A few days later, two major, impactful pieces of news successively spread throughout the entire ninja world.
First, the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages would convene a Five Kage Summit in the neutral Land of Iron in two months. This was the first Five Kage Summit to be held by the Five Great Shinobi Villages after a hiatus of several decades. Regarding the purpose of convening this momentous summit, many people had already guessed it was definitely related to the recent, earth-shattering Moon battle.
The second piece of significant news was that Kirigakure's Fifth Mizukage had finally been decided. Succeeding Karatachi Yagura, Terumi Mei officially assumed the esteemed position of Kirigakure's Fifth Mizukage.
The circulation of these two particular pieces of news was far less widespread than that of the sensational Moon battle; some individuals of insufficient status or rank within the ninja hierarchy couldn't even access information at this high level. However, these two announcements still had a significant and undeniable impact on the overall political situation in the ninja world. This was especially true for the Five Kage Summit. A summit convened after so many years of strained relations perhaps heralded a fundamental shift in the future structure and balance of power within the ninja world.
ANBU Underground Base.
"Ryoma, have the candidates selected for attending the Five Kage Summit been decided yet?" Danzo Shimura sat upright in the main seat of authority, looking down at Aburame Ryoma, who stood respectfully below, and posed the question, his voice low and gravelly.
"Yes, Lord Danzo," Aburame Ryoma replied with practiced deference. "This time, Lord Hokage plans to only take his personal guard detail with him."
"Very good!" Upon hearing this, a ruthless, predatory glint appeared in Danzo's one exposed eye as he spoke, his lips curling slightly. "Our chance has finally come."
Under the stern and explicit warnings of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo and his clandestine Root division had remained conspicuously quiet and inactive in Konoha for some time. However, this time, Danzo was not prepared to continue lying low and biding his time. The upcoming Five Kage Summit, and Hiruzen's planned attendance, had shown him a golden opportunity. If he didn't find a chance to escape his current predicament and reassert his influence soon, he and Root would likely become a forgotten relic of the past in the very near future.
From various subtle signs in the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's recent actions and decisions, it seemed increasingly clear that he had truly made preparations, and perhaps even his mind, to choose that kid, Tatsuya Akimichi, as Konoha's next Hokage successor.
This was a development that Danzo absolutely, under no circumstances, wanted to see come to pass. It wasn't just because Tatsuya Akimichi had deep-seated, irreconcilable conflicts with Danzo himself and Root as an organization; more importantly, Danzo genuinely and fervently believed that Tatsuya Akimichi was fundamentally unsuitable and ill-equipped to be Hokage.
In Danzo's pragmatic view, the current Tatsuya Akimichi indeed possessed the raw strength and demonstrated power to contend for the revered position of Hokage. But he was far too willful and reckless, often acting with blatant disregard for the village's long-term interests and established protocols. Moreover, he was perennially disinclined to undertake missions or make tangible contributions to the village's welfare, preferring his own esoteric pursuits. And the most crucial, damning point in Danzo's eyes was that Tatsuya Akimichi was far too close, far too chummy, with the Uchiha clan! Could anyone who willingly associated with that wicked, cursed clan possibly be a good, trustworthy person fit to lead Konoha?
Compared to Tatsuya Akimichi, Danzo firmly believed himself to be infinitely more qualified for the position of Hokage. Over so many long, arduous years, he had made countless, often thankless, contributions to the village from the shadows, doing the dirty work that others shied away from. He, Danzo, deserved to sit in the seat of the Fifth Hokage.
The mere thought that Konoha, the village he had dedicated his entire life to protecting (in his own way), might be led to ruin and eventual destruction at the hands of Tatsuya Akimichi in the future made Danzo unable to sit still any longer. He had to take the initiative. He had to act.
"Lord Danzo, what should we do?" Aburame Ryoma, standing attentively below, asked for his orders.
Danzo's visible eye glinted slightly with cunning. "How are our attempts to contact Yakugakure and Akatsuki progressing?"
Aburame Ryoma replied, his tone somber, "So far, Lord Danzo, there has been no success on either front. The two Root members we dispatched to make contact with Akatsuki operatives were both swiftly eliminated by them. Yakugakure, on the other hand, vehemently and consistently denies any contact or affiliation with the Divine Court. Furthermore, after the last Moon battle concluded, the two Divine Court members who had reportedly been staying in Yakugakure also vanished without a trace."
Hearing this, Danzo pondered in silence for several tens of seconds, his mind racing, then said, his voice thoughtful, "It seems the news that the Divine Court suffered heavy losses under Akatsuki's onslaught is likely true. What about Orochimaru's side? Has he responded?"
Aburame Ryoma confirmed, "Orochimaru has indeed replied, Lord Danzo. He agrees to your proposed plan."
