"What?!" Danzō looked utterly incredulous.
In this Great Ninja War, the loudest name by far was Hanzo's.
Every time Hanzo made a move, it was either slaughtering thousands, clashing with Kage-level opponents, or smashing an enemy stronghold. In terms of achievements—if Hanzo claimed second place, who would dare claim first?
And now… Hanzo admired his achievements?!
"These are Lord Hanzo's exact words," the Ame envoy said.
"Only because I personally led troops into battle did I truly understand Iwagakure's strength. If I didn't possess large-scale jutsu capable of clearing the field, I could never have defeated them."
"Even with overwhelming power, Iwa's 'sea of men' tactics are still enough to make you despair. Under those conditions, the fact that Shimura Danzō led fewer than three thousand troops deep into the Land of Earth proves he has both formidable strength and an exceptionally sharp mind."
"For victory on the battlefield, he fought on the front lines himself. For the lives of those beside him, he placed himself in front of a Tailed Beast Ball."
"And Konoha's first victory of this war was achieved under his command—proof that he has strong leadership potential and presence."
"A figure like that… is someone I must befriend."
...
The Third Hokage frowned, lowered his pipe, and coughed lightly.
"Ahem. Ame's envoy—Danzō's merits may be outstanding, but he moved troops without authorization. Merit and fault cancel each other out. Those achievements are… invalid."
Danzō—who had just been floating on praise—was stabbed cleanly in the back by his old friend.
"Ah… what a pity," the envoy said with a regretful expression. "But it doesn't change the impression Lord Danzō has left in Lord Hanzo's eyes. After all, achievements and contributions don't lie."
"And it won't affect your image among Konoha's ninja either."
"Lord Hanzo also said…"
"If nothing unexpected happens… you are likely a candidate for the Fourth Hokage."
At that, the Third Hokage, Danzō, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane all visibly perked up.
"Really?!" Danzō's hoarse voice leaked a thread of excitement.
"Of course. In this war, on Konoha's side, no one has a more outstanding record than yours."
"And even if someone does, it doesn't stop you from becoming a Hokage candidate."
"As long as you're still a candidate, there's hope. The outcome isn't decided yet—anyone could be the dark horse. Lord Danzō… are you going to give up?"
Besides Danzō, the Third Hokage and the other two elders all narrowed their eyes.
This was their shared conclusion: Danzō must not become Hokage.
"I've talked a bit too much. Lord Hokage, you've read the notice too, yes? Our Land of Rain territory has expanded—if you intend to send troops against the Land of Earth, please take care."
The Third Hokage said, "No problem. We will not encroach upon a single inch of Land of Rain. We are willing to maintain friendly relations."
"Then my mission is complete," the Ame envoy said.
"Lord Hokage, I must report back to Lord Hanzo. I'll take my leave."
"Mhm." The Third Hokage nodded, signaling that he could go.
The envoy bowed and left the Hokage Building.
The Third Hokage closed his eyes for a moment, turned to look at Danzō—then seemed to remember something and turned back instead.
Homura said, "Danzō—your Root had some message earlier. They've been waiting below the Hokage Building."
"In the Great Ninja War, for the village's stability, Root is important."
"And the clan council meeting is about to begin. Go prepare."
"I understand." Danzō opened the door and walked out. In his excitement, he didn't notice anything strange.
Right now, there was only one thought in his head—
Hokage.
Ame was right. Even if it was overstepping authority, it didn't affect his image in the eyes of the ninja.
Hiruzen had already said that after this war, a new Hokage would be chosen. If he erased anyone whose achievements surpassed his… wouldn't he become Hokage?
"Hatake Sakumo…"
"Hiruzen—aside from a few symbolic lines, the Ame envoy didn't acknowledge you at all," Homura said.
"I can understand," Hiruzen said. "I lost one-on-one against Hanzo of the Salamander."
"And he held back."
"With current intelligence, we can even infer Hanzo of the Salamander's temperament."
"On the battlefield, he has the spirit and pride of a samurai. When facing those with powerful will, he tends to show mercy and spare them."
"Mifune of the Land of Iron… and Orochimaru's group… including myself."
"If Mifune hadn't chosen to stand alone as rearguard, Hanzo would have slaughtered that Iron Country squad."
"If Orochimaru and the others hadn't shown the resolve to die together, he would have killed them."
"And if I hadn't wagered my life to secure the others' retreat from the negotiation site… he wouldn't have spared me."
The Third Hokage removed his pipe and exhaled a stream of white smoke.
"In his eyes, the defeated are no longer worth being opponents. And my actions made him lose trust in negotiating with me."
"And I also said I would step down as Hokage…"
"So he's treating Danzō as the Fourth Hokage and choosing to befriend him," Koharu said.
