Chapter 617: Inheritance
Danzo lay on the ice platform, no longer dressed in his usual black and gray kimono, but in the standard combat uniform of a Konoha Ninja.
Hiruzen guessed that Mugetsu had helped arrange it.
There were no bloodstains or visible wounds on Danzo's body, and his combat uniform was clean and intact, without even a speck of dust. It had clearly been changed afterward.
"He really put thought into this," Hiruzen thought, nodding inwardly.
He believed that Mugetsu had done everything he could but still failed to save Danzo. Because of that guilt, Mugetsu must have wanted Danzo to look dignified in death, at least without obvious injuries left on his body.
"Sigh."
Looking at Danzo lying motionless on the ice platform, Hiruzen could not help but let out a deep sigh. The wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen slightly.
No matter how carefully Mugetsu had prepared him, Danzo's bloodless face still made one fact impossible to ignore.
He was dead.
Even though Hiruzen had already heard the news from Mugetsu before seeing the body, when he truly saw Danzo's corpse, grief still welled up inside him.
After all, this was a friendship of several decades. Even a pet would leave deep affection after that long, let alone Danzo, a comrade who had once faced life and death alongside him.
"No wonder you were willing to treat me that day. So you were planning to do something dangerous," Hiruzen said helplessly.
He had thought that meal was a sign that Danzo was beginning to change, but it had turned out to be the prelude to his sacrifice.
Hiruzen could not help feeling regret.
That had been their final meeting, their final conversation, yet it had ended unpleasantly because they had discussed politics.
If he had a chance to choose again, Hiruzen still would not compromise on political matters. However, he would choose not to bring politics up at all.
"Did Danzo say anything to you before he died?" Hiruzen exhaled, then turned to Mugetsu, whose expression was still filled with pain.
Danzo had still been alive when Mugetsu rescued him. With a Ninja's tenacity, he should have been able to leave some final words behind.
Mugetsu nodded, his eyes faintly red.
"Danzo-sama was thinking about how to protect the village and its future generations until his final breath. Even at the very end, he was still urging me to protect Konoha."
"To make sure I had enough Chakra to deal with any unexpected danger, he even refused my Medical Ninjutsu."
Hearing Mugetsu's words, Hiruzen entered a brief trance.
For a moment, it was as if he had returned to the past, to that unforgettable and heavy night.
During the Kumogakure coup, they had been pursued by an elite enemy force. Their team needed a decoy, and both he and Danzo had stepped forward to take that role. In the end, Senju Tobirama had refused them.
Hiruzen had never forgotten the words Senju Tobirama left him when he chose to stay behind and cover their retreat.
"Protect those who admire the village and trust you, and nurture the children who can be entrusted with the next era."
Hiruzen even remembered Senju Tobirama's expression clearly when he said those words.
Even while facing a mission with almost certain death, Senju Tobirama's face had shown no hesitation, no fear. Only resolve.
"Danzo, you fulfilled our teacher's command," Hiruzen thought, feeling a sense of inheritance in it.
Senju Tobirama had instructed him to protect Konoha and nurture the next generation before staying behind to cover their retreat.
Now, before his own death, Danzo had instructed Mugetsu to protect Konoha.
And Mugetsu happened to be a Root Ninja whom Danzo had personally trained for a period of time.
"Anything else?" Hiruzen asked.
Danzo should have said more than that.
"Danzo-sama also told me to take over Root in his place and bear Konoha's darkness," Mugetsu continued.
"Root..." Hiruzen's expression became complicated.
If anyone else had told him that Danzo's last wish was to hand Root over to them, Hiruzen would most likely have ignored it.
But because the person in question was Mugetsu, Hiruzen believed it almost immediately.
There was a simple reason.
Root meant nothing to Mugetsu now.
At present, Root only had one Ninja remaining in total. If Mugetsu took over Root, he would merely become a commander without soldiers.
Moreover, Mugetsu already held a special designation within Anbu. Strictly speaking, his current position was not inferior to that of a Root leader.
There was no need for Mugetsu to lie. The benefits he could gain were far smaller than the risk of being exposed.
In addition, from Danzo's perspective, Mugetsu was indeed the best candidate to rebuild Root. He had been trained by Root since childhood and possessed outstanding strength.
"So, Mugetsu, what are your thoughts?" Hiruzen asked, looking at him.
