"When we were first attacked, the 'waterskin' spewed out what seemed to be the blood of some animal… or person. A bloodline limit that controls blood? But the Blood Pond clan should be extinct, and the opponent's eyes don't look like the rumored Blood Dragon Eyes. Strange."
"Also, at the end, how did he pull back the fleeing enemy?"
Danzō closed his eyes, replaying the scene in his mind, trying to find the ninjutsu or trick Shinji had used.
But unfortunately, no matter how he thought about it, he found nothing.
Shinji only said 'Return,' and the enemy truly flew back.
"Could it really be because of the sound? Hypnosis or genjutsu?"
Danzō was very puzzled, finding this explanation unreasonable as well. 'Return' could also just be a word blurted out in the heat of the moment, like shouting 'Die!' when attacking, or 'Don't run!' when pursuing.
"Lord Danzō, these people are unusually clean. There are no items that can prove their identity, only these masks remain…"
Danzō opened his eyes and glanced at the animal masks Yamanaka Fū handed over.
"Interesting. Are you suggesting that the people who attacked us just now were from Konoha Anbu?"
"This subordinate dares not."
"Heh, collect these things. We'll talk about it when we get back."
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
With Danzō's experience in playing dirty tricks, it was naturally not difficult to see that these people were deliberately trying to frame Konoha Anbu.
Or rather, to sow discord and suspicion in him!
As long as he was alive, these masks would inevitably lead to that possibility: perhaps someone in Konoha wanted to eliminate him.
And he would inevitably consider this possibility.
This was a well-planned contingency. If the plan succeeded, and everyone died here, and Konoha Anbu masks were found at the scene, what would be the outcome?
Then Mist Hidden and Konoha would surely become suspicious of each other, and their already unstable alliance would crack again.
If only one side died, the surviving party would be in dire straits.
And if the assassination failed, it would plant a seed of doubt in everyone's minds.
Human hearts are the most unpredictable. Once the seed of suspicion is sown, it's hard to say what will happen in the future.
Danzō sneered inwardly. He had analyzed the entire situation and realized these people were actually plotting against him.
But his gains wouldn't be so easy to come by!
Danzō didn't bother guessing who the mastermind behind this was. Instead, he began to consider what benefits he could gain from this incident, because no matter how the game played out, he was the 'victim' in this event!
Continue on the road.
"They didn't even say thank you. I really don't know why Konoha sent someone like this to the Land of Water. Are they trying to ruin the good relationship between Mist Hidden and Konoha?"
Mangetsu Hōzuki's personality was somewhat vengeful and unwilling to suffer injustice. He was probably reaching his limit by now.
Fortunately, the rest of the journey was uneventful, and the group smoothly arrived at Konoha the next morning.
In the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi met his old friend Danzō and Mangetsu Hōzuki, the representative from Mist Hidden, in his office.
Danzō had already had his subordinate write the mission report for the trip to the Land of Water.
Mangetsu Hōzuki, not hiding anything, immediately produced the letter written by Mizukage Mei and submitted it to the Hokage for review.
After reading both documents, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a headache coming on!
Although he had considered the possibility of such an event before sending Danzō to the Land of Water, he hadn't expected Danzō to go so far.
Not only did he not help throughout, but why did he not even bother to inquire about Orochimaru's infiltration of the Land of Water?
Officially, Orochimaru was an S-rank rogue ninja wanted by Konoha. Upon discovery, any Konoha ninja was obligated to capture him.
Even if he knew he was outmatched, he should have sought reinforcements or at least put on a show.
But Danzō couldn't even be bothered to do that, pretending he hadn't heard. Could it be that Danzō was also involved in Orochimaru's appearance in the Land of Water?
Hiruzen couldn't help but overthink, and what made him even more speechless was yet to come.
When the Mist Hidden Village was attacked by curse spirits, Danzō not only didn't show up but even took the opportunity to escape with his people.
Only after everything was over did he swagger back.
This was too much… Hiruzen felt his face burning after reading this, feeling ashamed for his old friend.
But what could he do?
At that time, he had precisely chosen Danzō for his abilities and sent him to just go through the motions.
It could be said that Danzō had exceeded his expectations for the task.
However, now that the Mizukage had sent someone to demand an explanation, he, as the Hokage, was truly in a difficult position.
After much deliberation, he decided to inconvenience his old friend slightly and give the Land of Water an explanation. After all, it would at most be a minor punishment, and Mist Hidden wouldn't pursue the matter over such a small issue.
So he cleared his throat and said with a serious expression, "I am aware of this matter. Danzō and his subordinates' passive behavior during this mission will be officially recorded and they will be punished according to Konoha's regulations. Once the results are out, I will have someone deliver them to you, and you will then forward them to the Mizukage. I hope that this minor misunderstanding will not affect the friendly alliance between our two countries."
Hiruzen's meaning was clear: I will give you Mist Hidden an explanation, but you should also know when to stop and be content.
After Mangetsu Hōzuki was sent away, Hiruzen showed a wry smile. "Danzō, you won't blame me, will you?"
Danzō, whose expression had remained unchanged throughout, replied stiffly, "How could I? After all, you are the Hokage. Isn't it the job of the 'Root of Konoha' like me to take the blame for the Hokage?"
Hiruzen knew his old friend was upset and said, "I only asked you to handle it perfunctorily, but you've gone too far."
"Too far?"
Danzō immediately sneered, "So that's why you sent people to intercept me?"
"What? Intercept me?"
Hiruzen's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with shock.
He was genuinely shocked because he knew nothing about this matter.
And Danzō, who had been waiting until now to report this, had been preparing for this moment. It could be said that the moment Hiruzen chose to punish him, he had already begun preparing for this moment.
"See for yourself. What is this?"
Saying this, Danzō took out several blood-stained animal masks from his clothes and threw them on the table.
Hiruzen picked them up and saw that they were indeed Anbu masks?!
"What exactly is going on?"
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