He was certain that "Uchiha Madara" had ulterior motives beyond merely seizing the Rinnegan and the Ninja Sect legacy.
Just like himself, Shimura Danzo didn't research Hashirama Cells solely for the sake of Wood Release; his fundamental aim was to strengthen Konoha and create an opportunity for himself to become Hokage.
The abilities and methods that "Uchiha Madara" had showcased so far posed an even greater threat to Shimura Danzo than the Ninja Sect.
Shimura Danzo was in the Rain Village, yet everything was still under "Uchiha Madara's" control.
"Uchiha Madara" knew he had come to the Land of Rain and swiftly learned that he had persuaded Hanzo, as if there was an invisible ninja constantly watching him.
Of course, Shimura Danzo knew this was impossible.
After all, he also possessed several secret techniques; even if someone were invisible, he should have detected them.
Shimura Danzo reasoned that the most logical explanation was that there were "Uchiha Madara" spies in the Rain Village, and likely within the Ninja Sect as well.
"I'll need to make some additional arrangements." Shimura Danzo felt the previous plan wasn't secure enough.
The prior plan was sufficient to kill Sosuke and Nagato, but if "Uchiha Madara" succeeded and turned traitor, then it would be uncertain.
Soon, Shimura Danzo fabricated an excuse to return to Konoha.
Organizing such an event wasn't just a matter of words; for a plan to kill one of the Ninja World's top powerhouses, Hanzo and Shimura Danzo agreed to take a month.
They would spend a month preparing for the ambush.
During this month, it was impossible for Shimura Danzo to stay in the Land of Rain the whole time, or else Sarutobi Hiruzen would surely notice something amiss.
It's not that Shimura Danzo couldn't stay in foreign villages for extended periods, but rather that he needed a fitting pretext.
If Shimura Danzo were leading an army, no one would question a month, or even a year, of absence.
Meanwhile, after leaving Shimura Danzo's sight, the masked man sank underground and reemerged in a secluded forest.
"Did you tell Danzo everything we prepared?" Black Zetsu inquired.
He was the one who plotted against Shimura Danzo, but Black Zetsu didn't want to appear in person, so after the surgery was done, he left the task of dealing with Shimura Danzo to Tobi.
"Mission accomplished! The only regret is that he still didn't answer what the sensation of defecation feels like." Tobi, shrugging off his black robe, said with a look of disappointment.
As someone who doesn't need to relieve himself, he was genuinely curious.
"You can ask next time," Black Zetsu replied indifferently.
Although using Uchiha Madara's name to ask such questions was a bit embarrassing, Uchiha Madara was old and near death; he likely wouldn't mind such things.
"With Hashirama Cells and Tobi's body, even if Shimura Danzo can't kill Sosuke, it shouldn't be difficult with others' help for them to perish together." Black Zetsu began to extrapolate his plan.
In Uchiha Madara's perspective, Sosuke was of low priority, far below Habu Mokgetsu.
But for Black Zetsu, Sosuke, although lower in priority compared to Habu Mokgetsu in the plan, was still a ninja that needed elimination.
This was because Sosuke might have some connection to the Six Paths Sage.
Ever since conceiving this idea, Black Zetsu had avoided getting close to Sosuke again.
Even with just the possibility, Black Zetsu did not want to take any risks, especially since the time to use the Rinnegan hadn't arrived yet.
This time there was an opportunity to eliminate Sosuke, so Black Zetsu increased the stakes, using Tobi's body tissues during Shimura Danzo's surgery.
Tobi was unlike typical White Zetsu, possessing tremendous strength and the ability to possess and enhance the capabilities of a ninja, making him the most unique White Zetsu, the weapon Kaguya idealized.
Thus, using Tobi's body in Shimura Danzo's surgery could maximize its effects, though it would harm Tobi.
However, Black Zetsu deemed it worthwhile; Tobi's injuries could heal, and using Tobi to enhance Shimura Danzo was better than deploying Tobi directly, as Tobi was a crucial asset for their side.
In direct combat, Black Zetsu was no match for Tobi.
"If they manage to perish together, it can trigger the other setups early," Black Zetsu realized that Shimura Danzo and Sosuke dying together would be the optimal outcome.