"Root is a department directly under the Hokage. All decisions should be made by Sandaime-sama," Mugetsu said after a moment of thought.
He had already shown enough emotion toward Danzo. Now, it was appropriate to show a little more rationality.
"Root's original purpose was to train Anbu. It only gradually developed into the Root you know later," Hiruzen first explained Root's origin.
"The Anbu Training Squad you currently lead is very similar to Root in function, so I don't think Root needs to continue existing independently."
"From now on, Root will merge into the Training Squad. Root members will become your subordinates, and Root's assets will be inherited by the Training Squad."
Making Mugetsu the leader of Root would not be very meaningful, and Hiruzen also did not want Mugetsu to become a second Danzo.
Mugetsu had a brighter future than that.
However, Hiruzen could not completely ignore Danzo's will. He also felt that Mugetsu deserved to be rewarded.
In the end, he decided to use the remaining Root as nourishment, allowing the recently established Training Squad to grow.
"Wouldn't it be inappropriate to disband Root immediately after Danzo-sama sacrificed himself?" Mugetsu hesitated and did not accept right away.
Although Mugetsu felt this was the best outcome, the proper show of refusal still had to be made, if only to give face to the deceased Danzo.
"Root has not disappeared. It has merely changed the way it exists," Hiruzen shook his head and said. "Danzo's Will of Fire will live on."
"Both the Training Squad and Root exist to protect Konoha."
In the end, under Hiruzen's persuasion, Mugetsu came to understand and no longer declined. He firmly accepted the great responsibility of protecting Konoha.
"Before he died, Danzo-sama also mentioned something very strange. He told me to beware of Uchiha Madara," Mugetsu said with a puzzled expression.
"Uchiha Madara? Are you certain you didn't mishear?" Hiruzen asked, his expression turning serious.
To the new generation of Ninja, Uchiha Madara was merely a legendary powerhouse, a traitor personally eliminated by the First Hokage.
But to older Ninja like Hiruzen, who had been born before Konoha's founding, it was different.
They had witnessed Uchiha Madara in his prime.
He had been a terrifying monster that only the God of Shinobi could defeat.
"There is absolutely no mistake. I remember every word Danzo-sama left behind with utmost clarity," Mugetsu said earnestly.
Hiruzen no longer questioned him.
Having experienced Senju Tobirama staying behind to cover their retreat, he could understand Mugetsu's feelings.
Not to mention that this had only happened recently. Even if ten years had passed, such words would still be difficult to forget.
His earlier question was only because the news was too shocking.
"Even if he wasn't killed by the First Hokage, he should be so old by now that he can barely move," Hiruzen said thoughtfully.
Uchiha Madara had not been young. Even if he had lived peacefully until now, he should not still possess the ability to threaten Konoha.
But Danzo could not have been joking with Mugetsu before his death. Therefore, the existence and danger of Uchiha Madara had to be taken seriously.
"Could it be that Uchiha Madara secretly trained a successor?" Hiruzen considered a possibility.
Perhaps someone trained by Uchiha Madara was acting in his name.
If Uchiha Madara truly had not been killed by Senju Hashirama, then after so many years, it would not be strange for him to have trained an heir.
"Regarding Uchiha Madara, did Danzo say anything else?" Hiruzen continued asking.
If Danzo's death was also connected to "Uchiha Madara," then this matter might not be as simple as he had first thought.
There might be a conspiracy targeting Konoha.
Even Danzo's death itself might have been the result of a conspiracy.
"That was all Danzo-sama left behind," Mugetsu shook his head and replied.
Aside from the matter concerning Hashirama cells, he had basically relayed all of Danzo's final words.
As for the fact that Danzo's body contained Hashirama cells, Mugetsu did not want to expose it.
Because even if Mugetsu revealed Danzo's last words and Hiruzen agreed not to let Orochimaru research the matter, Orochimaru would eventually obtain Danzo's body tissue anyway.
Orochimaru's status and position in Konoha were too high. He was one of the Sannin, renowned throughout the Ninja World, and also a publicly recognized Hokage candidate.
With Orochimaru's resources and his intense interest in Hashirama cells, the Hashirama cell experiments would definitely not escape his notice.
As Hokage, Hiruzen's orders could prevent Orochimaru from openly obtaining Danzo's body. But Orochimaru was not an honest person. If he was not allowed to do something openly, he would simply do it in secret.
