"Hanzō!!!"
At this moment, all Danzo could think about was accelerating his recovery plan. He had grown tired of his weakened body, which had only hindered his power.
What would happen if he killed Danzo? Of course, it would offend Konoha, but Hanzō didn't care. He was intent on finishing Danzō off, regardless of the consequences.
Unfortunately, despite suffering heavy casualties, the Root operatives managed to hold off Hanzō long enough for Danzo to escape, leaving behind a trail of corpses.
Though they paid a heavy price, the Root operatives had succeeded in protecting Danzō and helping him make it back to the village.
"Danzō, you..." Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned as Danzo, disheveled and furious, stormed into his office.
Weren't you supposed to be in the Land of Iron, negotiating with Hanzō? How are you back already? And in such a sorry state?
Clearly, the negotiations had fallen apart-there was no other explanation for Danzō's condition.
Though he had already guessed the answer, Hiruzen still asked, "Danzo, did the negotiations fail?"
"He didn't even give me a chance to negotiate! That lunatic!" Danzo, caring nothing for his appearance, shouted in frustration.
"He wouldn't even let me speak, nor did he care about Konoha's authority. Hanzo has gone mad."
Does everyone need to bow to Konoha?
Clearly not. Many had chosen not to heed Konoha's influence.
Hanzō was just one of many.
"This is... really not good news," Hiruzen murmured, deeply furrowing his brow. Things were taking a turn for the worse, just as he feared.
With peace talks off the table, how would they handle the situation with the Land of Iron? It was a headache waiting to happen.
Hanzō had made it clear he wasn't interested in negotiating with Konoha, nor would he retreat just because Konoha told him to.
Worst of all, Konoha's reputation had been tarnished.
The esteemed advisor of Konoha, sent to negotiate with the leader of a small village, had been chased off and returned in disgrace.
It was a slap to Konoha's face. A very loud one.
Upon hearing the news, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado rushed to the Hokage's office.
The moment they saw Danzō's disheveled state, they knew things had gone terribly wrong. Not only had the negotiations failed, but they had also stirred up more trouble.