radicalducati Chapter 220 Danzo: You still have to look to me.
Chapter 220 Danzo: You still have to look to me.
Chapter 220 Danzo: You Still Have to Watch Me (Second Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets)
Konoha Village, Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado gathered here. It was a closed-door meeting, but according to the tradition that the more important the matter, the fewer the participants, their discussion must be about a major issue concerning the entire Hidden Leaf Village!
"The fighting in the Land of Rivers is intensifying. I just received a report from Jiraiya that Sunagakure has transported the Shukaku Jinchuriki to the front lines. According to their estimates, a large-scale direct conflict between us and Sunagakure is inevitable in the next few days."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a brief overview of the situation in Shimokawa Province, but there was little worry in his eyes.
"Did Jiraiya also ask for help?" Koharu Utatane asked the key question, which was what they were really concerned about.
"No, it seems there's something wrong with the Sand Village's Jinchuriki. We don't know how much of the Tailed Beast's power they can unleash. Danzo, does your Root have any information on this?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo, as did Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. Most of the spies Konoha sent to enemy countries were arranged by Danzo, so they naturally had to ask him about this kind of question.
Danzo pondered for a moment and then answered naturally: "Sunagakure's sealing techniques are quite immature. Since the death of the first Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, they have sealed Jinchuriki four more times, but none of them lasted long. They were either killed by their own people or died from the Tailed Beasts going berserk."
This one should be the fourth one, and he wasn't a successful product either. He often went berserk due to his unstable emotions. Sunagakure probably just wanted to make use of him, otherwise this Jinchūriki wouldn't have lived long.
The room fell silent as everyone pondered the message conveyed in Danzo's words.
Having such an unstable Jinchūriki on the front lines is a matter of good or bad. Fortunately, Konoha learned of this information in advance; otherwise, if the Jinchūriki had launched a surprise attack during the great battle, the front line would have definitely collapsed.
"Since the frontline commanders haven't asked the village for help, it proves that they are still confident in handling this battle, and we should have confidence in them as well."
Mitomon Homura spoke up, which reassured everyone. Without dispatching personnel, the village's ability to interfere with the front lines was very limited, and everything would have to be decided by the front-line commander on the fly.
"In that case, what are your thoughts on the next matter regarding the Iwagakure front?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, taking out another summary report and handing it to Koharu Utatane, who was closest to him. "This is a summary of the battles on the western front since the start of the war in Iwagakure. Take a look."
Xiaochun, who was turning over, took the document. Her face darkened at first glance, and after reading the contents, her face turned even darker.
He casually handed the report to Mitokado Homura, whose situation was exactly the same. After Shimura Danzo read it, he simply cursed, "Useless!"
It's no wonder they reacted this way; the battle report was just too rubbish.
Although they knew the battle on the Iwagakure front was going poorly, with the front lines constantly requesting reinforcements or supplies, they never imagined that the accumulated losses would be so enormous.
The Iwagakure front has only been at war for a short time, yet their losses are already almost greater than those of the Sunagakure front. How can these Konoha high-ranking officials tolerate this?
"Let's change the commander. Isn't Mimura Yomaki the commander of the western front? Let's transfer someone else to be the deputy commander. If he keeps fighting like this, no amount of wealth will be enough for him to squander."
Koharu, who was switching dorms, immediately suggested changing the commander.
"Who should we send? Who else in the village is qualified to be the frontline commander?"
Mitokado Homura pinpointed the crux of the matter: while Konoha has many talented individuals, few possess both strength, prestige, and leadership skills. Furthermore, Konoha is currently facing multi-front warfare, which further highlights this shortage of such talent.
"Why don't we send Orochimaru over? The Cloud Village battlefield is relatively stable, so it would be suitable for him to take charge of the Iwagakure battlefield." Koharu Utatane thought for a moment and suggested a solution that wasn't really a solution.
"No, Orochimaru can't be moved. If he does, there will definitely be trouble on the Cloud Village side. Those brutes may look reckless, but they're not really stupid!"
Danzo directly objected, but what he said did make sense. Orochimaru's deterrent power on the northern battlefield was still enormous, and if it were someone else, Kumogakure might not be so wary.
"Then who should go? Does Konoha have anyone else? Should we send Torifu?"
Akimichi Torifu was a member of the Second Hokage's guard team along with them, but after Uchiha Kagami's death, he left the Konoha leadership and returned home to teach the younger generation of his clan.
