Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 320 I am the Hokage!

While Tamura Hao was discussing and exchanging ideas with Rasa and the others in Sunagakure, a great battle had already broken out in Iwagakure, or rather, the battle had already begun long ago, and Iwagakure had been decimated.

Even when the Third Raikage arrived, the yellow earth had already been severely damaged and corrupted by dark chakra.

Upon witnessing Danzo Shimura's imposing presence and his tens of thousands of dark troops, the Third Raikage decisively used a summoning technique to transmit the information back to the village. Then, a clone of the Raikage descended carrying a red gourd, releasing the sealed ninja army from within.

The arriving Cloud Village ninjas immediately joined the battle, assisting the Iwa Village ninjas in fighting against the Dark Ninja Legion.

Kushina Uzumaki and the others worked together with the Third Raikage and Onoki to besiege Danzo Shimura, their coordination was excellent.

Although Shimura Danzo was powerful, he had just overloaded himself by absorbing half of the Five-Tails, causing the World-Destroying Black Lotus to become somewhat strained. He had to mobilize a large amount of dark chakra to suppress it, which greatly reduced the amount of dark chakra that Shimura Danzo could unleash.

Seeing that he could no longer gain any advantage, Danzo Shimura had no choice but to lead the Dark Legion in retreat.

The Cloud Village ninja army and the heavily damaged Iwa Village ninja army were also unable to pursue them and could only watch helplessly as those people retreated.

"loess!"

Ignoring the retreating Shimura Danzo, Onoki flew towards his son immediately, only to find a corpse.

"loess!"

Looking at his son's face, blackened by the dark chakra, Onoki couldn't help but burst into tears.

She only had one son, and now she was going to have to bury him.

The Third Raikage and the others walked over and watched silently from the side, feeling somewhat sad, after all, they had fought side by side for so long.

Many Cloud Ninja were assisting the Iwagakure Ninja in rescuing the wounded, and even brought a lot of diluted life-giving water. As long as the internal organs weren't crushed, it wouldn't be difficult to save their lives.

Meanwhile, Shimura Danzo, who was retreating, did not stop. He went straight to the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Fire and swallowed everyone inside into the Box of Bliss to enhance his dark power. This helped him feel better and allowed him to suppress the Five-Tails and Six-Tails that he had just swallowed.

"Nagato Uzumaki, don't keep me waiting any longer!"

After destroying the daimyo's mansion in the Land of Fire, Shimura Danzo muttered to himself again before heading to the Fire Temple and consuming the entire line of monks there.

The monks have always been at odds with the ninjas, and the Fire Temple is even part of the Daimyo's territory. Now that the Daimyo's territory has been swallowed up, it is only natural that the Fire Temple should also be swallowed up, so as to prevent these bald monks from causing trouble from within when fighting against external enemies in the future.

Faced with Danzo Shimura's power, the Fire Temple was utterly powerless. Before long, the place became deathly silent as everyone was swallowed into the Box of Bliss, and the dark power surged once more.

After clearing out the Fire Temple, Danzo Shimura returned to Konoha.

"Hiruzen, you've been sitting in that seat long enough. It's time for this old man to take your place."

Looking at the Hokage Building below Hokage Cliff, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Although he no longer cares about the position of Hokage and his goal is to establish a ninja nation and unify the ninja world, the position of Hokage is still his obsession for decades.

"Lord Danzo!"

Some Root ninjas who had infiltrated Konoha rushed out of the gate and draped the Hokage robes that had been made in advance over Shimura Danzo's shoulders.

The robe was black with blood-red flame patterns along the hem, making it very ornate. The back was embroidered with the words "Fourth Hokage".

Danzo Shimura made quite a commotion, especially by summoning tens of thousands of dark legions outside the gate. The sheer amount of dark chakra was palpable even to ninjas without sensory ninjutsu, making it an extremely terrifying power.

After a moment of silence, the entire Hidden Leaf Village stirred with activity as countless figures leaped across the rooftops and quickly reached the gate.

Seeing Shimura Danzo wearing the Hokage robes, and the dark army behind him, everyone was speechless with shock.

"Konoha is about to change!"

Looking at Shimura Danzo outside the gate, Mitarashi Shishou muttered to himself, realizing that the world of Konoha was about to change.

Judging from Shimura Danzo's demeanor, he was clearly returning to seize power, and the strength he had accumulated over the years was terrifying.

Especially now that Konoha has just finished the Fourth Shinobi World War, its main shinobi forces have been wiped out, and it is simply no match for Shimura Danzo and the shinobi forces he led.

Moreover, those ninjas all possessed the same dark chakra as Shimura Danzo. He had witnessed that kind of dark chakra during the Second Shinobi World War; it was an extremely terrifying chakra that would quickly corrode anyone who came into contact with it, far more terrifying than the most horrible poison.

Now that Shimura Danzo has brought such a large and powerful ninja army, it is enough to suppress the Third Hokage's side. As long as the Third Hokage's side is suppressed, and others are persuaded, becoming the Fourth Hokage will be a natural outcome.

Not only did Mitarashi Shishou understand these things, but many others also realized that what followed was a confrontation between Shimura Danzo and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the outcome of their battle would determine who would lead Konoha in the future.

However, neither side seems to be a good person, so hopefully the village's situation won't get too bad in the future, otherwise it will be a disaster.

Danzo Shimura remained silent, waiting for his old friend to arrive.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't keep him waiting long. He quickly led his men to the gate. Looking at the scene, especially the long robe on Shimura Danzo's body, even with his composure, his face turned ashen.

Danzo Shimura stepped forward, took the Hokage hat off his old friend's head and put it on his own, speaking in a condescending manner.

