Black Zetsu could tell from Kurama's words that the fox was beginning to resist him.
"It's not that I want to turn against you," Kurama said. "It's that you're not giving me a way out."
The Nine-Tails' bloodshot eyes fixed on Black Zetsu.
Whether it was Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, they had never given him such a strong sense of crisis.
In contrast, Black Zetsu's every move sent chills down Kurama's spine.
Not only had Naruto, under his guidance, become completely despairing of the world.
Even Zabuza, whom he had only met once, had been led into darkness and become deeply convinced of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
The key point was that even he himself had begun to look forward to that world of Infinite Tsukuyomi.
This deepened his fear of Black Zetsu.
He, the Nine-Tails, was not afraid of death, but he feared this feeling of powerlessness—being subtly influenced yet unable to resist!
All I can say is that your existence will never disappear.
Black Zetsu did not lie to Kurama. Even after returning to the Ten-Tails' body, Kurama still existed in the world, just in a different form.
...
The Land of Fire, Konoha Village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi once again found Danzō Shimura and handed him the scroll that Kakashi had sent back.
"Danzō, you still say this has nothing to do with you?"
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had not been entirely certain before that Danzō had secretly orchestrated this event.
But as Kakashi's ninja dog returned the intelligence scroll, he had no more doubts.
"..."
As Danzō looked at the contents of the scroll, his expression grew increasingly grim.
Mizuki had actually handed over Konoha's Scroll of Seals to Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist.
With the Scroll of Seals in the hands of someone like that, the probability of Konoha regaining it was almost zero.
Most importantly, that bastard Mizuki even bore his own unique curse mark on his tongue, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Although I, Danzō, am blind in one eye, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could enter my Root organization.
Did someone like him deserve to have the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal used to eradicate his tongue's curse?
This was a setup!
It was slander!
Someone was plotting against me!
"Hiruzen, you don't actually believe what's written here is true, do you?" Danzō asked.
"How strict are the selection criteria of my headquarters? Every single one of them is the elite of the elite. Does Mizuki, a mere nobody, deserve to be my subordinate?"
Danzō slammed the scroll on the table and angrily addressed Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"But he has your mark on his tongue," Hiruzen replied. "How do you explain that?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a drag of his cigarette, his expression one of disbelief in Danzō.
"Fine, even if what you say is true, Mizuki is one of my people," Danzō conceded.
"But how can I contact Kirigakure? The Land of Water is closed off from the world; even if I wanted to, I couldn't reach them!"
He had no way to defend himself against the seal on the tongue, but making contact with the Land of Water was simply impossible.
"Zabuza is a rogue ninja from Kirigakure," Hiruzen said. "You don't need to contact the Land of Water or Kirigakure. You just need to recruit Zabuza."
"Moreover, don't think I don't know that your abilities in this area far surpass mine. Even someone as cautious as Hanzō has met with you in private."
"Sometimes your influence is greater than mine as the Hokage."
Before arriving, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already gathered relevant information, and Danzō's sophistry seemed utterly weak in his eyes.
"..."
Normally, if Hiruzen Sarutobi praised his abilities, Danzō would have been extremely happy.
But now was not the time to be happy; he had to wash away the stain on his reputation.
Once he took the blame, he would be completely ineligible for the Hokage position.
After all, that was the most important Scroll of Seals in Konoha!
"Wait!" A thought suddenly flashed through Shimura Danzō's mind, and he remembered something. "I remember now—the seal to sever the root of tongue disaster is not something only I know."
"This is the cursed seal that your disciple, Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, helped me develop. He also knows how to implant this cursed seal in people."
While saying this, Danzō couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Orochimaru, whether I could get through this ordeal depended entirely on you.
Since you were already a rogue ninja, taking the blame for me would be your last contribution to the village.
"Orochimaru?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered slightly. "Is that really true?"
He had no doubt about Orochimaru's ability to develop ninjutsu and cursed seals. His disciple was indeed a genius in this field, showing the demeanor of the Second Hokage.
Therefore, Danzō's words carried a very high degree of credibility.
"That's right!" Shimura Danzō nodded with a serious expression. "As you know, I had some cooperation with Orochimaru back then."
"During this time, he helped me develop many spells and sealing techniques that can control people. I must say, he is an excellent disciple."
Danzō Shimura's last words were clearly a reminder to Hiruzen Sarutobi that Orochimaru was his disciple.
The matter of the Scroll of Seals was also related to him; he could not try to extricate himself from it.
"I'll believe you for now," Hiruzen said. "When Mizuki comes back, you can remove the seal that severs the root of his tongue's curse. Then we'll know who the real mastermind is."
Hiruzen Sarutobi got up to leave, but Danzō stopped him.
"Hiruzen, you're too naive," Danzō said. "The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal can only be broken by the one who cast it."
"The mark on Mizuki's tongue is not a curse I planted; I can't break it at all."
Shimura Danzō certainly wanted to prove his innocence, but this damned Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal had been planted in the same way—yet the method of removal was completely different.
If it was not solved properly, the victim would die immediately.
"Then there's no other way?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened slightly.
"Yes," Danzō nodded and said. "Find Orochimaru. He's the developer of this technique; he must know how to counter it!"
"How do we find him?" Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced sideways and instantly understood Danzō's intentions. "You want me to let you out so you can contact Orochimaru yourself?"
"In extraordinary times, this is the only way," Danzō replied.
"No, I can't let you meet Orochimaru alone."
"So you don't want the Scroll of Seals anymore?"
"There must be other ways, but you can't go to Orochimaru on your own."
Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen argued for a long time, but the latter refused to budge and told him to leave the village to find Orochimaru.
No—he ordered Danzō not to leave the village to find Orochimaru.
"At a time like this, you are still so indecisive," Danzō said, his voice filled with anger. "Konoha will be destroyed in your hands sooner or later!"
"Enough, Danzō! I am Hokage!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi left those words and turned to walk away.
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Shimura Danzō watched his retreating figure and said through gritted teeth.
...
Soon, Team 7, led by Kakashi Hatake, returned to Konoha.
He then recounted the details of his trip to Hiruzen Sarutobi in the Hokage's office.
"You're saying the daimyō of the Land of Waves is dead?"
Upon hearing that the daimyō of the Land of Waves had been killed, Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth in surprise, and his pipe fell to the ground with a clatter.
...
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