it was because of your weak character that you adopted that attitude, but it turns out all of this was just you lining your own pockets!”
“Even I, Koharu, and Homura, who appear to be placed in elder positions by you, are actually just helping you share risks. In the eyes of outsiders, you make us seem to be in the same faction. But in reality, from beginning to end, your reliance was never on us. We were merely puppets you kept in the open, existing to clear up your troubles!”
“What you truly wanted to do was to completely transform Konoha Ninja Village into your Sarutobi Clan’s!”
Danzo Shimura’s words revealed deep disappointment and anger. He had clearly realized the true purpose behind Hiruzen Sarutobi’s strange past actions and the great secret that must be hidden behind the Sarutobi Clan.
This secret must be an unsavory matter that has been secretly growing by consuming Konoha’s resources.
And he, along with Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, seemingly held high positions of power in Konoha Ninja Village, but in reality, they were merely useful tools that followed Hiruzen Sarutobi’s arrangements and orders.
It was the existence of this tool.
That allowed Hiruzen Sarutobi to secretly eliminate those who could affect his hidden schemes, allowing him to operate in the shadows.