Chapter 52 Danzo: Do you think you can just take it as you please?
On the ruins of the base, Danzo clasped his hands together, his mouth pressed against his crossed hands, while a single eye outside watched his hardworking subordinates.
Suddenly, a voice that Danzo recognized very well rang out.
"Danzo, what have you done?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sarutobi, dressed in combat gear, arrived with his top subordinate, Konoha's White-haired Fox, his second-in-command, Tenzo, whom he had stolen, and a series of Anbu members.
Tenzo felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the place where he had once lived, now a scene of devastation.
However, amidst his sadness, he saw the table where Lord Danzo was still alive and well.
It's you!
As expected of the table I specially made for Lord Danzo, it is completely intact.
However, upon closer inspection, a faint palm print can still be discerned.
"puff."
Tenzo immediately covered his mouth with his hand.
Kakashi, the succubus captain of the Dark Squad next to him, patted Tenzo on the back considerately.
What's going on? Why is Tenzo suddenly smiling?
Tenzo: I'm an elite member of the Dark Guard, rigorously trained by Root!
I would never normally burst out laughing. Unless... I can't help it.
"Cough cough cough, it's nothing, I just choked."
Kakashi was a little confused. Was he choked?
Choked by what?
Tenzo didn't drink any water either, could he have choked on his own saliva?
Kakashi looked at Tenzo with a strange expression. This guy is so old, yet he still chokes on his own saliva. He's such a worry.
Tenzo: You wouldn't understand what makes me happy. ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ
Hehe, with such a sturdy table, Lord Danzo won't vent his anger on the other Root members anymore.
Wow, I'm really thinking of my former comrades.
Having just been increased in workload by Danzo after he pounded the table until it hurt, Otoko, who is currently cleaning up the ruins, is furious.
Danzo glared fiercely at this traitor who was greedy for profit and blinded by lust, then quickly went through his prepared explanation in his mind before he began to lie through his teeth.
"As you can see, Sarutobi, my base has been attacked by the evil Uchiha."
Since Shisui has escaped, this matter can no longer be kept secret, so he might as well turn the tables and blame the culprit; he's done this kind of thing quite often anyway.
"Uchiha Shisui, he wanted to use the Mangekyou Sharingan to modify my will in order to control the evil thoughts of the Konoha leadership."
"Fortunately, I had a backup plan and successfully dodged his Kotoamatsukami."
"But I didn't expect him to be able to activate Susanoo and even blow up Konoha's Root."
"As the leader of the Root, I am deeply sorry for this."
Danzo spoke with righteous indignation, as if he were speaking of the great principles of humanity.
Danzo: See how well I explained it?
The evil Uchiha wanted to change the will of our Konoha leadership.
I, as the chief advisor to the Hokage of Konoha, am of exceptional intelligence and used a backup plan to evade the Mangekyou Sharingan's eye technique, thus preventing the Uchiha's infiltration.
In addition, I used the roots of the leaf, not my own roots.
I can already picture Hiruzen weeping and wailing for my bravery, and then thinking of stepping down as Hokage and letting someone like me, who is brave, resourceful, and willing to take responsibility for my mistakes, take over as Hokage.
(Sarutobi: What are you daydreaming about? Just thinking about what I'm about to say makes me laugh.)
"Ahem, Danzo, I'm not here to listen to your excuses."
"I already know about Shisui's situation. What you did was really too much."
Sarutobi's expression was very unpleasant. His repeated tolerance of Danzo was not meant to allow Danzo to harm a child with the Will of Fire.
Moreover, half of the root is now damaged, so it can be said to be useless.
Since that's the case, Danzo has no reason to stay any longer.
"So, I'll take care of the rest of the roots."
"Your position as Hokage's assistant will not be revoked, but you can forget about interfering in Root again."
These words struck Danzo like a bolt from the blue.
"Are you kidding me!"
Danzo suddenly sprang to his feet, staring intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi's resolute face.
"Sarutobi, you need to think carefully about what you're saying!"
As the Dark Side of Konoha, he had taken the blame for countless things, committed countless dirty and shady acts for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
By what right does he disband himself from the root?
"I am very clear about what I am saying."
Sarutobi has figured it out: the current generation of Konoha has unlimited potential and all of them possess the Will of Fire.
In that case, the older generation should not continue to interfere in the growth of the new generation.
Moreover, Danzo's actions have already threatened the next generation of Konoha.
Perhaps this time it's just a temporary halt to the flow, and only the roots are damaged, but what about next time?
His own strength, and Danzo's strength, to put it nicely, were Kage-level; to put it bluntly, they couldn't even defeat the Nine-Tails.
(Yes, as a disciple jointly instructed by the First and Second Hokage, Sarutobi is very clear about the true strength a Hokage should possess. Perhaps he once had it, but now he is gradually growing old.)
"I will reorganize the roots and replace the leader."
Sarutobi hesitated for a moment, but still did not tell Danzo the name of the next candidate.
He feared that Danzo might actually go mad because of this.
In fact, even if Sarutobi hadn't said it, Danzo was already on the verge of going crazy.
You think you can just take away the roots I've painstakingly cultivated for over a decade?
First they threatened me, then they tried to take my place, and finally they just took my position.
(slapped down) Sarutobi, you've really made something of yourself! You've even shown such courage.
Okay, very good!
I'll see how you manage to steal my roots.
It's important to know that Root is the darkest place in Konoha, and almost all of its members are its own dead servants.
After layers of brainwashing and propaganda, they now only listen to one person, and that is himself—Shimura Danzo, the Darkness of Konoha!
Want to steal them?
Sarutobi, you don't deserve it!
"Sarutobi, you need to think this through. You can't just move the roots as you please."
Danzo waved his hand, and Oto, who was working underground, immediately ran up, along with dozens of Root ninjas.
Those who survived that attack were all quite strong.
Even with the men Hiruzen brought today, it's not certain we can defeat them.
Danzo: You didn't expect that, did you, Sarutobi?
Even though I'm badly injured, I'm still not someone you can easily defeat!
Sarutobi looked at the Root members, who were on the verge of conflict, and felt a bit of a headache.
"Sarutobi, I'll give you two days. If the next Root leader you choose can withstand this abyss of darkness, I agree to relinquish my position."
"However, if the members of Root do not approve of him, and something unexpected happens, then it's none of my business."
After all, he's an old friend. I'm confident of victory anyway, so it's good to give him some face. I might be able to get more funding later.
Danzo dusted himself off, gave Root ninja a few instructions, and then headed towards his home.
"Laughable. You think you can just take away the roots you've built up over a decade ago? Sarutobi, you're out of your mind."
Danzo's tone was somewhat sarcastic. He admitted that Sarutobi had become a bit tougher, both externally and internally.
However, my roots are not so easy to obtain.
At the old site of the Root, only Root ninja and Sarutobi remained, exchanging words, while the rest of the members continued to carry out the orders left by Lord Danzo.
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End of this chapter..