Chapter 184: Danzo's Quest for Power and Achievement

Danzo's words left Hiruzen Sarutobi in deep silence.

It had been a long time since such a powerful figure had appeared in the ninja world, let alone one considered a monster.

The last person who could rival an entire ninja village was none other than Lord Hashirama Senju.

As for Uchiha Madara...

Spit!

The evil Uchiha clan—I've wiped you out with my own hands.

Thinking about the Uchiha clan filled Hiruzen Sarutobi with a surge of anger.

If it weren't for the Uchiha, Konoha wouldn't be so weakened now.

It was all because of the wicked Uchiha. If only I had eradicated that clan sooner.

But now, it was too late, and Sarutobi's expression kept changing.

"Hiruzen, that monster should still be in the village, right?" Danzo asked, looking at Sarutobi.

He wasn't going to stop that guy—after all...

Sarutobi had noticed that Root had grown too powerful lately.

He knew exactly what this old man was thinking.

They knew that getting too close might attract Sarutobi's attention.

The position of Hokage was now almost within reach.

Danzo believed such a thing could never happen; to him, the Jinchuriki was merely a tool.

A few clans were also inappropriately gathering together.

Sarutobi frowned and mentioned the connection between Whitebeard and Naruto Uzumaki.

Given that...

He planned to force Sarutobi to step down, so he could become the Fifth Hokage.

But this old man chickened out at the crucial moment.

A cold glint flashed in Danzo's eyes—he hadn't expected Sarutobi to be so concerned about the Jinchuriki.

"I'll go see what Newgate wants. If he's willing to leave..."

Danzo felt slightly disappointed; he had initially hoped to have Sarutobi confront Newgate.

Once this war is over, the prestige I gain will meet all the requirements.

The bond between the two had made Sarutobi reluctant to tarnish his image in Naruto's eyes.

"If you can't train the Jinchuriki properly, you can hand Naruto over to me."

"When he returns, the kid will be absolutely obedient!"

"Konoha cannot allow such a danger to exist. Since you're unwilling to solve this problem..."

We should weaken him properly.

Unbelievable.

"Hiruzen, you're too timid! Can a mere Jinchuriki really slip out of our control?"

Danzo planned to gather support within Konoha.

"Once we have his answer, we'll make a decision."

Sarutobi took a drag on his pipe, his face showing a hint of helplessness.

"We'll send him to the battlefield to let this kid experience what war truly means."

"Exactly, but..."

Tensions were rising in Konoha.

"Danzo, your thoughts are dangerous! Let's not bring this up again."

"Hmph! You don't need to worry about this. When the time comes, I'll take care of the Jinchuriki."

But since this old man wants to take a beating, I have no objections.

Originally, I intended to let time smooth things over, to minimize contact between them. Then, everything would be fine.

"..."

"Now, the other nations are growing restless. I will make him a suitable Jinchuriki for Konoha."

Tools don't need feelings; they just need to be used at the right time and maintained during downtime.

But some decisions must be made.

That's the way Root works—it's just a tool for Konoha.

Sarutobi glanced at Danzo, whose ambitions were sky-high.

"Konoha is in grave danger now. I don't want to make too many enemies."

Danzo planned to deal with Newgate.

But it seems that plan won't work because time is running out.

"Then, as Konoha's Root, I will solve this problem and give you a satisfactory result."

"Have you made up your minds?"

Sitting at the head, Nara Taisuke looked at the Inuzuka and Aburame clans and asked.

As for the three of them, he was the strategist, so there was no need for much discussion—they had already reached a consensus.

Now it was up to the other Konoha clans. If they didn't want to participate, nothing more would be said.

But Nara Taisuke didn't think that way. After all, none of Konoha's clans were doing well under Sarutobi's leadership.

If no reforms are made, it's doubtful they will survive under Sarutobi.

Nara Taisuke brought good news: Shikaku Nara had provided them with a way out.

But they had to make a choice now!

Caught between two sides...

Especially regarding the Uchiha, Shikaku's words were vague, making it hard for them to decide.

If Shikaku had clarified what the Uchiha could offer, they could make a more informed decision.

Unfortunately, there was little information—just Shikaku's suggestion that things might work out...

It's giving me a headache!

"We, the Inuzuka clan, are in!"

"My younger brother and mother were taken away. I'm just bored staying in Konoha."

"Now that Sarutobi is conscripting most of the ninja, sending them to the front lines as cannon fodder."

