“Yes, who would have thought that the Sarutobi Clan, a family that has always appeared benevolent, would harbor such immense ambition? If it weren’t for Danzo, the man we usually curse as a villain, bravely exposing this matter, we might still be in the dark, never imagining such a thing could happen.”
“Now it seems that those universally respected aren’t necessarily good people, and those cursed by everyone aren’t necessarily bad people. Danzo, we truly misunderstood him deeply before! He is the one who has been silently contributing to Konoha Village in the shadows! The Second Hokage truly chose the wrong person!”
The Second Elder was also filled with emotion at this moment, recalling Hiruzen Sarutobi’s benevolent appearance in the past, and a wave of trepidation surged in his heart.
Oh my god, this kind of person is truly terrifying!
They constantly preached the fire will, yet behind everyone’s backs, they did such things, wanting to turn Konoha Village into Sarutobi Village, continuously devouring other smaller clans within Konoha Village.
The thought of his own clan becoming weaker and weaker in Konoha, until one day it completely perishes, melting into the growth nutrients of the Sarutobi Clan, filled his heart with murderous intent. He wished he could cut the dog thief Hiruzen Sarutobi into a thousand pieces.
Soon.
Several elders of the Inuzuka Clan had already reached a consensus, deciding to secretly accept Danzo’s invitation, to gather the strength of all neutral clans in Konoha, and to unite with Danzo Shimura’s Root.
They could no longer drift with the current.
Otherwise, they would sooner or later bleed continuously in the next war, losing all their clan members.
On the other side.
The Aburame Clan Head silently adjusted his glasses, looking at the intelligence report with five thousand Chunin and a personal greeting from Danzo. He looked at the elders in his home and said, “The Aburame Clan cannot become a sacrifice in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s plan. Konoha Village belongs to everyone!”
His voice was filled with determination, and his tone held an unprecedented will—a resolve to persevere at all costs.
The other elders of the clan also silently nodded, approving the Clan Head’s decision.
Although their Aburame Clan had always lived in obscurity within Konoha Ninja Village, not drawing much attention, they themselves knew that in all the years since joining Konoha, no matter how they developed, their clan members were constantly sacrificing themselves.
Even a slight setback or injury to their clan would lead to significant losses and severe damage.
This would cause their clan rank to continuously drop.
Now it seems.
All of this was an inevitable outcome.
After all, with the existence of the great menace that is the Sarutobi Clan, their Aburame Clan’s very growth was a mistake.
Therefore, to rectify this mistake, they could only follow Danzo Shimura and unite.
Konoha, seemingly calm on the surface, was experiencing an undercurrent of activity, with formerly neutral clans taking action.
The Inuzuka Clan, Aburame Clan, Kurama Clan, Fujimoto Clan, and others—these clans, which were previously silent and rarely showed their allegiance in Konoha, had no choice but to enter the fray when faced with a future life-or-death crisis.
Clearly, the various clans of Konoha were not fools. After Danzo Shimura personally revealed the secret development of the Sarutobi Clan, along with its hidden ambitions and various schemes, the clan heads, who had been struggling in the Ninja World, instantly sobered up.
They realized this was no longer an ordinary political struggle, but a choice involving the survival of their clans.
It seemed they had a choice.
In reality, due to the ambition of the Sarutobi Clan,
They had no choice at all.
If they didn’t unite now,
Once the next war began,
And Hiruzen Sarutobi’s arrangements caused their clans’ strength to be depleted in the war,
They would only be able to slowly await their demise!
...
In a pavilion not far from the Uchiha Clan Military Police Force, Ryuma Aburame secretly set up various barriers to ensure that nothing from this place would spread to the outside world.
Perhaps there were hidden Anbu who might observe the identities of those entering and exiting, leading to some suspicions.
But it was impossible for them to know what was truly happening here.
With the arrival of the clan heads of the major neutral clans, who had changed their appearances and gathered here,
And the arrival of the clan heads of smaller clans that had suffered heavy losses and fallen in rank during the two Ninja World Wars,
This place had become a forum for denouncing the dog thief Hiruzen Sarutobi, and everyone couldn't help but curse him.
“Hiruzen Sarutobi, that damned bastard, that shameless scoundrel! How could he be so brazen as to develop over 5,000 Elite Chunin? The list Danzo-sama gave us alone has over 2,000 people! And most of these Sarutobi Ninja are secretly hidden, never showing their faces. You can imagine why they're hiding, why they dare not show their faces—these beasts!”
A clan head whose clan had fallen to a small clan clutched the intelligence report in his hand, his eyes red with rage as he cursed Hiruzen Sarutobi.
His clan had sacrificed numerous Ninja, who fought valiantly and bled to protect Konoha. Now, only a dozen or so Ninja remained, constantly worried about missions, fearing that more clan members would die in battle, jeopardizing their clan's standing.
