After a few pleasantries, Sarutobi Hiruzen handed the scroll to Mokgetsu.
Mokgetsu was the only ninja in Konoha besides him who knew about the existence of Uchiha Madara, and he also had an unusual relationship with Shimura Danzo. Sarutobi Hiruzen believed Mokgetsu had the right to know.
After reading the scroll, Mokgetsu showed a look of surprise, "Uchiha Madara actually entered Konoha!"
Of course, he was faking it.
Mokgetsu had known the content of this scroll a long time ago.
His Fuinjutsu had long surpassed Kushina, and he possessed extraordinary perception abilities like the Byakugan and the Transparent World, so it was impossible for him not to notice the tricks Shimura Danzo employed on the scroll.
However, because the hidden content of this scroll wouldn't affect Mokgetsu's plans, he didn't bother to deal with it.
With Uchiha Madara drawing attention, Konoha wouldn't focus as much on the Ninja Sect.
Mokgetsu could only say that Shimura Danzo was indeed cautious, and even his secret scroll wouldn't have all the information written down due to the risk of exposure. The matters of Wood Release and the Rinnegan were not mentioned at all, as if he was solely aiming to eliminate Sosuke.
Such a person would probably only be sincere when leaving a will.
"Can you describe the scene you witnessed in more detail? Was it really Sosuke alone who killed Danzo?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
Since Shimura Danzo was so sure in the secret scroll that his death would be related to Uchiha Madara, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that Sosuke might have some connection with Uchiha Madara.
Perhaps this event was orchestrated by Sosuke and Uchiha Madara together.
"Only Sosuke and Lord Danzo were fighting, everyone else was quite far away, and there were no signs of others taking action." Mokgetsu nodded and said.
Shimura Danzo underestimated Sosuke while overestimating himself and Uchiha Madara.
"I see..." Sarutobi Hiruzen showed a look of contemplation.
Shimura Danzo's was merely speculation, while the information provided by Mokgetsu was reality, so of course, they should base further speculations on Mokgetsu's intel.
However, according to Mokgetsu's information, several of Shimura Danzo's assumptions were exposed as problematic.
"Your training team should recruit new members; having only one member isn't quite right." Suddenly, Sarutobi Hiruzen remembered something and spoke up.
"Shisui, though young, is stable and quite a talent."
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought there were issues with the Uchiha, but in such a critical time, openly investigating them with the Anbu would cause trouble, so he came up with a good solution: using Uchiha against Uchiha.
Mokgetsu's two Uchiha disciples were people he could trust completely. If it weren't for Obito's personality being unsuitable for the Anbu, Sarutobi Hiruzen would've had them both join the Anbu.
"Shisui indeed has the talent to become part of the Anbu." Mokgetsu nodded in response.
He guessed the intention of Sarutobi Hiruzen, but it wasn't a disadvantage for Shisui.
The Uchiha issue involved too many aspects, and resolving it solely within the Uchiha Clan was impossible; it required balancing internal and external matters.
Mokgetsu's idea was to use the training team as a stepping stone for Shisui to hone his skills, and also to build up his credentials.
Becoming part of the Anbu was not the same for Shisui as it was for Itachi.
Firstly, Itachi joined the ordinary Anbu, whereas Shisui would join Mokgetsu's exclusive training team, which could basically be considered as part of Mokgetsu's Anbu.
As a teacher, Mokgetsu would certainly not let his disciple suffer.
After providing some guidance on the future development of the training team, Mokgetsu left the Hokage Office while Sarutobi Hiruzen continued handling affairs and arranged for the Anbu to keep investigating.
This time, however, it wasn't just inside Konoha; Sarutobi Hiruzen began investigating the Land of Rain.
As the place where Shimura Danzo sacrificed himself, the Land of Rain would surely hold information crucial to the current situation.
But before the Anbu could uncover any important news related to Shimura Danzo's death, one piece of bad news after another arrived at Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk.
"The news of Lord Danzo's death has leaked!"
"Hidden Cloud in the Land of Hot Water is showing unusual movements!"
"The number of spies in the Land of Fire has surged recently!"
Bam!
Amidst the worsening situation that was giving Sarutobi Hiruzen headaches, the wooden door of the Hokage Office was suddenly thrown open, and Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura walked in together.
"Hiruzen, Danzo is dead!" Mitokado Homura said with some sadness.
Though his relationship with Shimura Danzo wasn't as close as that between Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen, they weren't strangers either, having once faced life and death together and often attended meetings concerning Konoha's future.
The death of such a comrade was saddening, even if Mitokado Homura had disagreements with Shimura Danzo on certain policies.
"I know." Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his forehead and sighed.
Despite his efforts to keep the situation under wraps, news was now spreading everywhere, implying that Sosuke or Uchiha Madara was taking action.
"Why didn't you inform us earlier when you already knew?" Utatane Koharu said, sounding somewhat displeased.
"Danzo, after all, was part of our top leadership."
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression, she knew he had received the news beforehand.
Considering Sarutobi Hiruzen's close relationship with Shimura Danzo, it didn't make sense for him to be so calm upon hearing the death of his friend.
"The matter is complicated, I wanted to gather more information before informing you." Sarutobi Hiruzen briefly explained.
The death of Shimura Danzo entailed numerous complications, and with Uchiha Madara's side moving too swiftly, it resulted in the current situation.
"Let's go to the conference room." Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and said.
At this point, he had no choice but to share some of the information.
In the conference room, Sarutobi Hiruzen handed over the confidential intel he had gathered recently for the advisors to review and explained the situation with Shimura Danzo.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not reveal the existence of Uchiha Madara, only mentioning that an evil ninja organization was meddling in the situation.
"It was too foolish of him, keeping such vital information from the village and taking action on his own!" Utatane Koharu was unable to control her emotions.
Right now, she was tempted to slap Shimura Danzo's corpse. He caused trouble for Konoha with his reckless actions.
"Cough, Koharu, remember that Danzo has already sacrificed himself for the village." Mitokado Homura coughed lightly to remind her.
Though Shimura Danzo was foolish, one should not speak ill of the dead.
Only then did Utatane Koharu realize the harsh expression on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face as he looked at her.
Remembering their relationship, Utatane Koharu silently closed her mouth. The deceased Shimura Danzo may be irrelevant, but the living Sarutobi Hiruzen was still the unequivocal Hokage.
"Notify Orochimaru to be cautious of Hidden Cloud and send additional ninja to patrol the borders."
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't say anything to Utatane Koharu but shifted the topic to practical countermeasures.
"We need to crush Hidden Cloud's momentum, making it clear to others that Konoha is invincible." Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement.
Why would Hidden Cloud act at such a time? Undoubtedly because they saw an opportunity.
What Konoha needs to do is shatter Hidden Cloud's ambitions, demonstrating Konoha's strength, thereby quelling the turmoil caused by Shimura Danzo's death.
Of course, if Konoha shows any weakness during this process, more than just Hidden Cloud might take advantage of it, as beating a fallen enemy is something many would gladly do.
After the meeting ended, it was about time to get off work, but Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't go home immediately. Instead, he returned to the Hokage Office and stood by the large floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Konoha.
"I'll have to add more responsibilities to Mokgetsu." Sarutobi Hiruzen put down his pipe, exhaling wisps of white smoke.
Initially, he intended to let Mokgetsu's training team develop naturally, but now, the situation was becoming increasingly chaotic, necessitating a stronger Anbu.
PS: It seems better today, my head isn't so dizzy.
I didn't dare turn on the air conditioner these past days, almost got me roasted.
Not using air conditioning in Guangdong in July is truly unsettling.