After Diarmuid gave his response, Danzo fell silent for a moment. Then, his lips curled into a grin, and he dropped the subject entirely, as if he had merely been joking.
In truth, Danzo didn't have a single, definitive goal for this meeting. If Orochimaru had been willing to become the Fourth Hokage, Danzo might have indeed commissioned Diarmuid to eliminate Minato, the greatest obstacle to that goal. He would then have used the opportunity to push Orochimaru into the seat of power.
The problem was that Orochimaru wasn't interested. Without a suitable candidate for the Fourth Hokage in his pocket, assassinating Minato would be a wasted effort; the next Hokage would still have absolutely nothing to do with him.
So, why bother?
As for asking Diarmuid to take out Hiruzen... that truly was just a jest.
Danzo was essentially certain that, given the current political landscape, Hiruzen would be forced to step down as soon as the war ended. Why bother assassinating a Hokage who was already on his way out? Besides, Danzo still harbored a trace of sentiment for Hiruzen...
Such a monumental task wasn't appropriate right now, and the timing was all wrong. For any other issues, the resources Danzo held in his hands were more than enough; he didn't need Diarmuid's help.
This time, he truly just wanted to establish a connection with Diarmuid, cultivate some rapport, and get to know him so that it would be easier to ask for favors in the future.
With the topic of "killing the Hokage" set aside, the two quickly began to strike up a conversation. Danzo approached Diarmuid with the intent to make a friend, and Diarmuid was equally keen on networking with the old schemer. Since both parties "regarded" the other highly, they naturally hit it off.
Despite Danzo's insidious nature, the office frequently rang with the sound of their laughter, as if they were indeed the best of friends.
Off to the side, Orochimaru watched these two wretched individuals flatter each other. His heart was a placid lake, though he felt a faint urge to laugh.
"It seems Danzo-sama and I share very similar interests. Meeting you today feels like finding an old friend at first sight; this visit was not in vain," Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
"The feeling is mutual. Though we've only met this once, I feel a sense of familiarity as if we were longtime comrades," Danzo replied with a smile.
As he spoke, Diarmuid pulled out a business card infused with a trace of his chakra and handed it to Danzo. "Perhaps there isn't much I can do for you right now, Danzo-sama, but I'm certain there will be a time in the future when you'll require my assistance. If you use the Summoning Jutsu with this chakra, you can call upon one of the Yorozuya's summoning animal to commission a task. For you, I can offer a twenty percent discount."
The discount didn't matter. Danzo wasn't the type of man to worry about money when he had the resources of Konoha to siphon for his personal use. However, he was very pleased with Diarmuid's attitude. With this gesture, a formal relationship was established.
In the future, if he needed the Yorozuya, he wouldn't have to go through indirect channels like Orochimaru or place orders through the Underworld; he could contact them directly, which was both more discreet and more convenient.
Danzo accepted the card with satisfaction. "Naturally. And should you require any assistance, Diarmuid-sama, please do not hesitate to ask."
"Speaking of which, there is indeed something I'd like to discuss with you, Danzo-sama. I may even need you to lend a hand," Diarmuid said with a smile.
He wasn't being polite at all, acting as if he had been waiting for Danzo to say those exact words.
Danzo: "???"
I was just being polite!
But since the words had already left his mouth, he couldn't very well retract them. He forced a smile and nodded. "Please, speak. I will help if I can."
"It's nothing too difficult. As far as I know, Danzo-sama has certain... connections with Hanzo of the Salamander in the Land of Rain?" Diarmuid asked suddenly.
Danzo's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. This was a top-secret matter. Even within Konoha, very few knew of it, and even Orochimaru was in the dark. This was because it wasn't a matter of public interest, but one involving Danzo's private gain.
Though the position of Fourth Hokage seemed out of reach for now, Danzo had never abandoned his ambition to become Hokage. To be honest, it was difficult for him to gain support within the village itself. Due to certain reasons in the past, he had ultimately chosen to become the "shadow" of the village.
Over the years, his public presence in the village had remained low. Aside from the high-ranking officials, very few people even knew he existed. His prestige as a disciple of the Second Hokage had long since faded into the mists of time.
If he were to suddenly step forward now and shout, "I want to be Hokage," most people would probably just look confused and ask, "Who are you?"
Since he couldn't find much support within the village, Danzo had arranged two paths for himself. The first was to cultivate relationships at the highest level—the Daimyo's estate. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire held the legal authority to directly appoint a Hokage.
However, as things stood, the Daimyo had remained very "well-behaved" and basically never interfered with Konoha's internal affairs, allowing the village to choose its own leader. But just because he didn't use the power didn't mean he didn't have it, so Danzo placed great importance on this connection.
The second path was external support. Through the exchange of interests, he sought powerful outside support to serve as "political capital." Someone like Hanzo of the Salamander wasn't needed to stand up and support Danzo's bid for Hokage at the critical moment, after all, Hanzo wasn't from Konoha. Even as a "Demigod," he could shout a thousand times and the people of Konoha wouldn't listen to him.
