Let's rewind a bit to the time before Haseo and Jiraiya met.
In Konoha's underground space, "Root" remained a powerful organization. However, limited by the Fourth Hokage's restrictive policies, it had not developed in recent years—in fact, it had shrunk instead.
After Root was completely disconnected from Anbu, Danzo Shimura lost any legitimate justification for expanding his organization or recruiting talents from various ninja sects... If Root was originally an organization dedicated to supplying personnel for Anbu, then naturally its main purpose was to serve the Hokage. In that case, its purpose and existence were logically reasonable and legally acceptable.
But once that excuse was gone, where did Danzo Shimura get the right to keep doing all this?
Merely saying it aloud—"everything is for Konoha"? That sounded downright ridiculous.
So in truth, Danzo Shimura had always depended on the Third Hokage's trust and favor. After Sarutobi passed away, everything he built started collapsing. To put it plainly, Danzo was somewhat like those historical palace eunuchs who held great power.
For Danzo, although the Fourth Hokage's reign hadn't been long, his series of policies truly proved damaging.
Danzo now lacked access to real power; the strength of his organization weakened day by day. Politically betrayed by former allies, he became isolated. As an elder statesman, he now had to submit to someone he considered just a child—a young person not worthy of his respect.
Objectively speaking, Danzo's situation had indeed become pretty pitiful, and emotionally, it was worse.
Such a massive drop in status was difficult for anyone to accept. What kind of life did Danzo live during the Third's era compared to what he experienced under the Fourth and Fifth?
Truth be told, he found those days under the Fourth and Fifth absolutely unbearable.
No matter how much he tried to justify himself, Danzo was never really a purely selfless individual. He needed benefits, and he must obtain them.
Even the old Third Hokage couldn't hold back Danzo's growing ambitions. What made them think the Fifth could make him submit willingly?
Come on, Danzo was no innocent civilian.
Regarding internal affairs in Konoha, Danzo had always been a man of action. He especially enjoyed striking back hard. More importantly, he was extremely skilled at rationalizing his own behavior… Whatever he did, he convinced himself it was all for Konoha—for justice.
Do you know what "justice" means?
When something is righteous, one cannot hesitate.
Now wasn't the time for Konoha to finally set things right? Justifying reasons wasn't a problem anyway—those who cried "purging the king's advisors" — clearing out corrupt officials close to the throne — often ended up turning their blades against the king himself.
Once this dissatisfaction arose and couldn't be suppressed, Danzo naturally began taking various actions. Yet before acting, he still understood the importance of uniting every available force...
He could be arrogant when necessary and pragmatic when needed. Danzo was a fully mature adult after all—and a schemer. Even if this force came from the very Uchiha clan he despised the most.
That day, a ninja from the Uchiha clan stood before Danzo.
"Have we secured enough support?" Danzo asked the man.
"Yes. Half of the Uchiha stand with me... Clan Leader Fugaku is still calming down the opposition for now, but I believe our current strength is sufficient. We've already gained all possible support. Waiting any longer won't help us grow stronger," said the Uchiha ninja.
Danzo calmly observed the ninja before him. He still clearly remembered their very first meeting... The cooperation between Root and the Uchiha actually began when the Uchiha approached Danzo first.
Strange? Of course it's strange. How could the Uchiha easily trust Danzo? Unless this Uchiha wasn't really an Uchiha?
Not long after Haseo left Konoha, Black Zetsu had infiltrated secretly. He submerged himself into pitch-black shadows too dark to penetrate. How much time had passed since then?
When he suddenly realized that Haseo had already left the village, Black Zetsu started operating in secret, and as time went on, he grew bolder and bolder.
Black Zetsu completely trusted the Uchiha, and the Uchiha never disappointed him... Since their ancestor Indra, this clan had always been a conveniently useful piece.
Those Uchiha weren't just capable of activating the [Sharingan]; perhaps their brain structures were different from normal people's—smooth on the outside but hollow and watered-down inside.
The immediate cause of the Uchiha Rebellion was Konoha's harsh oppression (led by Danzo), while Konoha's reasoning was suspecting the Uchiha of manipulating the Nine-Tails to kill Minato Namikaze and his wife... Although it was a coincidence, Konoha's punishment toward the Uchiha didn't seem unjust.
After all, that crime was indeed committed by an Uchiha ninja.
But this was only the immediate cause. Without the "Nine-Tails incident," it didn't mean the Uchiha could peacefully coexist with the village... The Uchiha issue had always been Konoha's historical legacy problem—one nearly equivalent or even worse than ethnic or religious conflicts.
Once certain situations formed, they were extremely difficult to eliminate.
Especially with Black Zetsu pouring oil on the flames.
Another matter was the "inaction" and perceived "incapability" shown by the Third Hokage during the Uchiha Clan Downfall Massacre. Yet now, although not entirely clearing the Third Hokage's name, the fact remained—problems that the Third Hokage couldn't resolve, the Fifth Hokage also seemed powerless and helpless about.
"The Uchiha clan doesn't ask for much. We simply desire equal treatment from the village. However, after so many years have passed, our situation hasn't improved—things have only worsened further.
Especially when compared with the Uzumaki clan.
The Uchiha are one of two founding pillars of Konoha, yet nowadays we're even suppressed by newcomers like the Uzumaki... The Uchiha should seize our rightful status, even if force becomes necessary."
From the Uchiha's perspective, this ninja's words were reasonable. Nowadays, many members of the Ninja Sect in Konoha felt a sense of resentment when seeing the Uzumaki.
But this represented the Uchiha stance, not Danzo Shimura's position.
Danzo thought to himself, "Aren't you yourself to blame for this situation? How could the Ninja Sect possibly trust Konoha if Konoha doesn't show enough trust in it? The Uchiha should naturally be punished and suppressed..." Indeed, Danzo was a disciple of the Second Hokage.
However, everyone was currently engaged in "sincere cooperation," and Danzo needed the Uchiha's collaboration, so he couldn't actually voice such thoughts.
"The root cause of Konoha's current chaos lies with the Fourth Hokage and the Fifth Hokage. The Fourth showed no concern whatsoever for Konoha, lacking even a shred of responsibility toward the office of the Hokage, thus recklessly creating havoc.
As for the Fifth... that's nothing more than a Puppet propped up through political maneuvering by the Uzumaki clan, the Konoha upper echelon, and the Third Hokage. Discussing the matter further is utterly meaningless."
To Danzo, the Fourth Hokage was both madman and scumbag, yet at least Hashirama made sense. As for the Fifth Hokage, only four words applied—utterly unworthy.
"If we join forces wholeheartedly, everything will change. The Uchiha can return to their proper place, and Konoha will end nearly twenty years of farce, returning to normalcy.
The key to controlling the village lies in controlling its leadership, especially two individuals...
One is Minato Namikaze, the other being Uzumaki Shikou from the Uzumaki clan."
"Yes, we understand that."
Although both men appeared serious, the scene was somewhat comical. Trust and cooperation between Danzo Shimura and the Uchiha clan?
United we stand?
If this scheme succeeds and Danzo Shimura smoothly ascends to the position of Village Headman, his first action would probably be turning against the Uchiha, pinning on them charges of rebellion and plotting the Fifth's assassination.
Then followed inevitably mutual infighting between them.
Win-win for everyone? Not a chance.
Certainly, the Uchiha and Danzo share matching interests, which explains why they're taking action, but... what exactly is Black Zetsu's ultimate purpose?
<><><><><><><><>
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
<><><><><><><><>