Inside the Root Headquarters, Shimura Danzō immediately summoned Aburame Ryōma, Yamanaka Fū, and Tenzo as soon as he returned.
"The negotiations with the Uchiha Clan are complete," Danzō said without any preamble.
"This time, they will dispatch an unknown Kage-level shinobi to assist us in assassinating Hiruzen Sarutobi."
Aburame Ryōma spoke in a deep voice after hearing this.
"The foundation of a thousand-year noble clan truly is extraordinary. To think they still possess an unknown Kage-level expert. Counting Uchiha Ren and Uchiha Shisui, the Uchiha Clan is becoming truly terrifying."
A sharp glint flashed through Danzō's single eye.
"So my teacher's wariness of the Uchiha was not without reason. It seems my attitude toward the Uchiha Clan will need some adjustment."
Ryōma hesitated slightly.
"Danzō-sama… are you referring to the seat on the Konoha Council of Elders?"
"No."
Danzō shook his head.
"At this stage, I still cannot do without the Uchiha Clan's assistance."
"Besides, within the Uchiha Clan, only Uchiha Ren is truly troublesome. The rest are largely useless."
"Once I become Hokage, the Uchiha Clan could very well become a sharp blade in my hand."
"As long as Uchiha Ren is dealt with, the rest of the Uchiha will be easy to control."
"At that time, what would it matter if I gave them a seat among the Konoha Elders?"
After thinking for a moment, Ryōma said,
"You're right, Danzō-sama. But Uchiha Ren won't be easy to deal with. He's indeed a problem."
Danzō closed his eyes and pondered for a while.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"For Uchiha Ren , I have three methods."
"Invite him to dinner. Behead him. Or make him our dog."
"Which card do you think we should play first?"
Yamanaka Fū and Tenzo exchanged confused glances, unsure what Danzō meant.
After a moment of thought, Aburame Ryōma replied,
"Since you intend to make the Uchiha Clan our dog, then Uchiha Ren must be removed."
"Beheading."
There was clear killing intent in his voice.
"Uchiha Ren will never submit to us. Eliminating him would bring us the greatest benefit."
Danzō nodded.
"But you've seen Uchiha Ren 's strength yourselves. Moreover, he is now both the Head of the Uchiha Clan and the Commander of the Konoha Military Police Force."
"Attempting to assassinate him will not be easy."
Ryōma frowned.
He could not think of any good solution for the moment.
First, Uchiha Ren was extremely powerful, making him difficult to kill.
Second, Root was currently weakened and lacked sufficient manpower.
Under these circumstances, attempting to assassinate Uchiha Ren inside Konoha was practically impossible.
Danzō added,
"I already have someone in mind for the assassination."
"I believe Orochimaru would be very interested in such a rare experimental subject as Uchiha Ren ."
"The problem is how to lure Uchiha Ren out of the village."
"And it must be done quickly—preferably before everything is settled."
"Only then can I properly absorb the Uchiha Clan's power."
With that, Danzō fell silent again.
For someone as clever as Uchiha Ren , ordinary methods would not work. For once, even Danzō found the situation troublesome.
At that moment, Yamanaka Fū suddenly spoke.
"Danzō-sama, I heard that Uchiha Ren has a close relationship with Yakushi Nono, the director of the Konoha Orphanage."
"Perhaps we could make use of that."
Danzō's eyes suddenly lit up.
He had nearly forgotten about that matter.
Previously, due to issues involving Amegakure, he had already considered targeting Yakushi Nono. From Uchiha Ren 's extreme reaction at the time, it was clear that Yakushi Nono was one of his weaknesses.
Aburame Ryōma also grew energized.
"Danzō-sama, this plan has great potential."
Danzō nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. We will plan it carefully."
"After we deal with Hiruzen Sarutobi, we'll put this plan into action."
After a pause, Danzō continued,
"There's another matter."
"Once Hiruzen Sarutobi is dealt with, how should we handle Minato Namikaze?"
"The same three methods apply."
"Invite him. Behead him. Or make him our dog."
After thinking for a moment, Ryōma replied,
"Danzō-sama, Minato Namikaze is different from Uchiha Ren . He's too naive—much easier to deal with."
"Perhaps we should try the 'invite him' approach first?"
But Danzō shook his head.
"Minato Namikaze may be naive, but he still has his own principles. That approach won't work on someone like him."
"And compared to Uchiha Ren , Minato's weakness is far more obvious—and easier to exploit."
"Sooner or later, we must bring the power of the Nine-Tails jinchuriki under our control."
"So Minato Namikaze…"
"We'll simply make him our dog."
After thinking carefully, Ryōma nodded in agreement.
"You're right, Danzō-sama."
"And judging from Uchiha Ren 's displayed strength, Orochimaru alone may not be enough to deal with him."
"Once the Third Hokage dies, we could first bring the Nine-Tails jinchuriki and Minato Namikaze under our control."
"Then have them deal with Uchiha Ren together."
Danzō did not object.
"Our immediate priority now is still Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Don't underestimate him just because he's old. He won't be easy to kill."
"One Kage-level shinobi alone isn't reliable enough. We'll need to borrow some external forces."
"But…"
Danzō's voice grew quieter as his brows furrowed deeply.
Root's current strength was already insufficient.
And something like assassinating a former Hokage absolutely could not involve the village clans he had recently persuaded to support him.
After all, not everyone was like that fearless and reckless fool from the Uchiha Clan.
Danzō was certain that if he approached the other clans with such a plan, even those who had previously expressed support would immediately distance themselves from him.
After all, ambushing and killing a former Hokage was a crime few people had the courage to bear.
Did he really have to gamble all of Root's remaining forces on this operation?
For once, Danzō hesitated.
It wasn't that he cared about the lives of Root shinobi.
The problem was that he truly didn't have many people left to use.
Just then, Yamanaka Fū spoke again.
"Danzō-sama… perhaps we can use one enemy against another."
"Don't forget—the Eight-Tails jinchuriki and the Kumogakure diplomatic delegation are still in the village."
A sharp gleam flashed through Danzō's eye.
His remaining hand clenched unconsciously into a fist.
Aburame Ryōma looked at Yamanaka Fū in surprise.
He had never noticed before—
This kid was ruthlessly cunning.
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