Chapter 617: Legacy
Chapter 617: Legacy
Danzo Shimura, lying on the ice platform, was not dressed in his usual dark gray kimono but instead wore the standard Leaf Ninja battle attire.
Sarutobi Hiruzen guessed that Mu Yue had taken care of this, as there were no bloodstains or wounds on Danzo's body, and his uniform was pristine, not even a speck of dust on it, indicating that it had been put on afterward.
"How thoughtful," Sarutobi nodded inwardly.
He felt that Mu Yue must have tried her best but failed to save Danzo, and out of guilt, she wanted to ensure Danzo's body looked presentable, at least with no visible wounds.
"Ah..."
Seeing Danzo lying motionless on the ice platform, Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh deeply, the wrinkles on his face seeming to deepen slightly.
Even with Mu Yue's meticulous care, Danzo's pallid face betrayed the fact that he was no longer among the living.
Although Sarutobi had received news of Danzo's demise from Mu Yue beforehand, the sight of his old comrade's corpse still evoked a surge of sorrow that he couldn't suppress.
After all, they had known each other for decades, a length of time enough to foster deep affection, not to mention that Danzo was also his fellow comrade-in-arms.
"No wonder you were willing to treat me that day. So, it turns out you were about to embark on a dangerous mission." Sarutobi wore an expression of helplessness.
He had thought that Danzo's act of treating him was a sign of positive change, never expecting it to be a prelude to his sacrifice.
Sarutobi couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. That had been their last meeting and conversation, which ended on a sour note due to a disagreement over political matters.
If given the chance to redo it, Sarutobi wouldn't compromise on his political views, but he would choose not to discuss politics at all.
"Did Danzo leave any final words for you before he passed away?" Sarutobi took a breath and turned to look at Mu Yue, who wore a pained expression.
Danzo hadn't died immediately when Mu Yue rescued him, and being the tenacious ninja he was, he should have been able to leave some last words.
Mu Yue nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, "Even in his final moments, Danzo-sama was thinking of ways to protect the village and the younger generations. Up until his last breath, he was entrusting me with the safety of Konoha."
"To ensure that I had enough chakra for emergencies, he even refused to let me use medical ninjutsu on him."
Listening to Mu Yue, Sarutobi felt a sense of detachment, as if he had traveled back in time to a night he would never forget.
The Cloud Hidden Coup—they had been pursued by an elite force, and the team needed a decoy. Both he and Danzo had volunteered, only to be rejected by Tobirama Senju.
Sarutobi still remembered the words Tobirama had left him with before taking on the rear guard role.
"Protect those who admire the village and trust in you, and nurture the children who will carry the hopes of the next generation."
Sarutobi could even recall Tobirama's expression as he said those words—clear as day.
Even in the face of certain death, Tobirama's face showed no hesitation or fear, only determination.
"Danzo, you fulfilled the teacher's request," Sarutobi said, feeling the weight of the legacy.
Tobirama had instructed him to protect Konoha and nurture the next generation before taking on the rear guard role, and now, in Danzo's final moments, he had entrusted Mu Yue with the protection of Konoha. And Mu Yue happened to be a Root ninja whom Danzo had trained for a period.
"Is there anything else?" Sarutobi asked, knowing that Danzo would have left more than just those words.
"Danzo-sama also asked me to take over the leadership of Root and bear the darkness of Konoha in his stead," Mu Yue continued.
"Root..." Sarutobi's expression turned complex.
If anyone else had told Sarutobi that Danzo's last wish was to hand over Root to him, he would have most likely ignored it.
But coming from Mu Yue, Sarutobi believed it without a doubt.
There was no other reason for this except that Root held no significance to Mu Yue at this point.
Currently, Root only consisted of one ninja, so even if Mu Yue took over, she would be a leader without any subordinates.
Moreover, Mu Yue herself held a special position within the Anbu that was no less influential than the leader of Root.
Mu Yue had no need to lie, as the risks of exposure outweighed the meager benefits.
Additionally, from Danzo's perspective, Mu Yue was indeed the best candidate to rebuild Root. She had been groomed by Root from a young age and possessed formidable strength.
"So, what are your thoughts on this, Mu Yue?" Sarutobi asked, looking at her.
