At the Root headquarters, Danzo sat slumped in his stone chair. The once-imposing leader now exuded an air of decay, his presence weighed down by a sense of impending demise. His arm supported his head, as if he could fade away at any moment.
"..."
"The Fire Country's capital has sent an envoy to the Land of Lightning..."
"A number of unidentified shinobi have appeared in the Land of Grass..."
"...Twenty-three suspicious individuals have entered Konoha..."
...
After hearing the intelligence reports, Danzo finally opened his eyes. Unlike his frail body, his lone visible eye was sharp and unfathomable, like an abyss that no one could dare to gaze into directly—
—it felt as though it could pierce straight into one's soul.
"Eliminate all unidentified shinobi near the Fire Country."
"Send a letter to the Daimyo, telling him to stay quiet."
The raspy, aged voice carried a tone that brooked no argument.
Once the Root operatives departed, a trace of exhaustion crossed Danzo's face, and he slowly closed his eyes again.
"What's Kakashi's condition?"
"He has suffered severe psychological trauma and remains unconscious," answered Pakura, standing behind him with unwavering respect.
Danzo was certain his Mangekyō Sharingan had inflicted serious damage on Obito and Black Zetsu—but the extent remained unknown.
Right Eye Mangekyō: [Dōjutsu - Tenshin]
An unavoidable soul-piercing attack.
Due to the limited endurance of his Mangekyō, Danzo had always kept this ability as his trump card.
"The Fourth Hokage and his wife's bodies have been secretly sealed away, so you need not worry. Just focus on resting..."
Pakura looked at Danzo with concern. Since his injury, she had barely left his side, witnessing for the first time just how fragile he had become. An unsettling fear gripped her heart.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine, Pakura..." Danzo reassured her briefly before sinking into a state of feigned sleep.
His body was truly on the verge of collapse.
More and more, he found himself slipping into these periods of rest, desperate to extend his remaining time.
...
One Month After the Fourth Hokage's Death
A decree arrived from the Fire Daimyo's court, officially reinstating the Third Hokage.
Danzo awoke from his feigned slumber upon hearing the news.
He hadn't expected Sarutobi to be so foolish.
Bringing the Fire Daimyo back into Konoha's affairs was a grievous mistake.
During the few years Minato had served as Hokage, he had gradually severed Konoha's reliance on the Fire Daimyo's authority. By the end of his tenure, Konoha operated almost independently—
to the point where, given another decade, the Daimyo's existence would have been all but forgotten.
But now…
Sarutobi had no choice but to act. After taking control, he quickly realized that the village no longer recognized him. Even the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, once his loyal supporters, no longer offered their full backing.
In this precarious situation, Homura Mitokado proposed a solution: leverage the Daimyo's formal appointment to solidify Sarutobi's legitimacy. To the common villagers and most shinobi, the Fire Daimyo still held great authority.
And so, an opportunity was handed to the Fire Daimyo on a silver platter.
The Daimyo, having woken ten days ago to find a warning letter from Danzo at his bedside, had wisely abandoned any private schemes. Yet now, everything had conveniently fallen into place for him.
With the Daimyo's endorsement, Sarutobi was once again formally recognized as the Hokage.
As part of the agreement, all enforcement outposts within the Fire Country would remain under shinobi control—but must be supervised by the nobility.
Sarutobi agreed to the terms without hesitation.
Konoha was once again bound to the Fire Country.
Danzo could feel his life slipping away even faster from sheer frustration.
He should have killed Sarutobi when he had the chance.
Jiraiya once again entered the Root headquarters, gazing at Danzo before him.
Even without entering Sage Mode, he could sense the life draining from the old war hawk.
"Jiraiya… Sarutobi has undone everything Minato built… I need you to step forward…"
Danzo's voice, though weak, was laden with urgency.
"If you're willing, you will become Hokage… and Konoha will stabilize quickly…"
Danzo had no choice but to turn to Jiraiya in one last desperate bid.
His body was failing. He could no longer act personally.
And lurking in the shadows, Obito and Black Zetsu remained a looming threat.
Though Danzo was unaware, Obito's soul had already been destroyed by [Dōjutsu - Tenshin], leaving only Black Zetsu to maneuver in the dark.
Jiraiya, with his stellar performance during the Nine-Tails attack, his role as Minato's mentor, and his past renown—
If he wanted the position, no one could challenge him.
Not even Sarutobi.
Yet, in the end, Jiraiya refused.
Danzo had expected this answer, yet he couldn't help but sigh when he heard it.
Watching Jiraiya's departing figure, he muttered:
"This is a mess beyond saving… It's time to let go… I'm sorry, Minato…"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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