Chương 5: Chapter 5
In the end, their conversation had taken this turn.
Watching his old friend depart, Sarutobi Hizashi couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
"Ah, I've made a fool of myself, Hyūga."
As Hizashi finished speaking, a man in a white robe emerged from the shadows on the rooftop.
He had a resolute face, with long black hair cascading over his shoulders, but what stood out most were his pale white eyes.
This was Hyūga Gensan, the current clan head of the Hyūga clan, the second strongest clan in Konohagakure, and the father of Hinata and Neji.
"Not at all, Lord Third. You and Danzo-sama are still as close as ever."
While Gensan's words were filled with teasing, his expression remained unyielding.
They were of similar age and had been among the first heirs of the great clans that participated in the founding of the village, having grown up together.
In his view, if Sarutobi Hizashi and Shimura Danzo ever stopped arguing, that would be the real cause for concern.
"Ha ha, enough about him; let's get down to business."
Sarutobi Hizashi laughed awkwardly, steering the conversation away.
The reason he had Gensan observe in the shadows was to confirm through his Byakugan whether Danzo had fallen victim to an illusion technique.
"Danzo-sama shows no signs of being affected by an illusion."
To Gensan, Danzo's chakra was extremely stable, and there were no indications of congestion in his head veins, leading him to conclude that everything was normal on Danzo's end.
"Really?"
Sarutobi Hizashi was not surprised by this conclusion. Despite some changes in thinking, Danzo's tone and problem-solving approach remained consistent.
Especially in that classic climactic scene at the end—his door-slamming was just right.
"In that case, thank you for your hard work. Would you like to come over for a simple meal at my place?"
After all, it was late at night, and Hizashi felt it polite to extend the offer.
"No, Hinata and Neji are waiting for me at home."
Gensan, aware that Hizashi was merely being polite, politely declined the invitation and vanished from the rooftop in a flash.
"Well, it's already this late; I should head home. Otherwise, Biwako will get angry again."
Having confirmed that his good friend Danzo was fine, Sarutobi Hizashi felt considerably lighter, and his steps became unusually light.
In a great mood, he even began to hum a little tune on his way home.
He hadn't expected that after all these years, Danzo would still be the same, having discussions with him just like when they were children.
Happy.
...
The next day, at Sarutobi Hizashi's "warm invitation," Danzo ultimately had to concede, showing a face full of "joy" as he attended the meeting.
As expected, Mito Gate's Han and Tanshin Koharu had no objections to the battle plan he had devised, but they vehemently opposed the inclusion of the Uchiha clan in the conflict.
They even brought up their mutual teacher, the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, to constrain him.
Irritated, Danzo shot a look at the indecisive Sarutobi Hizashi, realizing it was once again time for him to take the fall for Hizashi.
Thus, Danzo directly confronted the two Hokage advisors, forcing them to accept his proposal after a round of overt threats.
With Danzo having resolved the issue, Sarutobi Hizashi finally stood up with a smile, comforting the two disgruntled advisors.
In a "harmonious" atmosphere, the meeting concluded successfully.
Seeing that the high-ranking officials of Konoha had unified their thoughts, Sarutobi Hizashi immediately summoned the clan heads and his disciples to announce the battle plan.
No one had any objections to Hizashi's decision to have Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru lead the effort against the Village Hidden in Rain.
However, when it came to sending the Uchiha clan into battle, it sparked a wave of discussion among the crowd.
After all, it had been a long time since the village allowed the Uchiha to participate in war.
Even Uchiha Yukikaze hadn't expected that Danzo's promise to him that day was genuine.
Giving Danzo a grateful look, Uchiha Yukikaze, despite his age, passionately declared that the Uchiha clan would fight with all their might.
In the end, the meeting determined that Mito Gate's Han would command the battlefield in the Land of Rain, with Tsunade as his deputy, and they would head to the Rain frontline once preparations were complete.
For Sunagakure, Tanshin Koharu would lead the team to guard the borders of the Land of Rivers to prevent a surprise attack from Sunagakure, and then decide whether to send elite forces for support based on the situation.
Conflicts between great ninja villages typically wouldn't allow the flames of war to spread into their own territory, so the main battleground was always in those smaller nations.
In this case, the Land of Rivers became the unfortunate victim.
When Sarutobi Hizashi assigned the tasks, Danzo had already quietly slipped away.
In his view, it was nearly a certainty that Konoha would emerge victorious in this war.
The greatest threat from the Village Hidden in Rain was that so-called "demigod," Hanzo.
Show him respect by calling him "demigod," or treat him with disdain, and he's nothing but a nuisance. If angered, Sarutobi Hizashi could deal with him personally.
A weakling who could hold his own against the young Sannin could never defeat the peak Sarutobi Hizashi and himself!
At that time, he could unleash the secret technique of Konoha, the "Thousand Years of Pain," to ambush Hanzo and give him a brutal surprise.
Hehehe…
As for Sunagakure, Sarutobi Hizashi could handle that himself.
Currently, the most important task was to establish his own roots, so he could quickly head to the Land of Rain and kidnap young Konan.
Danzo, leaning on his cane, pondered, "Just in case, maybe I should enhance my own strength."
The original had five chakra natures: Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Yin. While proficient in Wind Release, his skills were still a bit too monotonous.
Got it!
He could look for the ninjutsu left behind by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
...
Since most of Senju Tobirama's ninjutsu were forbidden techniques, Sarutobi Hizashi, finding it too troublesome to categorize them, had simply sealed all of them as top secrets in the archives.
For an average person to access them, they would need to obtain Hizashi's permission and could only read them on-site without taking anything away. However, this rule clearly didn't apply to Danzo.
"Edo Tensei, Hiraishin, and Explosive Tags…"
In the archives, Danzo looked at the S-rank forbidden technique scrolls laid out before him, his eyes widening in shock.
"Ah, these things are far too dangerous to be left here; they must be sent to a safer location for storage!"
Danzo wiped the corner of his mouth, gathering the scrolls quickly, using a sealing technique to package them all up while completely ignoring the two Anbu members guarding the entrance.
Then, leaning on his cane, he dashed away faster than a donkey, disappearing from their sight.
"…"
The two Anbu members exchanged glances, stunned as they looked at the nearly emptied ninjutsu scroll cabinet.
"I… I can't believe this, we need to report to the Hokage at once!"
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