Habara had once followed the Third Hokage to Root's underground base. As he walked down the same subterranean passage again, he couldn't help but let his mind wander… Even if Shimura Danzo had once been a person with a normal mind, after spending a decade in this sunless underground space, his brain should have been pretty much ruined. What's more, Danzo was already a gloomy, manipulative person by nature.
Since he'd been holed up here all this time, it was easy to imagine that no matter what happened in Konoha, this "great man," with his aspirations for the Hokage seat, would only cling more tightly to his turtle-like ways. The further he was from becoming Hokage, the more Danzo would cherish the power he held. No matter what dangers Konoha faced, he would preserve his forces, as this was his guarantee for seizing power in the future. And the more he turtled, the further he'd drift from the Hokage position.
No, Danzo wasn't stingy with his forces; he would only use them when he was confident of success. What constituted a "confident" situation? Like cleansing the Uchiha Clan. What constituted an "unconfident" situation, requiring him to "hold his troops"? Like the Nine-Tails' attack, the Konoha Crush, or Pain's invasion.
The more Habara thought about it, the more he felt that Danzo was utter trash. In a couple of years, even letting a preschool mini-Konohamaru become Hokage would be far better than letting Danzo take the position.
Arriving at the familiar underground space, Habara was soon led before Shimura Danzo.
A year ago, taking advantage of the opportunity to send Danzo out of the village on a mission, the Third Hokage had conducted a purge of Root. Regardless of whether the Third Hokage's purge was truly thorough, it was obvious that after Shimura Danzo returned, he had restored his power and rebuilt Root into his personal backyard.
There were many "leadership" tactics that the Third Hokage would disdain to use, but which Shimura Danzo would never hesitate to employ. This made Danzo seem particularly adept at "training" his subordinates. However, such methods were destined to be effective only within a small organization… Although the Third Hokage's leadership skills were hard to describe, Danzo could never surpass him.
Shimura Danzo's actions, though seemingly meticulous and full of cunning, could never shake off his petty, small-minded nature.
The Root ninja who had led the way knelt on one knee upon seeing Danzo and said, "Danzo-sama, Upper Jounin Habara has been brought here."
Habara, of course, didn't imitate the ninja's actions. He just stood there blankly behind him… Seriously, he and Danzo weren't even in the same work unit. There was absolutely no need to kowtow.
However, upon seeing Danzo again, Habara noticed that the man's appearance had changed somewhat. While Danzo's hands were still his originals, his face now sported the classic one-eyed look… Speaking of the Third Hokage's questionable leadership, Danzo wasn't involved in frontline combat missions, so why would he suddenly bandage one of his eyes? It couldn't be that he'd caught a case of chuunibyou, could it? Habara didn't believe the Hokage couldn't guess what was going on, yet the Hokage had turned a blind eye.
The Third Hokage was truly a master of feigning ignorance.
Shimura Danzo was adept at sophistry. Even if the Third Hokage questioned him about his eye, he would surely have a hundred excuses ready. Such an inquiry probably wouldn't yield any results, but that was no reason for the Third Hokage not to ask.
Shimura Danzo waved his hand, dismissing the Root ninja. Thus, in this spacious, pillar-filled underground space, it seemed only he and Habara remained.
Danzo stared at Habara for a moment, then said, "Upper Jounin Habara, what have you been planning all this time… No, I should say, ever since the end of the Shinobi World War?"
The question was direct enough, but this was a good sign. Although this was their first formal meeting, Habara had no desire to go through the usual pleasantries with someone like Danzo.
"A certain confidential plan led by Kushina-sama, with the Third Hokage-sama's permission. The security clearance for this matter is relatively high, and I am not authorized to disclose any information. If Danzo-sama wishes to learn more, you may inquire with the Hokage-sama yourself," Habara said without hesitation, spouting a string of nonsense. Although revealing his plans to Danzo wouldn't cause any harm—Danzo would learn the details soon enough anyway—Habara simply didn't want to tell him.
Konoha was a swirling vortex of hidden currents. At this point, Danzo only knew that something had changed in the village, but he had no idea what that change was. That was why he had summoned Habara.
The reason it was Habara was because Danzo hadn't forgotten certain things that Habara had long since forgotten, such as the incident where a certain someone had beaten up some Root ninja, and the incident where the Wood Release user "Kinoe" had escaped Root's control in a manner comparable to a miracle of nature.
"You have no right to prevaricate with me. Answer my question honestly."
Danzo re-emphasized his command, and Habara could feel the arrogance emanating from him.
"Danzo-sama, do your orders supersede the rules of Konoha? Or have you already become Hokage?"
