This lead was provided by Danzo Shimura, who is now primarily responsible for intelligence matters, overseeing, inspecting, and supervising the intelligence department.
Although he doesn't directly participate in the daily operations of the intelligence department, his role in it is indispensable.
In his previous life, due to Danzo Shimura's various misdeeds in his later years, many people underestimated his abilities, often seeing him as Hiruzen Sarutobi's lackey, existing solely to take the blame.
However, Danzo Shimura's abilities were actually outstanding.
He and Hiruzen Sarutobi had been rivals and friends since childhood.
In the original timeline, among all the Second Hokage's students, Hiruzen Sarutobi ranked first, and Danzo Shimura ranked second, even surpassing Kagami Uchiha, who hailed from the Uchiha clan.
Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, who possessed the talent for all five chakra natures, Danzo Shimura, who only excelled in Wind Release, was able to surpass someone from the Uchiha clan, proving his undeniable talent.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to sacrifice himself to cover their retreat, he entrusted the responsibility to Danzo Shimura.
None of their other fellow students objected, which clearly showed Danzo Shimura's No. 2 position among them.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi took office, Danzo Shimura, as an assistant to the Hokage, established the Root Anbu preparatory squad to conduct espionage activities abroad.
Although the spies he trained were not extensively discussed in the original work, just the two individuals, Nonou Yakushi, the "Walking Miko," and Kabuto Yakushi, demonstrate Danzo Shimura's contributions to the prosperity of the ninja village.
Koharu Utatane's statement that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura together ushered in Konoha Village's golden age was not baseless, but a concrete reality.
Danzo Shimura was indeed the second most powerful figure in Konoha Village, second only to the Hokage, and was a powerful elder who needed to be taken seriously.
In terms of tactics alone, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not necessarily much more brilliant than him, often relying on the inherent advantage of being the legitimate Hokage and the strict hierarchy of superiors and subordinates.
If he wanted to completely suppress Danzo Shimura, the members in charge could also do it, but this would only happen if Danzo Shimura made a major mistake.
When there were simply differences of opinion, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura had many opportunities for contention.
For example, during the Uchiha incident, Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to relocate and isolate the Uchiha clan, but Danzo Shimura garnered the support of the two advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, thereby overriding Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage.
When there was only one person in the entire high-level opposing, even the Hokage couldn't stubbornly stick to his own opinion, after all, the position of advisor was meant to limit the Hokage's power and prevent him from acting recklessly.
With both advisors siding with Danzo Shimura, it essentially meant that Hiruzen Sarutobi lost to Danzo Shimura in the debate.
If the Hokage's power were sufficiently centralized, perhaps Hiruzen Sarutobi could have forcefully insisted on his opinion, but at that time, the Hokage's power was clearly more dispersed, unable to dominate.
There is much room to imagine how many power struggles occurred during this period.
If he had consistently maintained his early attitude, Danzo Shimura could have at least retired peacefully, without such a tragic end.
However, the resentment in his heart and his dissatisfaction with Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually led him astray.
In Fumori masaki's view, Danzo Shimura had simply stayed in the dark for too long, causing his temperament to gradually become extreme.
He was harsh and ungrateful towards his subordinates, relying solely on cursed seals for control.
While necessary secrecy is required for covert intelligence agents, Danzo Shimura had clearly gone too far.
Nonou Yakushi's decision to leave Root was not without fear of Danzo Shimura, but she was later forced back by Danzo Shimura to serve him, only to be killed by the orphan she adopted, without even recognizing his identity before her death.
When Fumori masaki saw this, he felt that Danzo Shimura was somewhat excessive.
Being so harsh and ungrateful to intelligence agents who worked tirelessly, it was Danzo Shimura's actions that led to a loyal spy like Kabuto Yakushi eventually defecting to Orochimaru.
Danzo Shimura treated the ninjas under him as tools, which was the biggest problem.
Perhaps because Danzo Shimura was more devoted to traditional ninjas, and he had been training Root ever since, Root's training would inevitably lean towards traditional ninjas, thus reinforcing his impression.
However, Danzo Shimura overlooked that the ninja villages of the new era had gradually deviated from the standards of traditional ninjas.
He perhaps never realized this, which led to such consequences.
People from the old era certainly couldn't adapt to the new era, no matter how well they performed in the old era.
In this timeline, afterFumori masaki became Hokage, he chose not to establish Root.
After having Danzo Shimura assist in the Anbu for a while, he transferred him to the Intelligence Department, allowing him to utilize his espionage abilities while also stepping out of the dark environment and facing the sunlight more often.
