The man known as "The Darkness of Konoha," Shimura Danzo, was one of the first to detect the release of Nine-Tails chakra by Shiro.
In contrast to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who took immediate action, Danzo instructed his Root division to remain still and observe.
Watching from the shadows, Danzo couldn't help but feel a surge of delight when he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen severely wounded by a single blow from the Nine-Tails.
If Hiruzen were to fall, Danzo's chances of becoming Hokage would increase dramatically!
After so many years, was it finally his turn to stand in the sunlight and be revered by the masses?!
Danzo: Surprised.jpg
However, as he saw the Nine-Tails charging up its Tailed Beast Bomb to target Hiruzen, Danzo couldn't help but feel a moment of hesitation.
Although he and Hiruzen had been engaged in a game of wit and rivalry for decades, it was all part of the game. But this was different.
They had both been trained by the same teacher, and Hiruzen was more than just an old friend—he was a brother, a cherished comrade.
It wasn't just about playing games anymore.
Danzo: "Damn it... I can't let that fox finish him off in front of me!"
Realizing that if he acted quickly, Hiruzen might still have a chance, Danzo decided to make a move.
With resolve, he leapt high into the air, positioning himself above the Nine-Tails' head. Hands moving in a blur, he quickly formed the necessary hand seals.
As the Tailed Beast Bomb was nearing completion, ready to be fired at Hiruzen, Danzo unleashed his technique.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
But to his shock, just as the blast was about to be launched, the Nine-Tails raised its head, altering its aim. Instead of firing at Hiruzen, the Tailed Beast Bomb now locked onto Danzo himself.
In midair, there was a brief moment of mutual recognition between the two.
Shiro (in the Nine-Tails' form): "What the hell?! Why is there a person in the sky?"
Danzo: "You damn fox! You didn't follow the script!"
With a roar, the Tailed Beast Bomb was fired, exploding in a brilliant firework display above Konoha. Danzo, without even a grunt, was obliterated instantly.
"Danzo!!!"
"My Danzo... cough!"
From the ground, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a heart-wrenching wail of grief. Those unaware of the situation might have thought Hiruzen and Danzo had been incredibly close.
Sigh...
Danzo was dead. The future... who would help Hiruzen bear the blame now?
Hiruzen silently shed a few tears in his heart.
Danzo... my good brother!
In this lifetime, it seems I will never find someone else to take the blame like you.
After releasing the Tailed Beast Bomb, Shiro felt his energy completely drained. His vision darkened, and he collapsed unconscious. The Nine-Tails form vanished shortly thereafter.
Shiro fell from the sky, but an ANBU ninja was quick to catch him.
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen remained on the ground, mourning Danzo's death.
"Danzo... Danzo, you can't die! Danzo... you mustn't die!"
Ehhh...
The onlookers were utterly confused. Was Hiruzen crying because of joy or sorrow?
If it's joy, why is he crying? If it's sorrow, why does it sound like he's singing?!
Just then, a dark and eerie voice emerged from the crowd.
Cough cough "I didn't expect you, Hiruzen, to mourn my death so deeply, to the point of singing about it... I must say, I'm moved."
Hiruzen quickly turned his head, and to his shock, he saw Danzo walking slowly out of the crowd.
"Danzo? You're not dead?!"
Hiruzen first experienced a wave of relief, but then, his mood soured once again.
That damn Danzo didn't die. Doesn't that mean he'll continue to oppose me in the future?!
Damn!
"Danzo, how did you survive?"
Cough "That's a story for another time. Let's deal with the situation at hand first."
Danzo raised his hand, signaling for the ANBU ninjas to approach.
"Take the Hokage-sama to the hospital for treatment. As for this child..."
Danzo cast a lingering glance at the unconscious Shiro, who was being held by the ANBU.
"I'll personally take care of him."
Hiruzen, hearing this, immediately became anxious. Ignoring his own injuries, he sprang to his feet.
"No! This child must be under my watch."
He immediately ordered a group of ANBU to escort Shiro to the Hokage Building, awaiting his orders.
Danzo, not willing to back down, spoke again.
"Hiruzen, I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Hiruzen interrupted him.
"That's how it's going to be! Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
...
That night, Danzo arrived alone at Hiruzen's hospital room.
Hiruzen, seeing Danzo's arrival, was not at all surprised.
"What do you want?"
You old man, asking such a question as if you don't know. Danzo gave Hiruzen a big roll of his eyes.
"Hiruzen, that child named Shiro must be placed under the care of Root."
"No way."
Hiruzen rejected outright.
A child who might be a potential Jinchuriki, someone with such powerful potential—are you asking me to just hand him over so easily?
That's a joke!
"You know as well as I do that only Root can train him into the ultimate weapon."
"What this child needs is the inheritance of the Will of Fire."
Danzo, hearing this, gave Hiruzen a look of disdain.
The so-called "Will of Fire" written in textbooks, the one you use to trick children?
Do you think people need that kind of thing?
You think I'll buy that garbage?
"Spare me. You're just trying to fool me with that garbage!"
Danzo decided to lay all his cards on the table.
"Give me the child, and I promise that Root will no longer target Uzumaki Naruto."
"...Let me think about it."
Hiruzen was moved but still hesitated, not ready to make a decision.
Hearing this, Danzo turned and walked away. But as he stepped out the door, he paused and said one last thing.
"Hiruzen, your indecision will lead Konoha to ruin."
"I am the Hokage!" Hiruzen replied firmly.
Smack!
The hospital room door slammed shut. Hiruzen sighed deeply.
This wasn't the first time their conversation had ended like this.
Meanwhile, in the special prison within the Hokage Building, Shiro was sound asleep, unaware that he had become the target of not one, but two scheming individuals.
Well, to be precise, it was more accurate to say that both Hiruzen and Danzo were just as scheming as one another...