"I have no interest in sending my clan to die!"

"In that case, I'd rather join the Uchiha."

Inuzuka Hana stated bluntly.

Sarutobi was now sending most of Konoha's ninja to the battlefield.

The Inuzuka clan was no exception, but this time they were not being used as scouts as usual.

Instead, they were sent to face the enemy head-on, with at least three-fifths of their ninja required to fight.

Even the elderly, women, and children were expected to go to the front lines—this was practically exterminating their entire clan.

Inuzuka Hana had no intention of leading her clan into hell.

Now that the Uchiha had returned, she would rather become a rogue ninja.

She had no interest in playing along in Konoha's death trap.

Konoha treats ninjas as disposable.

Sarutobi hadn't even noticed the lives of these ninja, as if they didn't matter at all.

Cough, cough. "Alright! Prepare to gather your clan members. As for the time to go to the battlefield, delay it as long as possible."

"As for the members already on the battlefield... Chief Inuzuka, do you plan to call them back?"

Nara Taisuke asked, looking at Inuzuka Hana.

"Those guys... I'll recall some of them to avoid attracting Konoha's attention."

Inuzuka Hana showed a bit of helplessness; sacrifices had to be made in times like these.

There's no other way. If I recall everyone, Sarutobi will be at my door the next day, asking questions.

Inuzuka Hana planned to carefully select who to bring back after returning.

---

"Or maybe we should consult the elders of the clan.

Let's see what kind of good advice they can offer.

'I suggest you replace those clan members with the older ninjas from the clan. That way, Konoha won’t notice anything.'

'This way, the sacrifices of the new generation won’t be too great. I know this is cruel, but sometimes we have to be ruthless.'

Nara Daikawa looked at Inuzuka Hana and said.

This was exactly what he intended to do—replacing the younger ninjas with the older ones was the best option.

It would preserve the Nara clan’s fighting strength and prevent Konoha from noticing any flaws.

'...'

Inuzuka Hana frowned, feeling like the humanity in this man before her was fading away.

She never expected such cold words from him.

But she knew that Nara Daikawa was doing it for her own good.

Inuzuka Hana had no grounds to criticize.

'Aburame Clan Leader, have you made up your mind?'

Nara Daikawa turned to the Aburame clan leader and asked.

Right now, the Aburame clan was already half-crippled in Konoha.

Their ninja clan was never large, and now their high-ranking fighters had been taken by Raijin.

Even their future was taken—two of their best young members were gone.

At this point, they were almost on the verge of becoming a minor clan in Konoha.

If they got involved in this war, there might not be more than ten capable members left.

The Aburame clan could very well face destruction in Konoha.

'I agree. I have already received a bug from Lord Shibi. He has instructed me to lead the entire clan to join Uchiha.'

'Our entire clan will move out together, and the people on the battlefield will leave quietly.'

'Just give us a location, and that will be enough!'

The Aburame clan leader spoke calmly.

Although Aburame Shibi did not show up in person, a single bug had conveyed a lot of information.

Since Shibi saw no problem with it, the clan leader had no intention of overthinking it.

After all, Shibi was the former clan leader and would never harm his own clan.

'Then go ahead and prepare. I’ll go back and contact Lord Shikaku.'

'Once we agree on a time and place, I’ll pass the message to you.'

Nara Daikawa sighed in relief, feeling the weight lift off his shoulders.

These two clan leaders were the easiest to convince. The hardest part was still ahead.

Next, Nara Daikawa had to persuade the Hyuga clan!

He originally thought it would be easy to convince the Hyuga clan.

After all, with the presence of the Caged Bird, there was a lot of resentment brewing in that clan.

Just a few words could make the Hyuga clan leave Konoha with them.

But he was wrong—the Hyuga clan was conservative, and many in the branch family were already hopeless.

Only the younger generation seemed to have some motivation, showing their discontent with the branch family openly.

But if he approached them one by one, Nara Daikawa felt that he would be exposed.

Konoha’s intelligence network wasn’t a joke. Frequent contact with the Hyuga clan would definitely put him on Sarutobi Hiruzen’s watch list.

After sending off the two clan leaders, Nara Daikawa was unwilling to give up and walked towards a side door.

Two ninjas were waiting there, their eyes pure white.

Those eyes seemed to see right through his soul.

'Have you two made up your minds? If you don’t want to join us, I won’t force you.'

'I understand the situation with the Hyuga clan. Nothing will happen to you if you stay in Konoha.'

