Page 28
Shimura Danzo showed an expression of expectedness, "Are you trying to use your power as Hokage to suppress me again? But I haven't done anything out of line recently."
"Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and I didn't intend to talk to you as the Hokage this time." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled faintly, "Danzo, do you still remember Kagami?"
"Him?" Shimura Danzo was stunned, and then his mind flashed back to the moments when he spent time with Uchiha Kagami when he was young. "Why did you mention that guy?"
"Because Jing represents that the teacher's attitude towards the Uchiha clan has changed. He is ready to adopt a conciliatory policy towards the Uchiha clan."
"Hehe, a mirror can't represent the Uchiha clan at all." Shimura Danzo said disdainfully.
"It's true that I can't represent the entire Uchiha clan, but ever since Jing became Sensei's disciple, until today, the Uchiha clan has been very well behaved."
"Being content doesn't mean you don't have ambitions!" Shimura Danzo insisted, "The teacher's choice of you to be the Hokage was the biggest mistake. You are too weak. All the turmoil in Konoha was caused by you!"
"I am indeed too weak, so I can't bear to attack you!" Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the table and said, "Danzo, I am here as a friend to persuade you to stop. Otherwise..."
"What else do you want to do? Kill me? Or destroy the entire Root!" Danzo Shimura glared at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"I can do it all!" Sarutobi Hiruzen also revealed his thoughts, "Now Konoha is much stronger than before, with the Sannin, Sakumo, Minato, and some rookies who have not yet grown up!"
"So, stop it, Danzo, and strive for 50 years of peace for the future of Konoha. This is the scene that the teacher has always wanted to see."
"Don't dream, Hiruzen." Shimura Danzo said in a slightly slower tone, "Do you think the other four hidden villages will sit idly by and watch Konoha? You don't think that the Third Ninja World War will never break out, do you?"
"This is inevitable, so... I'm here to urge you to stop." Sarutobi Hiruzen said earnestly, "Leave some vitality for Konoha, so that we can more easily deal with future crises."
"Instead of trying to persuade me here, why don't you think about taking the initiative and unifying the entire ninja world?!" Shimura Danzo said in a high voice, "This is the source of your weakness. If I were the Hokage now, the entire ninja world would be incorporated into Konoha's territory! All of it, and not a single one would be left alive!"
"At that time, there will be no more wars in the ninja world, and you and I will complete the ideals that our teacher has not completed, and create a new era for the ninja world!"
"Huruzen, believe me." Shimura Danzo stretched out his hand to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Let's go back to the time when we fought together. As long as you agree that Konoha will go to war with the Four Hidden Villages, I can give up being the Hokage and giving up internal friction."
Looking at Shimura Danzo's hand hanging in the air, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked hesitant.
"impossible!"
However, after considering for a few seconds, Sarutobi Hiruzen still did not agree with Shimura Danzo's idea, and rejected him word by word.
"Heh, this is you, Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
Shimura Danzo looked disdainful, "I don't see any hope for Konoha in your hands. Weak, passive, and self-contained, this will become Konoha's new label!"
"Your ideas go against the teacher's teachings and the will of fire!"
"The Will of Fire?" Shimura Danzo was even more disdainful. "Don't bring out something that can fool children. You are asking this with your chest patted. Have you ever done it?"
"I..." Sarutobi Hiruzen was speechless.
"You have nothing to say, right?" Shimura Danzo lifted his last fig leaf, "Where did the Senju clan go? Who is the person in power in Konoha? Who is the successor you chose? How did you choose the successor? I don't need to explain these in detail, right?"
"That's enough, Danzo!"
"Not enough, far from enough!" Shimura Danzo insisted, "In order to allow the common people to quickly integrate into Konoha, the teacher made sacrifices and let the people of the Senju clan give up their surnames and join commoner families.
But what did you do after you became Hokage?
The Senju clan's collection of books is in the secret room of your Sarutobi clan, in the sealed book in your possession.
During the Second World War, the Senju clan was sent to the battlefield and fought desperately, while their descendants could only go to the ninja school under an assumed name, learn ordinary ninjutsu, and then become like everyone else.
