The water vapor rose slowly, draping a light veil of mist over the bathroom glass.
Through the hazy glass, a figure was slowly shedding his clothes, revealing his body.
"Cough, cough!"
Danzo slowly removed his clothes and unwound the bandages wrapped around his arm and eye, layer by layer.
Then, he looked at himself in the mirror.
Due to the transplanted Hashirama Cells, the prosthetic limb that had been bound in bandages displayed a pale, ghastly color and a wood-like texture.
On that grayish-white arm, dense rows of eyes were staring out at the world.
There were ten Sharingan.
Including the one in his eye socket, he possessed a total of eleven Sharingan.
It was precisely by relying on these eleven Sharingan that he was able to suppress the erosion of the Hashirama Cells on his body.
But even this power was worlds apart compared to the version of himself in the dream.
Just what kind of power was that?
Danzo stared at his reflection, lost in thought.
The scenes from the illusion continued to play out in his mind.
The crimson tentacles erupting from his body and the terrifying strength that could instantly kill Hiruzen and the others were vivid.
It was with that very power that Danzo was able to slaughter everyone in the illusion and finally become the new... God of Shinobi!
After finishing his bath, Danzo put back on his customary kimono and rewrapped his arm and eye with bandages, circle by circle.
Whether it was the Wood Style or the eleven Sharingan on his body, these were Danzo's ultimate trump cards. They could never be easily shown to others.
Specifically the Sharingan.
Although Danzo, like his teacher, viewed the Uchiha Clan as an evil clan, it was undeniable that the Uchiha were still very powerful.
If his mass transplantation of Sharingan were discovered by them, it would inevitably cause a massive uproar.
Hiruzen, in order to appease the Uchiha Clan, would undoubtedly force him to remove all the Sharingan and return them to the Uchiha without hesitation.
"What a decadent fellow."
Danzo stood on the balcony, overlooking the village shrouded in the night.
On the surface, the Hidden Leaf was still the greatest power in the shinobi world, flourishing day by day.
In reality, ever since the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife died while sealing the Nine-Tails, the Hidden Leaf had been surrounded by hidden dangers.
Among the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru's human experiments were exposed, and he chose to defect from the village.
Jiraiya was busy searching for some Child of Destiny, wandering various parts of the shinobi world for long periods, only sending back news to the Hidden Leaf occasionally.
As for Tsunade, the descendant of the Senju and a legitimate member of the Hokage's direct line, she had become disheartened. She no longer participated in the village's affairs, spending her days loitering in casinos across the land.
Several times, debt collectors had even run to the Hokage's office to demand payment from Hiruzen.
The departure of the Sannin left the Hidden Leaf's high-end combat power severely lacking during normal times. The only Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had not yet grown up. For now, he was more of a potential threat to the Hidden Leaf than an asset!
Beyond the lack of combat power, undercurrents were surging within the village.
The conflict and contradictions between the Uchiha Clan and the high-level officials were intensifying daily, and there was a risk of an explosion sooner or later.
What Danzo feared most was that the two geniuses who appeared after Kakashi, Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha, were both members of the Uchiha Clan.
Combined with the clan leader, Fugaku Uchiha, such a concentration of powerful combatants already posed a definite threat to the Hidden Leaf's leadership.
Furthermore, the atmosphere of resistance within the Uchiha was growing heavier. Recently, there had been more than one instance of conflict between Police Force personnel and the Anbu.
In Danzo's view, all of this was caused by Hiruzen Sarutobi's incompetence and weakness.
If the Third Hokage had not returned to power after Minato's death and had allowed Danzo to become the Hokage instead, he certainly would not have let Orochimaru defect. Instead, he would have gathered the strength of the Sannin and the Anbu to strike the Uchiha during the Nine-Tails incident, rooting out the evil Uchiha to ensure the internal security and stability of the Hidden Leaf.
Then none of this would be happening now.
"Hiruzen, you are still too weak..."
Danzo sighed with emotion.
After his lament, he thought back to the conclusion of the illusion and couldn't help but snort coldly. "Letting me become the Hokage is still the best choice!"
Could the events in the illusion be considered a sort of reminder for Danzo?
"Wood Style..."
Danzo murmured. He believed that as long as he properly nurtured Jia and Yi—primarily Yi—this boy would definitely become a sharp blade for him to swing at his enemies in the future!
In a corner Danzo hadn't noticed, a tiny black beetle slowly crawled into a crevice.
Back at the Root headquarters, a large number of Black Beetles gathered from all directions into Simu's palm, returning into his body through the oral cavity.
The moment Simu entered the Hidden Leaf's barrier, he had begun scattering numerous insect eggs along the roads and throughout the village.
These eggs hatched easily within a few hours, turning into Black Beetles that spread to every corner of the Hidden Leaf.
These Black Beetles were pure biological organisms without a trace of chakra attached to them. Therefore, even if they were discovered, people would likely only think they were some kind of natural insect.
In truth, they were Simu's eyes and ears in the Hidden Leaf.
Among them, Danzo's residence was a key focus of Simu's surveillance.
He was his superior, after all, and Simu was very curious to know what this Darkness of the Shinobi was doing every day.
In addition, there were the various clans of the Hidden Leaf.
Before coming here, Simu had obtained a large amount of intelligence regarding the Hidden Leaf from Nagato.
The clans in the Hidden Leaf possessing secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai were all focuses of Simu's attention.
Specifically the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Aburame clans.
The former two were because they possessed the famous Kekkei Genkai of the shinobi world.
The latter was because they also manipulated insects.
Simu was very interested in the Aburame Clan's insect-controlling secret techniques.
Of course, since everyone involved manipulated insects, Simu planned to be more cautious when testing the Aburame Clan. It would be best not to let the opponent discover any flaws.
Furthermore, Simu intended to use this opportunity to gather massive amounts of intelligence on Hidden Leaf personnel.
For example, who the powerful shinobi were, their combat characteristics, their fighting styles, their weaknesses, and so on.
Besides this, the relationships between the various clans in the Hidden Leaf were also a focus for Simu.
If given the chance, Simu wouldn't mind causing some trouble in the Hidden Leaf in the name of the Jishin Religion.
After all, the Hidden Leaf was the number one ninja village in the shinobi world. Although its dominance wasn't what it used to be, its foundation was still there.
If he didn't find a chance to weaken it severely, it might interfere with Simu's subsequent plans.
Moreover, if the Jashin Religion could cause a commotion in the Hidden Leaf, the growth in reputation points should be much higher than during the Shukaku incident.
Simu gazed at the Hidden Leaf in the darkness, looking like a demon contemplating how to dismember his prey.