"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Intense impacts resounded continuously from within the forest.
Each time, the ground trembled violently.
The creatures here, as if experiencing some kind of natural disaster, had long since fled in a panic to the distance.
Fortunately, this situation did not last long.
After a period of fierce battle, the hunters finally could not hold on any longer.
"Why don't we retreat first?"
"Go back and regroup?"
Watching Danzo, who was panting heavily on the battlefield and seemed on the verge of collapsing, they asked reluctantly.
This suggestion was agreed upon by the remaining dozen or so hunters.
They gritted their teeth and said with reluctance:
"Let's retreat!"
With their withdrawal, the enemies facing Minato also quickly vanished.
The soon-to-be Fourth Hokage had fought the worst battle of his career.
In this fight, he had only managed to kill more than twenty enemies.
If Ōnoki were to learn of this performance, he would likely be furious.
Then, grabbing Minato by the collar, he would berate him:
"You didn't show this kind of strength when you fought against Iwagakure!
When Minato returned to Danzo, he couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
Danzo was panting heavily, leaning against a fallen tree trunk.
His white bandages were now covered in dust, and bright red blood continuously flowed from his Sharingan, looking quite terrifying.
Even his chest was stained with crimson blood.
His face was pale, and he seemed on the verge of fainting.
Seeing this, Minato finally understood why the underground hunters had been so persistent in their attacks on Danzo.
He had to admit, Danzo was a master actor!
Seeing this, Minato had no choice but to play along and show a worried expression.
"Senior Danzo, are you alright? Should I call for reinforcements from the village?"
This suggestion was immediately rejected by Danzo!
"Minato, you are the Hokage, and I am an elder of Konoha!"
"If we can't deal with these petty villains, we will be laughed at by other ninja villages!"
Danzo's expression was very serious, with no trace of acting.
Minato had to suppress the urge to laugh and frowned, saying:
"But Elder Danzo, your injuries..."
Danzo waved his hand fiercely and said:
"My body is not a problem!"
"The most important thing is that Konoha must not be made a laughingstock!"
Hearing this, Minato was deeply moved by Danzo's spirit and replied firmly:
"Yes!"
He wanted to say more, but saw the gravity on Danzo's face disappear instantly.
"Alright, they're gone."
With his Byakugan, Danzo had full knowledge of the movements of the underground hunters.
After retreating, they had actually left a spy to monitor Danzo's every move.
It was only after hearing Danzo's words that the spy quietly left.
Hearing that they no longer needed to continue the act, Minato finally breathed a sigh of relief.
For Minato, not instantly killing the enemies was a bit more difficult than actually killing them!
"Senior Danzo, will this really lure those guys out?"
Minato asked doubtfully.
To be honest, he felt like he had overacted.
A Hokage, an elder, with such poor performance, would anyone really fall for it?
To this, Danzo simply said:
"Don't worry, this kind of thing is like fishing; it requires patience."
"When the fake becomes real, even the real becomes fake. Who can really tell the difference between truth and falsehood?"
"Maybe I really am not fully recovered from my injuries?"
This last sentence directly confused Minato, and he really showed a hint of worry on his face.
"Senior Danzo, you're not really injured, are you?"
Hearing this, Danzo smiled gently and said:
"Don't worry, Minato. Even if I am not fully recovered, I am not someone these insignificant foes can deal with."
On the other side.
The retreating bounty hunters gathered at the nearest underground money exchange.
"Do you think that old guy Danzo is really out of commission, or is he just pretending?"
"He seems to really be out of commission. After all, it's been only two months since the battle with the two Kage. It's impossible to recover so quickly, right?"
"If he's really not up to it, why did he come out? Wouldn't it be better to stay in Konoha?"
"I heard that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo's relationship has deteriorated. Maybe he was driven out by the former!"
For a moment, all kinds of opinions filled the underground money exchange.
These hunters were eager to claim Danzo's head, but at the same time, they were worried that they would be killed by Danzo.
This is the greed that lies deep within humans.
Hearing their discussions, the mysterious man in the hawk mask, hidden in the crowd, sneered and left on his own.
As an important member of this hunt for Danzo, the mysterious man in the hawk mask undoubtedly shone brightly.
He could even be considered the main force among the mercenaries.
After all, throughout the entire process, he was the only one who successively posed a fatal threat to Danzo.
And he even scratched the old man's arm!
His exquisite shuriken skills and Fire Release were truly breathtaking.
Therefore, many eyes were on him.
Seeing him preparing to leave, they quickly stopped him.
"Brother, why are you leaving suddenly? If you have any opinions, you can speak up."
"Yeah, facing the old villain Danzo, we must unite and work together."
Everyone spoke up, trying to keep this powerful mysterious man from leaving.
Such a valuable combatant could not be easily let go.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the mysterious man sneered and said: "I came here to kill Danzo and eliminate the villain for the greater good!"
"I didn't expect that you are all blinded by greed, preoccupied with gains and losses, and even considering retreating and not daring to fight anymore. I am extremely disappointed!"
"To be honest with you, my short blade is coated with poison."
"Danzo, that old man, has been slashed by me and must have been poisoned. He won't live long. Whether to continue or not is up to you."
"Having said that, I take my leave."
With that, the mysterious man disappeared on the spot, regardless of everyone's attempts to stop him.
This instant body flicker technique caused the crowd to exclaim in surprise.
Immediately, people began to speculate about his true identity.
"Who on earth is that guy?"
"Wait a minute!"
"Exquisite shuriken skills, powerful Fire Release, terrifying physical skills and reaction abilities?"
Everyone looked at each other.
The more they thought about it, the more it seemed like a certain first family of the ninja world.
Could it be that this mysterious man is from the Uchiha clan?
"It's not impossible."
"After all, the Uchiha clan has long-standing grievances with Danzo. Although things have eased recently, there are still many members in the clan who harbor hatred for Danzo."
"And didn't you just hear him say?"
"He is hunting Danzo not for money, but to eliminate the villain and promote justice!"
"In the entire ninja world, only the Uchiha would speak so loftily!"
This statement, coupled with the mysterious man's arrogant and self-important demeanor, made everyone nod in agreement.
It fits!
It fits perfectly!
This guy must be from the Uchiha clan!
"If that's the case, then what he said about the blade being poisoned and Danzo being poisoned might not be impossible!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire underground money exchange immediately boiled over.
Poison is always the best way for the weak to defeat the strong.
No matter how powerful a ninja is, if poisoned, even if they don't die, their strength will be greatly diminished.
Combined with Danzo's original severe injuries, this is their best opportunity!
————————
After leaving the money exchange, the mysterious man came to a cave and slowly removed his mask, revealing a pair of Sharingan eyes beneath.
"These fools actually think they are a match for my teacher."
Shisui shook his head and sighed.
How could anyone in this world think that they could outmaneuver the "Darkness of the Shinobi" in intrigue and conspiracy?
This person is the progenitor of such schemes!
After a moment of reflection, Shisui said to the Root ninja inside the cave:
"Proceed with the plan and let those mercenary groups and suicide squads gradually take action."
Indeed, in order to increase the authenticity of this performance,
Danzo had spent a large sum of money to hire several well-known mercenary groups to carry out an assassination attempt on himself.
He also had the Root ninja disguise themselves as suicide squads from other ninja villages to lead the way.
After all, since they had come this far, they couldn't leave empty-handed.
_
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