Chapter 536: Konoha Cleans House
In Konoha, at a high-level meeting currently in session.
Kakashi signaled Shikaku Nara to introduce the current situation to everyone.
Shikaku Nara coughed lightly, glanced almost imperceptibly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and then said slowly, "Regarding the matter of handling Danzō, all external pressure has been resolved."
"The Tsuchikage publicly stated in the previous peace treaty that this is Konoha's internal affair, and he will not interfere."
"As long as we don't suffer major losses this time, which would make the Tsuchikage feel there's an opportunity, Iwa should not get involved. After all, it's only been two months since the treaty was signed. If they tear it up so easily, the other shinobi villages will never trust Iwagakure again."
"Kumo and Kiri won't object to us reclaiming our territory in the Land of Wind. Moreover, Kiri has even offered to send personnel to support us."
"If necessary, I recommend we have Kiri dispatch one Kage-level shinobi to coordinate with us. We can have them wait in the shadows and not engage, only to have them strike if things go poorly."
"Additionally, we have already communicated with Akatsuki."
"Akatsuki has agreed to let our people pass through the border of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain, but we must be under the supervision of their personnel."
"Akatsuki's condition is that afterward, we must open some border trade zones to them, to facilitate mutual trade."
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked doubtfully, "Akatsuki agreed? For just that?"
Hiruzen's surprise was justified. Letting another nation's army pass through their territory, and their only demand was opening a few trade zones? Hiruzen couldn't understand Yahiko's thinking with his own "dirty" heart.
Shikaku Nara nodded. "That's right. A long time ago, Danzō made a dark move against Akatsuki, back when Hanzō was still around. Akatsuki does not like Danzō. Our people used this as the breakthrough point to persuade them."
Hiruzen nodded. "I know about that. Danzō's operation back then was stopped by the current Tsuchikage."
"But it's been so many years. Does Akatsuki still care? Could it be a trap?"
Shikaku said, "I also considered that. But based on the intelligence provided by... that person... I analyzed the personalities of the Akatsuki leaders and believe they are not playing tricks."
Hiruzen nodded. He knew Shikaku's "that person" was Itachi Uchiha. As the village's spy in Akatsuki, and a genjutsu master at that, the intelligence Itachi provided was credible.
Seeing no objections, Shikaku continued, "Furthermore, we also sent people to communicate with Sasori of the Red Sand. He didn't reply, but it seems he doesn't care."
"So, as long as the Tsuchikage doesn't break the treaty, we will have no external pressure in resolving the Danzō problem."
At this point, Shikaku paused. "With no external pressure, all that remains is the internal problem."
"We must first confirm a unified opinion on how to handle Danzō."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank. It's here. As I thought, Shikaku is targeting me.
Hiruzen looked around and found that everyone had a blank expression, as if they were indifferent to what Shikaku was saying.
And yet, Hiruzen felt that everyone was on guard against him.
Sighing inwardly, Hiruzen said, "You all can discuss how to handle Danzō. I will not offer an opinion. Whatever the result, I will obey!"
Hiashi Hyūga and the other clan heads let out a breath of relief. Then, Inoichi Yamanaka, one of Shikaku's close friends, spoke first: "I recommend we eliminate Danzō completely."
"This time, Danzō disregarded the village's interests, interfering in our foreign peace talks in the name of the Hokage. He sided with Iwa and harmed the village's interests. I believe his actions are tantamount to treason, and he should be completely destroyed."
As expected of Shikaku's close friend. His opening move was to brand Danzō a traitor.
While Inoichi appeared to be convicting Danzō, he was actually relieving the pressure on Shikaku, who had led the previous coup. If Danzō was a traitor, then Shikaku's coup was an act of justice, a move to set things right.
After Inoichi finished, Hiashi Hyūga also spoke up: "I agree with Inoichi's assessment. Danzō has scorned the village's interests and has refused to honor the conditions he previously agreed to. He must be completely eliminated."
Hiashi remembered well that many of his branch family members were still with Danzō. These people were an important part of the Hyūga clan's strength.
Because Orochimaru had broken the Caged Bird seal, Danzō had used the opportunity to pressure Hiashi, resulting in the Hyūga clan being the one that had contributed the most members to Root.
