"You will regret this..." Hearing this sentence, the corners of Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura's mouths twitched slightly.
Hiruzen had changed a lot recently, becoming both familiar and strange to them.
But Danzō was still the same...
Whenever he heard Sarutobi Hiruzen say something, as long as it slightly differed from his thoughts, this sentence would blurt out!
It was like some kind of pre-set ninjutsu... always triggering precisely.
"Will I regret it?"
Surprisingly, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not rush to refute Shimura Danzō, but nodded slightly and said with a rather serious expression:
"Alright, then tell me why I will regret it. If you are right, then I will listen to you."
"Ah?" Shimura Danzō was stunned, his combo interrupted.
Wait, the Konoha Hokage mini-game isn't played like this. Why are you actually listening to my opinion!
You should shout that you are the Hokage, then refuse to listen to me. We glare at each other, I slam the door, and then I return to Root and start cursing you in private...
Finally, in some mysterious event, I seize the position of Hokage and show you my Hokage robe!
Oh.
Forgot, Root is about to be dismantled, that thing is gone...
Wait, is the Monkey so trustworthy?
After yesterday's training ground incident, Shimura Danzō, who was publicly criticized and issued a military pledge, although he had a chance to show his face in front of everyone at the time, thought about it carefully after returning home.
He still felt something was wrong!
If he were Sarutobi Hiruzen, taking advantage of this momentum, he would definitely crush himself completely!
The previous promise? Giving him a fair competition for Hokage or something...
Who would remember such words!
Because in front of everyone, Root exposed real problems, and Sarutobi Hiruzen confirmed that Root would be disbanded.
Even if he wanted to play some tricks, he was powerless.
Neither Utatane Koharu nor Mitokado Homura would speak for him. If there's a mistake, one must be punished; that's how ninja are.
The reason Shimura Danzō was breathing heavily again today was, to some extent, a struggle for his own future.
But the problem was...
"Hiruzen, do you really keep your word like this?" A trace of inexplicable guilt crossed Shimura Danzō's heart. He quickly organized his thoughts and replied seriously:
"If twenty core Jōnin are designated, the so-called 'Konoha Committee Members', then the Hokage's power will inevitably be shared by these people. How can the authority of the Hokage Building be guaranteed?"
"Hiruzen, perhaps you think this is indeed good, but this is undoubtedly irresponsible to the Hokage's power! All Jōnin must take orders directly from the Hokage!"
Shimura Danzō spoke his inner thoughts.
Sarutobi Hiruzen silently watched Shimura Danzō. After a moment, he shook his head with disappointment that he wasn't living up to expectations: "I thought you had some brilliant opinion..."
"I understand your logic. More people equals dispersed power equals loss of control over power, right?"
Shimura Danzō nodded righteously: "Yes, what about it? Isn't it so?"
"The essence of power dispersion is overlapping responsibilities and blurred ownership..." Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe and leisurely filled it with tobacco:
"To use words you understand best, the Root you previously controlled was like this... highly overlapping with the Anbu, yet operating under my banner as Hokage. Over time, your orders would outweigh mine for some people."
Shimura Danzō was expressionless: "I did that for..."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura nodded gently.
It really was like that...
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, signaling him to shut up: "The 'Konoha Committee Members' I want to establish are not the decision-making layer. They are a higher-level execution layer, possessing only the so-called right to suggest."
"I will listen to good suggestions and reject bad ones."
"The final decision-making power, core personnel power, resource allocation power, and emergency disposal power, naturally, my word is final."
"Establishing the professional fields each committee member is responsible for, confirming power boundaries and accountability supervision mechanisms, will only make Konoha operate more efficiently and smoothly."
"Would you worry about your Root squad leader betraying you?"
Shimura Danzō frowned:
"That's different. My control over them is absolute! Hiruzen, I won't hide it anymore. Can you place Cursed Seals on these 'Konoha Committee Members'?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed upon hearing this: "Danzō, you have been soaked in darkness for too long. If others heard this, they would think Konoha is some slave plantation..."
Shimura Danzō held his head high, not feeling ashamed at all.
He believed in this physical control to the extreme.
"If I talk to you about the Will of Fire, you probably won't understand right now."
"Your method essentially cultivates private soldiers. It only turns talented ninja one by one into death warriors of little value. But our Konoha needs ninja to bloom and realize their value output."
"Living in fear and control turns people into walking dead."
"Talents become mediocre people, mediocre people become dead things, and geniuses who cannot be obliterated will only accumulate hatred if you treat them like this, ultimately causing greater harm to Konoha."
Sarutobi Hiruzen used an analogy: "Even if you placed a Cursed Seal on Orochimaru, would he obey you implicitly?"
Shimura Danzō frowned. He wanted to refute Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But deep down, he vaguely felt that what he said seemed reasonable?
Sarutobi Hiruzen's perspective on problems seemed indeed a little higher than his own...
"The cruel world of ninja makes too many people feel pain."
"So, as long as a little light is shown, countless moths will rush towards us..."
"In extreme environments, people's thirst for 'hope' will surpass morality, kinship, and even the instinct for survival, especially for ninja who are spiritually empty and treat themselves as tools."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said with emotion:
"The Will of Fire is our Konoha's core value and a better magic weapon than the Cursed Seal. I hope you experience this well, Danzō."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura looked at each other.
There was no problem with these words, but why did they sound a bit chilling...
"You've stayed in the small institution of Root for too long, with no more than twenty subordinates coming and going. To be Hokage, you govern an entire village."
"Such thinking won't do."
These words seemed like criticism.
But Shimura Danzō listened with fascination.
Although he couldn't deeply understand it yet, he could feel it...
This old monkey seemed to really be cultivating him as a Hokage successor?
Talking about the real stuff...
Old thing, hand over your Hokage forbidden techniques quickly!
But Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't continue speaking. Clenching his pipe, he rummaged through his pockets.
Seeming to be looking for a lighter...
Shimura Danzō gritted his teeth.
Just getting to the interesting part, why is there a cliffhanger?
Striding to Sarutobi Hiruzen's side, he lit the fire for him: "Hmph! The older you get, the more you regress. Can you even forget to bring things? I think you need to reflect too!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed loudly: "Sorry, sorry!"
Beside them, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura looked at each other, seeing mutual astonishment in their eyes.
No way?
Danzō actually lit Hiruzen's cigarette!