Koharu Utatane's words contained a hint of complaint. Everyone knew that Akimichi Torifu would not return to the mountains unless Konoha faced a life-or-death crisis, and everyone knew why.
"I'll go. I'll personally oversee the western battlefield, and I'll also transfer some of the Root's elite troops there."
Danzo appeared calm on the surface, as if he was only doing this because he had no other choice, but in reality he was extremely nervous.
He still hasn't given up on the Hokage position, but his current position as the leader of Root means he doesn't have much fame in the public eye, and all he has is a bad reputation.
He desperately needed some tangible achievements to quickly spread his fame in the public eye, so that he would have enough confidence when running for the position of Fourth Hokage.
And what merit can compare to military achievements?
If he can successfully lead his troops to defeat Iwagakure, with such military achievements and prestige, coupled with his previous efforts, he could certainly contend for the position of the Fourth Hokage.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were both stunned by Danzo's request to join the battle. They couldn't understand Danzo's thinking. "You're a perfectly good leader of Root, and now you want to go to the front lines as a commander? Is being a commander really that easy?"
The two turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, hoping he would persuade Danzo. However, to their surprise, Hiruzen seemed to be seriously considering Danzo's suggestion.
Originally, Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely not have agreed to let Danzo Shimura be the commander. He would have preferred Koharu Utatane or Homura Mitokado to go, and he could have just given them a few more advisors.
But when Danzo said he would bring a group of Root elites with him, he wavered.
To be honest, the Root organization has become too powerful to control. He can't just dismiss these people without a good excuse. Even if he wants to mobilize them, he has to go through Danzo, the leader of the Root organization.
This has made the root region almost a country within a country.
Now Danzo is actually taking the Root members to the front lines. Regardless of whether the battle goes smoothly, casualties among the Root members are inevitable. This will not only weaken the Root's strength but also solve the current problem, truly killing two birds with one stone.
As for Danzo's hidden agenda, do you really think he can't see through it? If he wants to become the Fourth Hokage, he'll have to see if Danzo agrees.
Having figured all this out, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer hesitated and nodded in agreement with Danzo's suggestion, "Alright, I'll leave the front lines to you. I'll give the orders directly to have Yoruichi Mimura cooperate with your command."
Danzo was overjoyed when he saw that Hiruzen Sarutobi had agreed to his suggestion so easily, though he tried to keep his face calm.
"No problem, don't worry. I will definitely teach Iwagakure a lesson and let that shorty Onoki know what happens when he messes with Konoha."
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances, surprised that such an important decision had been made in just a moment of hesitation. But since the Hokage had agreed, they had nothing more to say.
Besides, Danzo is not unqualified to be the commander; his previous doubts were merely the instinctive concerns of an advisor.
"Alright, now for the last thing. The prices of war supplies have risen sharply again recently. Although we are well prepared, we must plan ahead. Xiaochun, Yan, which of you should go to Daming Prefecture and ask Daming to allocate some more funds?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked completely at ease, as if the daimyo's money was his own, showing no sense of superiority whatsoever.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance, neither finding anything amiss. The daimyo of the Land of Fire was quite wealthy, and Konoha had used its own strength to keep all enemies who coveted the Land of Fire at bay. Both morally and logically, the daimyo should give them this money.
"I'll go. I was the one who talked to the lord last time, so it will be easier to communicate this time."
Koharu Utatane volunteered, and Homura Mitokado naturally wouldn't argue with her, so the matter was settled happily.
"Alright, that's all for now. Everyone, go back and get busy!" the Hokage said, picking up his cup and taking a sip.
This was a very obvious hint. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado then turned and walked out the door, but before leaving, they glanced curiously at Danzo, who was standing motionless, wondering what kind of shady business this guy was going to discuss with the Hokage again.
After the two left, before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak, Danzo took out a scroll from his robes and handed it to Hiruzen.
As the root of Konoha, his tentacles are not only entrenched within Konoha, but also have Root members throughout the entire ninja world. Therefore, the rumors that started in the Land of Wind and have gradually spread have naturally not escaped his notice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi curiously took Danzo's scroll, opened it, and quickly glanced through it. His brows furrowed slightly, and then he carefully read it again before putting the scroll down.
He casually picked up the pipe on the table, carefully filled it with tobacco, then raised his right index finger, a flame rising from the tip. He brought the pipe close to the flame, carefully lit the tobacco, and finally took a deep, satisfying drag, exhaling wisps of smoke.
