The second issue of the "Shinobi World United Morning Post" also sparked heated discussions.
This issue continued from the previous one, commending the ninjas who had performed exceptionally well in the recent war.
It also announced the distribution of compensation for the ninjas who had died in the war, as well as the continued issuance of bonds—matters of great concern to both villagers and ninjas.
Additionally, the renovation of the orphanage was officially put on the agenda.
After all, the number of orphans in Konoha had significantly increased following the war.
The orphanage's facilities were severely inadequate and could no longer sustain operations. It had to be renovated, or even rebuilt into a larger orphanage.
---
Konoha Hospital
After ten days of rest, Danzō was finally granted permission to be discharged from the hospital, following a rigorous examination by Tsunade.
"Although you can leave the hospital, it doesn't mean your injuries are completely healed!" Tsunade warned.
"Your sternum was almost completely shattered—beyond repair! Therefore, you must avoid any high-intensity activities, and fighting is absolutely out of the question! Understood?"
Before Danzō left the hospital, Tsunade repeatedly reminded him and his disciple, Shisui, who stood behind him.
Old-timers like Danzō were known for their stubbornness and tendency to push themselves too hard.
Danzō nodded repeatedly in agreement.
After finally completing the discharge procedures, Danzō immediately took Shisui and Kabuto out for a hearty meal at Ichiraku Ramen.
Unlike last time, Teuchi's attitude toward Danzō was now extremely warm.
Nowadays, the most common nicknames people used for Danzō were no longer "The Darkness of the Shinobi," but rather "Hero of Konoha" and "War God of Konoha."
To avoid causing a commotion, Danzō used a transformation technique to disguise himself.
After enjoying a delicious bowl of ramen, he had Shisui push his wheelchair toward the Hokage Building.
---
*okage Building.
"You've finally arrived, Danzō," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, looking at Danzō in the wheelchair with concern. "Are you feeling alright now?"
Danzō replied expressionlessly, "Thanks to Tsunade, I'm fine now."
He clearly didn't want to waste time here and got straight to the point. "Why did you call me here? I'm still a patient, you know. Your disciple said I need rest—plenty of rest."
Homura Mitokado, standing nearby, glanced at Danzō and thought to himself: 'If this old man were truly willing to rest, we'd all be overjoyed.'
Unfortunately, Homura kept these thoughts to himself and didn't dare say them out loud.
Hiruzen coughed lightly. "Now that the war is over, Konoha should enter a period of stable development. Here are the documents regarding the deployment of troops to the Land of Water and the Land of Wind. Take a look."
He handed a file to Danzō, who opened it, skimmed through it quickly, and then placed it back on the table.
"I have no objections. The Shimura clan isn't involved in this, so you can handle it as you see fit," Danzō said straightforwardly.
Unlike the other three, Danzō had never been particularly concerned with his clan's interests, which made him appear somewhat detached and impartial.
As for Root? That was something Danzō didn't need to worry about.
Root was responsible for monitoring both internal and external affairs of the village, including espionage in enemy nations. Thus, Root wielded significant power.
For Danzō, infiltrating these areas was a trivial matter.
Moreover, thanks to the recent wars, he had established good relationships with the younger generation, such as Minato Namikaze and the Ino-Shika-Chō trio—something Hiruzen couldn't achieve.
After all, one was the lofty Hokage, while the other was a battle-hardened elder who had fought alongside them on the front lines.
It was obvious who they would feel closer to.
After confirming that the troop deployment plan had no major issues, Danzō promptly left.
This surprised Hiruzen and the other elders. They had expected Danzō to leverage his recent victories to pressure them into granting more benefits to Root.
But instead, he left so casually?
"Something tells me Danzō is brewing some kind of scheme," Hiruzen muttered.
He knew his old friend all too well. The quieter Danzō seemed, the bigger the storm that would follow. This was merely the calm before the storm.
---
Root Headquarters.
After leaving the Hokage's office, Danzō made his way to his "old home"—Root.
He savored the dark, underground atmosphere of the place.
In the Root training ground, Kakashi and Shisui, who had recently returned to active duty, were testing the skills of the new recruits, including Fū Yamanaka and Aoba Yamashiro.
Since Danzō had changed the assessment mission to rescuing Kakashi and Ryoma, those who had survived the battlefield were now full-fledged members of Root.
Under the guidance of the "Heavenly Eye," they had undergone extreme trials during the war.
Though they had faced life-threatening situations multiple times, they had persevered and emerged transformed.
Compared to their pre-war selves, even the most carefree of them, like Might Guy, now wore expressions of calm and determination.
As they faced Kakashi and Shisui's attacks, the six of them coordinated seamlessly.
With a bit more polishing, they would likely surpass their original counterparts.
Danzō didn't disturb them and instead headed straight to his private office.
As soon as he entered, someone brought him a confidential letter.
"Lord Danzō, this is a secret message from Kirigakure."
"Oh?" Danzō raised an eyebrow.
Thanks to the recent "righteous propaganda" directed at Kirigakure prisoners, Root now had many informants within the village.
However, such a high-level secret message could only come from one person—Danzō's old friend, the ever-loyal Fuguki Suikazan.
According to the intelligence, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had agreed to Kirigakure's terms: the life of Pakura, the "Scorch Style User," in exchange for peace with Kirigakure.
The condition was that Kirigakure would withdraw from the southern part of the Land of Wind, particularly from the salt city of Shio.
Kirigakure readily agreed.
After all, the area was difficult to supply, and they had already plundered most of its resources.
Rather than continuing to drain their supplies, it was better to make one final profit and eliminate a major threat.
Pakura's Scorch Style was a hard counter to Kirigakure's Hidden Mist Technique, rendering it useless.
Thus, they had to remove this thorn in their side.
Fortunately, Sunagakure itself was not very united, which gave Kirigakure the opportunity to exploit.
The intelligence stated that the peace talks between Kirigakure and Sunagakure would take place in ten days at an oasis.
Pakura would attend as an envoy, and Kirigakure would ambush her there, surrounding and killing her.
Afterward, Rasa would use Pakura's death as a pretext to drive out the Kirigakure forces, both eliminating a rival and boosting his own reputation.
Reading this plan, Danzō could only think, 'As expected of you, Rasa.'
Of course, Kirigakure wasn't much better.
According to the timeline, they would soon begin implementing the brutal "Bloody Mist" policy under the manipulation of Obito Uchiha.
Bloodline clans and ordinary ninjas would split into factions, attacking each other until only one side remained.
Meanwhile, Konoha would face the unforgettable "Nine-Tails Night."
In short, the three villages were essentially competing in misery.
Fortunately, Danzō was here to change things.
He tapped the armrest of his wheelchair and ordered, "Tell Fuguki to provide the exact time and location. I have a use for it."
(1.5k Power Stones, LFG)
_
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