“Danzo, we are all at your command this time, please deploy!” a clan leader said solemnly.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the others nodded in agreement.
It has come to this.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Hokage, possesses immense strength and a formidable military force, with powerful individuals aplenty. It would be difficult for them to defy the Hokage's deployment orders, issued in the name of the fire will, on their own. Only by uniting and having Danzo Shimura, who is also a Kage-level expert and possesses the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, step forward can they turn the tide.
In a short while, those who followed Danzo Shimura were united in purpose, completely of one mind.
Danzo Shimura had long harbored this intention, desiring to lead these newly subjugated clans in a unified action. This would also thoroughly divide the factions within Konoha, demonstrating the strength of his own faction while showcasing their confidence to other clans, thereby clearly distinguishing those who submit to him from those who resist.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
Danzo Shimura let out a hearty laugh, then said with a serious expression, “Don’t worry, as long as everyone here unites, even the Hokage won’t be able to do anything to us. I have already submitted a document to the Land of Fire Daimyo to impeach the Hokage, and I expect results very soon!”
Danzo Shimura said with full confidence, as if he could already see the Land of Fire Daimyo's document stripping Hiruzen Sarutobi of his Hokage position and allowing him to inherit it.
Regarding this, the Aburame clan leader suddenly spoke up: “Danzo, I heard that there seems to be some conflict between you and the Daimyo. Will the Daimyo truly agree to your impeachment of the Hokage as you wish? Won’t there be complications?”
“Don’t worry!” Danzo Shimura continued with a mysterious smile on his face: “The Daimyo will agree. Compared to the minor conflicts between the Daimyo and me, the ambition shown by the Sarutobi Clan and their treacherous, hypocritical facade will surely greatly shock the Daimyo, making him understand who the real threat is! No matter what, I am, at most, just a normal Ninja!”
“All I want is to become the Hokage of the Ninja Village and continue to lead Konoha in maintaining the Land of Fire’s peace!”
“But Hiruzen, he wants to be more than just a Ninja!”
The Aburame clan leader's pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had realized something and now understood Danzo's confidence.
Subsequently.
He had already come to a realization in his heart and couldn't help but say, “This way, even the Daimyo will no longer believe Hiruzen Sarutobi’s disguise. Thus, the impeachment of the Hokage is inevitable. Next, what we need to do is continuously undermine the Hokage’s reputation, make everyone in Konoha understand his true colors, yield the position of Hokage to you, Danzo, and make Konoha even greater!”
Soon.
This private, secret gathering concluded without Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's knowledge.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
In the capital of the Land of Fire, sunlight streamed through the windows into the opulent palace.
Suddenly, a loud bang shattered the tranquility. A heavy wooden table violently trembled, as if struck by a powerful force.
“Bastard! Bastard! What in the world does that dog-thief Hiruzen Sarutobi want to do?!” the Land of Fire Daimyo roared uncontrollably, his voice echoing through the palace, seemingly making the walls slightly tremble.
The Daimyo slammed his hand heavily on the table. Due to the excessive force, the folding fan he had always cherished as a treasure instantly broke into two halves.
The pain from his reddened palm, caused by such extreme force, was not simple.
However, despite such immense pain, the Daimyo’s expression remained unchanged amidst his current fury.
He unhesitatingly threw the broken folding fan to the ground, as if it were worthless.
The several loyal ministers standing by, as well as the guardian Ninja who wholeheartedly protected the Daimyo, were all stunned by this sudden scene.
They exchanged glances, unsure how to respond to the Daimyo’s intense reaction.
However, when their gaze fell upon the folding fan the Daimyo had thrown to the ground, their hearts couldn't help but tighten—the Daimyo’s rage had reached its peak.
Immediately after, the Daimyo handed a piece of intelligence to them, saying angrily, “All of you, take a good look at the intelligence Danzo sent! Is this the ‘good old Hiruzen Sarutobi’ you all keep telling me about? Look at what he’s been doing in secret! He’s been secretly accumulating such power, always hiding in the shadows, even deploying personnel to secretly infiltrate the vicinity of my Fire Country capital. Why is he doing this?!”
“This Hiruzen Sarutobi’s hypocritical actions, his malicious deeds, his lawless behavior—you tell me, is he a loyal subject?!”
“Hmm, answer me!”
As this intelligence spread like a plague among them, meticulously examined by everyone present, their faces instantly turned pale, as if their souls had been drained.
They had all been deceived!
This, this…
How could this be possible?
Could this Hiruzen Sarutobi be so good at disguising himself?
One must know that they were individuals who had survived the intense infighting among the countless officials of the Land of Fire, yet they had not seen through Hiruzen Sarutobi's disguise in the slightest.
This showed how excellent his acting was.
But at this moment, no matter how outstanding his acting was, or how perfectly he disguised himself, with this intelligence from Danzo Shimura, all pretenses had vanished.
As their expressions changed drastically, they all cursed Hiruzen Sarutobi inwardly, understanding his true nature.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, this hypocritical, insidious, and cunning fellow, was simply a jackal in human skin.
His past masks of benevolence were all used to deceive everyone. While shouting the false fire will, he was secretly like a hungry wolf, frantically devouring the growth nutrients of Konoha Village, allowing his own clan to constantly expand.
By now, he had secretly hidden five thousand Chunin.
Moreover, his expanding behavior indicated that his heart was no longer satisfied with the so-called one-country, one-village system.
If not for that!
Under the constraints of this system,
Why would he so frantically expand his power?
And his actions,
Were they not a greedy pursuit of more benefits?
However, Konoha Ninja Village itself already controlled all the military power of the Land of Fire, becoming the representative of the Land of Fire's armed forces!
So, if he wanted more benefits,
Where could he get them from?
None of the people present were not trusted confidants of the Daimyo himself; they all held supreme power in the Land of Fire. These individuals were all cunning and deep-scheming, absolutely incapable of lacking intelligence.
They knew very well what kind of situation they would face once the Sarutobi Clan, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, successfully devoured all the power of Konoha Ninja Village and completely rose to prominence.
Clearly, after the Sarutobi Clan's strength greatly increased, they would inevitably crave more benefits. And the source of these benefits would simply be to seize them from these high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire. More seriously, the Sarutobi Clan might even take the entire Land of Fire for themselves.
Thinking of this, everyone present simultaneously came to a common realization—they absolutely could not allow the Sarutobi Clan to continue existing!
Such rebellious behavior must be resolved with decisive and severe measures, without the slightest hesitation or leniency.
“Daimyo, we can no longer be soft-hearted towards the Sarutobi Clan; we must spare no effort to eradicate them. Now that Danzo has presented these confidential intelligence reports to you, it undoubtedly proves that Danzo himself is the trustworthy one. We can completely use Danzo to counterbalance the Sarutobi Clan!” The Minister of Political Affairs was the first to speak, taking the initiative.
“Yes, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Sarutobi Clan is now so powerful that Danzo’s abilities alone are probably no match for them. Now that Danzo has presented this intelligence to inform on them, he naturally desires your approval, Daimyo. This way, you can bestow upon him the name of righteousness, enabling him to gather more clans!” The Minister of Commerce also chimed in, then glanced at the Daimyo and continued: “Daimyo, you must act decisively and provide Danzo with more support as soon as possible. The current Hiruzen Sarutobi is still in disguise and has not yet completely shown his true colors, which indicates that the many clans in Konoha Ninja Village are also a threat to him, making him afraid to easily expose himself.”