Danzo watched quietly from the side, without saying a word.
After finishing his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi put it down, looked at Danzo in front of him, and said with a hint of mockery, "Does Sunagakure look down on us too much, thinking that we can't even tolerate a child?"
He picked up the scroll again and looked at it once more, then laughed and said, "I even came across one that I could just abandon the mission. Even Jiraiya and Orochimaru don't have that kind of reputation."
Upon hearing this, Danzo forced a smile. "White Reaper," "Yellow Flash"—these were indeed impressive titles. What was even more remarkable was that they shared the same master.
Having said his piece, Danzo remained silent, as if he had done something insignificant, and turned to leave the Hokage's office.
He certainly wasn't intimidated by those two; they were too young, especially Matsushita Taichi, who was only 10 this year.
Even if he's only a teenager and has made great contributions, would the village really let a teenager become Hokage? He'd be more suited to be the Fifth Hokage.
But Jiraiya is different. He already has enough prestige and strength. If he had two disciples with similar prestige and strength to help him, the Fourth Hokage would be his for the taking.
Therefore, Danzo's only real fear was Jiraiya.
As Danzo left the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze returned to the scroll, his eyes filled with both satisfaction and apprehension.
Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally liked Minato and Taichi; they were young, energetic, and, in terms of both strength and mindset, were definitely excellent candidates for Hokage.
Most importantly, these two posed no threat to him whatsoever. Unlike Danzo, he had plans to step down, and the choice for the next Hokage was naturally between Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
However, despite having plans, he did not want anyone to threaten his position before he stepped down.
"It seems we still need to find an opportunity to bring Taiyi back. Too much rigidity leads to breakage, and he needs to come back and reflect on his actions."
Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself in the office.
The Land of Rivers, Sunagakure Camp.
After two more days of travel, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, finally arrived at the front-line camp with a large amount of supplies and the Shukaku Jinchuriki.
Upon arriving at the camp, Rasa arranged for the Jinchūriki to be placed in a separate corner of the camp. This area, within a radius of twenty meters, was designated as a restricted zone, in order to prevent anyone from disturbing the Jinchūriki.
Meanwhile, outside the tent where the Jinchuriki rested, an entire sealing team was stationed, constantly suppressing the Tailed Beast within the Jinchuriki through sealing techniques on the ground.
All this trouble was so that the Jinchuriki could unleash their full potential in that crucial battle and help Sunagakure achieve final victory.
In the central military tent, Rasa sat at the head of the table, with Chiyo and Ebizo sitting to his left and right respectively.
"I've already told you about Ryosuke's situation. He can't hold out much longer; maybe only three days at most. Have you all finalized the attack plan?"
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Ebizo glanced at his older sister, and seeing that she didn't seem inclined to speak, he had no choice but to speak himself.
"Time is too tight. We have only prepared the supplies. Konoha has also learned about the Jinchuriki's situation and they are intentionally withdrawing their forces to prepare for this great battle."
"So, you mean—" Rasa looked at Ebizo, gesturing for him to continue.
"This battle will be a fair fight, without any tricks or schemes. Both sides will stand ready and fight; a win is a win, and a loss is a loss. I suspect there are many spies monitoring our movements outside the camp right now. Konoha won't give us any chance to use any tricks!"
Ebizo spoke frankly, and this was a consensus he and Chiyo had reached after much discussion. Now, the decision was to hand it over to the Fourth Kazekage in front of them. Whether to fight or wait was up to him.
Rasa was in a real bind. He hated Matsushita Taichi terribly. If Taichi hadn't discovered their whereabouts, this battle would have had a perfect ending.
If he were given another chance, he would rather fly all the way from the village to the front-line camp with the Jinchūriki than slowly travel on the ground just to prevent Shukaku from going berserk.
Unfortunately, there's no going back in life. Such a great opportunity to severely damage Konoha was completely missed because of that bastard Matsushita Taichi.
Rasa was furious just thinking about it. The most important thing was that because of their sneak attack, the Jinchūriki, who could have been used many more times, became disposable. Can you believe how infuriating that is!
Of course, he wouldn't admit that it was because the Sand Village's sealing technique was poor; it was all because of Matsushita Taichi.
"Since a battle is inevitable sooner or later, let's take advantage of the Jinchuriki's remaining strength and have a proper fight with Konoha. Let's set the date for three days from now!"
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