Chapter 90: I Didn't See Clearly

Lightning Hunter.

A Hunter originating from the otherworld 【Azeroth】, possessing exquisite survival skills, trap-making, long-range marksmanship, and the ability to locate and tame powerful creatures as Hunter companions, forming a Contract with them to gain formidable power.

Among them, when one Hunter tamed a powerful lightning creature, their own flesh and blood underwent a mutation, granting them the ability to imbue their Hunter companions with lightning power on top of the original Hunter foundation.

The Lightning Trap from just a moment ago,

was a class skill Kakashi comprehended after changing classes; it had not yet been leveled up, which is why Danzou was able to break free from the paralysis effect so easily.

If it were continuously upgraded, in the end, the entire Death Forest would be covered the instant a Lightning Trap was triggered.

Kakashi's tone was respectful, yet he did not yield in the slightest, saying: "Lord Danzou, how about we wait until everything has been reported to the Hokage before proceeding?"

"No problem."

Danzou's gaze flickered, his palm landed on the Baku, and the massive summoning beast turned into smoke and disappeared.

A person's name is like the shadow of a tree.

If it were an ordinary ninja, he certainly wouldn't compromise, but Kakashi Hatake was an Elite Ninja; even if his strength had regressed after being decadent for a few years following his departure from the Anbu, he himself would be unable to take him down in a short time.

The research data on human experimentation...

Danzou sneered in his heart,

he had absolute certainty that even if Hiruzen Sarutobi learned the truth, he would not do anything to him.

At most, he would use this as an excuse to seize a portion of the power held by him, a Hokage Advisor.

Whoosh.

While both sides were still in a stalemate,

a group of figures clad in Anbu flak jackets with their faces obscured by masks approached rapidly, led by the Third Hokage wearing the God Robe; his figure appeared small in front of the crowd of Anbu, yet he exuded an aura that suppressed everyone.

Although he was already in his twilight years, his entire body radiated an astonishing chakra aura, as if he were a Sharp Monkey King Bar.

The raging Black Flame did not continue to spread,

the Anbu crouched on the tree branches, their hands forming seals, and countless streams of water surged into the sky.

Water Release.

Those who could follow by the Third Hokage's side were all elites within the Anbu, and even the Black Flame, which had a higher temperature than ordinary fire, was quickly extinguished.

The steaming water vapor was then blown away by the Wind Style released by the Anbu.

"As expected of Hiruzen Sarutobi, still vigorous in his old age, and very fast..."

Danzou lifted his eyelids,

although the distance to the Death Forest was far, the commotion caused by the battle was too great, and it was a critical period when ninjas from various countries were about to take the Chunin exams, so the Hokage's arrival did not surprise him.

"Lord Hokage."

Unlike Danzou who stood in place, Kakashi bowed slightly and saluted the arriving Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"I didn't expect you to be here too, Kakashi."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped his steps, seeing his old friend Danzou, whose robes were tattered and who had clearly just experienced a battle.

And Sasuke, who was being protected behind Kakashi, staring at Danzou with a face full of hatred.

Without waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi to issue orders, the Anbu had already skillfully begun to investigate the scene, collecting intelligence remaining after the battle.

"Hiruzen."

"Danzou, can you explain what happened here?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was serious as he looked at Danzou with an inquiring tone.

Danzou's complexion remained as usual, his tone mixed with deliberately displayed anger, saying: "I received a message from Root that Sasuke Uchiha trespassed into the Death Forest, attempting to destroy the village's hidden laboratory, steal the village's secret data, and even killed Root ninjas, so I engaged in battle with him."

"Hidden laboratory, Root ninjas?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes,

a laboratory inside the Death Forest?

As the Hokage, he clearly grasped the locations of the laboratories within the village, which were generally concentrated in the hospital and the Interrogation Department, researching experiments related to Medical Ninjutsu.

In other words, this laboratory was a place Danzou had built in secret.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, with his keen political mind, would never be led by the nose by Danzou's few words, easily analyzing the crux of the problem from his speech.

"Are you saying Sasuke Uchiha destroyed the laboratory and killed Root ninjas?"

"That is correct."

"What was the content of the laboratory's research?"

"Just some improvements to Medical Ninjutsu and experiments to reduce the side effects of the Military Ration Pill."

Danzou answered fluently, without the slightest hint of nervousness.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, said nothing more, and instead turned to look at Sasuke, asking: "Sasuke, is it really as Danzou said, that you attacked Root ninjas and wanted to steal the village's secret data?"

On the side, an Anbu ninja leaned into the Hokage's ear and reported: "Found five corpses, already burned by fire to the point of being unrecognizable."

Then he quietly reported in code,

every corpse had the Tongue Slasher Root-Severing Curse Seal, which could confirm they were Root ninjas.

In this way, it corroborated Shimura Danzou's words that Root ninjas had indeed been killed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, waiting for Sasuke Uchiha's explanation.

"Lord Hokage, I have something to report to you!"

Sasuke's expression was uncertain,

Danzou, as a Hokage Advisor, was one of the masterminds behind the Uchiha clan extermination plan, and he did not know if the Third Hokage before him was involved in it.

Until Kakashi beside him gently patted his shoulder,

Sasuke took the research data on human experimentation out of his pocket and handed it to the Third Hokage.

"This is..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen flipped through the documents, his expression gradually shifting from serious to furious, and finally, he turned his head to stare fixedly at Shimura Danzou.

Before he could speak,

Danzou strode to his side, his lips moving slightly.

A faint, fragmented sound poured into his ears, causing the corners of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth to twitch, and the words on the tip of his tongue were abruptly cut off.

Immediately after,

Danzou suddenly made a move, spitting out a stream of Wind Style chakra from his mouth, instantly shredding the documents that could have served as evidence.

Sarutobi Hiruzen acted as if he hadn't reacted in time, stepping backward belatedly, and exclaimed, "Shimura Danzou, as a Hokage Advisor, you would actually destroy evidence?"

"I sensed that this document was coated in a deadly poison, and I have reason to suspect that Sasuke Uchiha intended to assassinate the Hokage; I did this to protect Lord Hokage."

Danzou stated this reason.

Absurd.

Standing to the side, Kakashi simply could not believe that the other party could actually come up with such a clumsy excuse.

He looked toward Lord Hokage, only to find that after a brief silence, the latter said, "I indeed did not see the contents of those documents clearly before they were destroyed by Danzou."

When these words came out, it was clear that he wanted to suppress the matter.

Because the content of Danzou's whisper just now was,

The human experiments involved the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

For Danzou to have the funds to build several laboratories, relying solely on village appropriations was certainly not enough, and even if it were, he wouldn't use them, as that would be detected by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

That was the thing he hated most about the monkey.

He left all the dirty and tiring work to him, while putting on a sanctimonious facade, only to take everything once the fruits were harvested.

Therefore, in order not to be discovered by Sarutobi Hiruzen, he chose to cooperate with the Nobles and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

The powerful cellular vitality possessed by the Hashirama Cells had immense research value.

Orochimaru conducted continuous research, not only creating Tenzo, who could unleash inferior Wood Release, but also some byproducts of his research.

For example, a potion capable of harmonizing Wood Release and the Sharingan.

Or, for another example, a potion that could slightly stimulate cellular vitality to improve the bodies of ordinary people, seemingly having the effect of prolonging life.

It was precisely by relying on the potion that stimulated cellular vitality that Danzou deceived the Nobles and the Daimyo, causing them to provide him with funding to continue researching Hashirama Cells.

This matter,

even the noble circle of the Land of Fire was deeply mired in it; do you, Sarutobi Hiruzen, dare to expose it?

(End of chapter)