*Chapter 224: Danzo Becomes Hokage*

Jin slowly drew his weapon, already prepared!

Whitebeard’s current attitude was somewhat intriguing, as if he was ready to start a fight at any moment.

The man was like a volcano on the verge of erupting—just a slight touch would set him off.

Kaido had originally planned to exchange a few heated words with Whitebeard. After all, he had never been afraid of anyone.

And with his physical strength, there was hardly anyone who could intimidate him.

Even in a fight, Kaido didn’t believe he would lose.

But Kakashi pulled Kaido back at that moment, preventing him from making a rash move.

Finally, after glaring at Kaido for a while, Whitebeard slowly turned and left the room.

Kaido’s anger surged inside him, and he wanted to go after the guy and cause trouble.

“Why are you holding me back? You think I can’t handle that guy?”

“He’s clearly here to pick a fight with me!”

“If I don’t teach him a lesson, he won’t respect me!”

Kaido looked at Kakashi, confused as to why he was being held back.

Didn’t Kakashi know what kind of temper Kaido had?

“Now’s not the time to provoke Whitebeard! Marco is dead, and Whitebeard is looking for someone to unleash his fury on.”

“If he beats you up, you wouldn’t even have a chance to explain, and it would just make him feel better.”

“You’d get a beating for no reason, and even if we wanted to step in, we wouldn’t have a chance!”

Kakashi’s words were filled with meaning.

Whitebeard was probably itching for a fight right now.

The anger in his heart hadn’t disappeared since leaving Konoha. In fact, it had only grown stronger.

Raijin had already warned him!

And to strengthen his relationship with Kaido, Kakashi decided to lend him a hand.

“Wulala, it’s understandable for the old guy to be angry right now.”

“He’s probably gone to find some unlucky soul to take it out on. You’re right.”

“No need to provoke him at this moment.”

Kaido chuckled, threw his arm around Kakashi’s shoulders, and immediately called for food and drinks, indulging themselves.

Before long, a commotion erupted outside!

Kaido used his Haki to sense the situation and smiled.

That guy had gone to fight Charlotte Linlin.

Now, he was in the middle of a battle with her.

Only a woman like that would fall for it so easily.

Kaido, having avoided a beating, felt much better.

Sitting at the table, he kept calling Kakashi over to drink.

“So, are you planning to head back to the seas now? I’ve been here long enough and am starting to get bored. I wonder how my boys are doing.”

“It’s been a while since I returned. I wonder if the Navy has any schemes in the works.”

Kaido, slightly tipsy and wobbling, asked Kakashi.

They had been there for over a month, and while Kaido never lacked food and drink, the average strength of the people there was too weak. It left him feeling like a giant among ants.

He wanted to return and have a one-on-one fight with Whitebeard!

“It’s confirmed. Raijin plans to set sail in the next couple of days!”

“The Navy Admiral and Fleet Admiral are here, so I doubt they’ll try anything.”

“Don’t worry, big bro Kaido. But once we’re back, you’ll have to act quickly.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Kaido, hinting at something.

Kaido immediately understood. Wasn’t this guy being obvious enough?

Kaido had already made up his mind. He wanted to strengthen his relationship with Dressrosa.

According to the timeline, Yamato should have already married Rono.

But the time here had delayed things a bit.

Not that it mattered!

“What’s this about the Jinchūriki? Tell me more about it.”

Kaido’s eyes flashed with interest. He was very curious about the topic of Jinchūriki.

The next day, everyone gathered in the forest at Raijin’s command.

Their purpose there was fulfilled, and it was time to leave.

Staying any longer would bring no benefits. Raijin had already emptied out the Shinobi world.

All that was left were scraps for the remaining people to fight over.

Raijin’s attention was still focused on the seas.

Kaido noticed Whitebeard carrying a coffin, accompanied by a blonde kid.

Kaido raised an eyebrow, having understood the strength of the Tailed Beasts from the previous night.

He hadn’t expected Whitebeard to reap the most benefits from being here.

Charlotte Linlin, on the other hand, looked disheveled, with bloodshot eyes full of malice.

The aura she emitted kept others from getting too close.

After all, she was in no mood to talk.

Behind Red-Haired Shanks were two people, one of whom was Mifune from the Land of Iron.

Ever since following Shanks, Mifune had become obsessed with Shanks' swordsmanship.

Although he knew he was getting old, he still wanted to keep going.

At the very least, he wanted to see the limits of his own swordsmanship.

Most of the others had gathered.

Raijin raised an eyebrow, realizing that everyone knew what was next.

