Chapter 171: Danzō, Have You Gone Mad?!
Inside a stall in a certain public restroom, Kakuzu, having just turned in his latest target, was flipping through the bounty book, searching for his next one.
Just then, the head of the bounty station handed him a piece of paper. "A special bounty mission. I think it's very suitable for you."
"Hmm?"
Kakuzu was puzzled. He took the paper, and his pupils constricted. "The Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village?"
He looked up. "I remember there's already a bounty for the Hokage in the book, isn't there?"
"That's right," the man smiled. "That's why I said this is a special one. One hundred million ryō to participate with others. But if you manage to kill the Third Hokage, you get the entire bounty from the book. If you don't, you only get this hundred million. If you die, then forget I said anything."
"Interesting," Kakuzu said coolly. "The person who issued this mission must be someone of consequence."
The man shrugged. "That has nothing to do with us. We're only responsible for issuing the mission and transferring the bounty."
"Then I'm only responsible for the killing," Kakuzu nodded.
The man smiled, turned, and brought out a case of money. "This is the deposit. The time and place for the meeting are inside."
Kakuzu nodded, picked up the two cases of money, and left.
With Danzō's consistently hardline attitude at the negotiating table, by October 15 of Konoha Year 48, the peace talks finally made a breakthrough. On this day, both sides completely ceased hostilities, and the forces of Konoha, Suna, and Ame withdrew from the Land of Earth.
From this day on, Konoha began to withdraw its troops in stages. By October 26, both sides had reached a final agreement and officially announced the end of the war.
The spoils of war were divided among Konoha, Ame, and Suna. The Land of Grass would belong to Konoha, where they would establish a defensive branch. The Land of Birds would be shared by Ame and Suna, each receiving half of the mission volume and funding from the Daimyō. And the Land of Rivers would be shared by all three, each getting a one-third share. This division of interests and alliance of common interests forged the three villages into a triangular bloc.
November 2, Konoha Year 48.
In a Konoha Hospital operating room, Kinoshita Genichi and Tsunade were busy at work, with Uzumaki Ina and Shizune assisting. The one lying on the operating table was, of course, Genichi himself.
This was an eye transplant and optic nerve reconstruction surgery. Specifically, to transplant the Sharingan to the position between his eyebrows on his forehead.
The surgery had been thoroughly prepared for, and given the special nature of the location, it was not particularly difficult. After about half an hour, the four of them began to finish up.
After the surgery was complete, Genichi's shadow clone dispelled. "Shizune, you two take this guy to a hospital room and wait for the anesthesia to wear off," Tsunade instructed. "Keep an eye on his vitals. Don't be careless."
Shizune and Ina naturally nodded. They were even more concerned about him than he was himself.
However, Genichi's fortitude clearly exceeded Tsunade's expectations. Before they even reached the room, he had already woken up.
"Genichi, how do you feel?" Shizune asked with concern. Ina also looked on anxiously.
"Excellent," he smiled, getting off the gurney. He touched his forehead. "It just feels a little… strange." His forehead still had the Yin Seal mark, with an eye just below it. It was an odd sensation. The Yin Seal was practically right next to the Sharingan.
Shizune and Ina also looked at his forehead curiously.
"Let's go, to the room first," Genichi smiled. They were still in the hallway, and people could come by at any time.
The three of them arrived at the room. Genichi sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes to carefully feel the changes. The nerve connection was perfect, but it felt a little stiff to control, similar to when he had first received the Sharingan.
He guided chakra into the eye. Under Shizune and Ina's gaze, the diamond-shaped mark of the Yin Seal on his forehead split down the middle. The flesh slowly parted, revealing a blood-red eye. The ice-blue diamond mark of the Yin Seal was now split in two, framing the Sharingan on either side, giving it a unique look.
Genichi opened his two eyes, then activated his Mirror Eye. The three fields of vision were a little disorienting. He looked at Shizune and Ina, and the world seemed to slow down a lot. He could see many more details.
"I didn't expect it to have this kind of effect," he said, pleasantly surprised.
"Is there a problem, Genichi?" Shizune asked.
He blinked. "No major problems. I should be able to use it freely after a period of adaptation."
The two of them sighed in relief.
For Genichi, a simple three-tomoe Sharingan was actually a bit redundant, now that he had the Mirror Eye, which was in no way inferior. However, if this Sharingan could evolve into a Mangekyō, then he could have one more dōjutsu. And the dōjutsu of the Mangekyō were not necessarily weaker than the Rinnegan. Furthermore, he also needed to use the Sharingan as a reference to develop the Mangekyō of his Mirror Eye.
Next time I use my 'cheat,' I'll focus on analyzing the secrets of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Ten years should be about enough, he planned.
Currently, his training, apart from genjutsu, was mainly focused on his Kekkei Genkai. He couldn't be bothered to train in ninjutsu like Lightning or Fire Release; he could just obtain them through mirroring, and he didn't want to waste time developing them. In the future, after he had mastered the Kekkei Genkai, he would focus on developing their secret techniques.
"Genichi, where are you going to wear this ninja headband?" Ina asked, holding up the headband he had taken off earlier.
