join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories
How did things turn out this way?
After listening to that speech, Danzo returned to Root in a daze, his whole being seemingly drained of color, silently sitting at his newly replaced desk.
Shimura Danzo recalled his confidence before yesterday, when victory seemed assured.
Even the largest Ninja clans, Uchiha and Hyuga, had begun to bow to him over property issues.
But, in just one day.
The situation reversed.
Why did all of this happen?
For the first time, he had a chance to surpass Hiruzen, and the possibility of stepping out of the darkness into the light. Two joys overlapped, and this double joy brought even more joy.
He should have already achieved a dreamlike existence.
Yet, why did it turn out like this?!
It was me, it was me first! It was clearly all me first!
Whether it was the dream of becoming Hokage, the resolve to dedicate everything to Konoha, or the necessary dark side that had to be borne for this hope—
At this moment, Shimura Danzo felt nothing but immense pain.
"That (Konoha expletive)!"
"How did things turn out like this?!"
He gasped roughly, his single eye fiercely scanning every confidant in the office, as if seeking their advice, or perhaps trying to find the source of the problem within them.
Finally, his gaze settled on a figure slightly more unfamiliar than the others.
Hiruko.
If it weren't for this guy, he would still be Konoha's Root, and there wouldn't have been such a huge reaction in the Village.
Now, if he were Hiruzen, he would definitely drag this good brother of his out to be sacrificed.
The longer Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent, the more Shimura Danzo was unable to predict his own fate.
"…"
At the same time, Hiruko, enveloped by Shimura Danzo's gaze, also never expected such a fierce reaction in the Village due to their actions.
His long-planned scheme not only failed to make him look good in front of Danzo, but it also exposed his backside, and he even did a handstand spin during overtime, revealing all his internal, external, and mixed hemorrhoids.
The feeling of being utterly humiliated!
My lords, who understands this?
This made Hiruko suddenly have great doubts about his own intelligence.
However, the current situation did not allow him to let this doubt continue to spread. On the contrary, he had to come up with a way for Danzo to escape in the shortest possible time.
Otherwise, Shimura Danzo would definitely kill him, his dog-headed strategist, before he himself died.
Hiruko's brain worked rapidly, recalling every scene that had occurred in recent days.
"Thump."
The next moment, under the suffocating silence, he suddenly knelt down.
"Hiruko, do you have anything else to say?"
Though it was a question, the declarative tone somehow gave everyone the subtle illusion that 'this person is about to die.'
However, Hiruko's voice was unexpectedly firm, suddenly raising it:
"Lord Danzo, your death is imminent, yet you are unaware?!"
"Bang."
Shimura Danzo stared with his single eye, his large hand slamming onto the table, leaving a large dent.
This old man knows he's going to die, which is precisely why he must drag all you bastards who screwed him over down with him!
However, he had heard of this kind of strategist's unique astounding wisdom. For his ideal of becoming Hokage and his own insignificant life, Shimura Danzo still had to suppress his temper and coldly said:
"Speak quickly!"
Hiruko could almost feel the cold sweat trickling down his forehead, yet his expression remained firm:
"Using commoner Ninja as the backbone and gathering commoners for support—this has never been done before."
"However, it has a miraculous effect on the Hokage lineage, whose duty is to protect all people."
Shimura Danzo had only heard half of it when his astounding wisdom immediately activated, his eyes lighting up: "Are you saying we can also gather a group of commoners to give a speech in front of the Hokage Building?"
"No, no, no, no, no!! Lord Danzo!"
This sentence scared Hiruko so much that his cold sweat accelerated.
Given Shimura Danzo's thought process, he could almost imagine the terrifying scene where all the villagers were driven by Root members using various forceful methods, gathering resentfully and unwillingly in front of the Hokage Building, and then, at Lord Third's command, suddenly turning against them.
At that point, whether it was wise or not was beside the point, but would it be astounding or not?
Then, let alone him, the entire Root, including Shimura Danzo, would die without a burial place.
Hiruko quickly sped up his words: "This subordinate means that an opponent with such cunning, deep planning, and fox-like slyness must have already considered us when proposing this despicable plan."
"If this subordinate is not mistaken, a encirclement targeting Lord Danzo is probably about to form."
"We must find a way to break through before their plan takes shape!"
"…"
Hearing this, Shimura Danzo realized that this kid's idea coincided with his own:
"Then tell me, who proposed these strategies to that woman, Tsunade?"
Hiruko lowered his head and nodded, concealing his slightly guilty expression:
"Lord Danzo, you only need to discover the new face who suddenly appeared beside Princess Tsunade."
"Neither Tsunade nor Hatake Sakumo are capable of such strategies."
"The one who proposed this plan must be a genius!"
As he spoke, his words subtly pointed the finger at a certain unknown fifteen-year-old boy.
In Hiruko's actual thoughts, the one capable of proposing such a scheme was likely Hatake Sakumo, that old man who often remained silent in Jonin Meetings, observing everything with cold eyes, as if he had experienced endless vicissitudes.
He had never teamed up with Hatake Sakumo and didn't know that old man's Stifling nature of pretending to be a master by not speaking, nor did he know that he had even invented a vulgar Taijutsu that directly targeted the lower body.
Therefore, it was natural for him to have such a perception.
But what good would it do for a strong person, both in power and intelligence, to propose it?
Hiruko could even imagine Danzo pointing at him and saying, 'Go, kill Hatake Sakumo for me,' that famous scene.
To have a chance to atone for his mistakes and make up for his crimes, he naturally had to choose a soft persimmon he could squeeze!
So, aha!
Hiruko raised a finger in his mind.
When Tsunade was giving her speech, there seemed to be an unfamiliar young man, only fifteen years old, who had just been promoted to Jonin, standing beside her.
Yes, it's you!
Come out and fight! He had been annoyed with this little guy for a long time!
"Sawara Kiri?"
However, Shimura Danzo was somewhat hesitant.
For a mere youth to hone his strength to this extent was already quite remarkable. Could there truly be someone born with knowledge of strategy in this world?
"How come this old man feels Hatake—"
Before he could finish, Hiruko had already interrupted him, quickly saying:
"Absolutely impossible!"
"Hatake Sakumo is merely a useful blade!"
"If he possessed such strategic talent, why would Lord Third have ever placed him in the position of Anbu Commander and then released him from it?"
"…"
Thinking about it that way, it seemed quite reasonable.
Shimura Danzo frowned deeply, nodding slightly.
Seeing this reaction, not only Hiruko, but also Aburame Ryoma and the other Root members beside Danzo, all breathed a slight sigh of relief, casting approving glances towards Hiruko.
Please, for heaven's sake, don't bring up that in front of Lord Danzo. You guys just move your lips, but it's us brothers who have to do the fighting.
"Then."
Shimura Danzo turned to look at Hiruko, seemingly feeling it would be a loss not to try, and asked: "Do you have any good countermeasures, Hiruko?"
"Regarding strategy and intelligence, this subordinate has already lost one round to the enemy, and even failed to see through their layout."
Hiruko took a deep breath, bowing his head low, his voice filled with unprecedented sincerity, yet his expression was utterly ruthless:
"The only plan now…"
"Is to kill!"
His tone was utterly resolute:
"By means of assassination, sever Tsunade's arm. Only then can we return the situation between our two sides to its initial state."
"Please, Lord Danzo, give this subordinate a chance to atone for his mistakes!"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories