Hokage's Office.
After hearing the Anbu's report, the Third's face instantly darkened.
He had told Danzo long ago not to act without authorization, but he hadn't expected Danzo to still go his own way.
Whether Shiraishi Gisei could be killed or not, this wasn't a good thing for him.
In the best case, the village would split; in the worst case, his position as Hokage would be insecure. Even more seriously, the ninja clans could riot, leading Konoha straight into a civil war.
Thinking of this, the Third didn't dare hesitate and immediately began issuing orders.
"Summon all Anbu members. Monitor every movement in the village immediately. If any ninja clans gather, disperse them at once."
"Also, notify the other two advisors and have them go to the various ninja clans to appease them."
"Select elite Anbu members to follow me for the rescue. Speed is essential!"
After giving the orders, the Third opened the window directly, intending to jump out, when Orochimaru pushed open the door to the office.
"The Takemoto and Kawai ninja clans have gathered over three hundred ninjas and forcibly rushed out of the Konoha gates. The Fukuyama, Kamikawa, and other clans have summoned nearly five hundred ninjas to gather at the Butterfly User's clan grounds."
Hearing Orochimaru's words, the blood drained from the Third's face.
He opened his mouth but couldn't get a word out.
"Immediately notify the Senju and Nara clans to summon all ninjas in the village. Recall the troops stationed at the border as well."
The Third gritted his teeth as he began to give orders, feeling like he wanted to eat Danzo's heart raw.
He could roughly guess Danzo's thoughts. As long as Danzo killed Gisei and detonated the conflict within the village, for the sake of Konoha's "greater picture," the Third would be forced to give everyone an explanation.
If Gisei died, his own position as Hokage would definitely be forfeit.
At that time, Danzo would only need to maneuver from within, and not only would his power be strengthened, but even the position of Hokage wasn't out of reach.
And naturally, this was all "for the sake of Konoha."
As long as Gisei died, the ninja clans behind him would become a sheet of loose sand and would never amount to anything again. Although there were other Butterfly User clansmen, whether they could grow up again would depend entirely on whether Danzo allowed it.
He had put his heart and soul into maintaining the stability of the village, only to have his legs cut out from under him by Danzo in the blink of an eye.
I treat you as a friend, and you turn around and stab me!
Can there be any trust between people anymore?
Treating the Hokage as a political sacrifice—I'll fucking hand you over first.
Thinking this way, the Third also knew it was unrealistic.
Danzo was the Hokage's assistant; others would simply assume it was his order. Danzo couldn't carry the blame for a Konoha civil war—that pot was just too big.
The Third jumped out of the window, disappearing into the Konoha night with a few bounds.
Orochimaru stood in the Hokage's office, extending his tongue to lick the corner of his mouth.
It was the first time he had seen his teacher like this; it was simply ridiculous.
Hehe...
Orochimaru left the Hokage's office with a smile.
He hadn't simply passed false intelligence to Danzo; he also claimed a share of the credit for the huge commotion among the ninja clans behind Gisei.
Although Gisei said he could handle Danzo, Danzo wasn't that simple a person.
If Gisei died... thinking of that situation, Orochimaru smiled even more happily.
Danzo examined the barrier and Gisei, who was standing at the four corners of the barrier, with a gloomy face.
Shadow Clone?
Impossible. The clone he had just killed had a physical body, which meant Gisei's clone techniques were all physical clones?
Not only could they use the main body's abilities, but they also possessed their own physical bodies?
This was absolutely not a normal clone technique!
Could it be the Butterfly User's secret technique?
Danzo recalled the Butterfly User secret techniques recorded in the Konoha archives and hesitated, asking, "Can your clan's secret technique also control other people's bodies?"
Gisei blinked. "You're not stupid either. How could you have come up with the idea of assassinating me?"
"Fine, I admit I underestimated you. But by surrounding this place with a barrier, do you intend to kill everyone?"
Gisei shook his head. "To be precise, it is to kill all your subordinates."
Danzo sneered. "Big talk!"
Gisei yawned, not wanting to waste words on Danzo. Facts speak louder than words. In his Instant Thunder Formation, no one—no matter who they are—should think about leaving alive.
Even the Flying Thunder God (Hiraishin) couldn't be faster than him inside the Instant Thunder Formation.
Lightning began to crackle around his body, and tiny electric arcs lit up everywhere within the barrier.
Recalling the Instant Thunder Formation recorded in Gisei's file, Danzo finally couldn't stay calm.
"You set the trap long ago. Did you know I would come to your laboratory to assassinate you?"
As Danzo spoke, he thought of Orochimaru. Did Orochimaru betray him?
Impossible. Gisei had made it so Orochimaru couldn't even gain a foothold in Konoha; Orochimaru had no reason to help him.
It seemed the problem still lay with that laboratory.
Gisei had no interest in guessing Danzo's mental gymnastics.
The moment the electric light flared, he became the incarnation of thunder, harvesting the lives of Root members at extreme speed.
Screams began to ring out. In just ten seconds, everyone Danzo brought had fallen.
With one exception: Ryoma Aburame.
This guy actually had his kikaichu carry him into the sky.
Gisei's Instant Thunder Formation was arranged on the ground; attacking Ryoma in the air was a bit unrealistic. Unless he used the Butterfly Wing Technique, but for the main body to use that technique consumed too much energy.
After thinking about it, Gisei gave up on the idea of killing Ryoma.
Only four people remained inside the barrier.
Danzo, Sakumo Hatake, Ryoma Aburame, and Gisei Shiraishi.
Sakumo didn't stop Gisei from killing; he knew he couldn't. In Gisei's Instant Thunder Formation, even he couldn't keep up with the speed of lightning.
At this moment, the look in Danzo's eyes contained nothing but fear.
Just a flash of lightning, and everyone began to fall. Without exception, a bloody, messy hole appeared in everyone's chest, still emitting the smell of burnt meat.
The barrier was filled with a nauseating stench.
Danzo knew he was done for this time, but why didn't Gisei kill him? Judging from his past attitude, the boy should already know about his parents.
"Why?"
Danzo asked in confusion, and Gisei's answer was a fist at extreme speed.
He didn't use Lightning Release, just an ordinary fist.
Without even time to react, Danzo was hit hard in the abdomen and sent flying backward.
Gisei turned into lightning and appeared behind Danzo, punching him in the back again.
In just ten seconds, Danzo was punched hundreds of times.
Vomiting blood, Danzo fell weakly to the ground.
Gisei stepped on Danzo's face with his foot, and with a ptui, spat a mouthful of thick phlegm right onto Danzo's face.
"Why do you think I don't kill you?"
Although Danzo was weak, he didn't give up resisting; he just wasn't sure if the Gisei standing in front of him was the real body.