Although they had previously disobeyed Hiashi's orders due to the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal applied by Danzō himself, as long as Danzō was dealt with, these men would once again be his subordinates.
Hiashi had recently felt a threat from the Nara clan. Shikaku Nara's outstanding command of the army in the recent battle had significantly raised his unspoken status in the village. It had even erased much of the stigma from his coup. The Nara clan was now the biggest challenger to the Hyūga clan's position as Konoha's number one clan.
Moreover, the Nara clan had two staunch allies: the Yamanaka and the Akimichi. The Hyūga, however, stood alone.
Finally, his own daughter's performance in the Academy was far inferior to Shikaku Nara's son.
To protect his status as the number one clan in Konoha—and perhaps the shinobi world—Hiashi urgently hoped his subordinates controlled by Danzō could return.
Following Hiashi's statement, the other major clan heads also voiced their support for Inoichi.
Kakashi glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that he truly wasn't intervening, he said, "Since that's the case, it's settled."
"The objective of this operation is to kill Danzō. After Danzō dies, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal will automatically be undone. Therefore, speed is the number one priority. We cannot give Danzō the chance to use the seal to drag more Root members down with him."
"Yes, sir." Seeing Kakashi give the order, everyone in the room responded.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, after a two-second hesitation, said, "As you command."
Shikaku Nara let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. "Since we've reached a consensus, let's discuss how to proceed."
"I propose we gather the village's high-end combat power, along with the reinforcements from Kiri, and eliminate Danzō with a lightning-fast strike."
"Lord Hokage, Lord Third, Might Guy, and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki will all be deployed."
"We will also dispatch Elite Jonin who specialize in sealing. The Root members are, after all, our own people. They are merely being controlled by Danzō and have no choice. In this battle, aside from Danzō, if we can seal them, we seal them. Try to capture them alive as much as possible."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly asked, "If the Hokage and all of us leave, what about the village's defense?"
Shikaku Nara said firmly, "We will implement direct military management and enter the highest state of alert."
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not want to go to the Land of Wind. Although he could no longer change the group's determination to kill Danzō, he still didn't want to be there to send his old friend off on his final journey.
So, he quickly said, "Putting the village on the highest alert level will be too costly. The village just paid a huge sum in reparations to Iwagakure; I'm afraid we cannot bear it."
He wanted to stay behind and guard Konoha.
But Shikaku Nara retorted directly, "Lord Third, compared to eliminating a cancer like Danzō, what's a little expense? When Danzō was in power, the military funds he gave to Iwa were at least dozens of times this amount."
Hiruzen fell silent. What Shikaku said was the truth. Not even counting the expenses of the Hashirama cell experiments, Danzō had misappropriated a massive amount of funds just to trade for the Wood Release scroll.
Back then, Danzō's personal power was enough to silence Shikaku and the others. But today, with Kakashi present—a Hokage whose strength was no less than Hiruzen's and whose authority was greater—Hiruzen's voice no longer carried the same weight. People would listen to his opinions, but they wouldn't take them too seriously.
In contrast, Shikaku Nara, who had rendered great service in the war, was now regarded as being no less valuable than a Kage-level shinobi.
Thus, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose silence.
With Hiruzen's concession, the Konoha leadership reached a unified resolution.
Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Might Guy, and one Kage-level shinobi from Kiri would form a top-tier combat team. Supplemented by a large number of elites, they would attack the Land of Wind branch. They would strive for a quick, decisive battle to completely eliminate Danzō.
Because Kakashi stated that his Sharingan was too strained to place the Nine-Tails under genjutsu again, they would not be bringing Naruto-kun this time.
After the meeting, the team dispatched to "clean house" left the village under the cover of night.
As soon as Kakashi's group left, a Four Red Yang Formation barrier rose over Konoha.
In addition to the barrier, the village's internal defenses were on high alert. Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka had even set up the sensory barrier, a system normally reserved for large-scale wars.
Konoha hunkered down in its turtle shell, prepared to react to any change.
Kakashi's team, meanwhile, passed through the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain without incident and entered the territory of Konoha's Land of Wind branch.
Finally, the group stopped in front of the still-unfinished branch base.
Looking at the barrier erected before them, identical to Konoha's, the group was speechless. Danzō is truly Danzō. So damn cautious.
However, Danzō hadn't deployed the Four Red Yang Formation, but the Four Violet Flames Formation.
