"Asuma, how strong were those people who confronted us just now?" Danzo Shimura's eyes fixed sharply on Sarutobi Asuma, his tone carrying an unmistakable scrutiny.
Danzo could sense it—this guy, while Asuma's own abilities were decent, had a reckless streak that often got him in trouble.
He actually dared to make a move against Uchiha Genya near Konoha? That was sheer arrogance!
Feeling Danzo's piercing gaze, Asuma couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease, yet he forced himself to respond calmly, "They're strong, but… what does that have to do with Uchiha Genya?"
His voice was filled with confusion and bewilderment, unable to see any connection between the two.
"Heh… you think there's no connection?" Danzo's cold eyes bore into Asuma as he spoke through gritted teeth. "The one leading them, Deidara, was brought back by Genya himself. How could there be no connection?"
Asuma froze instantly, his face a mix of shock and disbelief.
He had only just returned to Konoha and many things were still unclear to him. He never imagined that Uchiha Genya had such deep ties with that notorious Atsukara.
"If Uchiha Genya has returned outside the borders of Konoha, no one can touch him!" Danzo enunciated each word sharply, his tone resolute.
Then he added, "The Uchiha clan has grown strong now. If anyone dares to make a move on Genya, it would be declaring war on the entire Uchiha clan!"
He narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint trace of caution flashing within them. "Heh… even your Sarutobi clan can't claim certain victory against the Uchiha anymore."
These weren't empty threats from Danzo; they were cold, hard facts. The Uchiha clan had changed drastically, forming its own system within Konoha, subtly resisting the village's authority.
If Uchiha Genya truly returned to Konoha's territory, any plan meticulously crafted by Hiruzen Sarutobi would be completely ruined.
"Just let Genya return to Konoha again? What a bunch of useless fools! I can't believe the people of the Land of Lightning are so incompetent—having the prey right in front of them and still letting it escape!" Asuma couldn't contain his anger, shouting his frustration aloud.
"Alright… Asuma, go back for now. This isn't something you need to worry about," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a sigh, looking at his impulsive, hot-headed son.
He knew his son's temper well. At this moment, saying more would do nothing but make things worse.
"Father…" Asuma Sarutobi looked at his father's disappointed expression, filled with regret. He wanted to say something to mend the situation.
However, under Hiruzen Sarutobi's stern gaze, he finally chose to remain silent and quietly turned to leave.
For a moment, the office was left with only Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The silence felt oppressive, as if the air itself had frozen. The entire office seemed unusually quiet.
Finally, it was Danzo who broke the stillness. He looked at Hiruzen and said calmly, "Is there something that even Asuma cannot know?"
Danzo knew that Hiruzen had something extremely important to discuss privately.
"Hokage, what do you think of the current strength of the Atsukara?" Hiruzen's gaze locked on Danzo. He spoke slowly, each word carefully measured.
Danzo fell into thought at the question.
After a moment, he spoke with a serious expression, "They are very strong, and it seems they hold hostility toward Konoha."
He furrowed his brow slightly and added, "Also… the Uchiha have close ties with them. We must remain vigilant."
To him, the alliance between these two forces was like a ticking bomb, posing a huge threat to Konoha.
"Vigilance is not enough. We must prepare early!" Hiruzen's eyes revealed deep worry.
He fell into thought for a moment, then looked at Danzo and said deliberately, word by word, "They are closely connected with the Uchiha clan. Now the Uchiha are restless within Konoha. If they unite against us, we will have no way to resist!"
His voice carried a hint of bitterness. "It could even lead to an extremely desperate situation!"
Danzo furrowed his brow, sinking into deep thought.
He knew well that Sarutobi Hiruzen did not speak lightly. The current situation in Konoha was truly precarious.
After a long moment, he lifted his head and asked seriously, "Then what should we do?"
At this moment, he placed his hope on Hiruzen, expecting to hear a viable strategy from him.
Hiruzen took a deep breath, as if gathering all his courage, then spoke seriously. "We continue the Reanimation Jutsu experiments. If we encounter some problems that cannot be solved, we will bring back the previous Hokage, especially the First!"
A flash of resolve crossed his eyes. In his view, if the Atsukara organization invaded Konoha, this might be one of the ways to respond to the crisis.
"The experiment continues!" Danzo's gaze locked onto Hiruzen. He added, "But if we speed up the research, it will inevitably cause some disturbances."
At this moment, their Reanimation Jutsu experiments had been proceeding in secret.
If they wanted to accelerate the research openly, it would require more people as test subjects. After all, each experiment depended on living hosts.
This meant that to continue the experiments, a large number of living people were essential.
But doing so would inevitably cause suspicion and unrest within Konoha. If the information leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"We must speed up!" Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, his expression more serious than ever. "I believe… a disturbance will happen soon, and it will be extremely difficult to deal with."
His tone was firm, leaving no room for doubt, as if he had already foreseen the coming crisis.
"Soon? You think a disturbance will happen shortly?" Danzo looked at Hiruzen's grave expression, filled with doubt.
In his memory, it had been a long time since he had heard such serious words from Hiruzen.
Could it be that today's confrontation with those mysterious forces had deeply affected Hiruzen, prompting this judgment?
Hiruzen ignored Danzo's question and spoke slowly, on his own. "During the upcoming Chunin Exams, a disturbance might occur."
His voice was low but powerful.
The Chunin Exams were always an important event in Konoha, gathering ninjas from all countries, a mix of many different powers and intentions.
If someone with ill intentions takes this chance to cause trouble, given Konoha's current situation, it would be hard to defend against.
If anyone wanted to target Konoha—or him—this would be the perfect opportunity.
"Reanimation Jutsu must be fully perfected before the Chunin Exams!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said firmly.
In his view, only by having the forbidden jutsu Reanimation Jutsu reach full maturity before the Chunin Exams would the Sarutobi clan… no, Konoha have enough tricks up its sleeve to face invading enemies!
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