The base of "Kagenami" wasn't a place normally open for inspection by someone like Danzo Shimura. Even Haseo wouldn't oppose such a visit... Danzo is a good person; he shouldn't be treated as a potential enemy.
What's more, the current Danzo Shimura isn't even a ninja proficient in sealing techniques or barrier ninjutsu. So what harm would there be letting him take a look around "Kagenami"? Naturally, this logic hinges upon Danzo actually being a good person. If he were evil, some things wouldn't be shown to him regardless of whether he could understand them or not.
Yes, the key word here was "good person," not "couldn't understand."
"Haseo, you and your organization handled yesterday's emergency very well."
Danzo's words sounded almost like an acknowledgment of "Kagenami's" existence... He was clever. Perhaps he had already vaguely realized that the functions of "Kagenami" didn't conflict with Root's duties.
In the deepest room of the underground space was Haseo's office. The decoration here already gave off a strong vibe of confidentiality and importance. Entire cabinets filled both walls, each square compartment holding either scrolls, books, or loose papers. Oil lamps embedded in the walls flickered orange light, illuminating what should have been a dark space.
Haseo and Danzo now sat across a table from each other, their shadows dancing playfully behind them in rhythm with the flickering flames. Although everything about the scene made them seem like criminals secretly meeting underground, they were actually both noble, positive figures.
"Whether it was graceful or not, it didn't really matter, Lord Danzo... Handling internal conflicts isn't exactly something to brag about. A ninja village's strength gradually weakens precisely because of ideological conflicts and violent confrontations," said Haseo. And it was clearly sarcastic toward Danzo—but the problem was Danzo didn't realize it.
Instead, Danzo nodded approvingly, because he also believed those who instigated internal fighting within the village were typical scum... Truly, he could be so merciless that he'd condemn even himself without hesitation.
"The Senju corpses..."
"I don't know the exact identities of those people last night, but the bodies have already been properly dealt with—reduced to ashes... Would you like to see them, Lord Danzo?"
Even though both parties knew the ninja involved in last night's disturbance belonged to the Senju faction, Haseo absolutely wouldn't publicly reveal their identities.
And now those Senju were cooked through and through—if Danzo wanted something still warm, their remains might've fit the bill.
Danzo was momentarily speechless. Haseo truly acted fast... It seemed his actions were always this swift. In Danzo's opinion, since the dead were already gone, following the principle of full utilization, studying those corpses would benefit Konoha somehow. However, apparently Haseo did not share this viewpoint.
"This was Third Hokage's order, Lord Danzo... Do you have any objections?"
"What Haseo meant was that things were done according to the Third Hokage's orders. If there were any complaints, they should be directed toward the Third Hokage instead."
"Then... forget it," Danzo said, giving Haseo a long look. He somehow felt this guy was getting snappy. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Regarding the identity of the enemy who attacked the Third Hokage last night... we've identified them now. It was remnants of the Fuma clan, dissatisfied with what happened during the war, who planned this assassination.
The reason I came here today was to retrieve the bodies of these criminals...
Hmph, I still have the corpses from the previous incident involving the Fuma clan a few years back. Gathering nineteen bodies won't be difficult."
Just look at him—lying through his teeth like this. The grass on the Fuma graves must already be three meters tall, yet they're still being framed. This is utterly absurd.
But Haseo still needed to give Danzo a thumbs up. Yesterday's events could've been committed by anyone—even the Uchiha—but definitely couldn't have been the Senju clan's doing. Therefore, shifting blame onto the dead was actually a pretty smart move.
"In that case, I'll consider the bodies handed over to you, Danzo-sama." Then Haseo quietly asked, "Won't the old corpses from a few years ago raise suspicion?"
Wait—are these two actually supposed to be the good guys?
However, Danzo truly handled things meticulously. He had preserved the corpses from the previous incident involving the Fuma clan even until now. One would assume the taste of the Fuma wasn't great… If this were modern times, he'd be the kind of guy in a WhatsApp group who always takes screenshots and saves messages for evidence.
"As long as nobody conducts a close inspection, there won't be any problem. Our method of preserving bodies is rather special," Danzo replied.
What he needed to do next was simply present the corpses of the Fuma clan, allowing people to notice the distinct features marking them as Fuma, without ever letting others perform detailed examinations. With that, the matter could be conveniently resolved.
A classic win-win situation where no one gets hurt.
"That's reassuring," Haseo nodded. When Danzo truly wanted to get something done, he was indeed quite reliable.