As a Hokage Assistant from Konoha, Shimura Danzo was one of Konoha's representative ninjas.
If Shimura Danzo were to die, it would indeed shake Konoha.
At that time, he could activate additional measures in the other Ninja Villages, forcing Habu Mokgetsu to be too preoccupied to care for his own disciples.
...
As soon as Hanzo left, Mokgetsu created a shadow clone, then used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to leave Six Paths City, heading straight for Konoha.
Except for those disciples he fully trusted, Mokgetsu remained skeptical, always investigating and verifying before believing anyone else.
This was a world riddled with deceit, and having strived for so long, Mokgetsu didn't want carelessness to ruin everything.
Even though Mokgetsu had deduced that Shimura Danzo was the one causing trouble, he needed to investigate the situation himself to confirm its authenticity.
Although Mokgetsu had stayed with the Ninja Sect for some time, his Yang Seal Shadow Clone was always active in Konoha, so in the eyes of others, Mokgetsu never left Konoha.
Once he was close to Konoha, Mokgetsu used Flying Thunder God to teleport directly into his main area's bedroom.
Upon returning to Konoha, Mokgetsu immediately utilized his Observation, enveloping the entire Konoha with it.
"As expected, not in Konoha." Mokgetsu couldn't sense Shimura Danzo's Chakra.
Mokgetsu then quietly headed towards the Root Base, using Byakugan to observe the conditions there.
He found that not only was Shimura Danzo absent, but the number of Root Ninjas was also significantly reduced compared to usual.
This indicated that Shimura Danzo was indeed in the Land of Rain, and Hanzo's visit was a result of Shimura Danzo's machinations.
Currently, there were no significant conflicts in Konoha, and no assignments worthy of the Hokage Assistant like Shimura Danzo personally leading his subordinates into battle.
Moreover, Shimura Danzo wasn't one to relish being on the front lines.
"So, Hanzo's words should be trustworthy." Mokgetsu contemplated how to handle this unexpected situation.
The most effortless way would be to report Shimura Danzo to Sarutobi Hiruzen directly.
This would force Shimura Danzo to scurry back to Konoha without Mokgetsu needing to act.
However, the downside of this method was that Shimura Danzo wouldn't die and could continue causing trouble in the future.
Mokgetsu pondered and decided that it was worth the extra effort to eradicate Shimura Danzo this time.
Currently, Shimura Danzo's existence was more of a hindrance than a benefit, being an unpredictable threat and unable to aid him.
Over the next several days, Mokgetsu remained in Konoha, continuing his investigation to try uncovering details of Shimura Danzo's plans.
Sosuke's guise now had even greater fame in the Ninja World than Mokgetsu, and planning to kill such a formidable figure required more than a fleeting thought, so Mokgetsu wasn't in a hurry to return to the Rain Village.
Since he knew Shimura Danzo intended to kill his alter ego, the initiative truly lay with Mokgetsu.
Mokgetsu did discover some secret documents, but they were largely irrelevant, primarily task reports submitted by the Root.
Yet even those Root Ninjas had not uncovered anything significant.
Based on the tasks assigned by Shimura Danzo, Mokgetsu could determine that he was very interested in the Ninja Sect legacy.
Just as Mokgetsu was about to return to the Rain Village, Shimura Danzo came back.
Thankfully, after Mokgetsu returned, he had maintained the habit of using Observation to regularly scan Konoha, or he might have missed him.
"Chakra has grown stronger." Mokgetsu noticed a change in Shimura Danzo's Chakra.
Chakra for a ninja was an essential existence, and the change in Shimura Danzo's Chakra was as if a five-foot-eight person suddenly became six-foot-six, almost impossible for Mokgetsu to overlook.
Of course, this was primarily because he was very familiar with Shimura Danzo's Chakra, which allowed him to notice.
Without frequently observing Shimura Danzo's Chakra, this kind of change would be undetectable.
The sudden strength in Shimura Danzo made Mokgetsu feel an ominous sense.
Therefore, Mokgetsu concealed his presence, using his high-purity Byakugan's extreme long-range vision to evaluate Shimura Danzo from a maximal distance.