Right now, most of the group's attention wasn't on the barrier. They were frowning at the person blocking their path.
Although Kakashi didn't recognize the man in the lead, he had heard the descriptions of his appearance and knew of his attire. That striking white hair, just like his own, served as a constant reminder that his guess was correct.
This person was Konoha's White Fang, summoned by the Edo Tensei.
Kakashi's fists clenched. He stared at the white-haired figure, saying nothing, his thoughts unreadable.
Beside the White Fang was another Edo Tensei, Ryōsuke of Sunagakure. Ryōsuke had died at Iwa's hands, and Danzō had acquired his body in a trade with Iwa.
The two Edo Tensei were flanked by a group of ninja wearing Root masks.
For a moment, neither side moved. It was Ryōsuke who broke the heavy silence.
Ryōsuke looked at his own hands and said, "Is this... the Edo Tensei jutsu?"
He looked left and right, then chuckled. "All Konoha people. Your village is really lively."
"Isn't the pressure from Iwagakure enough? You're still infighting?"
Then, Ryōsuke's smile faded. He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Lord Third Hokage, I wonder if you can tell me how Sunagakure is doing now."
Hiruzen looked at Ryōsuke and sighed. "The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, died at the hands of Sasori of the Red Sand. Sunagakure still exists, but it has been delisted from the Six Great Shinobi Villages."
"The current leader of Suna is Baki. The territory Suna controls is only about a quarter of the original Land of Wind."
Hearing this, Ryōsuke's expression dimmed, and he said no more. It was a situation he had foreseen before his death. He had led Suna's main force to its doom and died himself, leaving Rasa-sensei all alone. Facing the rising sun of Iwagakure, how could Suna possibly have had a good outcome?
As Ryōsuke fell silent, the White Fang looked at Kakashi and said slowly, "Are you Kakashi?"
Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then unclenched his fists, nodded, and called out, "Father."
Hearing Kakashi's name for him, the White Fang smiled, then said with some shame, "Kakashi, I've brought shame upon you."
Kakashi was silent. As a child, he truly had believed that. But the Kakashi of today was different.
"Father, I am now the village's Seventh Hokage."
The White Fang was stunned. He turned and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Meeting the White Fang's gaze, Hiruzen looked guilty. He lowered his eyes slightly and gave a stiff nod.
Kakashi continued, "Father, I have inherited your will. I will also protect my comrades, just as you did."
The White Fang's eyes lit up. He wanted to say something more, but suddenly he felt his body was no longer under his control.
Danzō, protected by the Four Violet Flames Formation, had taken direct control of him and Ryōsuke. The time for nostalgia was over.
Next, it is time for me, the Sixth Hokage, to clean house.
The next moment, the White Fang charged at Kakashi, blade in hand, while Ryōsuke also took out a puppet and joined the battle.
Facing his father's attack, Kakashi did not retreat, but charged forward to meet him.
At the same time, Kakashi gave orders to the others: "Guy, Ryōsuke is a puppet master. As an Edo Tensei, his strength is surely less than when he was alive. You take him."
"Lord Third, you are responsible for breaking the barrier and killing Danzō. Shibi-senpai, you are responsible for command and communication. Everyone else, tie down the Root members."
The moment Kakashi's voice fell, the two sides clashed.
The battle between the elite subordinates was not intense. Even the old-guard Root members, brainwashed by Danzō, knew that the people in front of them were from Konoha, their own people.
In truth, the percentage of ninja in Root who had been brainwashed since childhood was not high. Root had been through too many shuffles over the years. Most of the current members had been pulled in by Danzō as adults.
They were not thoughtless tools. As they fought Kakashi's forces, they all held back.
Kakashi's side, even more so, did not go all out. Their tactic was clear: seal if possible, stall if not. Unless they encountered one of Danzō's fanatical loyalists, they would not deal a killing blow.
As they fought, they moved further and further away from the barrier, waiting for the main confrontation with Danzō to be decided.
Ryōsuke didn't have any good puppets, and Danzō, who was controlling him, didn't know how to use puppetry. Thus, the controlled Ryōsuke was barely stronger than an Elite Jonin and was suppressed by Might Guy, who had opened the Sixth Gate, from the very start.