With things having developed to this point, it was truly uncertain who would produce results first.
Orochimaru's research ability in the original work had left a deep impression on Mugetsu.
Therefore, Mugetsu chose a handling method similar to the White Zetsu incident.
He did not want to face the monsters and abnormalities of the Shippuden era during the Third Shinobi World War.
After asking several questions, Hiruzen gained a general understanding of the information Mugetsu possessed.
Mugetsu actually did not know much. The reason Danzo went to the Land of Rain was almost completely blank, and the main thing Mugetsu knew was Danzo's final words.
However, this also matched Mugetsu's experience.
Mugetsu was no longer a Root Ninja. He had gone to help Danzo out of personal consideration, and Danzo had not given Mugetsu any specific intelligence either.
"Did you fight Sōsuke? What do you think of his strength?" Hiruzen suddenly asked.
"There was no direct confrontation. At the time, I saw that Danzo-sama was injured, so after quickly approaching him, I immediately used Flying Thunder God to leave," Mugetsu thought for a moment before replying.
"But I saw his Ninjutsu. It was extremely powerful. I am not confident that I could defeat him."
Mugetsu was not lying. He truly was not confident that he could defeat himself.
"I see," Hiruzen said, not finding the answer exaggerated.
Sōsuke had the achievement of defeating Hanzo with Fire Release. That battle alone proved that Sōsuke was definitely not an ordinary Ninja.
"Mugetsu, you've been busy for so long. You must be tired. Go rest," Hiruzen said, forcing out a smile.
Mugetsu had rushed to the Land of Rain to help Danzo, then brought Danzo's body back overnight. Just the journey itself could not have been easy.
"I apologize for disturbing you tonight."
Mugetsu bowed slightly to Hiruzen, then bowed again to Danzo on the ice platform. Finally, he left the Root Base with a heavy expression.
"What a good child," Hiruzen sighed inwardly.
Mugetsu could have ignored Danzo. Danzo no longer had the authority to order Mugetsu.
Yet Mugetsu still went to help him.
If not for Mugetsu, Danzo's body might not even have been brought back to Konoha.
So, even if Mugetsu had acted somewhat outside Konoha's regulations during the process, Hiruzen simply ignored it.
After all, who would not have a good impression of someone who valued loyalty and righteousness?
Especially since Mugetsu stood on his side.
After that, Hiruzen called over the only remaining Root Ninja.
There were still too many mysteries. If Hiruzen returned home now, he would not be able to sleep.
He had to figure out why Danzo went to the Land of Rain, and how Danzo had become involved with "Uchiha Madara."
Whether for the sake of avenging Danzo or protecting Konoha, Hiruzen needed to uncover as much as possible.
The interrogation results were exactly as Hiruzen expected.
The Root member guarding the base knew even less. Aside from the fact that Danzo had gone to the Land of Rain, he knew nothing.
"Has Danzo met anyone strange recently?" Hiruzen asked finally.
The Root Ninja shook his head blankly.
How could a low-ranking Root member like him know Danzo's itinerary?
The Root Ninja was extremely confused.
He had merely guarded the base for a few days, yet somehow, he had become the highest-ranking Root member on the surface.
"Bring me Root's recent classified documents," Hiruzen ordered when he saw that the Root member truly had no useful information.
Then Hiruzen summoned Anbu and had them search the Root Base, trying to find clues.
If Danzo's mind did not have so many protective measures, making it impossible to view his memories directly, Hiruzen would have called in a Yamanaka Clan Ninja to read his memories.
Although that might have been somewhat disrespectful to Danzo's body, this concerned "Uchiha Madara" and Konoha's safety. Personal honor had to be set aside.
Hiruzen worked until three in the morning, yet found nothing.
Since he still had official duties to handle the next day, Hiruzen had no choice but to hand the task over to Anbu and return home to rest.
He was the Hokage. He could not lose his rationality because of hatred.
There were still many other matters that needed to be handled.
"I hope there will be some good news tomorrow," Hiruzen thought as he closed his eyes in bed.
Tonight was another unforgettable night.
Although neither Amegakure nor Konoha publicized Danzo's death, and both sides even deliberately concealed it, news of Danzo's death still spread throughout the Ninja World at an eerie speed.
The other four Great Shinobi Villages, in particular, obtained this important intelligence almost immediately.
.....
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