After arriving at the Root Division, Chinya made his way to Danzo's office and found him there.
Chinya bowed respectfully and said, "Lord Danzo."
Seeing Chinya, Danzo smiled and said, "You've arrived, Chinya."
Chinya explained, "Lord Danzo, regarding yesterday's wedding incident—it was actually the Third who ordered me to invite Minato Namikaze. I couldn't refuse. I understand you're upset about this, and for that, I sincerely apologize, Lord Danzo."
Danzo gritted his teeth in anger. "That Hiruzen! Forcing his grandson-in-law onto the Hokage seat might be tolerable, but now he dares poach *my* people! He used your wedding as an excuse to try and mend fences between you and Minato!
Chinya, remember this—you were supposed to inherit your master Orochimaru's position as Hokage. If it weren't for Hiruzen's stubbornness, Orochimaru would already be the Hokage, and you, being Orochimaru's disciple, very likely would become the Fifth Hokage.
Now because Hiruzen won't even hear reason, he instead chooses some inexperienced fool—Minato—who lacks both battle achievements and seniority compared to Orochimaru. That makes it a lot harder for either Orochimaru or even you to become Hokage down the line!"
Yefan almost burst out laughing, barely managing to hold himself back.
So Danzo was actually worried he might defect to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato? That's why he was trying so hard to stoke resentment toward them.
And promising him the possibility of becoming the Fifth Hokage too—really, Danzo's intentions were obvious without needing deep thought.
If Orochimaru became Hokage, Danzo would probably just sit around counting the days until he himself could become the Fifth Hokage.
Danzo wanted to incite his hatred toward Hiruzen and Minato, but wasn't Chinya doing the same?
Just by saying it was Hiruzen who sent him to invite Minato, Danzo had already lost his cool.
Chinya nodded gravely and said, "Lord Danzo, I get it completely—and honestly, I'm furious too. If Master Jiraiya-sama had been chosen as Hokage, I wouldn't have any complaints. But the fact that the Third selected Minato... it makes it hard not to think deeper into this!"
Danzo growled, "Orochimaru was right—Hiruzen originally intended to make Minato a puppet, allowing both teacher and student to control Konoha together!"
After a pause, Chinya continued, "Lord Danzo, since things have already come to this point, we cannot change the outcome. May I ask what you'd like me to do about the Uchiha Clan plan now?
Now that the war's over, it's harder to keep going after the Uchiha like we used to. Also, it seems the Uchiha shinobi have grown somewhat more restrained ever since Fugaku Uchiha took over as clan head."
Danzo remained silent for a moment before replying, "Indeed, with no war ongoing, we can't target the Uchiha as aggressively as before. Although I strongly oppose Hiruzen, on the issue of the Uchiha Clan, he and I are in full agreement. Let me talk to him about this first."
At that moment, Chinya said, "With all due respect, Lord Danzo, you and the Third won't reach any meaningful conclusions together."
Danzo frowned and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Chinya explained, "Lord Danzo, you know the Third's temperament better than I do. Before the Third Great Ninja World War, the Uchiha were practically despised by everyone, and their conduct was undeniably arrogant and domineering.
Back then, Uchiha Masaki realized that if the clan continued on this path, Konoha would eventually purge them. So he pinned his hopes on this war—believing that if the Uchiha earned great achievements during the conflict, Konoha wouldn't dare eliminate them afterward.
That's why the Third chose me—a man holding a deep grudge against the Uchiha—to specifically counter Masaki's plans.
In wartime, no action taken against the Uchiha would've seemed too harsh—everything could always be blamed on the war itself. But things are different now.
Besides, under Fugaku Uchiha's leadership, the Uchiha have become much more restrained.
Given the Third's personality, he might very well adopt a lenient policy toward the Uchiha—and may even stop our operations against them altogether.
The Third fears that heavy-handed suppression will push the Uchiha to extremes, causing renewed conflicts in the village that has finally achieved peace."
Danzo's already furrowed brows tightened further.
Targeting the Uchiha had been the idea of both him and Hiruzen Sarutobi's mentor, Tobirama Senju.
Tobirama feared the Uchiha posed a threat to Konoha. During his time as Hokage, he deployed numerous Anbu to monitor Uchiha clan members.
Though Danzo disliked Hiruzen, he never thought they truly disagreed when it came to handling the Uchiha.
Seeing Danzo's inner turmoil, Chinya continued, "Lord Danzo, for the sake of stability, despite our victory, the Third merely asked Sunagakure to pay a small amount of gold dust as war reparations. Kirigakure received similar leniency. As for Iwagakure and Kumo, we didn't even demand reparations from them."
Danzo's gaze sharpened.
He believed Chinya was right—Hiruzen Sarutobi really might halt our operations against the Uchiha for the sake of Konoha's stability.
Once the Uchiha recovered, it'd be too late to do anything about them.
Chinya spoke again, "There's also one more thing. I came across someone in the Uchiha Clan by the name of Uchiha Shisui. I believe you, Lord Danzo, have heard of him before."
Danzo gave a slight nod, "Yes, indeed. He's the second person after you to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan—and he is also the child of an old friend of mine."
Chinya replied, "I encountered him once on the battlefield. Shisui is a rare exception in the Uchiha Clan—unlike most Uchiha who place their clan before anything else and see the village as secondary.
Shisui is among the few within the Uchiha unburdened by narrow-minded clan loyalty. He inherited the [Will of Fire].
Also, I've personally met Fugaku Uchiha himself. He's a sharp man who wants to change the current state of the Uchiha Clan. Chances are he'll have Shisui reach out to Minato Namikaze and the Third to build some kind of connection between them."
Danzo's face was unreadable. After hearing Chinya's analysis, he felt that this situation might indeed come to pass.
Still, even if it did happen, he appeared to have no way to stop it at all.
Looking up at Chinya, Danzo asked solemnly, "If it really happens, what do you think can stop it?"
Since Chinya had analyzed it this way, Danzo thought there might be a solution.
Chinya shook his head. "I believe that if it does happen, there will be no way to stop it. Like the Third, the Fourth is also very cautious in his actions. However, we might be able to compensate in other ways."
Danzo's eyes darkened. "What do you mean by 'compensate in other ways'?"
Chinya replied solemnly, "When you negotiate with the Third or Minato Namikaze, if your proposal gets rejected, you can then propose establishing a new department—one that corresponds to Konoha's Security Force—and use this department to continue targeting the Uchiha Clan."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>