In the past, Danzo Shimura had provided numerous valuable and important intelligence reports, and now, Danzo Shimura presented Fumori masaki with a grand gift, delivering a crucial lead that startled Fumori masaki.
According to the lead provided by Danzo Shimura, intelligence agents had discovered that the Jashinists used a special pill that could enhance their physical strength, playing a very significant role among the Jashinists.
This pill was the same one used in front ofFumori masaki and Kagami Uchiha back then.
At that time,Fumori masaki and Kagami Uchiha were very curious how the Jashinists obtained this secret medicine.
Later, reports from the capital allowed Konoha's high-level officials to find a possible source of the secret medicine.
Danzo Shimura was the first to notice it, organized the information, and brought it to a meeting for discussion.
"In Asuna and their reports, they mentioned that they saw those Chakra Samurai using a special pill in an unexpected situation.
From the description, it is very similar to the pill used by the Jashinists.
I highly suspect it is the same one!" Danzo Shimura said to everyone at the Hokage Cabinet meeting.
"The description is indeed very similar, but it may not necessarily be the same.
If it really is the same, wouldn't that mean…" Homura Mitokado's voice trailed off.
"Exactly, this means that the guy named Tobi has a significant connection with the Jashinists!" Danzo Shimura finished Homura Mitokado's sentence.
His expression was solemn, yet also carried a hint of joy.
"I think we should investigate this thoroughly.
If we can confirm it's the same pill, we'll have a huge advantage."
Now, the conflict between Konoha Village and the capital was becoming increasingly apparent.
After so many years of change, none of the people present were stubbornly clinging to ninja traditions.
To be honest, Konoha Village now had no need to be so constrained and could advance further.
However, due to "innate flaws," Konoha Village couldn't take that step, because Konoha Village was merely a mercenary organization.
It had no legitimate political status in the society of the Land of Fire.
The Daimyo's side was the dominant force in society, and rash intervention would only trigger intense social conflicts.
Therefore, Konoha Village had to act cautiously, and now the reason had emerged.
If it could be proven that Tobi, the favored retainer by the Daimyo's side, was deeply connected with the Jashinists, then Konoha Village naturally couldn't allow such a dangerous individual to remain by the Daimyo's side.
Fumori masaki understood this approach perfectly: "Cleansing the Lord's side" was the most suitable excuse to initiate armed conflict.
"Alright, Danzo, the intelligence you provided is very important.
I'll entrust you with investigating this thoroughly, and I'll also have the Anbu assist you."Fumori masaki nodded to Danzo Shimura, feeling very satisfied.
The current Danzo Shimura was truly vastly different from his counterpart in the original work.
In terms of ability, there might not be much difference, but psychologically, in the original work, he noticed that Danzo Shimura had a psychological weakness: he refused to admit defeat and his inner weakness.
When facing the pursuit of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, Danzo Shimura also had the resolve to sacrifice himself to cover their retreat, but he hesitated due to inner fear.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward, because he refused to admit his weakness, his competitive spirit towards Hiruzen Sarutobi became even stronger, and he strived to prove his excellence.
At that time, Tobirama had already said before leaving – "First, you must see yourself clearly, recognize yourself calmly, otherwise, you will only put your comrades in danger."
This statement was meant to remind Danzo Shimura that fearing death was nothing to be ashamed of; it was human nature.
If he couldn't even acknowledge his true self, then he couldn't make calm decisions.
Unfortunately, Danzo Shimura didn't understand at the time, and Tobirama, who recognized this, also died of severe injuries from the pursuit of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, unable to guide his student any further.
But now it was different.
Tobirama lived until after the First Great Ninja War.
After Fumori masaki became Hokage, he relinquished the responsibilities of Hokage and could focus more on other areas.
And Fumori masaki, due to his foresight, had already targeted certain individuals who might cause problems.
Speaking of which, when Konoha Village first established psychological medical subjects, Tobirama also helped a lot.
He also had many heart-to-heart talks with his students, correcting some of their shortcomings.
Under various measures, Danzo Shimura's situation had significantly improved.
Although he was still part of the more aggressive faction,Fumori masaki felt that this was acceptable.
Such strong individuals were also needed in certain situations and should not be discarded.
"Masahiro, once the relationship between the two sides is confirmed, you can't be soft-hearted.
You must act decisively.
The sooner you act, the sooner you'll gain the advantage." Danzo Shimura reminded him.
"Everyone knows my stance on the Daimyo's side.
