The Uchiha Clan's Sun

Tsuchida looked at Shimura Danzo and quickly stood up to greet him, while a hint of surprise flashed deep in his eyes.

Tsuchikage was very wary of Shimura Danzo, a hawkish elder in Konoha.

In the recent negotiations between Konoha and Kumogakure, Danzo Shimura caused a lot of trouble for Kumogakure!

However, now that the contract has been agreed upon and the final handover is just pending, it's unclear why Shimura Danzo would come knocking on our door at this time!

Danzo Shimura did not speak immediately, but instead looked at another girl in the room with fair skin and short blond hair.

The blonde girl's name was Samui, and she was the deputy of the chieftain.

Seeing this, Tsuchida understood Shimura Danzo's meaning, but said, "Danzo, you can speak frankly. Samui is the deputy envoy of this Kumogakure delegation, and also my future successor!"

Samui did not speak, but simply stared calmly at Shimura Danzo.

After a long silence, Shimura Danzo slowly spoke: "Your Hidden Cloud Village is truly full of talented people. Then I congratulate Elder Tsuchida on having such a worthy successor!"

"Not at all, not at all. We, Kumogakure, are just a small village in the countryside. How can we compare to your Konoha?" Tsuchida said with a smile, then asked directly, "I wonder what brings you here so late at night, Assistant Danzo? According to our agreed-upon handover of supplies, there should still be some time before the transaction. There shouldn't be any problems with that, right?"

According to the ceasefire agreement signed between Kumogakure and Konoha, Kumogakure acknowledged its defeat, compensated Konoha for the losses caused in the war, and paid a ransom to redeem A and Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

At the same time, both armies withdrew from the territory of the Land of Hot Springs, returning sovereignty to the Village of Hot Springs.

In addition, considering the enormous amount of compensation and ransom, it was agreed that Kumogakure would deliver the goods in batches in the form of equivalent minerals, and that A would be released first to return to Kumogakure to inherit the position of the Fourth Raikage in order to facilitate the raising of funds.

Kumogakure has already delivered three batches of mineral resources and a certain amount of funds to Konoha. Nearly half of the remaining amount is scheduled to be delivered in a lump sum in half a month.

The Kumogakure delegation led by Tsuchikage will return to Kumogakure with Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, after delivering the supplies in half a month.

Circumstances dictate that, as Tsuchita led, the Cloud Village envoys had been mostly confined to their inns during this period, rarely venturing outside, striving to minimize their presence and avoiding any unnecessary trouble.

But they didn't expect that even though they did nothing, trouble would still find them!

“Now that we have reached an agreement, as long as both parties act in accordance with the contract, there will naturally be no problems,” Shimura Danzo first reassured Tsuchida, then turned to ask, “You have all been staying in Konoha these days. I wonder what Elder Tsuchida’s view is on the current situation in Konoha?”

Tsuchida was taken aback by the question, not understanding why Shimura Danzo would ask him this question, and he was also at a loss for words.

While the Cloud Village delegation did nothing on the surface, they were secretly gathering as much information as possible related to Konoha Village within reasonable limits.

Moreover, given the uproar over the situation in Konoha Village, they were naturally aware of some of the details.

The reason Samui was still in Tsuchida's room so late was because the two of them had just been discussing the recent events in Konoha.

But these are definitely things that cannot be admitted!

After considering his words carefully, Tsuchida said, "I've only heard that your village is going to elect the Fourth Hokage soon, but since we are outsiders, we won't comment on the matter of the Ghost Village!"

Danzo Shimura shook his head and stopped beating around the bush, saying, "Let's not beat around the bush, Elder Tsuchidai. I've come here today to seek cooperation with your Hidden Cloud Village!"

"Cooperation?" Tsuchita's eyes flickered for a moment, and he said, "I wonder if Danzo's words represent Konoha Village or just you personally?"

Danzo Shimura said calmly, "I represent both myself and Konoha. I am Konoha!"

Tsuchida narrowed his eyes and said, "Elder Danzo, aren't you speaking a bit too soon? As far as I know, you are only a candidate for the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, not the Fourth Hokage yet!"

Danzo Shimura said, "It was bound to happen sooner or later!"

Upon hearing this, Tsuchida smiled and said, "Danzo's advisor is indeed very confident. May I ask what kind of cooperation Danzo's advisor is referring to?"

Danzo Shimura said, "To be honest, Elder Tsuchidai, the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, went to the Daimyo's residence to report for duty this day. Konoha's defenses are currently extremely weak."

"Under these circumstances, it is quite normal for the Anbu ninja to be careless and allow several important prisoners in Konoha prison to escape."

Upon hearing this, Tsuchida's pupils contracted, and he instantly understood the meaning behind Shimura Danzo's words.