"Root is a department directly under the Hokage, and the decision lies solely with the Third Hokage," Mu Yue replied after some thought.
He had already expressed enough sentimentality regarding Danzo, and it was now time to display a more rational side.
"Initially, Root was established to train Anbu, and it was only later that it evolved into what you know it to be today," Sarutobi explained the origins of Root.
"The Anbu Training Squad that you currently lead serves a similar function to Root, so I believe there's no need for Root to exist independently anymore. From now on, Root will be merged with the Training Squad, and its members will become your subordinates. The assets held by Root will be inherited by the Training Squad."
Making Mu Yue the leader of Root would be a meaningless gesture, and Sarutobi didn't want her to become another Danzo. He envisioned a better future for her.
However, Sarutobi couldn't ignore Danzo's last will, and he also felt that Mu Yue deserved a reward. Thus, he ultimately decided to use the remnants of Root as nourishment for the recently established Training Squad, fostering its growth.
"Is it really appropriate for Danzo-sama's legacy to be disbanded as soon as he sacrifices himself?" Mu Yue hesitated, her face showing reluctance to immediately accept this decision.
Although Mu Yue believed this to be the best outcome, she still needed to go through the motions of declining the offer three times, as per custom, to give the deceased Danzo some face.
"Root isn't truly disappearing; it's just changing the way it exists," Sarutobi shook his head and said, "Danzo's Will of Fire will live on forever."
"Whether it's the Training Squad or Root, the purpose is the same—to protect Konoha."
In the end, under Sarutobi's emotionally charged and logically sound persuasion, Mu Yue had an epiphany and no longer declined, resolutely accepting the heavy responsibility of protecting Konoha.
"Before he left, Danzo-sama mentioned something very strange. He told me to beware of Uchiha Madara," Mu Yue said, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Uchiha Madara? Are you sure you didn't mishear him?" Sarutobi asked, his expression turning serious.
To the newer generation of ninjas, Uchiha Madara was merely a legendary powerful ninja, a betrayer who was defeated by the First Hokage.
But Sarutobi and his generation, those who were born before the founding of Konoha, knew better. They had witnessed Uchiha Madara in his prime, a terrifying monster who could only be defeated by the God of Shinobi.
"I'm absolutely certain. Every word Danzo-sama left behind is etched clearly in my memory.
His initial skepticism was simply due to the startling nature of the news.
"Even if he wasn't killed by Hashirama Senju, he should be too old to move by now," Sarutobi Hiruzen mused.
Uchiha Madara was no spring chicken; even if he had lived peacefully until the present, it was unlikely that he could still pose a threat to Konoha.
However, it was unthinkable that Danzo Shimura would joke about such a matter on his deathbed, so the existence and danger of Uchiha Madara were indeed a certainty.
"Could it be that Uchiha Madara has been secretly grooming a successor?" Sarutobi Hiruzen considered a possibility—a successor carrying on under the name of Uchiha Madara.
If Uchiha Madara hadn't truly been killed by Hashirama Senju, it wouldn't be surprising for him to have cultivated a successor over the years.
"Regarding Uchiha Madara, did Danzo say anything else before he died?" Sarutobi Hiruzen inquired further.
If Danzo Shimura's death was also related to "Uchiha Madara," then the situation might not be as simple as he had initially thought, and there could be a conspiracy targeting Konoha.
Perhaps Danzo Shimura's death itself was a result of that conspiracy.
"Those were all the words Danzo-sama left behind," Mu Yue replied with a shake of her head.
Aside from the matter of Hashirama's cells, she had essentially conveyed all of Danzo Shimura's last words.
As for the fact that Danzo Shimura's body contained Hashirama's cells, Mu Yue didn't want to reveal that information.
Even if she disclosed Danzo's last words, and Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed to keep Orochimaru from researching his body, Orochimaru would still end up with Danzo's corpse for experimentation.
Orochimaru held too much influence and status in Konoha; he was not only one of the legendary Sannin, but also a widely acknowledged candidate for the next Hokage.
With the resources at Orochimaru's disposal and his obsession with Hashirama's cells, it would be impossible to keep the experiments a secret from him.
As the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen could order Orochimaru not to research Danzo's body openly, but Orochimaru was not one to heed such restrictions. If denied access, he would simply conduct his experiments in secret.