Kakashi chose to fight the White Fang in close combat. His skill with a blade was naturally far inferior, but he knew many ninjutsu. And since the White Fang wasn't at his full strength, the two were evenly matched.
In the final battle, Hiruzen Sarutobi alone used several S-rank ninjutsu in succession, forcibly blasting open the Four Violet Flames Formation.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, Hiruzen strode into the compound, with Enma following closely behind.
The branch was still in its early stages of construction, with few buildings. However, the main tower in the center, intended as the ANBU base, was already complete.
Danzō stood quietly at the entrance, waiting for Hiruzen.
Hiruzen walked up to Danzō and stopped.
Looking at Danzō, who had already torn the bandage from his right eye, Hiruzen said, "Danzō, stop this. The village cannot withstand any more internal conflict."
Hearing this, Danzō, whose right eye was closed, roared in fury, "Hiruzen! You should be saying that to Shikaku Nara and his group! I am the Sixth Hokage! They are the ones rebelling against me!"
Hiruzen wanted to say that Danzō's claim to the title had been illegitimate from the start, but in the end, he just sighed and said nothing.
The furious Danzō's right eye snapped open, changing directly from a three-tomoe to a Mangekyō, ready to fight.
Hiruzen immediately lowered his head, avoiding Danzō's gaze.
That was Shisui Uchiha's eye. Its dōjutsu was Kotoamatsukami.
The instant Hiruzen looked down, Enma quickly circled around to get behind Danzō.
Danzō glanced at Enma, bit his thumb, and formed seals, casting the Summoning Jutsu.
Danzō's summoning beast, the Baku, was weaker than Enma, but it was enough to tie Enma down for a short time.
Danzō looked at Hiruzen, who was keeping his head slightly bowed to avoid his gaze, and smiled. He then rushed forward.
Danzō had no intention of using Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen. The moment Hiruzen looked away, he changed his Mangekyō Sharingan back to a three-tomoe.
Using Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen... what fun would their relationship be after that? If he could, Danzō would much rather use it on Kakashi.
He only wanted to use the Mangekyō to threaten Hiruzen, to make him fight with his hands tied.
With the Sharingan's assistance, Danzō's close combat ability had improved qualitatively. Coupled with the Hashirama cells in his body, his physical constitution was also much better.
In contrast, Hiruzen's strength was declining with his old age.
Thus, from the very beginning of their fight, Danzō took the absolute upper hand.
...
Elsewhere, in a desert far from the Konoha's Land of Wind branch, Terumī Mei and her Kiri entourage stopped.
Terumī Mei brushed her fingers over her red lips. Her visible eye was grave as she sized up the person blocking their path.
She spoke slowly, "Takigakure's S-rank rogue ninja, Kakuzu? Does Akatsuki intend to interfere in this matter?"
Kakuzu shook his head bluntly. "Relax. This has nothing to do with Akatsuki. I'm just here to earn some extra cash."
"The Tsuchikage said that if I cooperate with Danzō, all the Konoha ninja who die in this battle will count as my kills."
"Danzō said I just need to hold you off. And this time, it's triple the price."
When he said "triple the price," Kakuzu's eyes seemed to glitter.
Terumī Mei was relieved. As long as Akatsuki wasn't interfering, it didn't matter. It was only Kakuzu. She, Terumī Mei, was not afraid.
As for whether Kakuzu was here for money or something else, she didn't care. Akatsuki and Iwa were very close. If she had the chance, she wouldn't mind getting rid of a problem like Kakuzu.
Terumī Mei waved her hand, signaling her subordinates to fall back. She then formed hand seals and attacked.
Kakuzu had also heard of Terumī Mei, Kiri's dual-kekkei genkai ninja.
Aside from the Tsuchikage, she was the only ninja in the world known to have multiple kekkei genkai. In the black market, Terumī Mei's bounty was extremely high.
So Kakuzu wasn't careless. He activated his Earth Grudge Fear, releasing his four masked hearts, and muttered to himself, "I forgot to ask the Tsuchikage. I wonder if killing a dual-kekkei genkai ninja like you is also triple the price."
Both were powerful ninja who specialized in long-range ninjutsu.
Kakuzu could use his masks to perform various combination ninjutsu, while Terumī Mei possessed two kekkei genkai. Their ninjutsu clash was a perfect stalemate.
(End of Chapter)
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