Hiruzen Sarutobi never dreamed that one day, he and Danzo would be completely at odds.
At other times, he could indeed use his status as Hokage to suppress Danzo and prevent him from acting recklessly.
But the Root members simply did not listen to him.
These people were essentially Danzo's henchmen; they would not obey anyone except Danzo's orders.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
"Fūton: Daitoppa!"
The Root ninjas, having received their orders, paid no attention to what Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking.
They began forming hand seals and throwing shuriken, while the Kumogakure ninjas tried to turn and run away.
However, a vortex suddenly appeared in the air, and a large amount of clay fell from it and adhered to the bodies of the Kumogakure ninjas.
Following this were several enormous fireballs. With the enhancement of Wind Release, the Great Fireball, which couldn't burn people to death, became even more powerful.
In just a few breaths, the members of the Kumogakure delegation were burned into clay figurines.
"Wow...that's amazing!"
This scene caused a strange light to flicker in the eyes of young Naruto Uzumaki.
He wished he had that kind of strength.
That way, no one would dare to bully him anymore.
Moreover, the uncle who gave the order, although he looked very fierce, had repeatedly mentioned that these people wanted to harm him, which was why they attacked them.
He was protecting him!
From as far back as he could remember, Naruto Uzumaki had always met with disdain, neglect, and even abuse wherever he went.
It felt so good to be protected like this.
On the other hand, the Hokage, whom he had always thought was a good person, seemed to have just tried to stop that old man from protecting him.
At this moment, Naruto's mindset had subtly changed.
Whoosh whoosh!
Just then, the Konoha jonin and the ANBU directly under the Hokage arrived late.
"Lord Hokage, what happened?"
Confused, everyone turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked him questions.
"Hah--"
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long breath and said expressionlessly, "Notify the heads of all ninja clans, as well as the two advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, to convene a war meeting."
Hiruzen Sarutobi really didn't want to go to war with Kumogakure, but the entire Kumogakure delegation had been killed by Danzo's men.
Even if he didn't want to go to war, he had to prepare in advance for the possible war.
"Snort!"
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi give him an annoyed look, Danzo Shimura snorted coldly.
He had done it for the village, to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and to prevent the secret of Mokuton from being revealed.
No matter how you looked at it, Danzo was not wrong.
However, this was not the time for debate. After a moment's hesitation, Danzo followed.
"Uncle, thank you!"
Just as Danzo turned around, Naruto suddenly mustered his courage and shouted at Danzo Shimura.
Whenever Naruto recalled Danzo's words—"You dare to covet Naruto Uzumaki and plot against a child; I will never tolerate it"—he felt an urge to cry.
Who could understand the feeling of being cared for like this?
Hm?
Naruto's words made Danzo Shimura pause, turn around, and look at Naruto, asking, "Are you... talking to me?"
Why would he thank me? What did I do to deserve this?
He had just killed a few Kumogakure ninjas... Right, he thought he had just said something.
"Uncle, didn't you just say that their target was me? And you were so angry that you killed them all... Weren't you protecting me?"
Seeing Danzo staring straight at him, Naruto took a step back in fear and said cautiously.
His words stunned everyone around him.
What was that?
Danzo had been furious about Naruto's situation, and then he had protected him?
"Tch..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was greatly alarmed upon seeing this and dared not allow Naruto Uzumaki to regard Danzo Shimura as a role model or object of worship.
If that happened, Konoha's future would be doomed.
However, before he could even open his mouth, Danzo spoke first. "Naruto, you are a pitiful child. You lost your parents at a young age and were neglected by others. I have seen all of this, and it pains me deeply. I wanted to take care of you myself, but the Hokage disagreed."
"However, you don't need to worry. If anything happens in the future, just come to me, and I will definitely help you resolve it properly."
"Also, I was a ninja in the same class as the Third Hokage, so you can't call me 'uncle'; you have to call me 'Grandpa Danzo.'"
Danzo Shimura smiled kindly. How could he, Danzo Shimura, miss such a good opportunity to improve his favorability with the Jinchuriki?
He had previously suffered from his slow reaction time, and Hiruzen Sarutobi had always spoken first.
This had caused the old man to always be one step ahead, so Danzo had kept practicing his reaction ability.
Thank God; thanks to his tireless efforts day and night, he had finally managed to say it before Hiruzen Sarutobi could.
Moreover, he had also taken the opportunity to sow discord with that old bastard Hiruzen.
What if you don't give me your Jinchuriki?
He wants to be close to me; you can't stop him, can you?
Indeed, only he, Danzo Shimura, could lead Konoha back to its former glory.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was indecisive and unlikely to achieve great things. For the sake of Konoha's century-long legacy, Danzo must not give up his fight for the Hokage position.
"Grandpa Danzo, will you have time to come see me?"
Upon hearing Danzo Shimura's words, Naruto's eyes lit up. Even the Third Hokage had never said such heartwarming things to him.
The Third Hokage would only spout grand principles, evade the issue, and then tell him that the village was a treasure left by the previous Hokage, and that as their descendants, they must protect it well.
Unlike Shimura Danzo, who was so straightforward and blunt, speaking with a clear purpose.
He, Danzo Shimura, simply wanted to take care of him.
Naruto Uzumaki could feel free to come to Danzo anytime if he had any problems.
"Naruto, you should go back and rest early. We still have things to discuss and can't stay with you for the time being."
"Tenzō, protect Naruto well, lest any more villains harm him."
Seeing that Naruto was about to fall into Danzo's arms, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately interrupted their conversation and ordered Tenzō to take Naruto away.
Although Naruto Uzumaki didn't really want to leave, he didn't dare disobey Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.
Fortunately, Shimura Danzo, the light of Konoha, the guardian of the ninja world, and the nameless hero in the darkness, spoke up once again. "Naruto, go and rest first. I'll come find you after I've finished dealing with things here."
"Grandpa Danzo, I'll be waiting for you!"
Naruto, who had been looking dejected, immediately beamed with joy upon hearing this and looked at Danzo Shimura.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
Ruined!
The future of Konoha was going to be ruined by Danzo!
…
[How was that, the table flipped and Danzo became Naruto's Light 😂]