The argument in the Hokage Office finally came to an end with the traditional conclusion of "You will regret this" and "I am the Hokage."
However, besides verbally disagreeing with Danzo Shimura's opinion, Hiruzen Sarutobi took no further action, nor did he monitor Root's movements, as if Danzo would somehow be educated just by his words.
"Hmph, hypocrite... Saying he disagrees is just his way of shirking responsibility!"
Walking through the dark base of Root, Danzo had a cold expression and muttered to himself. He knew his old friend's personality very well; if he truly disagreed with the plan, the perimeter of the Root base would have been crawling with Anbu monitors by now.
If it was just verbal opposition without any substantive action, it was essentially a sign of tacit approval. After so many years of cooperation, the two had developed a certain level of mutual understanding.
Because of this, Danzo's dissatisfaction with Hiruzen Sarutobi grew day by day. After all, he knew very well that he was merely a scapegoat.
If a plan succeeded, it was due to the Hokage's brilliant leadership; if it failed, it was all because of Danzo acting on his own. Being a scapegoat without seeing any benefits, anyone in Danzo's position for a long time would likely feel resentful.
Although this was Danzo's own choice, that was nearly thirty years ago. A 20-year-old Danzo would willingly shoulder the so-called darkness for his ideals and ambitions, but a 50-year-old Danzo had long since grown weary of this life.
"If I were the Hokage, if only I could become the Hokage! I would never be so weak and incompetent!"
In Danzo's heart, it was precisely because of the weakness of the current Third Hokage that he had to shoulder so much darkness... While this thought wasn't entirely wrong in some ways, it was clearly just an excuse to justify his own ambition.
"Vegapunk... If I can control this genius scientist, perhaps I can truly ascend to the position of Hokage in a grand and upright manner!"
"However... wanting to permanently control someone without affecting their intelligence..."
Danzo frowned in thought. At this point in the timeline, he didn't even know if Uchiha Shisui had awakened the Mangekyo, and he certainly didn't know about the terrifying Ninjutsu known as Kotoamatsukami. He hadn't even truly transplanted any Sharingan yet.
Although he had the idea of using Genjutsu to control Vegapunk, when it came to actual execution, Danzo realized the difficulties were immense, making him feel like he didn't even know where to start.
Fortunately, Danzo wasn't alone. Root was also full of talented individuals. He tapped on the table, and a moment later, several Ninjas with extraordinary auras appeared before him, kneeling on one knee: "Lord Danzo, what are your orders?"
Danzo glanced at his three subordinates, his gaze finally settling on Fu Yamanaka: "Fu, stay. Ryoma and Torune, you may leave!"
After he spoke, the two Ninjas from the Aburame Clan withdrew, leaving only Fu Yamanaka, who was most skilled in Genjutsu, still kneeling in place.
"Fu, if I want to completely control someone's mind without damaging their intelligence, is such a thing possible?"
Fu Yamanaka was stunned for a moment. As a member of the Yamanaka Clan, he was also proficient in Mind Secret Arts. If you asked him how to destroy someone's mind or control their body, he might be an expert, but completely manipulating someone's mind without damaging their intelligence... that was truly hitting his blind spot!
Although the Yamanaka Clan had participated in designing part of Root's brainwashing training, those who were brainwashed were mere fodder and suicide soldiers. Their sapience was extremely thin, and their so-called intelligence was limited to knowing some common sense.
"This... Lord Danzo, you wish to preserve all of his intelligence?"
"Not just preserve it, but have no damage whatsoever!" Danzo said with some dissatisfaction. "He is a scientist. If something goes wrong with his intelligence, what use would I have for him?"
"This..." Fu Yamanaka looked dumbfounded. If it weren't for the fact that his boss's methods were always cruel, he probably would have asked if Danzo's own intelligence had run into a problem.
The more knowledge one has, the more reactionary they become. The smarter a person is, the more they judge the situation. Therefore, so-called brainwashing work can basically be understood as a process of making someone ignorant.
Using it to produce suicide soldiers was fine, of course, but using it to brainwash a scientist would only result in a tool with no creativity.
Of course, Fu Yamanaka didn't voice his internal complaints. He just shook his head: "Lord Danzo, such a thing is impossible. If it really doesn't work, you should use a Cursed Seal to control him instead!"
Danzo rolled his eyes. Use a Cursed Seal? What a "great" idea. Wouldn't that offend those nobles even more than just killing Vegapunk?
If Vegapunk were killed, it would only provoke riots from the Sea Country Alliance and the Land of Wind, cause the Daimyos of the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning to ostracize them, and bring an inquiry from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. But using a Cursed Seal to control a noble and an heir to a Daimyo would be enough to make the entire noble class stop at nothing to destroy Konohagakure.
Although Danzo always presented himself as a radical, it didn't mean he was a fool. If he truly did such a thing, even Konohagakure wouldn't be able to protect him, and the village itself might even be completely destroyed in the fury of being an enemy to the whole world.
Not to mention that scientific research isn't like sending someone to kill or commit arson to complete a mission. If Vegapunk were truly controlled, he could simply slack off; after all, no one else would be able to understand his research anyway.
Waving his hand, Danzo dismissed Fu Yamanaka. "It seems controlling Vegapunk is impossible... Killing him directly would also have a very bad impact. Even if I find a way to frame another Ninja village, it wouldn't be absolutely foolproof."
Because of the bizarre abilities of Ninjas, every Ninja village has extensive experience in framing others and countering such frames. Nowadays, Ninja villages almost always deduce problems directly from the perspective of who benefits, and rarely pay attention to the forehead protector worn by the perpetrator.
"In that case, perhaps I can only find a way to first obtain those advanced technologies of the Land of Wind and the Land of Sea from this scientist!"
"Wait, if that's the case, why not just have the Yamanaka Clan read his memories? This way, I can not only get the advanced technology but also damage the scientist's brain, ensuring he never has so many advanced inventions in the future!"
Thinking of this, a sinister smile appeared on Danzo's face.
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