Danzo returned to Konoha looking like a completely different man.
Uchiha Fugaku accompanied him, along with the five rogue shinobi Danzo had been assigned to escort back to the village.
Since the damage they had caused was relatively minor, the five would not be executed immediately. They would even be allowed to retain their status as shinobi.
That did not mean Konoha intended to show them mercy.
The village simply had no reason to waste capable manpower.
Danzo planned to transfer all five of them into Root, place curse marks on them, and use them exclusively for missions with an extremely high risk of death. They would repay their crimes by serving the village until their final breath.
After returning, Danzo soon learned that Hiruzen Sarutobi had convened a village assembly and formally announced Kizaru as his chosen successor.
His mood immediately brightened.
When he heard that Kizaru and Tsunade had spent the past several days visiting Konoha's major clans and renowned jōnin, Danzo was so delighted that he could barely keep the smile off his face.
Excellent.
This was truly excellent!
Kizaru was finally going to become Hokage.
The goal Danzo and the Shimura clan had pursued for decades would finally be realized in Kizaru's generation.
In unusually high spirits, Danzo headed straight for the Hokage Building to deliver his report to Hiruzen.
Throughout the entire meeting, Danzo's expression remained gentle, and his tone was almost pleasant.
That alone was enough to make Hiruzen deeply uncomfortable.
Several times, the Third Hokage nearly dropped the pipe from his mouth.
"Ahem." Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Did the investigation uncover any evidence that the other hidden villages were involved in the incident in Sunagakure?"
Danzo continued staring at him with a faint smile.
Goosebumps rose across Hiruzen's arms.
Even speaking normally felt strangely difficult under that gaze.
"According to the intelligence obtained from Sunagakure's interrogations, both Kirigakure and Iwagakure were involved," Danzo answered.
"What about Kumogakure?"
From what Hiruzen knew of the Hidden Cloud, if something was being planned against Konoha, Kumogakure would at least make its presence known even if it did not take direct action.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, none was more aggressive or ambitious than Kumogakure.
"We found no direct evidence connecting the Hidden Cloud to this particular incident," Danzo replied confidently. "However, I am certain they are involved behind the scenes."
Hiruzen slowly rose from his chair.
"The other villages will not remain still. Sooner or later, they will unite against us. This may become the largest war the shinobi world has ever seen."
His voice contained both solemnity and confidence.
"It will be a trial for Kizaru and for Konoha, but it will also be an opportunity. We old men must make sure the village overcomes this final obstacle."
Danzo immediately understood what Hiruzen meant.
If Kizaru became Hokage and then led Konoha to victory over a coalition of the other Great Shinobi Villages, his prestige would surpass that of every previous Hokage.
No one would be able to stand beside him.
At the same time, victory in such a war would place the future of the entire shinobi world in Konoha's hands.
"I will do everything in my power," Danzo said, his smile finally disappearing as his expression turned serious.
"When you return, speak with Kizaru," Hiruzen instructed. "Find out how his senjutsu training is progressing and whether he is prepared for the coming war."
"I will."
How far had Kizaru's senjutsu training progressed?
When Danzo asked him that question, Kizaru gave him a very simple answer.
The current Kizaru could defeat two versions of his former self.
After three years of training, Kizaru had reached an entirely different level.
Under ordinary conditions, without refining chakra, he fought using natural energy and the combat system of his original world. Even in that state, his strength was roughly comparable to an enhanced version of an admiral at his absolute peak.
The constant nourishment and reinforcement provided by natural energy had further improved Kizaru's already monstrous physical abilities.
His Armament Haki and Observation Haki had also grown stronger.
The improvement was not enormous, but both forms of Haki had already been developed to an exceptionally high level. At that stage, even the slightest increase was exceedingly rare.
During those three years, Kizaru had also worked on combining the natural energy within his body with his Haki during ordinary combat, hoping to increase both his offensive power and his perception.
The results had been promising.
When Kizaru used Haki, he could now produce an effect similar to Frog Kumite, manipulating the natural energy around his body to extend the effective range of his attacks.
His perception had also been greatly enhanced, much like the sensory abilities granted by Sage Mode.
And that was merely Kizaru's normal state.
Once he refined chakra, balanced it with natural energy, and entered Sage Mode, his combat power would rise dramatically.
Kizaru estimated that he would reach at least the level of a Six Paths-class shinobi.
Of course, he had never fought a genuine Six Paths-level opponent, so that conclusion remained nothing more than his personal estimate.
After learning that Kizaru had successfully mastered senjutsu, could fight without restraint, and had become vastly stronger than before, Danzo finally relaxed.
The smile returned to his face.
For Danzo, this was undoubtedly the finest period of his entire life.
Kizaru was about to become Hokage.
He had mastered senjutsu.
His power was now enough to suppress the entire shinobi world.
