Danzo drew a deep breath, veins bulging in his hands, and ground his teeth:
"I've told you, if I say it's not me, then it's not me!"
"How many times do I have to repeat myself before these people are satisfied?"
He slammed the table in rage.
From outside the training room came shouts:
"Danzo must be eliminated, root and branch!"
"Without Root removed, the village can't be at peace!"
"Break their protective shield, dismantle Danzo's dark power!"
"Sweep away Root's corruption, cleanse evil, ensure peace!"
The jeers and insults from villagers and shinobi could clearly be heard even from afar.
Danzo's whole body trembled with rage; even with the air conditioning on a hot day, sweat chilled his hands and feet. Can Konoha ever get better?! How do you want us in Root to live to satisfy you?! Tears flowed uncontrollably. This Konoha was filled with rejection of Root and prejudice against him, Danzo.
"This is outrageous!"
"A herd of mindless fools—can't they think for themselves?"
"Even a fool can see we're being played. This is blatant divide-and-conquer. Can't they see?" Danzo raged, pointing at the crowd.
The Root operatives lowered their heads in shame.
Danzo swept an arm and said angrily:
"Let them come! I'll see who dares to barge in!"
"I'll kill every single one who enters—do they think I, Danzo, am made of clay?"
"Really?" A Root ninja swallowed nervously.
"I'm lying!" Danzo glared at him. You believe anything I say? Not a shred of insight? If I truly meant it, this lifetime of mine would be over. Forget Hokage—I'd barely stay in Konoha.
"Then what do we do?" the ninja asked helplessly.
Danzo pressed his palm to his forehead: I trained you to solve problems, not raise them. Seeing their blank fear almost gave him a heart attack.
Calm down… breathe deeply… don't lose control—it's your own subordinates.
He took another deep breath, suppressed his anger, and spoke in a calmer tone:
"Open the barrier to contain them—but do not harm them.
If it fails, retreat. Under no circumstance engage in forceful confrontation.
Above all—do not hurt civilians.
Understand?"
Once tonight's plan succeeds, he'll clear his name and frame Hiruzen for everything. When he becomes Hokage, he'll settle the score with Orochimaru and the rest. He must endure this.
As for these villagers—he'll deal with them later. No one escapes paying.
"But we can't stop them! The ones leading are the Anbu, and members of the Barrier Team!" A Root ninja reported.
Danzo was speechless.
"What are the Anbu and the Barrier Team doing getting involved?! Don't they have work to do?" Danzo exploded with fury.
"They said they want justice for those who died in the Nine‑Tails attack and human experiments. They want to know if you were behind it." the Root ninja replied honestly.
"I told them it wasn't me! How many times must I repeat?!"
Danzo nearly exploded. Both crimes were indeed orchestrated by Orochimaru and that group—not him!
"But they won't listen!" the ninja defended.
"You better decide fast sir. The guys are on the verge of breaking through."
Danzo was silent.
"Could this be the old man's plot?" Orochimaru suddenly asked.
Danzo raised an eyebrow: "Hiruzen's conspiracy?"
"The ANBU—Hokage's direct forces—and Barrier Team… I suspect they're targeting you, probably on Hiruzen's orders." Orochimaru suggested.
Danzo was stunned.
"Could it be Hiruzen would betray decades of comradery and strike at me first?" His expression turned fierce.
Orochimaru remained silent.
Hypocrisy at its finest—only you can kill him, but he can't kill you. Danzo sighed at the irony.
"Danzo-sama, I have an unconventional suggestion that could help." Orochimaru licked his lips.
"Speak."
Orochimaru leaned in and whispered. Danzo's eyes glittered more and more brightly.
Orochimaru is truly a master of schemes.
"Hiruzen, since you lack mercy, don't accuse me of being unjust." Danzo glowed with cold malice as he told Root ninjas:
"Official order: The human experiments were Orochimaru's doing—and the true mastermind was Hiruzen!"
"When Orochimaru's experiments were discovered by the Fourth Hokage, Hiruzen—out of teacher‑student loyalty—spared him, letting him escape."
"Later, when the Fourth uncovered Hiruzen's own experiments—and his plot to destroy the Senju and Uzumaki clans—Hiruzen feared they'd retaliate through Kushina and Naruto. So, while Kushina was in labor, he conspired with outsiders to kill the Fourth and Kushina—murdering them and seizing their inheritance."
"If the villagers don't believe you, leak the fact that Tenzō—now known as Yamato—has Wood Release."
"If that's still not enough, reveal Naruto's mistreatment from childhood:
Say Hiruzen blamed the Fourth, hated him, and punished Naruto by sending him to the orphanage."
Danzo added coldly: "Now it's airtight. Hiruzen's finished!"
The Root ninja's eyes widened in shock—Konoha's leadership truly knew how to wreak havoc.
"What are you waiting for? Go!" Danzo snapped.
"Yes, Danzo-sama." The ninja swallowed and quickly left. The impact was immense—with this Hokage, Konoha is doomed.
Once they'd gone, Danzo eyed Orochimaru:
"It seems you truly are indispensable."
"You gauged it well. Bringing me from Hiruzen's side to be your aide was the best choice I've made."
Danzo paused.
"Danzo-sama exaggerates. You saved my life after I defected. I merely repay your kindness." Orochimaru smiled.
"Right. Not letting you go was the right call." Danzo nodded.
For years they'd cooperated for mutual benefit: Danzo relied on Orochimaru's experiments to build his Hashirama cell arm; Orochimaru needed Danzo's financial support.
A symbiotic partnership.
"Orochimaru, when I eliminate Hiruzen and become Hokage, would you consider returning as my aide? You could command Root. We'd be the yin and yang of Konoha—one visible, one hidden. Once I unify the shinobi world, I'll support you becoming the Sixth Hokage." Danzo offered a truce.
"Danzo-sama, I humbly accept. Right now, this organization suits me—gathering intel for you and experimenting as I please. If that day comes, I'll serve loyally."
"Very well. Konoha's gates are always open to you."
Orochimaru's organization piqued Danzo's interest. Who could really control the Nine‑Tails? Orochimaru had offered no details yet—but his curiosity was real.
But he remained wary: Orochimaru once betrayed his teacher—what's stopping him from betraying Danzo later? Still, he needed Orochimaru's help to destroy the Uchiha and Hiruzen—and afterwards, they'd settle that.
When the new Hokage takes office, the first purge begins: Orochimaru and his group.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin