Clatter...
A gust of wind blew through the woods, making the leaves rustle.
Shihouin Naraku and Shimura Danzō stood facing each other, their expressions calm as they sized each other up.
The two leaders remained still, neither speaking nor moving...
Yamanaka Yue and the Anbu members positioned themselves in front of Shihouin Naraku without hesitation. Having made their choice, they knew they must walk this path with determination.
Even if the enemy shinobi standing across from her was her own brother, Yue would not back down.
The sun in the sky had been covered by clouds, and rays of light filtered through to touch the earth. A cold atmosphere settled over the area.
Shihouin Naraku and Shimura Danzō continued their silent staredown. Neither was willing to yield, and the tension in the air grew increasingly heavy and dangerous with them at its center.
Yamanaka Yue tightened her grip on her sword, ready to strike at any moment.
Beside Shimura Danzō, Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Togen crouched slightly, also prepared for battle.
"Fū, all of you retreat," Danzō ordered.
Perhaps because he had no intention of fighting at this time, or perhaps because he lacked confidence, Shimura Danzō had finally taken a step back.
Since Yamanaka Kaze and Aburame Togen had been completely brainwashed, they immediately obeyed Danzō's command, withdrawing to positions behind him.
Shihouin Naraku raised his eyebrows. This was both logical and unexpected—maybe Shimura Danzō had realized that Naraku would never give in, so he decided to back down.
After all, Naraku was young. It was natural for him to be more arrogant.
If you weren't energetic and bold in your youth, could you really call yourself young?
Since Shimura Danzō had retreated, and Naraku had no intention of dealing with him here and now, he waved his hand. Yamanaka Yue and the others fell back behind him.
"You've grown up so fast," Danzō remarked, his expression unchanging as he tapped his cane slightly on the ground. "I should have asked you to be my subordinate."
Danzō's hidden meaning was clear: Naraku, even if you had wanted to join Root, I wouldn't have looked down on you.
"That's a shame," Naraku replied, "but I don't like roots!"
He paused, then added, "No, it's not that I don't like them—it's that I hate them!"
Shihouin Naraku's words were harsh. What was Root now? For Danzō to say such things to him at this point...
He had no intention of continuing this pointless conversation with Shimura Danzō. Their relationship would never improve anyway, so they might as well see who would win in the end!
Just as Naraku was about to turn and leave with his subordinates, he saw Shimura Danzō wave his hand. Immediately, Yamanaka Kaze and the other two dodged away and retreated, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
What's the meaning of this?
Is there something he wants to tell me?
Naraku instructed Yamanaka Yue and the others to return to Anbu headquarters to complete their mission while he stayed behind.
He wasn't worried that Shimura Danzō would attack him directly. As a well-known figure in Konohagakure who held a high position, if Danzō killed him, it would be seen as a betrayal of the village.
If Danzō wanted to eliminate him, he could only do it indirectly, causing Naraku's death as he had done with Hatake Sakumo.
"What do you want to say..." Shihouin Naraku spoke directly. With just the two of them present, he intended to be straightforward.
Suddenly, Naraku's hair stood on end. Warning bells rang in his mind, and he instantly entered a combat stance!
At that moment, a violent killing intent was about to erupt.
Fortunately, Naraku regained his composure in the next second.
Shimura Danzō observed Naraku's reaction with confusion and lowered the hand that had been touching his bandaged right eye.
What was that reaction about?
Wait, did he know something?
Danzō's face darkened, but no matter how he considered it, he couldn't believe that Naraku would know what was hidden beneath the bandage covering his right eye.
"You just..." Danzō began.
"I thought you were going to attack," Naraku said casually, waving his hand. His reaction had been excessive, but he couldn't help it. Shimura Danzō had a Mangekyō Sharingan hidden in his right eye!
Those were the eyes that Danzō had stolen from Uchiha Shisui.
And this Mangekyō Sharingan contained the "strongest genjutsu in the shinobi world"—Kotoamatsukami!
Kotoamatsukami could silently interfere with a person's consciousness, causing the enemy to be completely controlled without realizing it and losing all autonomy!
That's why Naraku had overreacted!
He thought Shimura Danzō was going to use Kotoamatsukami on him to control his mind, so he prepared to kill him instantly.
There was nothing suspicious about Naraku's answer, and Shimura Danzō reluctantly set aside his doubts. But someone as extremely suspicious and cautious as him would never completely trust anyone.
It was certain that Danzō would secretly test Naraku in the future to discover what he knew.
This attitude was understandable. Kotoamatsukami was connected to many of Shimura Danzō's plans and concealed many of his secrets. He would never allow anyone to know about it.
"Some time ago, Hiruzen asked me to..." Shimura Danzō began, then proceeded to explain everything about Sarutobi Hiruzen's previous discussion regarding the Fifth Hokage candidate.
Why?
Shihouin Naraku was stunned—he truly hadn't known about this!
Sarutobi Hiruzen actually planned to make him Hokage?
Though he was only a candidate, Naraku was confident that Kakashi couldn't compete with him. As long as he could become a candidate, the position of Hokage would definitely not fall to anyone else.
But...
This unexpected news disrupted Naraku's plans and caught him off guard.
In his mind, the Fifth Hokage would certainly be Tsunade. Based on this assumption, he had secretly made many preparations—splitting up the medical emergency team was one of them—all to wait for Tsunade's return and secure more benefits for himself.
But now he himself was to become the Fifth Hokage?
It was too sudden...
Seeing Shihouin Naraku visibly unsettled, Shimura Danzō felt inward satisfaction. This reaction was exactly as he had expected.
It was natural—all shinobi of Konohagakure dreamed of becoming Hokage!
If you visited any ninja academy, you would find that nine out of ten students who hadn't yet grown up also dreamed of becoming Hokage.
This childhood dream was an irresistible temptation for any Konoha shinobi.
Even Shimura Danzō himself was like this. In his heart, becoming Hokage was an unshakable obsession, and he would sacrifice anything to achieve it.
So, in his opinion, Shihouin Naraku would certainly not be immune, and his opponent's current reaction confirmed this.
"Heh..." With a smile on his face, Shimura Danzō turned and slowly walked away, leaning on his cane.
You must be excited to hear this news.
But you still have a rival, Hatake Kakashi. Go and compete with him for that position.
With these thoughts running through his mind, Shimura Danzō gradually disappeared from view.
"This guy!" Watching Danzō's figure vanish, Shihouin Naraku was left speechless.
"He really never abandons his schemes..."
Danzō had made no effort to hide his intentions, clearly telling Naraku that he wanted him and Kakashi to fight for the position of Hokage.
This was an obvious ploy!
Even if ordinary people understood Danzō's intentions, they would still be unable to resist. The temptation of becoming Hokage was too great, and no one could honestly say they weren't attracted to it.
Even Shihouin Naraku couldn't claim he had no interest, but his thinking differed from others. He wanted to be Hokage simply to gain an opportunity to break through his limits and become stronger.
"This is troublesome. I need to think about it carefully..." Naraku frowned, deep in thought, unable to make a quick decision.
"Sir!"
Yamanaka Yue suddenly appeared, pulling Naraku from his deep thoughts.
"Oh, you haven't left yet."
"Let's go. Let's head back together."
Naraku knew that Yamanaka and the others had been concerned for his safety, so they hadn't departed but had waited at a distance. They had seen Danzō leave, but when Naraku continued standing there motionless for a long time, they had come to check on him.
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