Nara Daikawa spoke to the two branch family ninjas before him.

The elderly ninja’s face showed a flicker of emotion.

He knew this was the branch family’s only chance to rise.

If they could seize this opportunity, they could finally break free from the Caged Bird.

But...

'Let him leave with you. We old folks have been imprisoned by the Caged Bird our entire lives. Even if we break free now, it’s too late to make a difference.'

'But there are still many young children in the Hyuga clan, currently imprisoned by the Caged Bird. I hope you can give them a key.'

'Just let us leave Konoha, and give the Hyuga clan a new place to call home.'

The elder looked at Nara Daikawa and bowed deeply, his forehead touching the floor as he spoke earnestly.

For these old men, escaping the Caged Bird no longer mattered.

But these children couldn’t walk the same path as them.

'Elder!'

The young man beside him, full of emotion, didn’t understand why they couldn’t all leave together.

He wanted to say something, but the elder stopped him.

Among Konoha’s clans, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, as well as the Inuzuka and Aburame clans, were all planning to leave.

Even if they stayed in Konoha, they would only be used as cannon fodder.

If they didn’t allow the branch family to leave now, there would be no more chances.

When the time comes...

Let Sarutobi Hiruzen take his anger out on these old men. That would be enough.

Their lives and deaths didn’t matter anymore. After living this long, they were tired of it.

Under the main family’s rule, even dying was a luxury.

If they died, their sons and relatives would only replace them.

The existence of the Hyuga clan’s branch family was a mistake!

And now, he planned to correct it.

'Sigh... So how many of your clan members do you plan to take?'

Nara Daikawa sighed. He understood the situation with the Hyuga branch family.

These old members of the Hyuga clan’s branch family were likely planning to replace the young ones on the battlefield.

But the Hyuga clan was a large family, with many members!

If they took too many people, he would have to consult with Lord Shikaku.

'Around seven hundred people.'

The elder replied.

The seven hundred were mostly young people and children.

'...I’ll consult with Lord Shikaku and give you an answer soon.'

Nara Daikawa said slowly.

‘Zzz...’

At that moment, a flash of lightning appeared, and a figure instantly appeared before the three of them.

Nara Daikawa immediately grabbed his weapon and struck at the figure.

The two Hyuga clan ninjas also activated their Byakugan, ready to attack the ninja.

'No need to inform Nara Shikaku. We can take all of these Hyuga clan members with us.'

'When the time comes, we’ll have people specifically assigned to escort you. You can increase the number to one thousand.'

'But make sure you follow orders. If there’s any disobedience, we won’t show mercy.'

The figure deflected the attack, a slight ripple passing over its body.

But soon, a bolt of electricity wrapped around the wound, and it healed.

This shocked Nara Daikawa—what kind of ninjutsu was this?

He had never heard of such a technique. It looked like a clone.

When Nara Daikawa finally saw the figure clearly, he was stunned.

'Kakashi?'

Nara Daikawa was dumbfounded. He never expected Kakashi to return to Konoha.

And it sounded like Kakashi had already joined the Uchiha clan.

He could even make decisions for Lord Shikaku. What was this guy’s position now?

'Yo.'

Kakashi raised his copy of Icha Icha Paradise and greeted them with a crescent-eyed smile.

He was also familiar with the people before him. Kakashi had seen them on the battlefield before.

'You...'

Nara Daikawa didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Kakashi’s sudden appearance here seemed a bit baffling.

And Kakashi had once been taken by the Uchiha clan.

He didn’t know what to say.

'I’m really sorry for interrupting your meeting, but Nara Shikaku has gone back. I’m here to relay Konoha’s situation.'

'Lord Daikawa, I hope you’ll agree to let your clansmen on the battlefield be taken as well, along with the Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and other clans.'

Kakashi said to Nara Daikawa.

'But if there’s a large-scale operation, what if Konoha becomes suspicious?'

Nara Daikawa frowned, not sure what Kakashi’s plan was.

He wanted to take them all too, but he didn’t have the ability, you know?

'Leave that to us. We’ll take all your clan members.'

'When you’re ready, just tear this scroll!'

Kakashi tossed a scroll to Nara Daikawa.

With the Flying Thunder God Technique and Raijin’s Kamui Dimension...

This number of people was nothing!

But Raijin didn’t want the Hyuga clan to expand too much.

So the number was limited to one thousand.

Too many people would be difficult to manage, and Kakashi understood that very well."