Habara countered Danzo's peremptory command. Did Danzo think he wouldn't slap him in the face? Habara was particularly good at slapping people in the face and exposing their weaknesses.
Danzo's gaze towards Habara became extremely dangerous.
Then, Habara felt an incredibly chilling aura invade him, and then… and then nothing happened.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu? A Yamanaka clan ninja? A very ingenious mental invasion and control ninjutsu, but you shouldn't waste your effort… The success of a technique always depends on the difference in chakra strength between the user and the target, doesn't it?" Habara said, looking towards a specific direction in the underground space.
Habara wasn't worried about the Yamanaka clan's sudden control attempt at all. As he'd said, the difference in their chakra levels was too vast, making mental control impossible. The difference in chakra was the difference in mental energy. How could an ant's consciousness possibly control an elephant's brain?
Habara felt he'd already given Shimura Danzo enough face. After all, Danzo had already sent someone to attack him, yet he still maintained a calm and peaceful attitude, not retaliating at all.
But from Danzo's perspective, Habara was refusing the carrot and even refusing the stick.
"Young man, a little bit of strength makes you arrogant and conceited. People like you, who don't recognize their own abilities, often die quickly, just like the Fourth." Shimura Danzo added. He ultimately didn't personally attack Habara. Perhaps he disdained to deal with such a small-fry ninja himself.
However, Habara was incredibly clear about his own situation. While he had acquired a large amount of chakra, this was, at best, equivalent to obtaining the key to the final battlefield. As for facing the ultimate boss… to be honest, with Habara's current level, he would likely be instantly killed by a powerful enemy like Uchiha Madara, as long as Madara was decisive and didn't play around like a cat toying with a mouse.
So Habara wasn't conceited. He was on a different level from those overpowered characters.
Conversely, Danzo was overestimating his own strength. How long had it been since this man had participated in actual combat? Was his chakra already starting to decline? And why had he started to transplant Sharingan?
So, although Habara wasn't conceited, he had despised Shimura Danzo from the very beginning. How should he put it? This person was like a… recycled animation cel in a battle anime…
Boring.
"Danzo-sama, would you like to make a deal?"
Based on his advantageous psychological position, Habara took the initiative.
"What kind of deal?" Danzo was caught off guard and instinctively asked.
"It's very simple. I know you have your own goals. So, to achieve those goals, you can give me formal, written orders. As long as you're willing to endorse those orders, I guarantee I'll complete the task… whether it's assassinating the Third Hokage or assassinating the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
Hearing Habara say this, Shimura Danzo's exposed pupil instantly constricted.
No one expected Habara to blurt out such "deal" terms.
After a long pause, Danzo finally said, "Are you insane?"
Habara curled his lip and shook his head inwardly. What a coward. What good was ambition without guts?
But he also had to think about it. How could Shimura Danzo possibly issue such a formal order, especially to someone as completely untrustworthy as Habara? What if Habara took the formal order and immediately handed it over to the Hokage?
Okay, forget "what if." Habara would definitely do that. Danzo's cowardice was entirely justified.
However, Habara's verbal sparring provided Danzo with a pretext. He could immediately arrest Habara on charges of conspiracy.
"Seize him. Dead or alive."
Realizing this, Danzo issued the order to the seemingly empty underground space.
But the response he received was Habara's words, "Danzo-sama, if you're concerned about 'Akakammuri's' movements, there's no need to worry too much. You'll understand what we're doing soon enough anyway… If there's nothing else, I believe I'll take my leave."
No one moved. Danzo hadn't really lowered himself to personally deal with a small-fry ninja like Habara, so Habara walked away step by step.
Just as Danzo was wondering why his subordinates weren't responding to his orders, Habara, who was about to reach the exit, suddenly stopped. He turned around and spoke to Danzo again, "Oh, right, Danzo-sama, a friendly reminder… When you speak, don't forget what's behind you."
With that, Habara left.
"Behind me?"
Shimura Danzo instinctively turned his head, and he saw that behind him, at some point, a writhing, octopus-like, postmodern sculpture had appeared… No, it wasn't a sculpture. Danzo hadn't noticed this thing's appearance at all, and those iron tentacles could easily restrain his body, pierce his heart, and snap his neck.
Cold sweat appeared on Shimura Danzo's forehead. He quickly rushed to the hiding place of one of his subordinates, only to find that the subordinate had been bound into a solid mummy by iron bands.
Danzo had arranged for more than a dozen subordinates here, and all of them had been silently subdued.
"Magnet Release… ninja…"
Just now, a self-important clown had spouted a lot of nonsense here. He just didn't know what that clown's name was…
No, the clown was surely the one who was most aware of who he really was.