The news of Ara's return was immediately relayed to the Hokage's office.

This was a veiled order personally issued by the Third Hokage.

And right after Gangzitie left, the crisp sound of a cane echoed through the corridor, growing louder as it approached.

Then, an elderly man, who looked frail and weak, with half of his body wrapped in bandages, slowly appeared at the end of the corridor.

Danzo Shimura.

The 'evil' buried deep beneath Konoha cleared out many potential enemies for Konoha during the war.

Even Hanzo the Salamander, who was hailed as a demigod of the ninja world, was easily toyed with by him.

"The news from the Root is really fast."

A subtle, unreadable meaning appeared in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes as he glanced at the old man who had opened the door and walked in without any manners.

He had only just received news of Uchiha Ara's return, yet this old guy from the underground base was able to arrive almost immediately.

Such a reaction speed is undeniably fast.

It seems.

Although the roots have suffered some damage, there are still many hidden reserves.

Upon hearing this, Danzo Shimura lowered his eyelids slightly, concealing the contempt that was evident in his eyes to the extreme.

'Hiruzen...'

'You really are getting worse as you get older.'

After sitting up straight, he finally raised his eyes to look at the third generation behind the desk, his hands folded over his cane.

A sharp rhetorical question came out:

"Shouldn't you be focusing your attention on Uchiha Ara right now? He's been missing from this world for almost four months."

"How did that kid manage to evade the spies in the secret service?"

What happened inside Amegakure?

"What is the current situation of the Akatsuki organization?"

"Shouldn't these be the things you focus on first?"

At this point, his discontent quietly resurfaced.

but.

These roots hidden underground, this darkness buried deep within the leaf, ultimately suppressed those peculiar emotions and continued to speak:

"Moreover, the Uchiha clan most likely has a way to contact Uchiha Ara."

"Otherwise, the little guy wouldn't have returned at this exact time."

"When it comes to doing big things, you've finally been able to be ruthless for once."

Danzo's voice was somewhat complex.

You could hear the approval and a hint of genuine teasing in his voice.

Although his "provocation" suggestion was delayed for nearly a month, the old man finally did it.

Now I'm just waiting to see what irrational thing that hot-tempered little guy will do.

of course.

This is also a foreshadowing of Danzo's actions.

Using the previous suggestion, we will test Uchiha Ara.

If that kid continues his previous madness and recklessness, then there's still a need to keep him as a pawn.

but.

If this trip causes a change in their personality, making them more reserved and taciturn, then it's something to pay close attention to.

even.

It can be removed in advance.

"Humph."

Hiruzen Sarutobi responded with a cold snort.

The dissatisfaction in his eyes grew stronger.

He initially didn't want to use the Sarutobi clan members to do anything underhanded, fearing it would have a negative impact, so he chose to wait.

but!

After days and weeks of waiting without any news or any end in sight, the anxious old man finally couldn't sit still any longer.

And it must be said that some of Danzo's methods and speculations were correct.

He had only slightly provoked the Uchiha clan through his own clansmen, and the little guy they revered as their clan leader immediately emerged from some unknown corner.

He even went so far as to reveal his Flying-type summon!

"Uchiha Ara somehow acquired a giant eagle as a summoning beast, so it's not so strange that the Anbu couldn't find any trace of him at the border."

"The key question now is: where has he been all this time?"

"Did he really go to Amegakure as he said?"

"If you went, what intelligence did you obtain?"

"The current state of the Land of Rain, and the Akatsuki organization that gathers so many rogue ninjas, are making people feel uneasy."

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe lightly on the table, his aged face showing solemnity, even the wrinkles on his face were etched together as he pondered.

"If it were Itachi..."

"Ugh."

In that instant, he suddenly mentioned that person's name again.

But in the end, it all turned into a long sigh.

There's no going back; that night, they completely broke off all ties.

If it weren't for the existence of Uchiha Sasuke, serving as the last link between the two.

Then, things could very well escalate into something even worse.

Danzo Shimura remained unmoved by Hiruzen Sarutobi's sighs and regrets.

He is different from the other party.

We only look forward. Since some things have already happened, we should find ways to counterbalance and eliminate them.

Of course, he also fully agreed with Hiruzen's comments about Uchiha Ara and the issues he raised.

"Then let's summon all the clan leaders together."

"At that time, will that kid choose to hide the information and offend everyone, or will he obediently confess and share the information?"

"Whatever he says."

"Furthermore, the rules regarding going out of Konoha should be properly revised."

“Especially since he is the clan leader.”

"Otherwise, it would be bad if hostile external forces seized on this."

Danzo spoke slowly.

And some limiting opinions were put forward.

After all, they can scheme against each other for power, and might even dig little pits to limit each other's strength, making each other miserable.

However, once Konoha's interests are involved, or its existing or potential enemies are touched, their stances will become exceptionally unified.

However, there was one thing the two elderly people guessed wrong.

Huang's return had nothing to do with their petty schemes; he simply felt it was time to return and make an appearance after recruiting a large number of subordinates.

Furthermore, when they were stationed in the empty area, he asked Nekomata if Izumi had tried to find his whereabouts or send him any messages through him.

After all, they had been away from their ancestral land for a long time.

The answer was: No.

The little girl kept her promise and never disturbed it.

This answer made Huang Guilai even more eager to return. Therefore, after giving a brief explanation and seeing that the stronghold was beginning to take shape, he immediately summoned the giant eagle back.

Of course, there are two other small things worth mentioning.

First: The steel fortress hidden in the deep sea, the traces that resemble human activity—through the monitoring and feedback from the 'sea,' Huang has become somewhat certain of their identities.

It is indeed a force belonging to humanity.

As speculated, it was a force that had been defeated in a major war.

Even though he had just recruited nearly a hundred bloodline limit users and had some trump cards and power, he was still very envious of that force with special combat capabilities!

However, before possessing sufficiently strong naval combat capabilities, he would naturally not be foolish enough to think about contacting or even recruiting the other side.

Second: We have found clues about the rogue ninja from Kirigakure, Raiga Kurosuki. He has fled the Land of Water and set foot on the continent where the Land of Fire exists.

However, the guy was still cautiously fleeing and showed no signs of stopping.

It's probably because the Hidden Mist ANBU are still chasing them.

After making an appearance before the higher-ups, he will be the next target.

Whether it's establishing and executing the Anbu or honing those bloodline limit users who haven't undergone professional training, the Hidden Mist Village ninjas, who have experienced the most brutal elimination system, are undoubtedly the best mentors!

"Chieftain... Chieftain?"

"It really is you, Chieftain!!"

Just as he slowly crossed the main city of Konoha and reached the edge of the clan's territory, a joyful exclamation suddenly rang in his ears.

As for personally reporting his return to the Third Hokage, he didn't think it was necessary.

Moreover, the ninja guards at the gate would naturally relay the message.

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