Tsuchida forcibly suppressed his agitated emotions and said, "No matter which village, the Anbu ninjas are the elite of the elite. It shouldn't be easy for them to be careless like this!"

“Under normal circumstances, this kind of thing wouldn’t happen,” Danzo Shimura said calmly, “but what if something serious happens and throws them into a panic?”

"For example, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, died outside the village..."

Upon hearing this, Tsuchida's eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at Shimura Danzo, at a loss for words!

Danzo Shimura said calmly, "Don't look at me like that. Compared to your Hidden Cloud Village, I'm just picking up scraps from others!"

Assassinating one's own village's Kage is not uncommon in the ninja world. The first to do so was the martial arts faction led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku of Kumogakure!

Moreover, they not only successfully assassinated the Second Raikage of Kumogakure, but also took the Second Hokage of Konoha with them!

Danzo Shimura was also one of the witnesses to that incident!

Tsuchida shook his head and looked at Shimura Danzo sarcastically, "What happened in our village was nothing more than internal strife. We would never do something like conspiring with outsiders to harm our own Kage!"

"This is a completely different matter!"

Chapter 170 Cooperation Benefits Both!

For Shimura Danzo to say such a thing, he could only represent himself.

Moreover, this kind of thing definitely cannot be spread outside, so the Tutai (local ruler) no longer had the same concerns about it as before.

"That's not the point!" Shimura Danzo ignored Tsuchida's sarcasm and calmly said, "This is a mutually beneficial arrangement, and your Hidden Cloud Village has no reason to refuse!"

Upon hearing this, Tsuchikage shook his head and said, "As for assassinating the Third Hokage of Konoha, if I may be so bold, I only see the risks in this matter, and I do not see the benefits that Danzo is supposed to be helping!"

Tsuchida was no fool; he could see the benefits that Shimura Danzo was talking about. He only said those things to gain more benefits!

Danzo Shimura, however, was not fooled and stated bluntly, "The death of Hiruzen Sarutobi is a great weakening for Konoha!"

"This shift in power actually strengthens your Hidden Cloud Village!"

"Your Hidden Cloud Village and my Hidden Leaf Village have always been enemies. Given the chance, you will find a way to kill the Hokage yourselves!"

"By taking advantage of the situation now, you've actually saved yourselves a lot of trouble!"

After a pause, Danzo Shimura continued, "At that time, I will take the opportunity to create a chance for you to take away the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Now that Konoha has no hostages, you are no longer required to fulfill the previous agreement!"

"This is the greatest benefit I can give you; I have nothing more to offer!"

To be honest, Tsuchida was quite tempted by the conditions offered by Shimura Danzo.

Keep in mind that nearly half of the supplies from Kumogakure have not yet been delivered to Konoha, and that's no small amount!

That alone was enough to convince Tsuchida to agree to Shimura Danzo's request!

Not to mention that Shimura Danzo's demands would still harm Konoha's own interests!

However, Tsuchida dared not be careless in the slightest when facing Shimura Danzo, who was known as the Dark Lord of the Ninja World!

Tsuchida feigned hesitation, and after a long while, he finally spoke: "But Hiruzen Sarutobi isn't so easy to kill! What if you change your mind and refuse to release him?"

Danzo Shimura calmly said, "I've already conspired with you to assassinate the Hokage, do I have any way out?"

"If I refuse to release him then, you may spread the word that I conspired with you to intercept and kill Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

"Even though you have no evidence, how can I become the Fourth Hokage with the label of a suspected murderer of the Hokage?"

"Of course, you won't be able to use this to blackmail me in the future!"

"I have spent most of my life walking in darkness, bearing countless stains and infamy for Konoha, so I don't care about a few more unfounded slanders!"

Upon hearing this, Tsuchida realized that what Shimura Danzo had said was not untrue.

Now that Shimura Danzo is running for the Fourth Hokage, he needs to cultivate a persona and will be threatened by rumors.

But if Shimura Danzo were to become Hokage, given his methods, he would likely take complete control of the entire Hidden Leaf Village very quickly!

At that time, let alone spread some rumors, even if the people of Konoha find out that Hiruzen Sarutobi was killed by Danzo Shimura, what can they do?

Tsuchikage said, "I need time to consider it, and I also need to ask the Raikage's opinion first."

"There's no time!" Shimura Danzo shook his head slightly and said, "Sarutobi Hiruzen only brought two ANBU squads with him to the Daimyo's residence this time. We can only ambush him on his return journey!"

"Such an opportunity is once in a lifetime. I don't have time to wait for your slow report. You must act first and report later!"