Without wasting time, he opened the Kamui dimension and let them all in.

Raijin took one last look at the Shinobi world, a meaningful smile on his face.

Next time!

Next time he would return with the Rinnegan.

By then, he would rule both worlds.

Oh, and the system said he still had one more chance to travel between worlds.

He’d figure that out when he got back.

The ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village had attacked and pillaged Konoha for just one day.

But in that single day, Konoha suffered significant losses, and its reputation plummeted in the Shinobi world.

While the Hidden Cloud didn’t have the power to completely defeat Konoha, they managed to take a large chunk out of it.

What no one expected, though, was that the Hidden Cloud withdrew the very next day.

They retreated from Konoha’s territory, returning to their pre-war state.

This left the entire Shinobi world in shock. Had the Raikage from the Hidden Cloud lost his mind?

But after a few days!

*Shimura Danzo Becomes the Fifth Hokage of Konoha*

Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village established diplomatic relations, agreeing to share 40% of their missions with the Hidden Cloud, among other irrational terms.

No one could have predicted that Konoha would be so willing to bleed itself dry, practically throwing everything, even their home, at the Hidden Cloud Village. This attitude was truly baffling.

However, Danzo was all smiles now!

"At last, it's the old man's time!"

Danzo had recovered from his injuries. Although he had lost a hand, Konoha’s medical advancements were sufficient. With a prosthetic in place, it was difficult for others to notice anything wrong.

Standing by the window of the Hokage's office, Danzo gazed into the distance through the glass.

Even though Konoha was in shambles after the Hidden Cloud’s invasion, that battle had cleared out almost all of Konoha’s hidden threats.

Danzo's rise to power had been easy—without any resistance.

With a large portion of the village’s leadership dead, he quickly took control of Konoha's defenses.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado…

Both of them had died on the battlefield.

Danzo felt no sorrow, nor did he bother with sentiments of friendship. He swiftly moved to confiscate the property of both clans.

Over the years, these two families had benefitted enormously by following the Sarutobi clan. When Danzo raided their homes, he discovered that they were wealthier than the Uchiha and Senju clans at their peak.

Just a minor raid had instantly reversed Konoha’s financial situation. The village wouldn’t lack money for at least the next two years.

“Hiruzen, what do you think of the Sarutobi clan now?” Danzo asked, turning to the elderly man sitting in a wheelchair beside him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent.

Danzo’s rise to Hokage had been achieved by trading the village’s interests.

He had handed over nearly half of Konoha’s resources to the Hidden Cloud Village, which had readily accepted.

But now that Danzo was Hokage, the real problem began.

The Hidden Cloud’s shinobi were unaware of Konoha’s true condition. They didn’t know the extent of its resources.

But as a high-ranking official of Konoha, Danzo was fully aware of the village’s remaining reserves. He knew Konoha’s current state inside and out.

And now, he was planning to start cutting into Konoha from the inside.

“Heh heh heh, the Sarutobi clan has been leeching off Konoha for years. Now, it's time for them to pay it back.”

“Eighty percent of the Sarutobi clan’s wealth will be confiscated, and all adult shinobi will be sent to guard the borders and protect against foreign nations.”

“If they have any issues, they can come and talk to me.”

Danzo’s eyes flashed with cold ruthlessness as he slammed his hand on the desk, issuing the order.

And it wasn’t just the Sarutobi clan—next was the Hyuga clan and others!

Once these clans were dealt with, there would be no more powerful families in Konoha.

Then, Danzo could reshape the village however he wanted.

“Danzo, leave the Sarutobi clan and the Uchiha clan…” Hiruzen finally spoke up, his voice weak.

After his battle with the Raikage, Hiruzen had been completely crippled.

Without massive resources to aid his recovery, he would spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair.

But!

Konoha was no longer a place where Sarutobi Hiruzen had a say.

Even if he wanted to heal his body and take back control of the village, Danzo had to allow it first.

“The Uchiha clan is a thing of the past! They’re nothing more than rats hiding in the sewers, only capable of scurrying and hiding!”

“They have no chance of returning. You should forget about the Uchiha clan.”

“Besides, I already have dirt on the Uchiha. I’ll find them sooner or later!”

“The Sarutobi clan is a much bigger problem now.”

Danzo sneered.

He found Sarutobi Hiruzen's concerns laughable.

To think that Hiruzen still viewed the Uchiha as a threat.

Didn’t he realize that despite Konoha being in its current state, the Uchiha still hadn’t appeared?

What did that show?

The Uchiha no longer had any strength left.

Now was the perfect time for Danzo to reshape Konoha to his liking.