stonecrandall Chapter 7: I've never felt so comfortable and confident.
Chapter 7: I've never felt so comfortable and confident.
Danzo, having calmed the rampaging Wood Release cells in his body, still had a fine layer of cold sweat on his forehead. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
He shook his head slightly, thinking he had fully recovered, and quickly turned his gaze to the pile of documents on the table in front of him.
Tonight is the night of the Uchiha clan's extermination. Although Danzo's initial plan has achieved some success, there is still a sense of unease.
He quickly gathered his thoughts, picked up the files on the table, and carefully reviewed the core findings of this operation.
As he flipped through the pages, Danzo suddenly frowned.
"There were even casualties?"
His eyes were fixed sharply on the report in the document...
The disappearance of Root personnel within the Konoha Police Department.
Danzo quickly flipped to the next report, which read:
According to preliminary on-site investigation and analysis, six members of the Root organization are missing from Uchiha Awakening's office deep within the Konoha Security Command; their fate is currently unknown.
[Preliminary assessment of the traces at the scene indicates they were caused by an unknown sealing technique set up by Uchiha Gen before his death. No body or any signs of survival were found at the scene.]
Upon seeing this, Danzo's eyes showed a hint of doubt and confusion, and he murmured to himself, "Sealing technique?"
He immediately shook his head: "No... judging from the situation at the scene, it doesn't seem like a sealing technique at all. It's more like..."
Danzo subconsciously bit his tongue, only to find himself finding it difficult to speak.
His brows furrowed tightly, and his voice unconsciously lowered...
"It's more like Wood Release..."
As soon as he said it, he was startled by his own thought.
Wood Release is a power possessed only by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. How could the Uchiha clan be qualified to... master such a powerful ability?
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Danzo subconsciously shook his head forcefully, forcibly dispelling the strange thoughts in his mind.
"Those evil Uchiha clans have absolutely no chance of obtaining the First Hokage's cells."
After saying this, Danzo felt a strange premonition deep within his heart, as if his brain was forcibly preventing him from thinking about these doubts more deeply.
It was inherently bizarre and completely illogical, yet he accepted it without realizing it.
He just kept muttering to himself, adding to his own thoughts...
"According to the intelligence, Uchiha Yuan was just an ordinary administrative staff member in the security department, and he hadn't even activated his Sharingan yet. The fact that he lost several Root members in this operation is a huge loss."
It's illogical that someone without the Sharingan could take the lives of Root members.
But now...
Danzo, however, was completely unaware of the strangeness of the matter. Instead, he subconsciously ignored these obvious inconsistencies and completely fell into his own blind spot.
A little tired...
Soon after, Danzo closed his eyes, trying to pull himself out of this confused and dazed state.
A moment later, he opened his eyes again.
"There are more important things to do next."
The Konoha high-level meeting is about to begin.
The annihilation of the Uchiha clan is a foregone conclusion. The next focus of the meeting will be how to handle the aftermath of this event, especially how to deal with Sasuke's survivors.
"That old man Hiruzen is always too naive and weak."
Danzo snorted coldly, his face returning to its usual gloomy expression.
"For the sake of Konoha's future, we absolutely cannot let Hiruzen continue to be soft-hearted about the Uchiha orphan. That child must be brought under effective control as soon as possible."
With this in mind, Danzo straightened his clothes and slowly stood up.
His spirits lifted again, and he regained his usual composure and ruthlessness.
When Danzo stepped out of the secret room, his expression was resolute, and his steps were steady and powerful, showing no sign of anything amiss.
Inside the Konoha high-level meeting room.
Koharu Utatane and Erokazu Mito arrived at the venue early, already preparing for today's accusations and questions.
After the Uchiha clan massacre, Root's actions almost completely ignored the Hokage's orders, and they arbitrarily broke into the Uchiha police headquarters and the clan's residence.
They took away a large amount of precious resources and Sharingan, which naturally gave them a reason to cause trouble.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi has not yet made a public statement, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, as advisors who have long fought against Danzo, will naturally speak up.
In order to maintain the delicate power balance between the Hokage and Root, the two planned to put pressure on Danzo at today's meeting to get Root to hand over some benefits in order to appease the various forces.
The meeting had barely begun, and before Hiruzen Sarutobi could even speak, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane couldn't contain themselves and began to question Danzo directly.
"Danzo, Root has disregarded the Hokage's orders and acted on its own. What exactly are they trying to do?"
Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, spoke sharply, clearly expressing her dissatisfaction.
Mitokado then replied...
"After the Uchiha clan was wiped out, a large number of Sharingan were taken away. Don't you have any explanation for that?"
The two advisors went back and forth, their words full of criticism and questioning, directly targeting Danzo.
The atmosphere in the meeting room gradually heated up, subtly revealing tension and a sense of impending conflict.
Danzo remained silent, seemingly detached, listening to the accusations with indifference and expressionlessness.
Now, he found himself somewhat disdainful of these tedious, pointless meetings...
Two useless old men who only know how to play politics...
Seeing that Danzo was still not explaining, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression became slightly displeased: "Danzo, what is your explanation for Root's operation this time?"
After a moment of silence, Danzo finally spoke: "I don't need to explain. Everything I've done is for Konoha."
With a single sentence, he effectively shut down everyone's doubts, which only made the two advisors even more dissatisfied.
Koharu was about to speak again when Danzo suddenly turned his face and stared at Homura Mitokado with an inscrutable expression.
A strange, intense feeling of disgust and resistance welled up within him, and his tone even carried a hint of mockery...
"Yan, you seem quite loyal to the Hokage?"
Mitokado Homura was taken aback, then replied unhappily, "As advisors to the Hokage, it's only natural for us to be loyal to the Hokage and Konoha. Danzo, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Danzo chuckled coldly, his tone growing increasingly sinister and filled with undisguised sarcasm: "True loyalty is utterly irrational obedience and blind devotion. But to me, you're still quite rational right now, aren't you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane were both stunned, staring at Danzo with astonishment. They never expected Danzo to be so sharp-tongued and merciless in his confrontation.
Ignoring the questioning looks from the crowd, Danzo seemed to be getting more and more carried away, continuing without any restraint...
"So-called loyalty only brings empty fame, dignity, and praise."
"And those who are loyally served enjoy the power of rule and abundant benefits. You two, if you want benefits, I can provide enough, and even carve your portraits on the mountain in the village."
"Danzo!"
Xiaochun, who was turning over in bed, was furious and shouted angrily.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened: "Danzo, are you insane? Do you know what you're saying?"
"I'm not crazy. I just think you so-called Konoha ninjas have long forgotten what your original aspirations were, and you're all ridiculous."
Danzo spoke very seriously...
"..."
After saying this, he slowly stretched his shoulders, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief and liberation, as if he had released all the repression and dissatisfaction that had been buried deep in his heart for so long.
He even felt more comfortable and confident than ever before.
The atmosphere in the room froze instantly. The Third Hokage and the two advisors looked at each other in astonishment and confusion, seemingly unable to understand why Danzo was behaving so strangely today.
Danzo ignored their astonished gazes, remaining calm and quietly awaiting what would happen next.
Unbeknownst to him, deep within his heart, a strange and invisible force was subtly manipulating his thoughts, actions, and even words, shaping a completely new Danzo...