“To have a full 5,000 Chunin, at least tens of thousands of people are needed as a demographic base. Thus, after careful analysis, it can be seen that for more than forty years since joining Konoha, the Sarutobi Clan must always maintain a stable development, and must not experience the turmoil of any war,” Danzo Shimura said, stroking his chin.
“But this is just to meet the most basic conditions!”
“Now, if you calm down and think about it, you will find that apart from a very few individuals who serve as leaders on the battlefield, very few ordinary Ninja from the Sarutobi Clan appear on the battlefield as team members. Those Sarutobi Clan members who show their faces outside are all prominent elite personnel who have been continuously gaining a lot of popularity for Konoha!”
“Not only that, those Ninja from other clans who married into the Sarutobi Clan used to often be seen as a joke by Konoha’s clans. We used to generally believe that although these people possessed excellent Ninja talent, they had completely lost their Ninja dignity.”
“But looking back now, facing the coercion, inducements, and threats of war from the Sarutobi Clan, these people probably had no choice but to reluctantly submit. Thinking this way, the Sarutobi Clan might have continuously absorbed nutrients from Konoha through such means, secretly expanding their own Ninja forces!”
“By constantly avoiding wars, secretly developing their own clan, and annexing other Ninja geniuses through a series of means like intermarriage, sacrificing Konoha’s foundation, would it be difficult to have over 5,000 Chunin in another ten years?”
“No!” Danzo Shimura shook his head, a look of understanding appearing on his face. Looking at Ryuma Aburame and Sai, who were stunned beside him, he continued calmly with a gloomy expression, glaring into the distance, “It’s not difficult at all. Through such methods, having over five thousand Ninja is not a problem!”
“After solving the limitations of Ninja talent and population size, the so-called resources are nothing!”
“Whether he steals, robs, or even directly embezzles Konoha’s funds, it can be sustained!”
Hearing this, Ryuma Aburame felt a strong sense of grievance. He had always been known for Root’s dark methods, but at this moment, he felt that compared to the actions described before him, he was simply insignificant.
“Now that I think about it, no wonder the funds approved by the Land of Fire, after being allocated by the Hokage, are always secretly dispersed to various departments, not accessible for external inquiry, and can only be supervised by the Hokage himself, including the account amounts.” Ryuma Aburame suddenly realized that all of this was premeditated by Hiruzen Sarutobi. He couldn’t help but wonder how much Konoha’s funds Hiruzen Sarutobi had embezzled.
The thought of having to go to the Hokage’s office building to request funds for Root’s operations in the past, only to be met with various excuses and difficulties, made Ryuma Aburame gnash his teeth in anger. The compensation for the sacrificed Ninja from Root had been constantly delayed, which made Ryuma Aburame utterly resentful of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s actions.
And Danzo Shimura, beside him, was even more furious, clenching his fists with a face full of rage.
“No wonder he talks about the fire will and such,” he gritted his teeth and said, “It turns out they are all hypocritical slogans used to cover up his embezzlement!”
“Not to mention, his seemingly weak actions are actually carefully disguised appearances. It is precisely because of this that he strongly opposes Root’s proactive actions. After all, a vibrant, thriving, and constantly growing Konoha would absolutely not allow him to continue making small moves in the dark. How else could he let the Sarutobi Clan absorb personnel amidst Konoha’s dangers?”
“Not only that, once Konoha adopts a proactive strategy, a large number of Sarutobi Clan members will inevitably be sent to the front lines to set an example. However, this behavior is clearly extremely detrimental to his clan’s development.”
“Conversely, if Konoha chooses passive retaliation, then it means Konoha is protecting everyone.”
“In this way, he can easily command all clans in the name of Konoha’s righteousness. Other clans, in order to defend Konoha, will naturally spare no effort, even sacrificing themselves.”
“And in this situation, he only needs to dispatch a few Sarutobi Clan members to serve as unit leaders, and he can easily claim military achievements while effortlessly seizing the fruits of victory!”
In an instant.
At this point in the conversation.
Danzo Shimura seemed to have grasped something, and all his past confusion became perfectly clear.
At the same time, Danzo Shimura’s heart suddenly felt empty, as if he had lost the desire to contend with his old friend, Hiruzen.
Or rather, he would no longer feel aggrieved or question Hiruzen Sarutobi’s various weak actions.
“Heh heh, so, it was truly only I who worked tirelessly for the development of Konoha!” Danzo Shimura sneered, then said with a solemn expression, as if he no longer needed to care about winning or losing.
At this moment, even without contention.
He had already completely won.
Compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had completely fallen into darkness, recklessly consuming Konoha to develop his own clan.
Who else could be like him! Even though he was notorious in the Ninja World for his evil deeds, and even those within Konoha Village were not spared, being persecuted and suppressed by him in countless ways.
However, even though he committed so many evil deeds, he never appropriated Konoha’s resources for his clan’s selfish desires.
On the contrary, he always used all the achievements of his Shimura Clan to develop Konoha’s Root.
Thinking about it now, Master, you truly misjudged!
Indeed, only I, Danzo Shimura, would abandon the selfish interests of my clan and dedicate everything to Konoha Ninja Village.
And only I am worthy of being the Hokage!
Thinking of this, Danzo Shimura couldn’t help but feel that he had finally won against his old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi, and it was a great victory.
Then, he gazed at the two in front of him, his face solemn, and said in a deep voice, “Now, we need not hesitate. The upcoming actions must take these five thousand or more Ninja into consideration. From my understanding of that monkey, Hiruzen Sarutobi, this matter is absolutely certain!”
“Furthermore, these Ninja secretly cultivated by Hiruzen Sarutobi must be hidden within his clan or in certain bases within Konoha. As long as we conduct a thorough search, we will surely find them.”
“At that time…” Danzo Shimura’s words were left unfinished, a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes, the outcome already self-evident.
Afterward.
“Now, Konoha still needs me to save it. If that monkey is allowed to act recklessly any longer, Konoha will surely be destroyed!” Danzo Shimura’s words were full of confidence and arrogance, as if in his eyes, Konoha, under Hiruzen Sarutobi’s control, had embarked on a path of destruction, and only he could save Konoha.
Hearing these words.
Ryuma Aburame immediately understood and patted his chest, declaring, “Lord Danzo, your subordinate is willing to follow you to the death!”
Sai also hastily echoed, “Master, whatever you command, your subordinate will do his utmost! You are the sun in our hearts, and your will is the meaning of our existence!”
“Good, good, with your help, how can I not achieve great things!” Danzo Shimura laughed heartily at this, his gaze sweeping over the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki below, his confidence growing even stronger.
At this moment, what they were doing was no longer just for Root and Root’s will.
It was for the revolution of the entire Konoha!
The current Konoha, under the leadership of that insidious person, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had completely fallen into decay.
There must be a vigorous revolution.
Only then can all the past shadows be washed away.
And I, Danzo, am that revolutionary.
Only I can lead Konoha to glory.
“After getting rid of Sarutobi’s Hokage, Master, I will summon you with Edo Tensei and let you see that your choice was wrong after all!”
Under the oil lamp’s glow, Danzo Shimura’s face was illuminated, as if the fiercely burning flames of Konoha were rising.
For a moment.
In this dark secret room.
Danzo Shimura, guided by Sai, after realizing Hiruzen Sarutobi’s dark actions, had a major turnaround. All the past darkness was discarded, as if he were the future light of Konoha, making a revolutionary choice deep within his heart.