Danzo nodded, a grim satisfaction settling on his features. He waved his hand dismissively. "Mm! Very good! Then proceed according to plan."
"Yes, sir," Aburame Ryoma replied respectfully, then with a flicker, he departed from the underground chamber.
After Aburame Ryoma had left, Danzo, sitting alone in the imposing main seat, finally allowed a cruel, predatory smile to touch his lips. He muttered under his breath, his voice a low, venomous hiss, "Hiruzen, ah, Hiruzen… how fitting that the prized student you personally trained will be the one to send you off on your final journey! Lord Tobirama, I will prove to you, once and forall, that I am, and always have been, the most suitable candidate for Hokage!"
Military Police Force Headquarters, in Tatsuya's office.
Knock, knock, knock~
"Come in." A polite knock sounded at the door, and Tatsuya called out, his voice calm.
The door opened, and Itachi Uchiha stepped silently inside.
"Ah, Itachi. Come, have a seat." Tatsuya looked up from his paperwork, saw it was Itachi, and gestured with a welcoming smile towards the chair in front of his desk.
Itachi bowed slightly in acknowledgment, then walked over and sat down with his usual quiet grace. After seating himself, Itachi looked at Tatsuya, his young face etched with a grave expression. "Captain, there's been some unusual activity from Root recently. They've successively dispatched a significant number of operatives out of the village over the past few days. From all indications, it looks like they're planning a major operation of some kind. Their movements are extremely secretive and well-concealed; if I hadn't been closely and specifically monitoring them during this period, it would likely have been very difficult to discover their actions."
"Oh?" Tatsuya replied, a hint of amusement in his voice, showing not a shred of surprise. "That old geezer Danzo finally can't hold it in anymore, can he?" In Tatsuya's view, if Danzo wasn't actively stirring up trouble and plotting something nefarious, then he simply wouldn't be Danzo. The fact that Danzo and his Root division had managed to remain quiet and subdued for so long under the Third Hokage's admonishments had already genuinely surprised Tatsuya.
Hearing that Danzo was finally up to something again, Tatsuya was not only unsurprised but actually felt a little anticipatory thrill. A Danzo who didn't stir up trouble and just hid away like a turtle cowering in its shell was truly a difficult adversary for him to effectively deal with and expose. Now that the old warhawk had actively decided to jump out into the open, Tatsuya naturally had an opportunity to use the situation to his advantage.
Itachi continued, his voice laced with concern, "Captain, it was not long after the news came from Lord Hokage about convening a Five Kage Summit that Root began to act with such frequency. It's highly probable that their operation is targeting Lord Hokage himself. Should we secretly inform Lord Hokage of this imminent threat?"
After thinking for a moment, Tatsuya slowly shook his head. "No need. If we inform the Third Hokage of this prematurely, knowing his nature, the matter will likely be swept under the rug again, dealt with quietly, and Danzo will escape true consequences. Given Root's historically extreme and often brutal methods, who knows how many heinous and evil deeds they've committed in secret over these many years. Its very existence, its shadow operations, only bring harm and instability to Konoha."
"The 'Darkness of Konoha'!" Tatsuya scoffed dismissively. "Tsk! This cancerous tumor on the village should have been excised and utterly destroyed long ago. If Lord Hokage can't bring himself to make this difficult but necessary decision, then let me do it. This time, I will use this very matter, this plot of Danzo's, to completely and permanently cut out this malignant growth from Konoha."
Itachi asked, his concern for the Hokage evident, "But what if something unexpected happens to Lord Hokage as a result of this?"
Tatsuya replied calmly, his own expression placid and unreadable, "The Third is old. If he can't even handle this internal matter properly, then perhaps it truly is time for him to step down from the position of Hokage."
Hearing these rather stark words, Itachi's body jolted slightly, and a flicker of hesitation, of uncertainty, appeared in his usually composed eyes. "Captain," he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, "are you… are you planning to compete for the position of Fifth Hokage yourself?"
Tatsuya waved his hand dismissively. "I have absolutely no interest in the position of Hokage, nor, frankly, do I believe I am qualified for it at this time. Over these past few years, ever since leaving ANBU, I've rarely gone out on official village missions or contributed in that overt way. With the official merits and public prestige I've accumulated so far, it's simply not enough to qualify me for such a high and responsible position. After the Third steps down, a more suitable, more conventionally qualified candidate will surely take his place."
Itachi fell silent for several seconds, processing Tatsuya's words, then said gravely, his primary concern returning, "Then, Lord Hokage's safety…?"
Tatsuya met his gaze reassuringly. "Don't worry, Itachi. Nothing untoward will happen to him. I'll see to it."
A moment later, Itachi, his expression now calm and resolved, left the office.