Naruto shook his head. "Of course, I wouldn't be that foolish. It's just frustrating to think that we're the same age as him, yet we can't even see his shadow."
Sasuke didn't continue the discussion with Naruto. Instead, he turned to look at the distant forest and said, "As long as Yoruha is in the village, there won't be any problems. We just need to find Sora."
Naruto nodded. Thinking about the time he spent with Sora over the past few days, he had already considered Sora a friend.
He was determined to find Sora and explain everything to him. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Konoha...
After the golden thunder dragon disappeared from the sky, two of the Hokage's advisors withdrew their gazes from the window.
The sight of the awe-inspiring golden thunder dragon had even left Danzo, who was accustomed to grand spectacles, in awe.
Yet, the two advisors remained calm, as if they had anticipated it. Danzo, sitting across from them, was visibly displeased.
He knew these two must be aware of something. But they certainly wouldn't share it with him.
Danzo's face darkened as he looked at the two advisors. "You two seem to know what's going on."
The two advisors didn't deny it, nor did they offer any explanation to Danzo. This only made Danzo more frustrated as he tried to glean information from them.
His expression grew increasingly grim. "We were once subordinates of the Second Hokage, colleagues for many years. With such talent emerging in the village, don't you think it's a sign of distrust to keep it from me?"
"I am also a Hokage advisor," Danzo added. But as soon as he finished speaking, the two advisors looked up at him and calmly said,
"You haven't been one since you ordered the massacre of the Uchiha clan without authorization. The Third Hokage removed you from that position. Have you forgotten?"
Danzo opened his mouth but didn't refute. It was indeed true.
However, he had assumed that after the Third Hokage's death, the two advisors wouldn't hold onto such matters. He hadn't expected them to take it so seriously.
Danzo didn't consider that no matter who the Hokage was, these two would always stand with the Hokage.
Although they were somewhat dissatisfied with Tsunade, when it came to power struggles, they would unhesitatingly side with her.
Especially since with Yoruha around, Sasuke and Naruto were developing well.
There was a clear trend of them becoming the "Three Swordsmen of Konoha." As long as these three didn't encounter any issues, Konoha had essentially regained its peak strength.
In this regard, they were quite satisfied with Tsunade. Their only dissatisfaction with her was her attitude as Hokage, but that was a minor issue.
It was merely a difference in mindset between the older generation and Tsunade's younger generation, and they didn't see it as a major problem.
Danzo dared to bring up his status as a Hokage advisor. The Third Hokage was merciful, but they wouldn't be.
Danzo had been stripped of his advisor position, and now his Root organization had been disbanded by Tsunade.
Although he still had a few loyal Root ninjas by his side, his influence in Konoha had waned significantly, and he was no longer considered part of the village's upper echelons.
If it weren't for Tsunade's reluctance to completely eliminate Danzo, he wouldn't even have those loyal Root ninjas left.
"Next, it will probably be the Two-Tails' turn, and finally, it should be the Nine-Tails' turn.
I hope you can persuade Tsunade not to let the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki leave the village for missions, to prevent the Akatsuki from capturing Konoha's Nine-Tails."
Originally, Danzo thought that the two Hokage advisors would be worried upon hearing these words and would restrict Naruto's freedom.
He even wanted to control Naruto, using him as a tool to seize the position of Hokage. Everything Danzo did had nothing to do with protecting Konoha; it was all for him to become Hokage.
If he truly cared for Konoha, even if he did many dirty deeds, he would never do so many things that harmed Konoha's interests.
He believed he was carrying out the will of the Second Hokage, but if the Second Hokage knew what he was doing, he would probably go through several belts.
Then, he would be relieved that he didn't appoint him as the Third Hokage.
Otherwise, with Danzo's approach, Konoha would have been torn apart long ago. The Third Hokage was indeed merciful, to the point where it often bordered on making mistakes.
Especially towards those he had closer relationships with, like Orochimaru and Danzo.
One secretly conducted human experiments, causing Konoha to lose many ninjas, while the other not only conducted human experiments but also attempted to assassinate him, aiming to take the Hokage position after his death. Yet, he forgave both of them.
But the Third Hokage's mercy had its limits; in his youth, he was known as a ninja hero, and under his leadership, Konoha was incredibly strong during the Second and Third Ninja World Wars.
It was only in his later years, having lost his drive, that his excessive leniency led to Konoha's decline.
Of course, since the Fourth Hokage's death, Konoha's decline was inevitable, as there was no one to overwhelmingly suppress the other ninja villages. But no matter what, it was still much better than Danzo.
The two Hokage advisors actually understood Danzo's character the best, even more than the Third Hokage. Since becoming Hokage, the Third had much less contact with Danzo than before.
But the two advisors frequently interacted with Danzo, knowing that everything he did was for his ambition, which was solely to become Hokage by any means necessary.
They were well aware that the Second Hokage appointing Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage had always been a thorn in Danzo's side, something he had never let go of.
The two advisors looked at Danzo with complex expressions. They didn't know what to say; they were classmates and had been colleagues for so long, yet seeing him still so restless at his age was truly exasperating.
After a moment of silence, Homura Mitokado slowly spoke,
"Danzo, you know your own intentions. You should stay out of this matter; Tsunade will handle it well."
Koharu Utatane agreed with Homura, "We're all old now and shouldn't meddle too much in the affairs of the young. Besides, you're no longer a Hokage advisor; you don't know more about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki than Tsunade does."
"And with Sasuke by the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's side, nothing will go wrong." Danzo didn't expect the two to speak so bluntly, causing his blood to boil.
But it was true; in the past, the Third Hokage would at least give him some face, considering their old comradeship. However, these two never showed him much kindness.
When the Third was around, they were more restrained, but now that he's gone, they don't involve themselves much in village affairs and have more free time.
They no longer need to hold back when confronting him. In the past, he could resist because, although they were both Hokage advisors, he controlled the vital department of Root.
But now that Root has been disbanded and he's no longer a Hokage advisor, he's stepped down from Konoha's upper echelons, and few listen to him.
These two now hold higher positions and have more prestige than he does, making any resistance on his part seem foolish.
Thinking of this, Danzo's hatred for the long-dead Third Hokage resurfaced. If not for him, how could he have lost his position as a Hokage advisor?
If not for him, how could Tsunade have become Hokage? If he hadn't died, even if he wasn't a Hokage advisor, Root would never have been disbanded.
Everything was the Third Hokage's fault, or so Danzo thought at that moment.
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