At this point, it was uncertain who would be the first to achieve results.
Orochimaru's research capabilities in the original story had left a deep impression on Mu Yue.
Thus, Mu Yue chose to handle the situation similarly to how it was dealt with during the White Zetsu incident; she did not want to face the monsters and demons of the Shippuden era during the Third Shinobi World War.
After asking numerous questions, Sarutobi Hiruzen had a general understanding of the information Mu Yue possessed.
Mu Yue didn't actually know that much; her knowledge about why Danzo Shimura went to the Rain Country was almost non-existent, and she mainly had information about his last words.
However, this was consistent with Mu Yue's experience. She was not a Root member, and she had only gone to help Danzo Shimura out of personal connections. Moreover, Danzo Shimura hadn't provided her with any specific intelligence.
"Did you fight with Souyu? What do you think of his strength?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked suddenly.
"I didn't fight him directly," Mu Yue thought for a moment. "When I saw that Danzo-sama was injured, I quickly approached him and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave with him."
"But I saw his ninjutsu, and it was powerful. I'm not confident that I could defeat him."
Mu Yue wasn't lying; she truly wasn't confident in her ability to win against Souyu.
"I see," Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't find that surprising.
After all, Souyu had a record of defeating Hanzou with his Fire Release jutsu. That battle alone was enough to prove that Souyu was by no means an ordinary ninja.
"You must be tired after being so busy, Mu Yue. Go and get some rest," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, forcing a smile.
Mu Yue had rushed to the Rain Country to help Danzo Shimura, and then she had brought his body back to Konoha overnight. The journey alone must have been exhausting.
"I apologize for disturbing you tonight," Mu Yue bowed slightly to Sarutobi Hiruzen, then bowed to Danzo Shimura's body on the ice platform before leaving the Root base with a heavy heart.
"What a fine young man," Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly.
Mu Yue could have ignored Danzo Shimura's request, as he had no authority over her. Yet, she still went to help him.
If not for Mu Yue, Danzo Shimura's body might not have even made it back to Konoha.
Thus, even if Mu Yue's actions during this incident didn't entirely align with Konoha's rules and regulations, Sarutobi Hiruzen chose to turn a blind eye.
After all, who could dislike someone who was loyal and righteous, especially when that person was on his side?
Sarutobi Hiruzen then called over the only remaining Root member.
There were still too many mysteries, and he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
He needed to figure out why Danzo Shimura went to the Rain Country and how he had become involved with "Uchiha Madara."
Whether it was for revenge for Danzo Shimura or for the protection of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen had to do his best to unravel these mysteries.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen expected, this Root member who had been left behind had even less information. Aside from knowing that Danzo Shimura went to the Rain Country, he knew nothing else.
"Has Danzo met with anyone unusual lately?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked finally.
The Root ninja shook his head, perplexed.
How could he, a low-ranking Root member, possibly know about Danzo Shimura's itinerary?
This Root ninja was extremely confused at the moment. He had only been guarding the base for a few days, and now he had inexplicably become the top Root member in name.
"Bring me the latest confidential information from Root," Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered, seeing that this member had no useful information.
Immediately after, Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned an Anbu member and ordered them to search the Root base for any clues.
If it weren't for the fact that Danzo Shimura's brain had too many protective measures in place, making it impossible to view his memories directly, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have called in a Yamanaka clan ninja to read his memories.
Although it would be a bit disrespectful to Danzo Shimura's corpse, personal honor had to be set aside when it concerned "Uchiha Madara" and the safety of Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen worked tirelessly until three in the morning but still made no significant progress.
As he had official duties to attend to the next day, he had no choice but to hand the task over to the Anbu and return home to rest.
As the Hokage, he couldn't afford to lose his rationality due to hatred. There were many other matters that required his attention.
"I hope there will be some good news tomorrow," Sarutobi Hiruzen thought as he lay in bed with his eyes closed.
Tonight was yet another unforgettable night.
...
Even though neither Amegakure nor Konoha publicized Danzo Shimura's death and even tried to conceal it, news of his demise spread throughout the ninja world at an uncanny speed.
The other four Great Shinobi Villages, in particular, acquired this crucial intelligence immediately.
(End of Chapter)
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