You eliminated the influence of the Senju clan on Konoha, pushed the Uchiha clan to the political margins, and completely consolidated the political status of the Sarutobi clan.
What happened next? You modified your teacher's Will of Fire, added your own understanding, and gave it your name, making the will of Konoha Village a toy in your hands.
And look at the successor you choose.
Hatake Sakumo?
He has enough strength and prestige, but he used to be your subordinate and your ANBU chief, and he is a pure ninja who will definitely adopt your opinions in politics. Do you dare to say that he is not an extension of your politics?
Look at Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, who you have high hopes for. Do you dare to say that they have no similarities with Hatake Sakumo? Do you have no selfish motives involved? !
Hiruzen, these are all things you did, so what gives you the right to stand on the moral high ground and criticize me at will? !
You and I are the same kind of people!
It's just that you are better at hiding than me, more lenient than me, and know how to leave a way out for some people!"
"I say, enough!!!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted loudly, with a distorted expression on his face, "You know my situation at that time. I was unstable due to internal and external troubles. If I didn't do this, Konoha might fall apart again!"
"Ha, haha, hahahaha......!" Shimura Danzo also laughed loudly, but more of his laughter was towards Sarutobi Hiruzen, "You have reasons for doing this, and I also have reasons for doing what I do. Is that wrong?!"
"Don't claim to be the light of Konoha. You just need to understand that whoever sits in your position is the light of Konoha!"
"Don't think that it's your credit that Konoha has become what it is today. That's the road paved with the bones of the dead on the battlefield!"
"You are just a parasite who rests on your laurels, has no ambition to make progress, is not good at reform, and indulges in pleasure!"
The light in Shimura Danzo's only eye was so bright that it made Sarutobi Hiruzen feel uneasy.
"When it comes to politics, don't talk about human relationships or morality. The winner is the king and the loser is the enemy. Let's wait and see!" Shimura Danzo ordered him to leave. "When I become Hokage, no matter what I do, I will become the light, just like you did before!"
"But one thing is clear, I will bring war to Konoha, and let Konoha use the lives of two generations to fight for a unified and war-free country for the future of Konoha and the ninja world!"
At this time, Danzo Shimura completely revealed his heroic nature. He didn't care about human life or the method. He only cared about what he wanted and what he wanted to accomplish.
The battle between the hypocrite and the tyrant came to an end in the darkness.
The future of Konoha will continue to move slowly along its inherent trajectory.
However, what the two did not know was that Orochimaru's fate had changed, which might have some different impacts on Konoha's inherent future.
Chapter 43 Orochimaru visits the Hatake residence.
Konoha, Hatake House.
The family was having a great time. The father and his two sons were kneeling in front of a coffee table, each holding a cup of hot tea in their hands.
"Ming, you will start your real career as a Genin tomorrow. How do you feel?"
"It's just like that, not that difficult." Hatake Akira pecked lightly, "And with Kakashi here, I don't feel any pressure at all."
"Brother, don't always rely on me. You have to work hard too." Kakashi pouted, but did not forget to urge Hatake Akira to work hard.
"It's not like you haven't performed Genin missions before, but they were all tasks like finding cats, doing farm work, and cleaning sewers. They were useless." Hatake Akira really looked down on Genin missions. "What I really care about is the follow-up guidance and targeted training from the teacher after completing the Genin mission."
What Hatake Akira said was the truth, and Kakashi had no reason to refute it. He just lowered his head and sipped the hot tea in the cup.
"Okay Ming, although the Genin mission doesn't have much value, it is a good way to improve the team's tacit understanding in a short period of time. You still can't slack off."
Hatake Sakumo tapped the coffee table with one finger and gave Hatake Akira an instruction.
"I understand, father." Hatake Akira nodded, "Don't worry, I will take it seriously."
"That's good." Hatake Sakumo smiled, and then there was a gratified smile on his face as an old father, "Yesterday I ran into Yuhi Shinku, and he told me something very interesting."
"Aha...what did Uncle Zhenhong say to you?" Hatake Akira was a little embarrassed. He reached out and scratched his hair, obviously realizing something.
Kakashi, who was sitting next to Hatake Akira, raised his head again, the fire of gossip burning in his eyes. After glancing at Hatake Sakumo, he locked his gaze on Hatake Akira, trying to see something from his micro-expressions.
