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Chapter 70: Danzo: Make Konoha Great Again!
Chapter 70: Danzo: Make Konoha Great Again!
Hokage's Office.
“Hiruzen, stop hesitating!”
Danzo's voice was agitated, as if he couldn't wait to force Hiruzen to agree with his proposal.
The southwestern border had fallen!
This news had sparked panic and unrest among the villagers, leading to widespread discontent with the village leadership. Danzo claimed he had a solution, which was why he called this meeting.
“No, I won’t allow it!”
Hiruzen firmly shook his head.
Danzo's proposal was to blame the Uchiha for the border's fall, which was unthinkable under normal circumstances. However, since the southwestern border was patrolled by Uchiha, it seemed like a plausible scapegoat.
He would claim that the Uchiha had provided inaccurate intelligence, leading to the border camp's collapse. The villagers wouldn't care about the details, and thus the blame would fall on the Uchiha, leaving the village leadership unscathed.
Danzo was a master at shifting the blame.
“Hiruzen, the villagers are already dissatisfied with us; we need to find a solution!”
Tanzo Koharu suddenly spoke up.
It was no surprise; the commander of the southwestern border camp was from her clan, and she would benefit if Danzo's suggestion was accepted.
“This is also an opportunity. Since the new Uchiha clan leader took office, they’ve been very active. We can use this incident to make them more compliant and force them to contribute more to the village.”
Homura Mitokado added his thoughts.
Harshly dealing with the Uchiha was second nature to them as disciples of Tobirama. Though not as extreme as Danzo, he wouldn’t pass up the chance.
“This… No!”
Hiruzen hesitated but ultimately shook his head.
The ‘Will of Fire’ he had been taught from a young age wouldn't allow him to do this.
Danzo, visibly displeased, turned to leave and threw a parting shot as he reached the door.
“Hiruzen, you will regret this!”
Hiruzen instinctively retorted.
“Danzo, I am the Hokage!”
With this classic exchange, the meeting came to an end.
However, Danzo was no simple man. He wouldn’t let the Hokage’s disapproval stop him. As soon as he returned to the Anbu Root, he immediately ordered his subordinates to start a smear campaign against Uchiha Dohei.
Manipulating public opinion was a skill that made him stand out in a village full of honest people.
“Hmph, Uchiha Dohei, since you refuse to become the root of Konoha, you will burn for the Will of Fire. This is all for Konoha!”
Danzo muttered to himself after giving his orders.
In his eyes, Dohei, as a Konoha shinobi, was asking for trouble by refusing to join the Root and serve the village. He was determined to prove that his ‘Will of the Root’ was superior to Hiruzen’s ‘Will of Fire.’
“Hiruzen, I will prove to our teacher that I am more suited for the position. Only I can make Konoha great again!”
Danzo slowly closed his lone eye.
Meanwhile, a rumor quickly spread throughout Konoha.
The southwestern border camp had fallen due to a mistake in intelligence provided by Uchiha Dohei, the top graduate of the recent Chunin Exams.
This narrative shifted the blame squarely onto the Uchiha.
Given Dohei’s widespread name recognition in Konoha, no one found the story suspicious.
To put it simply:
Konoha’s misfortunes were clearly the Uchiha's fault.
And if Konoha improved, it would be due to the efforts of the village leadership and the villagers themselves.
The double standards were clear and effective.
This smear campaign also caused unrest within the Uchiha clan, with many members developing a grudge against Dohei.
If not for the restraint of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yae, there might have been a backlash questioning Dohei’s right to bear the Uchiha name.
Of course, the major shinobi clans could see the truth.
But what good did it do?
Just like the White Fang of old, who was famous and well-connected, no one was willing to stand up for him when he was slandered. After all, the rumors came from the village's upper echelons. Who would dare to defy the village? Did they want to become traitors?
Meanwhile, in the southwestern border region of the Fire Country, Touhei was completely unaware that a large, dark cloud had been cast over his head.
At that moment, he was sitting by a campfire under the moonlight, swallowing soldier pills and tending to his wounds.
The pursuing Sand shinobi were too numerous.
Not only did they seem endless, but they were also fearless, determined to fight to the death.
Desperate shinobi were far more terrifying than terrorists.
Even Touhei had sustained a few minor injuries.
To conserve healing potions, he chose to treat these minor injuries himself rather than use the potions.
"Touhei... I don't think we can keep this up!"
Honda Taka, his abdomen wrapped in bandages, sat down beside him with a grim expression.
In just one day, their escort team had lost a third of its members, and both of his teammates had been killed. If not for Touhei's timely intervention, he wouldn't have survived either.
They were still over a thousand kilometers away from Konoha, and at their current pace, it would take them nearly a month to get there.
Even if the Sand shinobi couldn't pursue them the entire way, it would still take at least a week for their convoy to escape the danger zone.
But in their current state and at their current speed, they couldn't last a week.
"I know, but..."
Touhei didn't finish his sentence, but he believed the fat man could understand.
Despite demonstrating his strength today, his rank was still that of a chunin, and the team's command structure didn't allow him to make decisions. So, even if he had ideas, they wouldn't matter.
"You're right!"
Honda Taka lowered his head in despair.
The loss of his two teammates, coupled with the bleak future, had even dampened the spirits of someone as optimistic as him.
"Don't worry, we will make it back to the village alive!"
Touhei patted his shoulder.
He had never doubted this.
As long as they weren't being pursued by strong opponents like Yuki or Rasa, and he avoided being caught by secret techniques or poisons, safely returning to the village was not a problem.
At that moment, a Konoha genin approached.
"Chunin Touhei, Captain Koba is calling for you!"
Despite being older, the genin's attitude was extremely respectful.
In the shinobi world, strength was the ultimate authority, so age and experience didn't matter.
"Alright!"
Touhei stood up and walked toward the convoy.
With sentries on the perimeter, there was no need to worry about the Sand shinobi sneaking up on them.
Soon, Touhei arrived at a corner of the empty space surrounded by the convoy.
Captain Koba and two other chunin squad leaders were illuminated by the campfire, but their conditions were dire.
Almost everyone was injured!
It was clear that the intensity of the battlefield was far different from regular missions.
"You're here!"
Koba greeted him with a weak voice.
He was also seriously injured.
The critical issue wasn't the injuries but the poison.
The Sand shinobi seemed to be universally poisoned, and it was a type that couldn't be cured by ordinary antidotes.
"Captain, what are your orders?"
Touhei found a spot to sit and asked.
The other man was now his superior, so if he called him over, it couldn't be for a casual chat.
But upon hearing his words, Koba's expression turned complex as he delivered an 'unfortunate' message.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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