At the same time, the other hidden villages had chosen to form an alliance and prepare for a joint attack on Konoha.
To Danzo, it was not a crisis.
It was a second blessing.
"Kizaru, when war begins, we should use the opportunity to annihilate the entire coalition force."
Sitting opposite his nephew, Danzo spoke with barely restrained excitement.
"Once their combined armies have been destroyed, we can lead Konoha's shinobi into their territories and launch a counteroffensive. We can end this age of endless war between the great nations once and for all."
As he spoke, Danzo became increasingly convinced that his plan could succeed.
Kizaru stared at him in silence.
Was that not moving a little too quickly?
He had only just agreed to become Hokage, yet Danzo already wanted him to conquer the entire world.
Was his uncle planning to force every unfulfilled dream of his generation onto his shoulders?
"Oooh... Uncle, I'm not some wish-granting genie, you know~"
Danzo blinked.
"A genie?"
He had no idea what Kizaru was talking about.
"Ooh, never mind." Kizaru lazily waved one hand. "I'm only saying that you're being far too impatient."
"Kizaru, everything is in our favor," Danzo insisted. "The village has the strength, the unity, and the strategic advantage. It would be a waste not to use this chance to unify the shinobi world."
In Danzo's eyes, his own generation and Hiruzen's had not yet completely declined. They were still capable of fighting at their highest level.
Meanwhile, the generation of the Sannin and Hatake Sakumo had already reached its prime.
Kizaru's strength had risen even further.
Konoha's military power had never been greater.
Kizaru's reforms had also significantly increased the village's income while earning the support of its clans and other influential factions.
The entire village stood behind him.
Konoha possessed both strength and internal unity.
As for its geographical advantage, the three enemy villages were positioned in separate directions around the Land of Fire, forming a loose triangle around Konoha.
Because Konoha stood at the center, it could concentrate its forces and eliminate one enemy village before the others arrived.
Alternatively, it could wait for the three armies to unite and destroy them all in a single decisive battle.
Either way, Konoha held the strategic initiative.
From Danzo's perspective, no better opportunity to unify the shinobi world would ever appear.
"I know what concerns you," Danzo continued. "You are worried about how the conquered territories would be governed after the war."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But that is not a problem. Once we win, we can absorb the shinobi clans and individual shinobi who surrender from each village."
"I have already considered how to administer the various regions. We need only control the daimyo of each nation while guaranteeing the interests and safety of the nobles and officials."
A cold gleam passed through Danzo's eye.
"Those weak men have spent their lives surrounded by comfort and luxury. Once they understand that resistance means death, they will surrender without hesitation."
Kizaru listened without interrupting.
However, he soon realized that his understanding of unification was fundamentally different from Danzo's.
Danzo merely wanted to destroy or absorb the other hidden villages, bring the daimyo under Konoha's control, and force the local nobility to swear loyalty.
It would essentially create a feudal structure with Konoha standing above the various nations, much like a shogunate ruling through regional lords.
Kizaru's understanding of true unification was completely different.
A genuinely centralized nation would require the elimination of every hidden village, every daimyo, and every independent noble house.
Afterward, Konoha would directly appoint officials to govern every region of the continent under a single administration.
In truth, Kizaru had little interest in unifying the shinobi world.
He also found Danzo's version of unification thoroughly unimpressive.
Therefore, he decided to silence his uncle by presenting an ambition so extreme and difficult that even Danzo would have no choice but to reconsider.
"That isn't the kind of unification I would want."
Kizaru leaned back, his tone remaining slow and casual.
"If I were truly going to lead Konoha in unifying the entire shinobi world, then I would eliminate every daimyo, every hidden village, and every noble family."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Konoha would appoint its own people to govern every part of the continent directly. There would be no independent rulers left."
Danzo froze.
He had believed his own ambition to be extraordinary.
He had never imagined that his nephew's vision would be even greater.
Kizaru did not merely intend to conquer the hidden villages and control the daimyo.
He wanted to abolish both the nobility and the daimyo system entirely, ending an order that had existed for thousands of years.
Rather than becoming the sole ruler above the existing system, Kizaru intended to destroy that system and establish an entirely new nation in its place.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju—the God of Shinobi—had created the hidden-village system and brought unprecedented change to the world.
Now Kizaru, the new God of Shinobi, intended to bring about another transformation of equal magnitude.
He would erase the ancient political order and replace it with something the shinobi world had never seen before.
What a magnificent ambition!
Danzo's body trembled with excitement.
He looked at Kizaru with open admiration.
"Kizaru, I finally understand!"
Both of Danzo's hands pressed firmly against his thighs.
"Follow your vision and transform this world as you see fit! I will support you with everything I have!"
Kizaru studied his uncle's excited expression and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Oooh...
It seemed Danzo had taken the bait.
With this, Kizaru should be able to continue enjoying his peaceful, carefree life for quite some time.
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