"But he's not wrong. With Danzō's achievements this time, even if they were unauthorized, it won't affect his image among the ninja."
"And this was Konoha's first major victory. We have no reason to suppress his prestige—if we did, we'd only provoke public outrage."
"It's a pity Hanzo remembers only his achievements, and forgets his current strength… and just now, Danzō seemed to forget that too."
"Hiruzen—about the Hokage position, you must think carefully. Konoha still doesn't have a suitable successor."
"Even if their war merits are brilliant, they have no experience governing a village. One misstep… and the consequences would be unimaginable."
"The village still needs you. Only you can make the correct choice…"
...
"I know." Hiruzen pressed the brim of his hat down. "I won't let Konoha be destroyed in my hands."
'Danzō… don't let yourself grow ideas you shouldn't.'
'I don't want to raise my hand against you.'
"The meeting is about to begin, Hiruzen. Let's go!"
Not long after, in the conference room, the clan heads and Konoha's senior leadership gathered.
"Before the meeting begins, there's one thing that has just happened in the shinobi world: Amegakure has withdrawn from the Great Ninja War and become an absolutely neutral nation."
!!!!
As expected, shock rippled across the room.
The Third Hokage brought out a map and hung it behind him again.
"This is the new map. Rain Country's territory has expanded significantly—don't get it wrong."
"Keep your clans in check. Do not recklessly enter Land of Rain territory."
"Now, the meeting officially begins."
Hiruzen said, "First item: Hatake Sakumo, formerly commander of Konoha's Hot Water front. After repelling the Kumo, he achieved repeated merits on the Kiri front and has currently eliminated two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"With such achievements and talent, I intend to appoint him as the ANBU Commander, and list him as a Hokage candidate."
"Any objections?"
Most of the room shook their heads in approval. His strength and intelligence met the standard.
Only Danzō's face sank.
"Then: recall Hatake Sakumo from the Kiri front and have him take over ANBU duties."
"He's already on Kiri's kill list and may face targeted traps. We cannot allow such a talent to fall."
At that, the head of the Yamanaka clan seemed about to speak—only to have his shoulder pressed down by the newly appointed Nara clan head beside him.
The Nara head shook his head. The Yamanaka head went quiet.
He knew the man beside him saw the situation more clearly.
The Nara head sighed softly.
He had noticed it: ever since the Third Hokage returned from the ceasefire talks involving Suna and Ame, something about him had changed.
He'd heard the rumors about that battle—his own father had died there. Perhaps that fight broke Hiruzen's spirit.
Recently, Hiruzen had shown weakness and compromise in many matters.
But only when it came to power…
The Hot Water front commander, Hatake Sakumo—by the original plan, he could have invaded the Land of Lightning. But the Third Hokage urgently recalled him and reassigned him to the Kiri front, wasting a golden opportunity.
Now Hatake Sakumo had become the pillar of morale on the Kiri front. The situation had finally stabilized—yet he was being called back again.
And he was being named ANBU Commander. It sounded like immense authority: controlling all ANBU personnel, second only to the Hokage, answering only to the Hokage.
But in reality, ANBU were personally selected by the Third Hokage—loyal only to the Hokage. You might be the commander, but whether they listened to you… was another matter.
On paper, it was a promotion.
In practice, it was using the title of ANBU Commander to keep him under control—placing ANBU around him as a watchdog.
A certain someone once said: 'Never get involved in Konoha's political struggle.'
He hadn't forgotten those words.
At this moment, he felt Sakumo's situation had become extremely dangerous.
"Next: a temporary additional agenda item—restrictions and future responses regarding Amegakure and Hanzo of the Salamander."
---
While Konoha was still in session, the Ame envoy—already some distance away—dispelled his Transformation Jutsu.
White smoke drifted by.
Hanzo revealed his true form.
He could now control the poison in his breath, so he wasn't wearing a gas mask.
His left eye—the Byakugan—paired with the orange glow of his right pupil, gave him an oddly unsettling presence.
The surveillance was tight, but when he went downstairs earlier, he still used the Byakugan to secretly observe a few things.
"Four guards total in the Hokage Building… are they Hiruzen's personal guard unit?"
"And the scroll hidden in the Hokage office's secret compartment… a forbidden jutsu scroll? There were multiple layers of seals on it."
"How did Naruto manage to steal it?"
"Whatever. Judging from Danzō's expression… today's objective has been achieved."
"What mission will Konoha assign next?"
"Will they have me assassinate Kiri and Kumo?"
"Or… will it be to deal with their own people?"
"I handed him such a useful blade."
"I'm sure Danzō won't disappoint me."
"And there's one more thing—intelligence has already been delivered. That one really isn't dead, huh…"
"Heh. Just imagining the reaction… is entertaining."
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