I will consider it carefully."Fumori masaki smiled.
"I will investigate as soon as possible.
Once the investigation results are out, we must act immediately and not give the Daimyo a chance to breathe." Danzo Shimura said.
If it were his past self, he might have leaned towards cooperating with the Daimyo, but now it was different.
The development of Konoha Village could no longer cling to tradition.
Danzo Shimura had also been in the new system for a long time, and he had mentally cast the Daimyo aside.
"Indeed, if we get the evidence, we can reasonably and legitimately eliminate Tobi and use this to coerce the Daimyo into making concessions for us.
But I wonder if it's too early?" Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard—he now had a beard, looking considerably more dignified than usual—and looked at everyone, saying.
"Hiruzen, what do you mean?
Are you going to wait for the Daimyo to react?
By then, who knows what that Tobi will stir up, causing us trouble." Danzo Shimura frowned and looked over.
"I think the timing should be well-managed.
Acting sooner can indeed curb the danger at its minimum, but it may not bring us the greatest benefit." Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Upon hearing this, Danzo Shimura couldn't help but ponder.
Just asFumori masaki said, all their fellow students present knewFumori masaki's attitude: the ultimate goal was undoubtedly to make Konoha Village the center of the country.
Could simply eliminating Tobi early achieve this?
"Then when do you think it should be?" Danzo Shimura asked.
"I think it should be…" Hiruzen Sarutobi offered his opinion, which Danzo Shimura immediately refuted, believing it would be too late and might cause severe social unrest, creating opportunities for other countries.
Everyone else also joined the discussion, but by the end of the meeting, no decision had been finalized.
"Masahiro, you are the Hokage.
Think about it carefully.
Our opinions have already been expressed." Kagami Uchiha looked atFumori masaki and said.
"Hmm, Masahiro, you need to consider carefully and make the right choice.
Don't be indecisive like someone else, or you might miss a good opportunity." Danzo Shimura chuckled.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled helplessly, but he and Danzo Shimura were used to clashing, so there was nothing to be angry about.
He said, "Trust Masahiro.
He will definitely make the best choice.
Hasn't it been proven over the years?
He is the one chosen by our Sensei."
Danzo Shimura pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.
This was probably the only area where he and Hiruzen Sarutobi had no disagreements.
Honestly,Fumori masaki had already noticed that Danzo Shimura was very obsessed with the Hokage position in the original work, but after he became Hokage, it wasn't so obvious.
Even with Tobirama's guidance, he shouldn't have given up his obsession with the Hokage position.
After thinking about it, he suddenly wondered if it was because he, and not Hiruzen Sarutobi, became the Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were like Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, competing rivals.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage, Danzo Shimura, as his rival, would certainly not be content, and coupled with his personality flaws in the original timeline, it seemed reasonable for him to become increasingly extreme later on.
In this world, however,Fumori masaki became the Third Hokage, and Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were high-ranking officials of the same status.
The gap between them was not so wide, and they naturally felt much better, so their desire to win might not be so high.
And with Tobirama's assistance, after Danzo Shimura recognized his character flaws, his judgment might have become calmer, thus not obsessing over whether he could ascend to the Hokage position.
Of course, it should also be becauseFumori masaki was doing a good job as Hokage.
Danzo Shimura was initially very disapproving of some ofFumori masaki's conciliatory measures, but after seeing the benefits of these measures, he gradually changed his mind, believing that conciliation could also be used when necessary.
Compared to the Danzo Shimura who was obsessed with violence in the past, this was a huge improvement.
Fumori masaki felt that this Danzo Shimura was already very good and wouldn't cause him too much trouble.
And Danzo Shimura, through his own efforts, truly earned everyone's respect.
During the Second Great Ninja War, he fought alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi against the Hidden Mist Village, also making great contributions, and received a high-level medal at the awards ceremony.
Danzo Shimura in the other timeline probably never would have imagined that in this world, he would receive an honorable medal under the gaze of thousands and earn everyone's praise.
"I've heard all your opinions, but such matters cannot be decided all at once.
Situations can change at any time, and we must act according to current events.
Danzo, first and foremost, you must confirm whether these are the same pills.
Your responsibility is very heavy.
Without this step, we cannot move forward at all."Fumori masakii stared at Danzo Shimura, his tone very serious.
"Don't worry, within a month, I will definitely give you a result." Danzo Shimura said earnestly.
"I'm counting on you.
Just say whatever you need."Fumori masaki nodded to Danzo Shimura and said with a smile.