Chapter 239. Danzo's Grand Strategy
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In the end—
The bounty of the former black market legend had plummeted to just over 10 million!
However—
Faced with creditors, Danzo neither used the Root organization to threaten them nor relied on his position as Clan Leader of the Shimura clan to suppress them. Instead…
He did something that no one expected.
He—
Ran away!!!
As for the reason… it remains unknown...
Maybe it was because he had never left Konoha or the Land of Fire since he was first placed under a bounty, and now, with this sudden and drastic drop—
He figured it was time to go out and see the world~
Regardless—
He was gone.
The families that had come to collect their debts were completely stunned!
They thought Shimura Danzo would use his position as Konoha's advisor to pressure them, and they had also considered that he might use his title as the Clan Leader of the Shimura clan to delay repayment.
After all, the reputation of Konoha's Root was still terrifying. Even though Root's strength had weakened in recent years to ensure Danzo's protection—shifting its focus away from carrying out dangerous missions and instead prioritizing Danzo's security—Danzo was still one of the top figures in Konoha. He was not someone to be offended lightly.
So, they had planned… just to make a fuss, demand assurances, and, as long as they got a guarantee that the money would be repaid, let it slide for now.
But then—
They never expected this!
He ran away?!
He actually ran away?!
Panic instantly spread among the clans!
Now what?!
That was a billion on the line!
Was he really planning to just not pay it back?!
But then they remembered—Sarutobi Hiruzen himself had vouched for Danzo, using his reputation as the Clan Leader of the Sarutobi clan as a guarantee. That was the only reason they had dared to invest in one-tenth of Danzo shares in the first place.
Now that they couldn't find Danzo, there was only one option left—
They stormed the Sarutobi clan's estate.
And when Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the wave of creditors outside his door, he was just as stunned.
Go find Danzo to collect debts!
He was already panicked enough over the events of the past few days. Originally, even if the movie flopped, it wouldn't have been a big deal. They could just make another one later.
After all, they had their own theaters now—if they could produce even one good film in the future, they could still turn things around.
This time, unlike previous failures, it wasn't a case of losing money to attract an audience. The viewers had actually paid to watch their movie—the problem was just that the movie itself had turned out to be a disaster.
Then—
Danzo's bounty suddenly crashed.
Then, rumors spread online that they were refusing to pay their debts, exploiting workers, and had even almost caused a loss of life!
And because the three of them hadn't come forward to address these allegations, the situation turned from bad to worse.
Negative stories about Root Studio flooded the internet. Even their own employees started believing that they had run out of money for movie production and payrolls.
Some rumors were true; some were false!
But over the past few days—
Many employees resigned, and as a result, several of their theaters were forced to shut down.
The situation could have stabilized, but it unexpectedly got worse and worse, to the point that many people began to lose trust in Root Studio.
For days, Hiruzen had been trying to find a way to stabilize the situation.
But he didn't expect that now...
"He ran away?!"
Hiruzen stared at the angry mob of creditors who came to make trouble, and his hands trembled. His tobacco pipe almost slipped from his fingers. The corner of his mouth twitched as he looked at the crowd in disbelief.
He raised his voice, "He ran away?!"
Then he paused.
"That's impossible!!!"
However—
The other clans just shook their heads helplessly. After hesitating for a moment, one of them said, "We couldn't find him. We even asked the Shimura clan, but they couldn't find him either."
"Yes! That's right! Third Hokage-sama, you need to give us an answer!"
"We only lent him the money because of you!"
"That's over a hundred million! We're just small clans. How could… it be gone?!"
The clans erupted into noisy chaos, making Hiruzen's head throb. He quickly raised his hand to calm them down.
"Everyone, quiet down! Quiet down!"
Once the crowd settled down, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at them with a serious expression, his hands clasped behind his back. He spoke calmly, "Don't panic, everyone! Don't panic!"
He furrowed his brows, took a deep drag from his pipe, and after a brief silence, said, "Maybe Danzo just stepped out for a while. Don't be nervous! I'll go look for him and make sure to give you all a definite answer!"
Thinking about Danzo…
Ever since Danzo was placed under a bounty, Hiruzen had weakened Root's power, increased Danzo's personal security, and made him rarely leave the village.
Maybe it was just because he suddenly lost the bounty and felt relieved, so he thought about going out for a walk!
After all, it had been a long time since he had gone out.
And even if he left, there would still be plenty of ninjas following him—he wouldn't be able to just run around!
Hiruzen pondered for a moment before looking at the crowd. "Don't worry, everyone. Please remain calm. I'll go check things out. As for the money you're owed, I promise to pay—"
But before he could finish—
Suddenly—
A figure came rushing toward them.
"Hiruzen! Hiruzen!" Mitokado Homura was running, waving his arms frantically, gasping for breath. His face was pale and tense. "He ran away! He ran away! Danzo… he's gone!"
In an instant—
He ran straight in front of everyone and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen in panic.
"Danzo really ran away! I went to the Shimura clan, and they've already issued a statement declaring that they have nothing to do with any of Danzo's actions! From my investigation, it turns out that Danzo had already taken a large amount of money from the Shimura clan to fund his businesses. Later, to expand his theater chain, he secretly purchased and rented a large number of properties without telling us. That's the only reason his theaters were able to cover the entire country. Now that everyone's heard the news, they're all coming to collect their debts!"
"?!"
Hiruzen stumbled backward, staring at Homura in disbelief.
At that moment, his treasured pipe slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. He quickly grabbed Homura by the shoulders and asked, "What did you say?!"
"Danzo…" Homura's face was full of sorrow. "He really ran away!"
"…"
He really ran away?
Hiruzen was completely stunned. He let go of Homura's shoulders and staggered back several steps, lifting his head to stare at him.
"Ran away?"
"He really ran away!"
And off to the side—
The clan representatives who had come to collect their debts looked at each other nervously, then at Hiruzen. One of them hesitantly spoke up, "Third Hokage-sama…"
Before he could finish—
Hiruzen waved his hand weakly, his face bleak. He bent down, picked up his pipe, turned around, and said quietly, "Let me rest for a bit. We'll… we'll talk later."
With a deep, weary sigh—
He…
He couldn't believe Danzo had done all of this behind his back. All those investments… adding everything up, it was nearly two billion, right?
And then Danzo, without saying a word…
Ran away!
Disappointment filled his eyes as he took a slow drag from his pipe. After a moment of silence, he finally muttered—
"Danzo~"
He shook his head, turned, and walked into the house.
He was actually abandoned by his best friend…?!
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