He took it and smiled. "I'm not going to wear it." Did he still need one? No.
Getting off the bed, he stretched. "Alright, I'm going home to train. You two keep up the good work." With that, he was gone.
When Tsunade came by, she found the room empty.
Looks like I should use more anesthetic next time… she muttered to herself.
In the Hatake family's backyard.
Two figures were clashing at high speed. The sound of swords meeting was dense and rhythmic, sparks flying everywhere. There was also the sound of electricity rubbing against the air, like the chirping of countless birds.
Kakashi was currently wrapped in lightning, the short sword in his hand also crackling with electricity, swinging at extreme speed. The one fighting him, Sakumo Hatake, had a pale white glow on his own blade, but he was using the wind nature transformation. And in terms of speed, he was no slower than Kakashi.
In fact, he was also using Lightning Release, stimulating the cells of his entire body with a fine electric current to increase his speed and reaction time, which was remarkably similar to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, just used in a different way. Kakashi had not gone down this path completely, but had instead combined the techniques his father had taught him with Genichi's previous advice to develop his own lightning release taijutsu.
"Alright, Kakashi, that's enough for today," Sakumo said, and the sparring match came to a halt.
Kakashi stopped, the electricity on his body still crackling, but the sound of the Chidori gradually faded.
"Your Chidori Shunshin is indeed a very good idea," Sakumo commented. "It can both increase your speed and take care of your own defense. But it also consumes a lot of chakra." The Chidori Shunshin was based on his lightning technique, but it generated an electric current from the inside out. His own was internalized, almost impossible to detect. Kakashi's was externalized, the current wrapping around his entire body, which could then be easily channeled into his chakra blade to amplify its power.
"The chakra consumption is not small, but my new arm has solved that problem." Kakashi sheathed his sword and clenched the fist of his bandaged hand, which was full of power. Over the past half-month, he had already adapted to this unique arm. And his physical constitution had indeed been greatly improved, his chakra constantly increasing.
But as for Wood Release… Kakashi was a little embarrassed. He hadn't mastered it. On the other hand, the Magnet Release data Genichi had given him had been very fruitful.
Sakumo glanced at his son's right arm, then looked down at his own left. The White Zetsu cells had also brought him many changes. Although his was an ordinary version, the improvement was not small, allowing his strength to progress slightly. For him, whose strength had basically plateaued, this was a huge surprise.
"Don't worry about the Wood Release, Kakashi," he smiled encouragingly. "Since you have already walked your own path, you should walk it firmly. As Genichi often says, the reason Wood Release is so strong is not because of the technique itself, but because of the person, the First Hokage. If it had been Magnet Release or Ice Release, it would have been no different for him."
"I understand," Kakashi nodded. He wouldn't force himself to learn Wood Release. For now, besides Lightning Release, his next goal was Magnet Release. Mastering it, as Genichi had said, would bring changes to his constitution. After that… perhaps Storm Release would be a good direction. But he wasn't very skilled in Water Release. It seemed he would have to ask Genichi for more advice. After all, in the entire Leaf, who was better at Water Release than him? They were fellow disciples; there was no need to be so polite. Anyway, that guy was just planning to use his Mirror Eye to copy it after he had learned it.
"Dad, have you ever thought of learning a Kekkei Genkai?" he asked.
"Of course I have," Sakumo said, sitting down. "But developing a Kekkei Genkai is much harder than developing a ninjutsu. After all, for ninjutsu, the nature transformations are very clear. But for a Kekkei Genkai? There is no clear definition. It's like being in a pitch-black night, unable to see any direction. You've also developed ninjutsu, Kakashi. You should understand how important a correct direction is."
"Indeed," Kakashi nodded. "Without a guide, no matter how much effort you put in, you might get nothing. Is that why developing a Kekkei Genkai requires a lot of luck?"
"That's also why a master is so important," Sakumo nodded. "And a team leader also has a similar meaning. Although they may not teach you ninjutsu, they can point you in the right direction on the path of a ninja. So you should understand the importance of the data Genichi gave you, right? That is something that could become the foundation of a ninja clan."
"I know," Kakashi said gravely. "So I will not waste his good intentions."
Sakumo smiled and nodded. He was very at ease with this son of his. But he thought for a moment and asked, "You and that Rin…"
"Uh, Rin and I are just comrades," Kakashi blushed and said quickly.
Sakumo shook his head and smiled, saying no more. He wasn't blind. How could he not see that Rin had feelings for his son? But it was better to leave the affairs of the young to themselves.
Hokage's Office.
"Is Genichi not accompanying us?" the masked Sarutobi Shinnosuke frowned slightly. "The remnants of the Hidden Sky Village have been a bit active recently."
"A few Sky-nin are nothing," Hiruzen said, unconcerned. "Let Genichi stay in the village."
Shinnosuke didn't speak. He was less worried about the Sky-nin and more worried about Danzō. As the person in charge of the Anbu, he had sensed something unusual. Unfortunately, Root was too secretive. They were basically Danzō's loyalists, and there were also the curse marks.