Recalling his clan's tragic state, and then considering the Sarutobi Clan's development, the hidden secrets within needed no further elaboration.
As this person spoke, others followed suit in their condemnation.
“Indeed, when we joined Konoha, we were also major clans, with over a thousand people in our clans. However, after two Ninja World Wars, our clan has lost five or six hundred people and has yet to recover. We now have only dozens of Ninja remaining, and we still have to deal with the Chunin exams and various Anbu investigations every year.”
“At least you all still belong to major clans. Our branch clans, originally small, now have only a dozen or so people and a few Ninja left after joining Konoha and enduring two Ninja World Wars. And the Sarutobi Clan, with just the two thousand Ninja exposed on the surface, is truly hard to imagine. The Sarutobi Clan is truly an evil clan!”
“...”
As each person spoke, the various clans present felt unburdened, understanding the significance of their gathering at this moment.
That was to unite against Sarutobi’s ambition.
To this end, they instinctively looked towards Danzo Shimura, who sat at the head table in the room, and the several figures beside him: the Aburame Clan Head, the Kurama Clan Head, and the Inuzuka Clan Head.
These individuals possessed exceptional strength. They were rare masters in Konoha and precisely the people Danzo Shimura needed to win over.
And now, facing Danzo Shimura’s overtures,
These individuals, without any further hesitation, directly chose to pledge allegiance to Danzo Shimura’s faction.
For no other reason than this: although Danzo Shimura had many flaws and often expanded his Root by recruiting talented Ninja from other clans, at its core, his actions were the dark side of Konoha’s Ninja World, a necessary sacrifice for Konoha.
Even if you were dissatisfied with this, it would continue to exist.
However, in comparison, against Hiruzen Sarutobi’s various ultimately high-sounding words, his actions were openly sacrificing other clans and solely pursuing benefits for his own. Now that he had developed thousands of Chunin, Danzo’s misdeeds no longer seemed like much!
At the very least, Danzo treated his own clan equally, not hesitating to draw sustenance from his own clan to strengthen Konoha’s Root.
No matter how much one disliked him,
On this matter, there was nothing to criticize.
Everyone understood what Danzo Shimura was doing.
Although they had not seen Danzo Shimura sacrifice himself, his act of sacrificing his clan was undeniable and unquestionable.
Now, facing such a powerful Hiruzen Sarutobi and his clan’s thousands of Chunin, and the impending Third Shinobi World War, if they wanted their clan’s strength to be preserved and remain unharmed, cooperation with Danzo was the only righteous path.
Especially when Danzo Shimura directly stated that he had obtained the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki from a parallel timeline, it further solidified the resolve of all the clans present.
Watching the firm gazes of everyone present after they had inspected Uzumaki Naruto’s Nine-Tailed, Danzo Shimura couldn’t help but reveal a triumphant smile, thinking to himself, “As expected of the plan given by my disciple. Having such a powerful display of the Nine-Tailed can give them a firm stance, letting them know that I, Danzo, indeed possess sufficient trump cards!”
Otherwise, if despair were to set in,
They might not be unable to surrender to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Soon, as the clan heads one by one submitted to Danzo Shimura, everyone present began to swear an oath of blood, signing a contract, and Danzo himself became the shadow of Konoha.
That is—the Hokage in the shadows!
“Heh heh, Hiruzen, you once said that a Hokage recognized by everyone is a Hokage! And now...”
“Hiruzen, can you still be recognized by everyone?”
Amidst the praises of the many clan heads, Danzo Shimura, with a fervent heart, couldn't help but look towards the Hokage Office.
His eyes were filled with disdain for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It seemed the position of Hokage had already changed.
...
Hokage Office.
Achoo~
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was leering at the crystal ball in front of him, amusing himself in a lewd manner, suddenly sneezed. He put down his pipe and thought, “Strange, why do I suddenly feel like something bad has happened?”
Creak~
The door opened.
Tap, tap, tap...
Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze entered. As Hiruzen Sarutobi’s disciple and grand-disciple, they didn’t need to report anything; they simply pushed the door open and walked in.
Behind them, there was also a flat-faced Ninja wearing a Konoha vest and a forehead protector with a face guard. Facing this unknown Konoha Ninja, a hint of confusion appeared in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes, but he didn’t pay too much attention.
Perhaps it was a Ninja cultivated by some clan!
Thinking this, he silently and quickly put the crystal ball on the table back into the drawer below.
After all, Konoha, as a Village governed by various clans, theoretically allowed each clan to cultivate a certain number of their own Ninja and obtain Konoha Ninja status, receiving a certain remuneration. This was specifically for distributing benefits to the various clans, and although he hadn’t seen this person before, it was probably the same situation!
On the other side.
Compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s relaxed mood,
Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya, who had recovered from their injuries after resting for a period at the Great Toad Sage’s place, were filled with anxiety and worries about the future of the Ninja World.