Lately, Danzo Shimura felt that something was not quite right.
Three and a half months had passed since he last sent Aburame Ryoma and the others to kidnap Kakashi Hatake.
Everything had been fine at first, going according to his expectations.
Faced with Minato Namikaze's accusations, Hiruzen Sarutobi had stepped forward to protect him.
Minato Namikaze simply had no way to deal with him.
Everything was just as it had always been.
But over the past half month, Danzo Shimura had sensed a strange atmosphere.
First of all, that old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi had stopped appearing in the public eye altogether, burying himself in his family estate.
He and his wife, Biwako Sarutobi, were acting all lovey-dovey all day long.
It had reached the point where Asuma Sarutobi was driven to run away from home.
Meanwhile, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu were also holed up in their homes, and who knows what they were thinking.
How old are they even? Are they already unable to work?
They are simply failing the expectations of Lord Tobirama!
Danzo Shimura sat on a bench, his eyes closed as he contemplated in silence.
Recently, the Root Ninjas had reported that their progress in infiltrating the Anbu was being blocked.
The Anbu Commander and the three Division Captains, who used to turn a blind eye to them, had suddenly become exceptionally strict.
Every single mole sent by Root was returned without exception.
Even many of the moles previously planted in the Anbu had been rooted out.
Not even one in ten remained!
This was a very abnormal sign!
Logically, the Anbu had always been held in the hands of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi was Danzo Shimura's greatest backer.
They were all feeding from the same trough, all one family; why distinguish between 'yours' and 'mine'?
Yet the current Anbu was exhibiting extremely strict exclusivity.
"Could it be that the old geezer Hiruzen has handed over responsibility for the Anbu to Minato Namikaze?"
"That shouldn't be the case!"
Danzo Shimura pondered; given that old fellow Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality, there was no way he would relinquish power so easily.
If Minato Namikaze wanted to get his foot in the Anbu's door, it should have taken at least another two or three years.
How could he have possibly taken control of the Anbu so quickly?
"Just what kind of change has occurred?"
Danzo Shimura racked his brains but couldn't find a single clue.
After all, he hadn't experienced the questions in the Quiz Space, so he couldn't possibly imagine it.
That Minato Namikaze and his group had actually predicted the future!
Good grief, I haven't even done those things yet, and you already know?
With his secrets completely exposed, everyone had discovered that Danzo Shimura's record was full of filth.
But he himself hadn't realized it at all.
This was the asymmetry of information.
No matter how much Danzo Shimura beat his brains out, he couldn't figure out what was going on.
"Someone, come!"
The more he thought, the more irritable he became, so Danzo Shimura simply called out.
"Here!"
A Ninja dressed in Anbu attire suddenly appeared before Danzo Shimura, kneeling on one knee and lowering his head respectfully.
"Well? Have you found out? What is the situation with the Anbu?"
Ever since Danzo Shimura's moles planted in the Anbu were cleared out, he had sent people to investigate the changes there.
"Reporting to Lord Danzo, the cause has not yet been clarified."
"The only information obtained is that Kakashi Hatake has entered the Anbu and is serving as a Squad Leader in the Assassination Unit."
Kakashi Hatake joined the Anbu?
This is the prelude to Minato Namikaze taking control of the Anbu!
That old fossil Hiruzen Sarutobi really handed the Anbu over to Minato Namikaze?!
No, it's not that easy.
It should just be a small taste of power for him; the Anbu Commander and the three Division Captains are all Hiruzen Sarutobi's people!
Danzo Shimura's mind raced; he sensed a hint of danger.
"What about Minato Namikaze? What has that fellow been up to lately?"
The information that Kakashi Hatake had joined the Anbu alone wasn't enough to deduce the specific situation.
Danzo Shimura turned his attention toward Minato Namikaze.
If there were any moves being made, Minato Namikaze, as the Hokage, would certainly be at the forefront!
"Reporting to Lord Danzo, the Hokage has been traveling back and forth between his home and the Hokage Building recently. The only difference is that he is staying at home much longer than before."
The Root Ninja replied in detail.
It was hard to imagine that within a military unit, there were people from the same Village tracking the supreme leader.
Minato Namikaze's recent actions were all observed in secret by the Root Ninjas and reported to Danzo Shimura.
"Hmph! This fellow is completely unfit for the job!"
Danzo Shimura snorted coldly and waved his hand to dismiss the Root Ninja.
Leaning back against the bench again, the one eye Danzo Shimura had exposed closed once more.
An unfit Fourth Hokage, staying at home all day and not working—how disgraceful!
A lazy Third Hokage, actually spending every day at home being affectionate with his old wife—at his age, he should be ashamed!
And those two old fogies, Homura and Koharu, are completely unreliable!
"As expected, I am the only one in Konoha most suitable to be the Hokage!"
"Only me!"
Danzo Shimura's heart burned with passion.
His ambition to become the Hokage had never been extinguished.
Long ago, when the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was acting as a decoy for them, he had to choose the Third Hokage between him and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
At that time, he was a step too slow, allowing Hiruzen Sarutobi to beat him to it.
Ever since then, he had regretted his hesitation at that moment every single second.
"If only I had been a little bit faster! The position of Hokage would have been mine!"
Danzo Shimura had said this to himself countless times.
But since Hiruzen Sarutobi had already become the Hokage, he had no way to contest it and could only hide in the shadows to accumulate power.
Anyone who could compete with him would be targeted.
Sakumo Hatake was once peerless, and his reputation in Konoha Village even eclipsed that of the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
So what? Wasn't he still driven to his death by Danzo Shimura, who found an opportunity to use public opinion against him!
What about Orochimaru!? He was the disciple of the Third Hokage and one of the famous Sannin.
Yet on the eve of the Hokage selection, his Underground Laboratory was exposed by Danzo.
He was personally driven out of Konoha Village by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It's just hateful! In the end, that yellow-haired brat actually plucked the fruit!
And that old fossil Hiruzen Sarutobi actually supported him for the position with all his heart!
You will regret this! Monkey!
Danzo Shimura's teeth itched with hatred; that yellow-haired fellow had practically become the number one person Danzo Shimura wanted to kill!
"Hmph! One day, the Hokage position will definitely be mine!"
Danzo Shimura made a silent vow.
He was now strong and well-equipped; after so many years of development and undermining Konoha's foundations, Root's strength...
...was already capable of surpassing the Anbu!
In the entire Konoha Village, the power he could control was even stronger than that of the Hokage, Minato Namikaze!
He just needed to wait for an opportunity!
"However, I still need to go and see exactly what has happened!"
Still feeling uneasy about the recent changes in the Village, Danzo Shimura decided to find an opportunity to visit Hiruzen Sarutobi.
To test that old geezer.
If he really is determined to retire and relinquish power, it won't just be an opportunity for Minato Namikaze to rise.
It would also be the clarion call for Danzo Shimura's counter-attack!
If Hiruzen Sarutobi lets go, I, Danzo Shimura, certainly won't.
Dealing with a yellow-haired brat would be as easy as pie!
Danzo Shimura fantasized about himself wearing the Hokage's ceremonial robe and the Hokage hat.
A gratified smile couldn't help but appear on his old, stiff face.
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