"Have you been close to Yuhi Kurenai recently?"
"Um... well, we're just very good friends."
"Are you so good that you can use other people's private money at will?" Hatake Sakumo rolled his eyes at Hatake Akira. "Makoto has even filed a complaint against me. This makes me feel really embarrassed!"
"She insisted on giving it to me, and I can't let her down. Besides, when I get a higher-level mission and receive a commission in the future, I will save up money to pay her back."
After hearing what Hatake Akira said, Hatake Sakumo lost his temper.
Yuhi Kurenai and his own son were indeed a match made in heaven, and since one was willing to fight and the other was willing to be beaten, there was nothing that Hatake Akira could do to blame.
But the main reason why I don't blame Hatake Akira is because he is a boy. If it was a girl...
It is estimated that Hatake Sakumo would have already taken a knife and gone to settle the score with the main culprit, so there is no way he could sit here and leisurely drink tea.
"But everything has a limit, and you and Yuhi Kurenai are still young, so you still need to pay attention to many things." Hatake Sakumo put down his teacup, "At least don't let the father come to me to complain, it makes me passive and embarrassed."
After saying that, Hatake Sakumo took out his wallet, counted out a bill of about 10,000 taels, and stuffed it into Hatake Akira's hand.
"If you're going to visit Minato, use this money. It's enough to buy some gifts."
"Thank you, father!" Hatake Akira happily took it and bowed to express his gratitude, looking like a money-grubber.
"But let me be frank with you. Since I've given you money, don't think about stealing the girl's private money anymore." Hatake Sakumo warned worriedly, then looked at Kakashi who had a gossipy look on his face.
"Kakashi, don't just focus on carrying out missions all the time. Otherwise, you'll miss out on a lot of the sincere feelings you had when you were young. You'll really miss out..."
"This... Father... What do you want me to do?"
Kakashi felt a little embarrassed, and the delicate and pretty faces that once greeted him with smiles appeared in his mind, but then he shook his head and dismissed them all.
"A bunch of brainless nymphomaniacs, I don't want to have anything to do with them!" Kakashi said decisively, which made Hatake Sakumo laugh a little.
"It's great that you have this awareness. Besides, I'm just talking about it, not forcing you to do anything. After all, your main focus now is on study and practice, so it would be best if you can focus on it without any distractions."
Although Hatake Sakumo is a father and hopes that his "little piglets" will cause more trouble to the cabbages, this kind of thing can only be thought about, and it is not a big deal to mention it briefly. But if you really say it seriously, it would be somewhat disrespectful to the elderly.
Soon, the matter of the two brothers' premature love came to a temporary end. After drinking the tea in the cup, Hatake Sakumo got up and went to the study.
"Akira, Kakashi, I have two things for you. They are gifts for you to join Team 8."
Before he finished speaking, Hatake Sakumo went in and out quickly, and when he walked out of the study, he had two long wooden boxes in his hands.
"Ming, this is yours."
Hatake Sakumo knelt down and handed over a long box tied with a red ribbon and with Hatake Akira's name on it.
At the same time, another identical long box was handed to Kakashi.
"This is your Kakashi, open it and take a look."
In fact, Hatake Sakumo didn't need to say anything, as Hatake Akira had already started untying the red ribbon on the long box, and Kakashi did the same.
The red ribbon slid to the ground, and the two brothers opened the long boxes in their hands almost at the same time. After opening them, two identical ninja swords revealed their original appearance.
Beautiful, bright and cold!
This was Hatake Akira's first feeling after seeing the long sword. His little hand couldn't help but gently stroke the scabbard, carefully feeling the delicate workmanship of the long sword.
"This is a long sword that I specially asked someone to customize from the Country of Craftsmen. Although the chakra metal content in it is not high, it should be enough for you at this stage."
Hatake Sakumo smiled and simply said, "And I have also revised the Hatake swordsmanship. It is now very suitable for the use of long swords. It can be regarded as a restoration of the peak of the swordsmanship of my ancestors."
"Father, are you done?!"
Hatake Akira's attention shifted away from the long sword and his gaze returned to Hatake Sakumo's face.