This Danzo Is Weird!

Chapter 97: 97. Yahiko – Warm and Cozy



The war with Kirigakure and Sunagakure had finally ended.

When Danzo announced the end of the war with Sunagakure, all the ninjas let out a sigh of relief.

They had won a great victory, and now that the war was over, the next step was to return to the village and settle military merits.

This was the true motivation behind most people's bravery on the battlefield.

After all, the "Will of Fire" without material support was nothing but an illusion.

Even if it could burn brightly for a moment, it would not last long.

Only when spiritual ideals and material rewards advanced together could a positive cycle be formed, making an army stronger and stronger.

Therefore, Danzo was the first to report the results of the negotiations to the village and requested immediate rewards for the ninjas who had contributed to the war.

This move instantly won him great favor among the front-line soldiers. For a time, the entire front-line camp in the Land of Rain was filled with praises for Lord Danzo.

Not only here—Danzo's wisdom and fearless leadership had even reached the other battlefronts.

This led many to sigh—

Danzo, despite his ruthless reputation, was indeed a highly competent commander and general!

Some ninjas even privately expressed their desire to follow Danzo into battle.

Hearing these praises, Danzo remained calm and said indifferently:

"Looks like some people in the village are going to have trouble sleeping again."

He didn't name anyone, but standing beside him, both Shisui and Minato—who had just returned from a mission—immediately thought of the same person.

Minato could only respond with a helpless smile.

With his personality, no matter how dissatisfied he was with Hiruzen Sarutobi's decisions, as long as Hiruzen remained Hokage, Minato would never show any disrespect—whether in public or in private.

Danzo understood this very well.

Of course, he also understood the mindset of the village's high-ranking officials.

Sure enough, not long after his remark, Konoha's envoys arrived at the front lines, bringing an order from the Hokage himself, sent from thousands of miles away.

First, the Hokage expressed his appreciation for Danzo and the front-line warriors, fully acknowledging their embodiment of the "Will of Fire" and commending their heroic efforts and significant achievements.

Second, considering that Elder Danzo was getting older and had been leading troops in battle for an extended period, he was asked to hand over command to Jonin Minato and then quickly return to Konoha with part of the troops for rest and rewards.

In short, there were two key points:

1. "You did a great job. Come back for your rewards."

2. "Danzo, especially you—hurry back to Konoha."

Danzo didn't even need to finish reading the letter to understand the intentions of his "old friends."

It was simply because his outstanding performance in these three battles had made them uneasy. They feared that his rapidly rising prestige would give him ideas he shouldn't have.

After all, Danzo was already the second most powerful figure in Konoha, second only to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Some even saw him as an equal.

He had reached the peak—there was no higher position to attain.

How to properly handle Danzo was undoubtedly a major headache for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As Hokage, Hiruzen needed a notorious figure, a "black glove" to handle the dirty and difficult tasks—not a celebrated war hero whose power might threaten his own.

Hiruzen could share the authority of the Hokage, but he would never share the position itself!

Danzo understood this perfectly.

He could already foresee that upon his return to the village, Hiruzen would do everything in his power to prevent him from continuing to lead troops in battle, fearing that his influence would only continue to grow...

Thus, his return to Konoha would inevitably involve political maneuvering and power struggles.

But Danzo was prepared for this.

However, before returning to Konoha, he had one last thing to do.

After quickly scanning the Hokage's order, Danzo handed it over to Minato with a firm pat.

"You are now the commander. Take charge of organizing the return of these ninjas and prisoners to Konoha as soon as possible."

Danzo gave Minato an encouraging look.

"I'll leave everything to you."

After reading the Hokage's decree, Minato's face was full of resignation.

Although the fighting was over, managing such a large force and handling the prisoners was still an enormous workload.

Not to mention, overseeing so many captives was a physically and mentally exhausting task.

"Lord Danzo, where are you planning to go?"

Hearing Minato's resentful tone, Danzo remained expressionless.

"Those who are capable must take on more work. As for me, I must return to Konoha as soon as possible."

"Otherwise, our dear Hokage might start worrying."

With that, he disappeared from the camp along with his assistant, Aburame Ryoma, leaving only Uchiha Shisui and Namikaze Minato staring at each other.

As for why he left Shisui behind, it was mainly because Danzo wanted him to stay by Minato's side and learn how to handle front-line affairs.

Watching Danzo disappear into the distance, Minato sighed helplessly.

Return to Konoha?

If Lord Danzo were the type to obediently follow the Hokage's orders and return, he wouldn't be Danzo.

As it turned out, Minato's guess was correct.

After leaving the Konoha camp, Danzo did not head straight back to Konoha. Instead, he arrived at a town deep within the Land of Rain.

This town was the headquarters of the original Akatsuki organization.

Due to Danzo's intervention, the Akatsuki, led by Yahiko, had not collapsed despite Hanzo's betrayal.

However, the ordeal had still taken a toll on Yahiko, Nagato, and the rest of the Akatsuki, causing this once-idealistic group of young warriors to fall into a state of disillusionment.

They were lost.

They had sacrificed everything—their efforts, their love—yet why did the world still refuse to understand them?

For some time, Yahiko had been struggling with this question.

As for Konan?

She didn't care about such things. As long as it was something Yahiko and Nagato wanted to do, she would support them without hesitation.

Thus, when Danzo arrived, he was met with a very different Yahiko.

Gone was the cheerful, high-spirited optimist.

Now, Yahiko sat in a wheelchair, his hair messy and unkempt, looking utterly defeated.

Konan, who had brought Danzo here, had worry written all over her face.

Yahiko had not left his room since losing the use of his legs.

"It's been a while, Yahiko."

Danzo's hoarse voice broke the silence.

Hearing that voice, Yahiko finally lifted his head.

Beneath his unkempt hair, his eyes showed a rare glimmer of emotion.

"Lord Danzo?"

There was a hint of surprise in Yahiko's tone.

Despite everything, he remained deeply grateful to Danzo, his savior.

Without Danzo's intervention, Konan would likely have perished.

But as Danzo's gaze fell upon his legs, Yahiko's expression quickly darkened again.

"I'm sorry, Lord Danzo. I'm useless now. I can no longer repay your kindness..."

His voice was filled with despair.

"Yahiko, what do you think is the most important thing for a person?"

Danzo walked up to him and suddenly asked.

"The most important thing? Of course, it's a healthy body. Only with a healthy body can one achieve their ideals."

Even in his dejected state, Yahiko still maintained basic respect for his benefactor.

Hearing this, Danzo shook his head slightly and began pushing Yahiko's wheelchair toward the outside.

Konan instinctively wanted to stop him, but Danzo signaled her to stay back with a glance.

As he pushed Yahiko forward, he spoke:

"I don't believe that."

"A person's value doesn't lie in their body, but in their will."

"If one's will is strong enough, even without hands or legs, their spirit will still burn like a blazing fire, guiding others forward."

"On the other hand, if someone lacks a strong will, even the most powerful body is nothing more than an empty shell—one that will eventually wither under the passage of time. But spirit and will never fade."

Danzo's words hung in the air, and for the first time in a long while, Yahiko left his room.

Before him lay the people who had survived thanks to Akatsuki's protection.

They were cultivating farmland, striving to carve out a meager existence in this war-torn world.

Children ran barefoot through the fields, blades of grass in their mouths, searching for insects.

No matter what they were doing, whenever they saw Yahiko, they would pause and smile at him with genuine warmth.

A rare ray of sunlight broke through the clouds of the Land of Rain, falling upon Yahiko's body.

It was warm.

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