"Hiruzen, Jiraiya is acting too impulsively!"
Watching Jiraiya storm out and slam the door behind him, Danzo snorted. He didn't harbor much hostility toward Jiraiya.
After all, Jiraiya's loyalty to the village was well-known. Unlike Orochimaru, who shared Jiraiya's fame and qualifications to compete for the Hokage position, Jiraiya had no interest in pursuing it.
Since Jiraiya wasn't a contender for the Hokage title and possessed significant strength, Danzo saw no reason to treat him as an enemy unless absolutely necessary.
But today, Jiraiya's actions made Danzo feel offended.
"What other dealings do you have with that Madara?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored Danzo's complaints. Instead, he glanced sharply at Koharu Utatane, who was about to speak up in support of Danzo. Smoking his pipe, Hiruzen spoke calmly.
Looking at Hiruzen's face, partially obscured by smoke, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura Mitokado all fell silent.
As people who had been by Hiruzen's side for years, they knew his personality too well.
Though his tone was calm and devoid of emotion, the three instinctively sensed the tension—like the stillness before a storm.
Hiruzen was displeased with them.
Koharu and Homura were in a better position; they weren't directly involved in Danzo's dealings with Madara. Root, too, was entirely under Danzo's control.
They usually acted as mediators whenever Hiruzen and Danzo clashed. But now, sensing Hiruzen's dissatisfaction, they both decided to stay quiet.
While Koharu and Homura could step back and avoid involvement, Danzo, the person at the center of the matter, had no such option.
"Do you really believe Jiraiya and that little brat from the Land of Rain?" Danzo's tone was cold as he retorted.
"I know Jiraiya as well as I know you," Hiruzen replied, his pipe glowing faintly as the smoke thickened. The room grew hazier, and it felt like Hiruzen himself was vanishing into the clouds of smoke.
"I did it for the stability and safety of Konoha!" Danzo was silent for a moment. After once again sensing the decisiveness his old friend used to have, he deflected the question with a vague answer.
"So, you admit it!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone was light, yet it carried an inexplicable weight. At this moment, he finally displayed some of the commanding presence he once had as a true leader of the shinobi world.
"You even agreed to summon him back to the village for interrogation."
"For questioning!" Hiruzen's chakra erupted abruptly, and his sharp gaze pierced through Danzo.
"In the past, I turned a blind eye when you acted under the name of the Anbu or the Hokage. But now? Do you realize what time this is? How dare you collude with outsiders to attack your own village's ninja!"
Danzo opened his mouth but couldn't respond.
How could he have known that Madara's side would be so utterly incompetent?
Even after hearing Jiraiya recount the battle's events, Danzo didn't fully believe it—unless it came from his Root team's intelligence.
Yet, at this moment, he could understand why Hiruzen was so furious.
During such a sensitive time of mobilization, targeting a shinobi within the village and then having Jiraiya storm in to confront him... Even though only a few people were present in the office, it was hard to guarantee that rumors wouldn't spread.
If Shisui hadn't died and had actually returned to Konoha, the thoughts of the village's shinobi could be ignored for now.
However, the Uchiha clan, notorious for their rebellious nature, would undoubtedly cause an uproar.
In the past, Danzo wouldn't have cared about the Uchiha. In fact, he would've welcomed more chaos from them.
But now, during wartime, the power of the Uchiha clan was a crucial factor in determining whether the Land of Fire and Konoha could win this Ninja World War.
Especially since Shisui was stationed at the Land of Fire's border, holding back the Tsuchikage Onoki as one of Orochimaru's subordinates!
Now it was just Jiraiya causing trouble—what would happen when Orochimaru learned of this? Would he let go of an opportunity to undermine Danzo's influence?
Thinking of this, Danzo's anger toward Madara grew stronger. At the same time, his desire for the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai in Madara's hands deepened.
"A Mangekyo Sharingan! If it could be used, it would be enough to determine the outcome of a battle. And because of your selfishness, that incredible power has been wasted!"
What Danzo could think of, Sarutobi Hiruzen could certainly think of as well.
As the Hokage, he had far more to consider than Danzo ever would!
Right now, Konoha was like a bowstring pulled to its limit—no one knew when it might snap.
Although the main enemies this time were only the Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Stone Village, along with some small ninja villages and rogue ninjas they had rallied, the previous conflict and losses with the Land of Lightning had already put a strain on Konoha.
Now, with the war dragging on, Konoha was feeling overwhelmed.
The Hidden Stone Village's army of ten thousand ninjas had tied up most of Konoha's forces.
Meanwhile, the Hidden Mist Village, aside from deploying troops along the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, utilized its specialties by sending elite ninja squads into the Land of Fire to carry out assassinations and sabotage.
These Hidden Mist ninjas, roaming within the Land of Fire, forced Konoha to allocate a large number of ninjas to search for them.
If left unchecked, they could freely disrupt supply lines and military transports, leading to significant losses on the frontlines.
To address the shortage of manpower, Sarutobi Hiruzen had significantly relaxed the conditions for ninja promotions.
Students from the Konoha Ninja Academy were being given a crash course in training and quickly granted the rank of genin.
They skipped the usual developmental phase and were immediately led into battle by experienced jonin.
Under such circumstances, in the eyes of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, every bit of strength was invaluable to Konoha.
Especially someone like Shisui, a ninja with extraordinary power!
The issues with the Uchiha could wait until after the war, but the manpower shortage was an urgent crisis.
A Mangekyō Sharingan!
Such a powerful force shouldn't be wasted on internal disputes, Hiruzen thought. On top of that, Shisui was a descendant of his old friend Uchiha Kagami.
Through his evaluations in the Anbu division and Hiruzen's own observations, Shisui had shown himself to be someone who had risen above clan interests, was loyal to Konoha, and was a trustworthy young man.
Shisui should have been able to shine like the new generation talents, such as Minato Namikaze and Kagetsu Nara, contributing greatly to Konoha. But now, he had mysteriously fallen victim to a conspiracy.
This left Hiruzen feeling suffocated and heavy-hearted as he reviewed the battlefield reports. The situation was growing more chaotic and increasingly beyond his control.
Becoming the first Hokage to lose a war was something Sarutobi Hiruzen could never accept!
"It's because the Mangekyō Sharingan is so powerful that we must control it ourselves!" Danzo said discontentedly.
"Have you forgotten what the Second Hokage taught and warned us about? The Uchiha clan cannot be trusted!"
"You're being too extreme!" Hiruzen replied, his eyes showing disappointment as Danzo continued to argue. "You're too self-serving, Danzo."
"Everything I do is for Konoha!" Danzo retorted.
****
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