The two of them were talking completely past each other.
The Will of Fire had already thoroughly brainwashed the White Fang of Konoha. In fact, it was precisely because he was brainwashed that his blade was so fast.
A Sakumo Hatake without the Will of Fire would no longer be the White Fang.
Gisei wanted to reason with him, but after thinking about it for a second, he decided against it. They were never on the same path to begin with. It would just be a waste of breath.
"Did the Third send you to kill me?"
Sakumo shook his head, a helpless expression on his face. "The Anbu discovered the battle here, so I came to investigate. I didn't expect..."
If the Third didn't send you, why are you sticking your neck out?
Gisei looked at him with a strange expression, honestly not knowing what to say.
Any normal person would have steered clear of this mess, but Sakumo just had to crash right into it. He really wasn't afraid of getting burned.
"So, what do you plan to do?"
Hearing this, Sakumo's expression turned serious.
He wasn't a fool. The people surrounding Gisei were obviously Anbu, but he had never seen these specific operatives in the Anbu roster before.
That meant they could only belong to Lord Danzo's "Root."
Sakumo waved his hand gently, and dozens of Anbu wearing standard masks emerged from the shadows behind him.
"Everyone, put down your weapons and return with me to face an Anbu investigation."
Hearing this, Gisei couldn't help but facepalm.
He couldn't tell if Sakumo was truly naive or just pretending to be.
Leaving aside whether Danzo's Root agents would ever submit to an Anbu investigation, the very nature of this "private conflict" wasn't something the Hokage could easily handle.
If they were actually hauled in front of the Hokage, what could Hiruzen even say?
Punishing Danzo was impossible. Punishing Gisei would instantly shatter the fragile truce they had just established.
The Hokage would be caught between a rock and a hard place.
Was it really okay for Sakumo to roast his direct superior over a fire like this?
Thinking of this, Gisei shrugged indifferently and raised his hands. It didn't concern him anyway.
As for the Root members, they had absolutely no intention of cooperating. Instead, they raised their kunai, ready to fight.
Seeing this, Sakumo's face turned ugly, and the dozens of Anbu behind him stepped forward, weapons drawn.
Root and Anbu were now in a standoff.
Gisei scratched his head. Did I just become a spectator eating popcorn?
This drama he grew himself was indeed sweet and juicy.
Just as the tension was about to explode, a sinister voice drifted from the woods.
"I underestimated you. I didn't expect that in just a few years, you would have grown to this extent."
Hearing that voice, Gisei revealed a meaningful smile.
Danzo had come after all.
That's right. Killing all these small fry was far less satisfying than beating up Danzo himself. If the lesson didn't land on the master, he wouldn't feel any pain at all.
It's like a father disciplining his son—spanking his butt and slapping his face have completely different effects.
Danzo walked out of the woods flanked by a dozen more Root members. The agents surrounding Gisei quickly retreated to stand behind their master.
Danzo glanced at the corpses littering the ground, the killing intent in his eyes almost unconcealed.
Gisei laughed strangely. "Danzo, I also underestimated you. To think you'd try to kill me just because I'm alone. Who gave you the courage?"
Sakumo took a step forward. "Lord Danzo, about this matter, I think..."
Before Sakumo could finish, Danzo viciously interrupted him.
"Shut up! Everything here is now under my command. Everyone must obey my orders."
He pointed a finger at Gisei. "Shiraishi Gisei has been secretly conducting forbidden experiments. Arrest him immediately for interrogation. If he resists, kill him without mercy."
Sakumo's expression changed. "Lord Danzo, Lord Hokage will not agree to this!"
Seeing them bite at each other like dogs, the smile on Gisei's face grew even wider.
"Danzo, you need evidence when you speak. Framing me without reason... the Hokage won't let you off, you know."
Danzo's face was gloomy as he glanced behind him. An agent immediately stepped forward, holding up a list of experiments.
"This is what was found in that laboratory. Both the handwriting and the scent on it are identical to yours."
Gisei's expression didn't change in the slightest.
Since he dared to use this abandoned laboratory as bait, he had naturally cleaned out anything incriminating long ago. He knew without looking that the document in Danzo's hand was a fake.
"Who doesn't know how to frame people? Speaking of which, the reason I came here today is because someone sent me intel. Could that person be you, Lord Danzo?"
Hearing the two of them sticking to their conflicting stories, Sakumo signaled his Anbu with his eyes. One operative understood and quietly disappeared into the shadows.
But not long after, a scream echoed from the woods, followed by silence.
Sakumo's face changed drastically. That scream sounded very familiar.
"Lord Danzo, must you do this?"
Danzo narrowed his eyes, sizing Sakumo up. "Recognize your position."
Gisei watched Danzo pressuring Sakumo, wondering if this incident would become the catalyst for Danzo later driving the White Fang to his death.
In the original plot, Danzo ruined Sakumo's reputation to secure his own path to the Hokage position. That happened during the late stages of the Second War.
If Danzo became Hokage, would it be more beneficial to Gisei?
Strange thoughts spun in Gisei's mind.
First of all, Danzo definitely wanted to become Hokage because he believed that only he could truly protect Konoha. The reason he was hostile to Gisei now was simply because he saw him as a danger to the village.
Perhaps Gisei really was too radical. Destroying the "Will of Fire" was destined to be a time-consuming task. Wanting to see results overnight was not only unrealistic but would also force the Third and Danzo to join hands against him.
Come to think of it, he already supported Orochimaru becoming Hokage, so adding Danzo into the mix didn't seem like a problem.
In the future, he would have to find more ambitious, capable, and thoroughly wicked fellows to fill Konoha's high-ranking positions.
Let Konoha rot from the top down, while he dug up its roots from underground.
Wait, no. Bad things should be blamed on others; good things should be done by me.
When the time comes and the Konoha high command is rotten to the core, as long as he maintains high prestige among the civilians, he just needs to make a call to action.
No, wouldn't that make him the Hokage?
"Hokage" or whatever was just a bad joke.
His goal was to dig up the graves of the Senju brothers. Inheriting their property—what kind of business was that?
Konoha must disappear, otherwise he wouldn't be happy.
Rebuild a village in the Land of Fire? That seemed okay. Kill the Daimyo, establish a dictatorship, and gather the power of the entire country to serve himself.
By then, his Art of Star Absorption should be fully developed.
Conducting research openly under the authority of the Land of Fire—whoever dared to whine about it, he'd destroy them "for the sake of the nation."
The more Gisei thought, the clearer his plan became. His gaze as he looked at Danzo turned fervent.
What a treasure.