But if Hanzo could deliver certain benefits at the exact moment Danzo made his move, becoming a "card" in Danzo's hand, that would be a different story.
This was the essence of the trade!
Given the current anti-war sentiment in the village, the exchange between Danzo and Hanzo was essentially a peace treaty combined with a degree of vassalage. Danzo would use Konoha's strength to help the now-desperate Hanzo maintain his firm grip on the Land of Rain. In return, Hanzo would cede certain interests of the Land of Rain, sign a peace treaty with Konoha, and lean toward Konoha in broader strategic matters.
This would undoubtedly be a massive boon for Konoha's border security and war effort. It was capital Danzo could use; once he cleared his other paths, he could use this as leverage for his candidacy. There was a genuine possibility of becoming Hokage that way.
Of course, this was just one card in his hand. Hanzo was merely a representative; Danzo certainly had collaborations beyond him.
Though surprised that Diarmuid knew of this—had Hanzo let something slip?—Danzo knew there was no point in denying it. Arguing would only seem petty.
Thus, Danzo nodded. "We have a certain level of cooperation. After all, the Land of Rain borders our Land of Fire. During the previous Great Ninja War, they demonstrated formidable strength, nearly swallowing the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls to become the Sixth Great Nation... Hanzo himself is at the pinnacle of the Shinobi world, known as the Demigod."
Diarmuid listened, nodding repeatedly as if everything Danzo said made perfect sense. His demeanor actually made it awkward for Danzo to continue explaining.
Seeing Danzo fall silent, Diarmuid smiled and asked, "So, how much profit can the Land of Rain, or rather, Hanzo, actually bring you, Danzo-sama?"
Danzo frowned. This question was a bit over the line. He wasn't sure if he should answer. After all, this was sensitive intelligence.
Furthermore, truth be told, he and Hanzo currently lived in a state of mutual distrust. While they had begun some covert cooperation, it amounted to very little in practice. Their first true collaboration would only happen when Hanzo felt the tangible threat of the Akatsuki. Under that pressure, he would choose to ally with Danzo. Danzo would help him eliminate the Akatsuki and take the blame, and in return, Hanzo would secretly sell out the interests of the Land of Rain to support Danzo.
From Hanzo's perspective, this behavior perfectly illustrated the saying: The dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon. The hero who once aspired to lead the Land of Rain to greatness had, in his final days, betrayed his own beliefs and faith, becoming a despicable man who sold out his nation's interests in exchange for personal rule.
Such is fate.
"Nothing has been finalized yet," Danzo said after a moment's thought.
In reality, though they had been in contact, Danzo didn't have much confidence in Hanzo. Hanzo's reputation was too great, and his public persona was one of unshakable resolve. He was a hero of the Land of Rain, a man dedicated to making his country a world power. Though he had failed and grown old, Danzo wasn't sure if the man would actually sell out his country's interests.
Even Danzo hadn't expected Hanzo to fall so far, so fast! He was simply operating on the logic of "casting a line to see if anything bites." He had nothing to lose; what if it worked?
"Is that so?" Diarmuid nodded. "Hanzo of the Salamander is a formidable figure, and the Land of Rain is his life's work. He might cooperate with you out of temporary necessity, but once his immediate crisis is resolved, how reliable will he be? Will he truly honor his promises?"
This was blatant sowing of discord. It was obvious, yet Danzo had to admit it made sense. Again, Hanzo's legend from the first half of his life was too solid. Even if he agreed to sell out his country for personal gain, Danzo would be uneasy. What if Danzo did the dirty work, only for Hanzo to turn around and deny everything?
It wasn't just possible; it was highly likely! Shinobi, after all, weren't known for their ironclad credibility. Cooperation with Hanzo was a gamble, a gamble that he wouldn't be played for a fool.
Seeing Danzo remain silent, Diarmuid smiled. "You see? You have those very same concerns. In my view, the most important element of cooperation is trust. If there is no trust, what is the point? Hanzo has spent his life fighting for the Land of Rain, so to you, he is inherently untrustworthy. But I am different. The Land of Rain means nothing to me. If..."
"If what?" Danzo looked at Diarmuid, sensing where this was going.
"If I were to kill Hanzo and take over the Land of Rain... between me selling out the Land of Rain's interests and Hanzo doing it, who would you prefer to trust, Danzo-sama?" Diarmuid asked with a wicked grin.
"You want the Land of Rain?" Danzo asked, startled.
"Exactly," Diarmuid nodded.
"Intriguing..." Danzo murmured softly, seeing a new path forward.
Indeed, just as Diarmuid said, he would much rather trust Diarmuid than Hanzo. If Diarmuid were in charge, selling out the Land of Rain's interests would come with absolutely no personal baggage or moral conflict. He could sell it however he pleased!