"Impossible!" Tsuchida shook his head and said, "If I didn't report it, I wouldn't have had the power to ambush Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

"Let alone the fact that our delegation didn't bring many experts with us this time, even if we did, it would be impossible for us to leave Konoha Village quietly under everyone's watchful eyes to ambush Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

"Heh," Shimura Danzo sneered upon hearing this, "Alright, Tsuchidai, stop pretending in front of this old man!"

"Don't think I don't know. Although your Cloud Village's army has withdrawn from the Land of Hot Water, you have secretly left several elite Jonin squads to lie in wait in the border region of the Land of Fire, ready to provide support for the envoy team at any time!"

"With your men and my men, you're more than enough to deal with Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

Upon hearing this, Tsuchida's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected that Shimura Danzo would have known about their little tricks!

The Root under Shimura Danzo truly lives up to its reputation as the most secretive of the secret brigades; their ability to spy on others and conceal secrets is unparalleled among the five villages!

After a moment's hesitation, Tsuchikage realized that it would be difficult to extract any more benefits from Shimura Danzo, so he decisively said, "Okay! But after it's done, you must immediately release Killer Bee and guarantee our safe return to the Land of Lightning!"

Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo smiled and said, "Don't worry, I don't want to make such a mistake so soon after becoming Hokage, so I'll release them immediately after the deed is done!"

Tu Tai said, "It's a deal!"

Danzo Shimura stood up and said, "That's settled then. Quickly inform your men to head towards the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire. I'll send someone to let you know exactly when to make our move!"

"I'm sorry I can't see you off!"

Tu Tai bowed slightly, as if to say hello.

Shimura Danzo didn't say anything more and turned to leave the room.

Once the footsteps had completely disappeared, Samui, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Lord Tsuchidai, are we really going to cooperate with this Shimura Danzo? Cooperating with him is like asking a tiger for its skin!"

Tsuchida shook his head and said, "Shimura Danzo is indeed a dangerous person. Normally I would never cooperate with him, but this time is different!"

"At least one thing Danzo Nashimura said was right: this matter is indeed entirely beneficial to our Hidden Cloud Village!"

"Ultimately, this is just internal strife within Konoha Village. The fiercer their fighting, the more advantageous it is for us!"

"Just you wait and see. If Konoha falls into the hands of Shimura Danzo, its overall strength will be reduced to eighty or ninety percent within a few years!"

Samui's eyes flickered for a moment, then he said, "I'm not worried about that. I'm worried that... this matter is, after all, a potential threat to Shimura Danzo!"

"If it were me, I would definitely kill the donkey after it had served its purpose and silence it, let alone Shimura Danzo!"

Tu Tai smiled upon hearing this and said, "Do you remember the message we received not long ago?"

Samui was taken aback, and after thinking for a moment, he hesitated and said, "Lord Tsuchidai, are you referring to the news that came from the Land of Rain recently that Shimura Danzo and Hanzo of the Salamander had a fierce conflict and that both sides suffered heavy losses?"

"This news has not yet been confirmed..."

Tudai interrupted Samui, saying, "It now seems that this news is true, and Shimura Danzo's losses are probably even greater than we knew!"

"Shimura Danzo is no longer capable of doing this on his own, otherwise he wouldn't have come to us!"

"Therefore, he was also incapable of committing the murder to cover it up!"

"This time, we must severely damage Konoha!"

Chapter 171 A Surprise?!

One day later, in Daming Prefecture.

After leaving Konoha Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group, who had been traveling day and night, finally arrived in the territory of the Daimyo Prefecture after nearly two days.

"Shinnosuke, you come with me to see the daimyo. The rest of you, spread out and keep watch!"

It was impossible to bring so many people when going to see the daimyo. Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, instructing the two ANBU squads that had come with him to disperse and keep watch in the shadows.

"Yes!"

Several ANBU ninja responded and disappeared from the spot in a flash.

“Shinnosuke, take off your mask,” Hiruzen Sarutobi paused before continuing, “Meeting the daimyo is different from other missions; you don’t need to hide your true identity.”

"Lord Hokage, this seems to be against the rules!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly. His son was good in every way, but he was too rigid and lacked a bit of wit!

It's also his fault for being too strict with Sarutobi Shinnosuke's upbringing in the past. By the time he realized the problem, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's personality was already set and difficult to change.

Having learned from the experience of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Hiruzen Sarutobi was no longer so strict in educating his youngest son, Sarutobi Asuma, but it seemed that he was too lenient, making Sarutobi Asuma still act like a little hoodlum.

Being a person is really difficult!

"Alright, this time I will not only meet the Daimyo as the Third Hokage, but also as the head of the Sarutobi clan!"

"And you are not the head of the Hidden Leaf Village's Anbu, but my son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke!"