Bab 32: Chapter 32: Danzo Is Crazy, The Attitudes of the Hidden Forces in Various Circles (Part 1)
"Is this... really happening?"
Haruto's serious tone left Ketasu utterly flustered.
"Marry me, Ketasu," Haruto repeated firmly.
Before Ketasu could respond, Haruto shifted his seat, moving closer to her.
"Haruto, what are you doing?" she asked nervously, her voice quivering.
Haruto leaned in, his gaze steady and unwavering. "I want to be the father of your child... and, perhaps, claim your first kiss while I'm at it."
"W-What?"
Ketasu's face flushed crimson as her heartbeat raced uncontrollably.
---
Meanwhile, at Konoha Hospital, Sarutobi Asuma lay on the hospital bed, writhing in pain. His face was pale, drenched in sweat, as the sharp agony radiating from his kidneys refused to subside, even after countless painkillers.
A junior ninja attending to him couldn't bear the sight any longer. "Asuma-senpai, your condition is worsening. Perhaps we should inform the Hokage. Lady Tsunade might be the only one who can help you now. If Lord Hokage requests her assistance, she'll surely return to Konoha."
"No!" Asuma snapped, though his voice was weak and strained. "In this state, I can't let my father see me. It's humiliating! Besides, what's my father doing now?"
"The Hokage is still interrogating Danzo, senpai. It's been an entire day, but there's no word on the outcome."
---
At the Konoha Interrogation Department, in the largest and most heavily guarded room, the atmosphere was tense.
Danzo sat restrained in the center, his body tightly bound by chakra-enhanced chains. Across from him, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat solemnly, flanked by Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Morino Ibiki, and a group of masked Anbu operatives.
The room had been silent for hours, the oppressive stillness broken only by the occasional flicker of a candle or the creak of the chair beneath Hiruzen.
From the moment Danzo entered the interrogation room, he had not uttered a single word. No amount of Morino Ibiki's psychological or physical pressure could break his resolve. His lifeless eyes remained fixed ahead, unblinking and unyielding.
After yet another failed attempt, Morino Ibiki emerged from the "Spiritual Summoning: Torture House" technique, shaking his head with evident frustration.
"Hokage-sama," Ibiki began, wiping the sweat beading on his scarred forehead, "I've used every method at my disposal, but it's no use. Danzo's willpower is... formidable."
Hiruzen sighed, exhaling a plume of smoke from his pipe. "Continue," he said curtly.
But before Ibiki could prepare for another round, Yamanaka Inoichi stepped forward, his tone impatient. "Hokage-sama, this approach is ineffective. Danzo's silence won't falter under conventional methods. Allow the Intelligence Division to handle this interrogation."
Hiruzen's brows furrowed, but before he could respond, Nara Shikaku added his voice to the growing dissent. "Inoichi's right, Hokage-sama. Physical coercion is a dead end. Danzo's psyche needs to be penetrated. That's what Inoichi's techniques specialize in. I suggest we move forward with this."
Morino Ibiki, his face weary from hours of effort, nodded in agreement. "I second their suggestion, Hokage-sama. I've exhausted my chakra reserves. It's time to try a different approach. Inoichi-san is our best chance of uncovering the truth."
Hiruzen hesitated, his face clouded with uncertainty. Allowing Inoichi to probe Danzo's mind would expose secrets—secrets Hiruzen was desperate to keep buried.
"Hokage-sama," Shikaku pressed, his tone firm, "time is of the essence. We need answers now."
Caught between loyalty and pragmatism, Hiruzen finally relented. He sighed deeply, the weight of the decision evident in his voice. "Very well, Inoichi. The task is yours. Report to me immediately with any findings."
Hiruzen stood, preparing to leave. "It's late," he muttered. "I'll return to the Hokage Residence."
However, as he turned toward the exit, a sudden outburst shattered the heavy silence.
---
Danzo, who had remained eerily still and silent until now, began thrashing against his restraints, his voice rising in a manic crescendo.
"Hokage!" he screamed, his wild eyes darting around the room. "I'm the Hokage now! Finally, I've claimed what's rightfully mine!"
The room fell into stunned silence as Danzo's deranged proclamations echoed off the walls.
"Someone fetch the village's finest stonemason!" Danzo bellowed, his voice laced with hysteria. "I want my face carved onto the Hokage Rock immediately. He has half a day to finish it! If he fails, I'll have his entire family executed!"
A chilling laugh escaped his lips as he continued his tirade. "Nidaime... Nidaime-sama! I'm the perfect successor to your will! Konoha will conquer the world under my rule! Just you wait and see!"
Danzo's laughter grew louder, more erratic. "Hokage... Hokage... I... am the Hokage!"
The room was frozen in disbelief. Morino Ibiki, his usually stoic demeanor cracked, whispered, "Is he... has he gone mad?"
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had known Danzo for decades, was momentarily at a loss for words.
Danzo continued to rant, his voice alternating between laughter and incoherent mumbling. His once-calculated demeanor had unraveled completely, leaving behind a man consumed by his delusions.
---
Back at Konoha Hospital, Asuma, unaware of the chaos unfolding elsewhere, remained bedridden, his thoughts spiraling. Memories of his last encounter with Ketasu haunted him—her words, her tears, her accusations.
Was she right? Had he been too stubborn, too prideful to see the truth? And now, with Haruto stepping in...
Asuma clenched his fists, the pain in his kidneys momentarily forgotten. "I won't let this end like this," he vowed silently.
---
Elsewhere, Haruto and Ketasu sat in tense silence.
"I meant what I said," Haruto declared, breaking the quiet. "You and the child—you belong with me. I'll protect you both, no matter what."
Ketasu shook her head, her emotions a whirlwind of doubt and hope. "Haruto... this isn't fair to you. I'm... I'm not the woman you deserve."
Haruto reached for her hand, his grip firm but gentle. "You're exactly the woman I want, Ketasu. Let me prove it to you."
Ketasu's eyes brimmed with unshed tears. For the first time in weeks, she felt a glimmer of solace—a promise of a future free from fear and regret.
---
Back in the interrogation room, Hiruzen exchanged a knowing glance with Shikaku and Inoichi. "Continue the interrogation," he ordered. "But tread carefully. Danzo's state of mind is more fragile than I anticipated."
As the team resumed their efforts, Hiruzen stepped outside, the weight of the village's future pressing heavily on his shoulders.
"Haruto," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible. "You're the key to Konoha's survival now. Don't let me down."
Unbeknownst to him, Haruto was already preparing for the challenges ahead, determined to carve a path that would secure Konoha's legacy—and his own.
---
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