Hiruzen looked up at his son. "Don't worry," he said coolly. "There won't be any problems with Danzō. He just wants to push Orochimaru to the position. I will step down, Tsunade will take over as the Fourth, Danzō will step down, Orochimaru will take over Root. And with Genichi here, Orochimaru won't get out of control." This was a preparation he had been making for a long time.
Shinnosuke also understood this. He sighed to himself and didn't try to persuade him further. He could only be more careful himself.
In his lab, Orochimaru, who was studying the Hōzuki clan prisoners, suddenly paused. A small white snake had slithered up his leg and onto his hand. Hiss hiss~ The snake hissed, exchanging information with him.
"A strange movement in Root," Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly. "What is Danzō up to? Is it related to the change of the Hokage? That guy wouldn't be trying to… hehe, interesting."
After a moment of thought, he decided to pretend he knew nothing. He wanted to see what kind of changes would occur in Konoha next.
Three days later.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and the advisor, Nara Shikaku, set off together for the Daimyō's capital. Their escort was a small squad from the Hokage's direct Anbu, and three four-man squads from Root. If this trip went smoothly, then before the year was out, the position of the Fourth Hokage could be officially confirmed.
Genichi stood on a rooftop, looking down at the group heading out of the village. Danzō, what will you do? His gaze was deep.
The moment Tsunade took power, Danzō would immediately lose his influence. With his understanding of him, he would not just sit back and wait for his fate. In the original timeline, he had even assassinated Hiruzen. However, the timing this time seemed not so good, since Koharu and Homura were also there.
Danzō, don't drop the ball at the critical moment, a smile appeared on his face.
Watching the group disappear, he also left the rooftop. Training could not stop. Magnet Release was just around the corner. He had to finish it before the year was out. He couldn't drag it out until the next 'overdraft.' The next one would be focused on the Ice Release Kekkei Tōta and analyzing the Mangekyō Sharingan.
After Hiruzen's group left the village, the Anbu cleared the path ahead, and Root was in the rear. In the middle were the five of them.
The group did not move quickly. After a long silence, Danzō finally asked, "Hiruzen, are you really going to choose Tsunade?"
"Is there anyone more suitable than her?" Hiruzen said, chewing on his pipe.
"Tsunade's ability is not sufficient to be the Hokage, is it?" Danzō said in a deep voice. "Especially with the threat of Madara Uchiha."
"It is precisely for that reason that she is the best choice," Hiruzen said coolly.
"If Jiraiya had agreed, he might have been better, but he refused," Koharu said.
"As for Orochimaru," Homura said, glancing at Danzō, "although his strength might be greater than Tsunade's, and his achievements are not small, he is too obsessed with the research of ninjutsu. This is not a good thing for Konoha."
As partners for many years, they knew Danzō's thoughts very well. Orochimaru… his ability was indeed greater than Tsunade's and Jiraiya's, but his methods were too ruthless and cruel. In other words, he had no popularity. He had prestige, but no popularity. If the three of them stood in a line and the jonin of Konoha were to choose, the one with the most votes would definitely be Jiraiya, then Tsunade. Orochimaru would be last.
But he couldn't say it so directly, so he used the research of ninjutsu as an excuse. But he was also hinting at Danzō, about the matter of human experimentation. The high-ranking officials were already aware of this, but they had a tacit understanding not to expose it. After all, they had been old friends for so many years.
Hearing this, Danzō's face turned a little ugly, but he quickly returned to normal. "I understand." He had completely given up.
Near noon, the group was far from Konoha and getting closer and closer to the Daimyō's capital. Suddenly, a whistle came from the Anbu scouting ahead.
"Enemy attack!" Shinnosuke shouted, drawing his sword and standing in front of his father.
But at this moment, Danzō suddenly retreated, and the Root ninja behind him quickly moved forward.
"Danzō, what are you doing?" Hiruzen sensed something was wrong and turned to shout.
Danzō did not speak. He leaped a few times and stood on a large tree, coldly watching his Root ninja charge at Hiruzen and the others. You forced me to do this!
"Damn it, Root has betrayed the village!" Shinnosuke was shocked. His worst fears had come true. If it were the Sky-nin, there was no need to worry. But if Danzō was the problem, then it was big trouble.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He swung his sword, blocking the shuriken, and led his three subordinates to meet the Root ninja. Shikaku Nara also went forward to fight, controlling three of them with his Shadow Imitation and leading them into the forest.
"Danzō!" Hiruzen shouted. "It's not too late to stop now! I can pardon all your crimes!" He tried to save the situation.
But Danzō did not respond. Instead, he slowly unwrapped the bandages covering his eye and his arm.
"The Sharingan!" Homura's pupils constricted. "You… you've taken so many Sharingan! Danzō, have you gone mad?!"
One three-tomoe Sharingan in his right eye socket, and on his right arm, Homura saw four more.
Just then, Hiruzen was shocked. He leaped up and shouted, "Look out!"
BOOM!
A terrifying wave of flames swept out from the woods on the side of the road. Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura immediately scattered, dodging the sudden, large-scale fire jutsu.
(End of Chapter)
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