Chapter 179: Danzō and the Wheel of Heavenly Retribution
"Shiromo, come take a look at this first…"
Senju Tobirama was eager to show Shiromo what he was currently researching.
Inside a petri dish sat a lump of pale Hashirama cells, with a Sharingan embedded right in the middle.
"The Sharingan was collected by Black Zetsu." Orochimaru explained from the side.
Black Zetsu?
Shiromo suddenly remembered.
Black Zetsu wasn't supposed to have had his consciousness erased, suspected of being taken over by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?
The fact that he could go to the masked man and retrieve the stockpile of Sharingan from the night of the massacre meant his memories were completely intact.
That was good news.
At least Shiromo wouldn't have to explain his stance all over again.
"What's special about this?"
Shiromo shifted his gaze to the petri dish.
"The combination of my brother's cells and the Sharingan… wait a second, something's happening in Konoha. I'll deal with it and be right back in five minutes."
Tobirama was just about to start explaining when he suddenly sensed a disturbance.
This was a contingency he had planted before leaving Konoha.
He had guessed that once the Fire Daimyō died and the Hokage's authority skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, the first person to jump out and cause trouble would definitely be his disciple.
Sure enough.
With a Flying Thunder God flash, Tobirama arrived at the Hokage Building and immediately saw Danzō leading the classic duo, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, along with a group of Root members, confronting Tsunade.
Tsunade sat stiff-faced in the Hokage's seat, saying nothing.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in front of her with a dark, stormy expression, facing off against Danzō.
What a tragic pair of lovers separated by life and death!
"Hiruzen, I never thought you'd still oppose me even after dying!"
"Tsunade, you actually colluded with the traitor Orochimaru and used Impure World Reincarnation to control Hiruzen!"
"I already sensed something was wrong with the Daimyō's death, even the suicide note from the Daimyō's son, Enshi Kyū, had huge problems…"
"Tsunade, tell the truth! Was it because you saw the changes in the other villages and got greedy, so you murdered the Daimyō!"
For the first time in his life, Danzō felt righteous and upright, like the embodiment of justice itself.
Yet he was also incredibly frustrated.
Because he was jealous.
Not just of Tsunade's Hokage position, but of those Impure World Reincarnation helpers too.
After the resurrected group arrived in Konoha, they hadn't even bothered hiding themselves.
Danzō naturally knew about it.
And he also knew that the only person capable of Impure World Reincarnation was his former collaborator, Orochimaru.
How he wished it were him controlling the resurrected Third Hokage instead.
That would've been perfect.
Hm?
Danzō suddenly noticed someone new standing in front of him.
Originally, Hiruzen had been standing on the left side of Tsunade's desk, with the right side empty.
Now there was someone standing on the right.
When did he get there?
Danzō instantly went on guard, turning his gaze over, and froze.
"Second Hokage-sama? Tobirama-sensei?!"
"Danzō, you suspect that Enshi Kyū's suicide note wasn't written by himself, right? You're correct."
Tobirama crossed his arms and looked at him calmly.
"How could a twenty-something kid write a will with such tight logic? I drafted it for him."
"T-this…"
Danzō's brain short-circuited.
His original plan had been to dump the blame for wiping out the Daimyō's family onto Tsunade, then find a way to seize the Hokage seat, now worth far more than ever before.
But hearing Tobirama say this…
It sounded like it wasn't a smear job at all.
Did they actually kill Daimyō?
"Hm?"
Tobirama suddenly sensed something, his eyes sharpening.
Without hesitation, he struck!
Flying Thunder God Slash!
Shhk!
Danzō was still thinking and reeling in shock.
He never imagined the Second Hokage would suddenly attack.
With a single slash, Tobirama severed Danzō's arm clean off at the root.
Even the eye hidden beneath the bandages, Shisui's Sharingan, was ripped out as well.
"My brother's cells. A Sharingan."
Tobirama sealed the items into a scroll, then looked coldly at Danzō.
"Danzō, you've been playing pretty wild. Unlucky for you, I was researching this exact stuff before coming here, so I'm extremely sensitive to its chakra signature."
"The stench coming off you just now was so strong I thought my brother and the Uchiha clan had stuffed you full from behind."
From the back, Tsunade's face twitched.
What kind of cursed metaphor was that?!
Danzō collapsed to the ground screaming in pain.
There were countless medical ninja present, yet not a single one stepped forward to treat him.
Even Koharu and Homura, who had come with him, just stood there watching.
"I'll leave this place to you. Handle it properly and don't let these useless people hold Konoha back anymore."
Tobirama tossed Tsunade those words and vanished in another Flying Thunder God flash, returning to Amegakure.
This mess was important and needed dealing with.
But he was even more eager to get back and continue hijacking Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan.
"Danzō, if I'd known you were carrying this kind of thing inside you, you'd have been branded a traitor long ago, just like Orochimaru."
Hiruzen walked up slowly and spoke in a low voice.
"Hiruzen… I regret it now. I regret underestimating Tobirama-sensei's decisiveness. I regret not listening to him and changing my own nature."
Danzō clutched his wound with one hand and slowly pushed himself up.
Though he wasn't at death's door yet, his life was already flashing before his eyes.
If back then he hadn't hesitated, hadn't backed down, and had spoken up to stay behind instead of Hiruzen…
Maybe he would've already become Hokage.
And now again, it was hesitation that destroyed him.
He clearly possessed Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, capable of altering others' wills, yet never got the chance to use it.
He clearly had an entire arm full of Izanagi, yet never imagined he'd be attacked, never activating it to transfer the damage through genjutsu.
So his arm and eye were stolen just like that.
"Sigh… I also regret not listening to sensei."
Hiruzen let out a long breath.
"What did sensei tell you?"
Danzō looked at Hiruzen sadly.
His thoughts raced wildly.
Has sensei once told Hiruzen to kill him?
Or had Sensei long seen the darkness in his heart?
Danzō felt unbearably bitter.
Why did sensei always favor Sarutobi, even warning him about things like this?
Just as Danzō's mind spiraled with anxious guesses, Hiruzen spoke: "I don't know. I said I regretted not listening, right? Since I didn't listen, how would I know what he said?"
"?"
A giant question mark slowly appeared in Danzō's soul.
"Hiruzen you bastard, you're still messing with me at a time like this! Pff…"
Already gravely injured and now furious, Danzō spat out a mouthful of blood and passed out.
"Huh? What happened here? Oh my god, that's so much blood!"
Kushina had just returned and reached the doorway of the Hokage's office.
Pushing through the crowd, she walked in and saw Danzō lying in a pool of blood.
She had just come back from the Uzumaki clan ruins, having found a way to undo the Reaper Death Seal.
But the price was huge, and she didn't know what to do yet, so she had come to seek Tsunade's advice.
Instead, she walked into this scene.
(End of this chapter)