Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san

Hiruzen didn't listen to the advice, prompting Danzo to storm out angrily, slamming the door behind him. One of his subordinates quietly followed after noticing the situation. After walking a short distance where no one was around, the subordinate whispered, "Sir, how would you like the arrangements to be made?"

Danzo replied, "That man is too lenient; he didn't agree with my opinion."

This subordinate was one of Danzo's closest aides, fully aware of his thoughts from the start.

The subordinate responded in agreement, "In my opinion, it is you, Lord Danzo, who should truly be the Third Hokage."

Danzo rebuked him, "Don't speak of things that harm the village's unity, or I will punish you."

Despite his words, there was no sharpness in his tone, implicitly showing his agreement with the sentiment.

The subordinate humbly nodded, then after a moment, sighed, "The higher a tree reaches for the sun, the deeper its roots must grow into the darkness. I wish the Third Hokage would understand this principle."

Danzo paused upon hearing this, closing his eyes slightly, lost in deep thought.

The subordinate's cunning eyes observed Danzo, who was immersed in contemplation.

That night, under the moonlight…

In one of the rooms, several servants were sleeping deeply. Suddenly, they were jolted awake by a loud explosion, and when they opened their eyes, they found a man standing by the door, his head wrapped in bandages, with one sharp eye visible, and his face filled with cruelty—it was Danzo.

The situation was terrifying, and the servants showed fear as they screamed in panic, "It's you!"

Danzo said nothing, merely gesturing with his hand as if giving an order. In a few moments, several shadows rushed into the room behind him, wielding short swords, swiftly slaughtering the servants as if they were cutting vegetables. The screams didn't last long before silence fell.

Moonlight illuminated the window, reflecting off masked individuals wearing animal masks and holding cold swords—they were all members of the ANBU, the village's elite task force for covert operations.

After killing the servants, they ensured they were truly dead. Danzo watched everything with cold detachment.

Once the mission was complete, one of the ANBU members reported the results to Danzo.

Danzo didn't say a word, simply nodding slightly in satisfaction. After that, he picked up the head of one of the servants and leaped out the window, disappearing into the darkness.

At the Hokage's office, the lights were still on.

Due to the urgent situation, Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't slept yet, pacing anxiously as if walking on hot coals.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the door. Hiruzen stopped in his tracks and looked towards the sound, only to see something the size of a football being thrown into the room, rolling inside. Its eyes were wide open, filled with terror.

Before Hiruzen could utter a word, Danzo coldly said from the doorway, "I've killed them all."

Danzo's unjustified actions deeply angered Hiruzen, who shouted, "Danzo, do you know what you've done?"

Danzo indifferently replied, "I did it for Konoha."

Hiruzen shouted, "Danzo, you've made a mistake! Doing this will leave the village in constant conflict with the Daimyo, and it will never be resolved."

Danzo responded, "It doesn't matter, I'll handle it."

"???"

"I've already thought about it. I'll kill everyone and pin the blame on another nation. And don't worry about choosing the nation—I've already decided. This way, we can divert problems away from Konoha while also strengthening the village through plunder. In the end, there will be a logical explanation for everyone. It's a win-win situation."

"Does that mean…?"

"Yes, to prevent hesitation, I've already sent someone to kill that fool. He should be dead by now. He no longer needs to search for food in the restroom. In a way, he should thank me. Haha…"

"Danzo, you should have consulted me before taking any action."

"You're too hesitant. The village is suffering from internal and external problems. We need to make decisive decisions to solve the root issues. As they say, when a person hesitates to make a decision, they face chaos, and if they don't resolve matters, the consequences will continue to haunt them."

"But even if you did that, aren't you afraid that the village's spies will inform the Daimyo Kōda Jin?"

Upon hearing this, Danzo smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, I've already considered this step. I'll destroy that nation with a blinding speed, unseen by the naked eye. Once Daimyo Kōda Jin witnesses Konoha's power, he'll be forced to rethink. He'll have to choose between his son and the safety of the Land of Fire. Without our protection, the borders of the Land of Fire will be like an open breach. At that point, he may no longer be able to maintain his position. In other words, it's a form of intimidation through power."

"Danzo… you…"

"Hiruzen, do you know? The higher the tree grows, the deeper its roots need to be in the darkness. Now, Konoha is that tree. And if we want this tree to grow large and strong, its roots must be buried in the dark."

Hiruzen raised his eyebrows tensely and asked, "What exactly do you intend to do?"

"I've decided to establish a new organization, one that will serve as Konoha's root. This organization will go deeper than the ANBU and will be responsible for carrying out the tasks that the village cannot handle directly."

Hiruzen shouted, "Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

Danzo coldly replied, "I'm not asking for your opinion, I'm merely informing you."

He then turned and left without looking back, his fists clenched and his eyes like those of an eagle, unstoppable.

"Lord Tobirama, I will prove it to you! I, Danzo Shimura, am more worthy than the hesitant Hiruzen to become the true Hokage."

"And to achieve this, I will sacrifice everything. I will bear the burden of Konoha's darkness and become its hidden root buried deep in the dark earth."

As Hiruzen watched Danzo leave, he sighed bitterly and smiled wryly, saying, "At the very least, you should have taken the head with you…"

Shortly after Danzo's departure, another man entered the room. If one looked closely at his face, they would see that he was one of Danzo's close aides.

The man knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

Hiruzen wasn't surprised by his appearance and calmly said, "You've worked hard…"

Hiruzen's plan was to appear weak, stirring Danzo's desire for control, causing him to willingly bear the village's burden of darkness. Everything had been under Hiruzen's control.

Of course, he couldn't immediately agree, to avoid suspicion. That's why he had pretended to resist.

Once Danzo acted and established the Root organization, Hiruzen would be forced to compromise in the face of reality.

Danzo's servant gave a compliant reply but didn't leave immediately, as if waiting for something.

Hiruzen smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, your reward won't be forgotten."

Danzo's servant was overjoyed but tried to restrain his excitement, humbly saying, "All of this is for the village, it's nothing."

"No, I can't allow that. You may be ready to sacrifice, but as Hokage, I must think of your future."

His words were carefully crafted, making the servant feel proud, and he enthusiastically declared that he was ready to risk everything for the village.

Hiruzen smiled in satisfaction, giving a slight nod.

The servant understood the signal immediately, saying, "Of course."

"After a long day's work, it's time to head home and spend some time with your wife. I'll leave things here to you."

Hiruzen stretched and prepared to leave, leaving the servant to clean up the office from the head and blood.

Hiruzen stepped out of the Hokage's building shortly after, gazing up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky, speaking softly:

"Danzo, don't blame me. This is all for the village…"

A few days later, in the village…

At a barbecue restaurant.

Kuzan, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade sat around a square table, with a round grill in the middle for placing meats and vegetables.

As they ate and drank, they began chatting.

Jiraiya curiously asked, "Oh right, where's that annoying guy we haven't seen lately? Did he go back to his land?"

Tsunade glanced around and quietly said, "Well, he ran into a little problem…"

"A little problem?"

"Uh-huh, it seems he's turned into a fool all of a sudden."

When Tōshirō, who was engrossed in eating, heard this, a certain possibility came to mind. He suddenly stopped eating, and a piece of grilled meat fell from his mouth onto the table.

(End of Chapter)

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