In the middle of the night,
quietly arrived at the Root organization's base and saw Shimura Danzō with an ugly expression on his face.
"Elder Danzō, what you did yesterday was far too impulsive. You acted without any wisdom!" As soon as they met, Chao Yanqian openly scorned Shimura Danzō. Fortunately, his cooperation with Danzō was limited to research involving Hashirama Senju's cells and the Sharingan. Had their cooperation gone any deeper, Danzō's reckless behavior would surely have gotten him killed like a pig teammate dragging others down.
"What do you mean?" Shimura Danzō's expression darkened further upon hearing Chao Yanqian's words. His eyes stared coldly at him, full of warning. It was clear that if Chao Yanqian couldn't give a satisfactory explanation, Danzō wouldn't hesitate to act.
In fact, the moment he entered the Root base, Chao Yanqian noticed that the number of shinobi present had doubled compared to usual. Among them were two figures with unusually large chakra reserves.
Although he wasn't sure of their exact strength, the fact that they were allowed into Root and kept hidden by Danzō meant their abilities were certainly not low.
"Planning to kill me with this ambush?" Chao Yanqian sneered. "With this little force? Hardly enough."
Having mastered Sage Mode and the Yin Seal, Chao Yanqian could no longer be brought down by mere numbers. Without at least one elite jōnin or stronger, even if every Root member attacked at once, he could eliminate them with ease.
If not for the fact that the time to break with Danzō hadn't yet come, Chao Yanqian would have already killed him.
"Elder Danzō, you've been hiding in Root for so many years. Although you've done much for Konoha, how many ordinary shinobi even know of your existence?" Chao Yanqian sneered. "The ones they follow are the Hokage. Yesterday, you didn't even appear during the Nine-Tails' attack. If you try to challenge Hiruzen Sarutobi now, you'll only be reviled."
"Damn it!" Shimura Danzō cooled down slightly at Chao Yanqian's words. After all, he hadn't climbed to his position by being a fool. He was intelligent just too narrow-minded.
"Think about the Uchiha Clan. Your current position is no different from theirs," Chao Yanqian mocked.
"Damn Hiruzen Sarutobi…" Danzō gritted his teeth.
In truth, Danzō knew everything Chao Yanqian was saying was true. But he couldn't let go of the power in his hands. On the contrary, he thirsted for more. This obsession would eventually lead him to a fate where even his name would be forgotten.
Being called out so bluntly by Chao Yanqian ignited fury in Danzō's heart.
Yet even after the anger faded, Danzō knew that if he couldn't give up his desire for power, he would always be suppressed by the Third Hokage. And even if he did relinquish power and stepped into the public eye, a powerless Danzō would still be under Hiruzen's shadow.
It was a dilemma with no way forward or back.
Unless he became Hokage, Danzō's status would never change.
"Now that the Third Hokage has regained public trust, there's no one in Konoha who can rival him," Chao Yanqian said flatly. "You'd best lay low for a while. If you provoke Hiruzen again, the consequences won't be so easy to bear."
Chao Yanqian had come to speak with Danzō for two reasons. First, to convince him to lay low during the initial phase of Hiruzen's reappointment as Hokage. Second, to prevent Danzō from spreading malicious rumors about Naruto i.
Whether or not the Naruto born into this altered timeline would still become the Naruto of the original story, Chao Yanqian didn't want to speculate. If Indra's chakra truly reincarnated into Naruto, then his nature could still be swayed by that will. But at the very least, Naruto deserved a happy childhood an act of goodwill in honor of Be Feng Shuimen's sacrifice.
"In Konoha, it's not as though no one can challenge Hiruzen," said Danzō, a smile playing on his lips. "Among the shinobi and villagers, your prestige is enough to qualify you for the Fifth Hokage. You're just a bit too young. In a few years, I believe Hiruzen will step down."
"Me? You want to nominate me as Hokage? I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm not interested," Chao Yanqian replied without hesitation.
"Oh? And why not?" Danzō asked in disbelief.
"I pursue power," Chao Yanqian replied. "If I became Hokage, I'd lose too much time to training and research. It's not worth it."
Although he had long been manipulating and using Danzō, Chao Yanqian's words here were completely honest.
Had he not seen the final battle firsthand, perhaps he might still have aspired to the Hokage's seat. But during the fight with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, even the Five Kage had barely managed to keep up. In the end, only raw strength mattered.
Furthermore, Chao Yanqian had plans to hunt the Tailed Beasts. If he became Hokage, those plans would be impossible to carry out.
If exposed as a regular ninja, he could defect and leave. But as Hokage, every move he made would involve Konoha. He couldn't just walk away.
"Hmph. Speaking of power, how is the Hashirama cell research going?" Danzō asked, changing the subject.
Danzō believed Chao Yanqian's words to a point. But they were still partners in research, and neither could afford to fall out just yet.
"There has been progress," Chao Yanqian replied. "I've successfully transplanted the cells. My method differs from Orochimaru's. His usually ends in death, but mine allows the cells to integrate slowly taking years perhaps, but with a 90% survival rate."
"You succeeded? Then why didn't you say so earlier?!" Danzō snapped.
"Because there's still a critical flaw that needs to be addressed," Chao Yanqian explained. "If corrected, the success rate could reach 100%, but it will take time. Of course, if you're in a hurry, I can give you my findings now."
Danzō had undeniably contributed to Orochimaru's defection. Otherwise, Hiruzen would've exposed their cooperation long ago.
Though he felt contempt for Danzō, Chao Yanqian was a man of his word. Having agreed to the collaboration, he wouldn't renege.
"The research will continue," Danzō said. "But I want your current data now."
"Very well," Chao Yanqian said with a faint smile.
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