Chapter 17: Not My Wish (Part 2)

Danzo left the Hokage office in silence, but he had no intention of letting it go just like that.

Sarutobi was acting arbitrarily, wanting to sell out Konoha's interests to appease the Cloud Ninja's anger, as if he were driving the war chariot of Konoha toward the bottom of an abyss without any obstruction.

Since that was the case, he could not be blamed for having other plans of his own, Shimura Danzo.

Danzo believed that as long as Sarutobi Hiruzen remained Hokage, Konoha Village would only be able to bow its head and submit to outsiders; this was simply not the status he imagined Konoha should have!

Sarutobi was too weak; the Nidaimei choosing him as Hokage instead of himself was the greatest mistake of his life.

Danzo stood in the corridor, his face so gloomy it seemed as if it could drip water. No one had ever understood how much Danzo regretted that one second of hesitation back then; even now, decades later, when he recalled it, the burning regret and anger in his chest drove him mad. That one second of hesitation had cost Danzo the better part of his life.

Hatred—initially, Danzo hated his own weakness immensely, but decades later, today, he hated Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had snatched away his position as Hokage, even more. He was clearly the successor chosen by the Second Hokage, the man who had defeated him to become the Third Hokage, yet his actions were so weak and incompetent.

If that were the case, wouldn't it mean Danzo was even more incompetent and weak than the Sandaime? That was why he had lost the better part of his life, because he was an incompetent person whom even the Second Hokage could not look upon with favor...

Every time he thought of this, Danzo gnashed his teeth in hatred; he did not hate Sarutobi Hiruzen for taking away his hope of becoming Hokage back then.

But!

Danzo could not forgive that the person who took his position as Hokage was such a ridiculous person! Not only did he take it upon himself to let the caught-red-handed criminals go, but he was actually being turned around and used by them to blackmail Konoha!? It was simply absurd to the extreme, a total disgrace to Konoha!

And now it seemed... only he, Shimura Danzo!

Only he could lead Konoha out of its predicament by becoming Hokage, end the Sandaime's incompetent rule, and purge the personnel related to his faction, just like sweeping away withered branches and fallen leaves, just like pruning rotten limbs to enrich the main body of a great tree... Konoha must undergo a great purge, allowing more capable people to serve as nutrients for Konoha; only then could Konoha be saved.

Firmly believing that he alone was the savior, Danzo decided to take action; even if he could not stop it openly, he had other means.

"Shangjing."

"Present."

A figure emerged from the shadows and knelt respectfully before Danzo.

Danzo was determined not to allow the Sandaime to wantonly sacrifice Konoha's dignity, but he was troubled by the fact that the Sandaime was the legitimate Hokage and the momentum was always on his side, while he himself was merely an insidious person walking in the shadows. Therefore, to reverse this situation, the Sandaime's stepping down became a necessary choice.

And right before him was an opportunity to force the Sandaime to step down; if handled properly, he might even be able to resolve another major threat.

Standing in the pitch-black corridor, Danzo's eyes flashed with a cunning and cold light. At this moment, he seemed to see the edge of the village through the white walls; even across a distance of tens of kilometers, he could feel that disgusting aura!

That was a gathering place for a group of arrogant and conceited sinners who saw themselves as one of the greatest contributors to the founding of the village, eyeing the Hokage's throne for decades as if it were a single day, attempting to lay their hands on a power they could only covet but would never obtain. Just thinking of their arrogant, self-righteous faces made Danzo unable to help but reveal a cold sneer; the only place suitable for them was the three feet of yellow soil beneath their feet and countless broken, despised tombstones.

Danzo knew that the matter had not yet been finalized, so there was still room for recovery, and he was not Sarutobi; he would not be frightened by the Cloud Ninja's threats. He could guess a few things about what the Cloud Ninja delegation wanted to do; if he sat by and did nothing, the Hyuga Clan would likely have to pay a painful price to settle this matter, but if he could burn the fuse toward the Uchiha in this affair—

At that time, the Hyuga Clan, having escaped a disaster, would certainly remember the favor he sold them, and the Uchiha Clan would definitely not admit guilt easily and would inevitably come into direct conflict with the Sandaime. At that point, as long as he arranged some people in the crowd and gave a push from behind in terms of rhetoric, he could create huge public opinion. By then, no matter if it was Uchiha Fugaku or the Sandaime Hokage, it would be difficult for them to put out the fire from behind, not to mention that with him, Danzo, fanning the flames in secret... Heh, he didn't have to worry about this fire not starting; by then, the entire Konoha would be embroiled in the Uchiha's fury.

When the Uchiha, having lost their reason, recklessly vented their fury, every inch of Konoha's land they destroyed, every building, every innocent citizen they killed—all these debts would be counted on the Sandaime's head. And achieving this was not difficult; it was nothing more than spending a little more effort and manpower; the remaining radical Uchiha would walk down that path themselves.

Thinking of this, a cold sneer of a conspiracy succeeded appeared on Danzo's face; although the process would certainly not be this smooth, the general direction would not change.

Danzo looked back at the Hokage office; Sarutobi, don't blame me for being ruthless, because all of this is a consequence caused by you being too weak. If you had listened to me earlier and gotten rid of the Uchiha, this major threat, or if you had been even a little tougher toward the Cloud Ninja this time, I would not have wanted to reach this step. Back then, the Second Hokage chose you to become the Sandaime, and now I will prove that his choice... was the greatest mistake he made in his life.

"Deliver this to the Cloud Ninja outside the building; remember to avoid the eyes and ears of the Anbu."

"Understood!"

The subordinate took the scroll solemnly, and then the figure disappeared into the corridor.

Danzo gazed in the direction his subordinate had left; he knew better than anyone the little schemes in the Cloud Ninja's minds, and even the Sandaime Hokage was well aware of them, but the key did not lie in the other party's actions; rather, the attitudes of the Sandaime and Danzo determined the direction of the situation. The Sandaime chose to retreat and smooth things over in the face of the Cloud Ninja's aggressiveness, while Danzo had originally insisted on holding out to the end, even at the cost of starting a war—but unfortunately, he was suppressed by the Sandaime in league with the Council of Elders.

Harboring hatred in his heart, Danzo was unwilling to bow his head to the Cloud Ninja, but as long as the Sandaime was still pressing down on him from above, he, Danzo, would never be able to let go and act freely.

Therefore, he decided that even if it meant selling out Konoha's interests, he would exchange them for enough bargaining chips, all to topple the Sandaime Hokage who was forever pressing down on him! Thus, he could sell out more interests to gain the support of the Cloud Ninja; anyway, as long as they received tangible benefits, it made no difference to them who they supported, not to mention that they would probably be even happier if they could see Konoha suffer from internal strife.

Thinking of this, Danzo's face suddenly darkened, but the next second it was replaced by a ruthless and decisive expression.

Therefore, the current small betrayal and sacrifice were just insignificant means, because everything he did was for the good of Konoha!

Now, compared to external threats, what was more important was to eradicate the rotten branches and leaves within.

So, don't resent me, Sarutobi.

All of this is your fault!

It was all you who forced me to do this!

In Danzo's gaze flickered the fire of what was called "ambition" and "jealousy."…………