With solid 'evidence' and a plausible motive fabricated, in just a few lines, an artificial culprit had been created.
The only flaw in this entire fabrication was that the Fuma clan last night seemed unusually powerful, differing completely from everyone's usual impression of them. But even that issue wasn't impossible to cover up… After all, under circumstances where the entire clan had been wiped out, couldn't the last remaining members have trained hard over those years?
As everyone knows, training makes you stronger—that's something even the average ninja can achieve with enough practice.
Danzo had come specifically for this purpose. And just as they finished discussing the matter and Danzo was preparing to leave, Haseo's next sentence caused him to sit back down again.
"Danzo-sama... Have you heard about the Fire Daimyo's actions this time?"
The sudden change of topic came out of the blue, but Haseo still trusted Danzo.
Even the later Danzo Shimura, in his most self-serving actions, could barely be said to contain elements of wanting what was best for Konoha. Therefore, it could truly be said that he loved the village deeply... at the very least, he certainly believed himself to love it deeply, and there was no doubt about this.
"Hn, I've heard about it."
Danzo nodded his head. Actually, he didn't care at all about Fire Daimyo's intentions toward Tsunade, but he did care about the Daimyo's attempt to further extend his influence into the village through her.
"Lord Daimyo is overstepping a bit... The specific affairs of the ninja village shouldn't be something he can interfere with," Danzo stated like this.
In this matter, all ninjas more or less thought the same way.
The ninja village handles military affairs, while the Daimyo oversees civil matters, politics, taxation, and other national policies—this division of power was decided from the very beginning of the one-nation-one-village system. It wasn't something that could easily change based on one family's words or actions.
"That lord previously wanted to act against the Third Hokage, and now it's already the second time. So… Are we just going to let him try a third time as well?"
Haseo's eyes remained calm, and his tone was unhurried, as if he were simply discussing a trivial matter.
Everyone acknowledged how important the identity of the Fire Daimyo was, yet in contrast, who exactly became the Fire Daimyo mattered much less.
Haseo probably wasn't someone who enjoyed killing wantonly, nor did he wish to create complicated political incidents. However, it seemed circumstances couldn't simply be allowed to develop unchecked anymore.
Compared with Danzo's attitude, Danzo cared about the daimyo's attempt to interfere in village matters, but didn't mind Tsunade herself. As for Haseo though, if the daimyo wanted to intervene in Konoha's affairs, that would be a matter for the Hokage, Danzo, and others to handle. But if the daimyo intended to utilize Tsunade, then Haseo definitely wouldn't sit idly by.
People all have emotions; even the most rational person possesses emotion, and even the coldest individual harbors feelings.
Danzo leaned forward and asked Haseo gravely, "What are your plans?"
Not 'what will you do,' but 'how will you do it.'
In some sense, Danzo was much more decisive than the Third Hokage... This perhaps related to their positions, since the Root Division leader didn't need to consider every aspect the way the leader of Konoha had to, nor did he have to look before he leapt during decision-making processes.
But personality probably played a role in it too.
"Recall the Twelve Guardians back to Konoha. More accurately, find ways to make the Daimyo actively drive away those twelve ninja himself. That way, whatever happens inside the Daimyo's Castle won't become Konoha's responsibility. Moreover… For decades to come, the Daimyo will understand the importance of Konoha sending ninja to protect them."
Haseo's words sounded somewhat vague, but Danzo understood clearly enough—the earlier Daimyo mentioned and the latter one weren't actually referring to the same person.
Danzo's fingers lightly tapped against the armrest of his chair. Soon after, he spoke up, "I understand the Daimyo. That man is arrogant yet cowardly, believing himself clever and cautious, but in reality, he only likes scheming without having the courage to bear any responsibility... Those nobles who grew up pampered within a greenhouse environment tend to be just like this."
"Danzo doesn't just understand the daimyo—he studied him. Doesn't that mean he already had intentions? Even without Haseo, he would have..."
"So your request isn't difficult. Just make him believe the Twelve Ninja are unsafe."
"Hmm, what about the Third Hokage?"
"I'll handle Sarutobi. He'll turn a blind eye."
He always does... Danzo has come to know the Third Hokage quite well.
If an action poses no immediate threat to the village, the Hokage will turn a blind eye. But if leaving it unchecked could one day endanger the village—even though intervening might seem slightly immoral or carry certain risks—the Third Hokage will ultimately let it happen.
......
And so, the two men finally got into the same black car. It was unclear whether Haseo had entered Danzo's car or Danzo had stepped into Haseo's.
But such things didn't really need clarification.
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