"Hiruzen, I will take the Hokage position today. You have no objections, do you?"

As he spoke, he applied the power of his dark chakra to his old friend, demonstrating his strength.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, his face grim. He sensed Danzo Shimura's immense power, a power that surpassed even that of the First Master.

Moreover, that kind of dark chakra was too extreme, and even with his control of the Edo Tensei army, he could hardly resist it.

In other words, he lost because his strength and influence were inferior to Danzo's, so he could only lose.

Seeing that his old buddy remained silent, Shimura Danzo was quite satisfied. He strode towards the Hokage Building, followed by tens of thousands of Dark Legion soldiers. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, and their imposing presence was terrifying.

Especially since Konoha had just experienced the final battle of the Fourth Shinobi World War, with its main force wiped out and its high-ranking members suffering varying degrees of injury, it was at its weakest point.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around and stared at the figure walking ahead. He struggled internally, but finally sighed and chose not to make a move, silently heading towards the Hokage Building.

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi had yielded, the others in Konoha also remained silent, which could be considered as tacit approval of Danzo Shimura's usurpation of power.

In other words, the future Hokage of Konoha will be Danzo Shimura!

Upon arriving at the Hokage's office, Danzo Shimura went straight to the chair behind the desk and sat down, a smile appearing on his face.

After so many years of hard work, I've finally gotten this position.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked into the office, closed the door behind him, and questioned him with a gloomy face.

"Your men were radiating immense killing intent. What did you do?"

He felt that his old friend was not just back to seize power, but definitely had other big plans.

"Watch your tone! I am the Hokage now!"

Danzo Shimura warned in a cold tone, "I am now the Hokage of Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened, but he still stared intently at Danzo Shimura, waiting for his reply.

"I previously destroyed Kirigakure, the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Water, the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire, and the Fire Temple, and severely damaged Iwagakure."

"Next, I need your help to establish a ninja nation and unify the ninja world."

Shimura Danzo did not hide anything; these things would spread afterward.

He hoped that his old friend could help him with his work so that he could better establish the Ninja Kingdom.

"You're insane!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a wave of dizziness and almost fainted from anger. Had this bastard gone mad?

We finally finished the Third Shinobi World War, and everyone was exhausted and wounded, but you still want to continue the Shinobi World War, or start the Fourth Shinobi World War.

They even want to establish a Ninja Kingdom, which is tantamount to standing against all the forces in the world, and it's no longer just a matter for the ninja world.

"You have one day to think about it, and give me an answer tomorrow."

Danzo Shimura didn't want to argue and simply gave them a deadline.

"Danzo, you'll regret this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious. "If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

"Hiruzen, I am the Hokage!"

With a cold snort, Shimura Danzo once again revealed his current identity.

I am the Hokage, and you are not!

It took him a while to barely suppress his anger. Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't say much, and turned to leave with a gloomy face.

The die is cast, and he can only carefully consider how to deal with the situation.

"Lord Danzo's ambition is truly unexpected."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, a figure walked into the office; it was Orochimaru.

Orochimaru was quite surprised by the ambition and depth that Shimura Danzo had displayed today.

"What's your choice, Orochimaru!"

Looking at the young man with long, straight black hair opposite him, Shimura Danzo took this former partner seriously. He could also vaguely see that the other man's body was unusual, proving that he had improved considerably over the years and was good enough to become his partner in the future.

"Although the wind brought by the adults is somewhat gloomy, it is still better than the old man's decaying wind. It should be enough to make the windmill of Konoha start turning again."

Orochimaru laughed, expressing his support for Shimura Danzo becoming Hokage.

To be honest, he didn't like Konoha under the old man's rule. It was lifeless and lacked any vitality.

While Shimura Danzo isn't the best choice either, he's at least better than Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Konoha needs a Kage like this to lead the way, even if it means taking a dangerous path.

Danzo Shimura was very satisfied with Orochimaru's answer. He knew that Orochimaru was a wise and shrewd man who knew how to seize opportunities, and this time his choice had not disappointed him.

"What suggestions do you have for my plan to establish a ninja nation?"

He wasn't entirely confident about the Ninja Kingdom plan. Not only did he have to face the powerful Hidden Cloud Village, but more importantly, Konoha was internally unstable, with Hiashi Hyuga and Fugaku Uchiha both wielding considerable power.

Orochimaru himself was not weak, and his old comrades commanded a huge army of reanimated corpses.

If we can't unite the strength of these people, or even turn them into enemies, then we're in trouble.

In addition, there are hidden third-party forces, such as the Otsutsuki Relic, Nagato Uzumaki, Madara Uchiha, etc., all of whom are formidable figures.

"For external purposes, as long as we can defeat the Hidden Cloud Village, Lord Danzo can control the entire ninja world."

"Domestically, I can try to persuade Hiashi-kun and Fugaku-kun, but as for the old man, only Lord Danzo can do his best."

Orochimaru knew what Danzo Shimura was referring to, and took the initiative to persuade Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuga, recognizing that this high-level force was the main force in the upcoming war.

"What about Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze?"

After thinking for a moment, Shimura Danzo mentioned the other two, who were also a considerable threat, especially Namikaze Minato.

"Minato has already suffered severe injuries and will be difficult to recover in a short time. Not to mention that Uzumaki Kyuujin is pregnant with Lord Danzo's son and cannot fight. I will persuade Jiraiya to take them away from Konoha temporarily so as not to affect Lord Danzo."

Orochimaru spoke well of his friend, not wanting Danzo Shimura to become enemies with that idiot, and even mentioned that Kyu-Hanami Uzumaki was pregnant.

Although what happened back then was a bit dramatic, that child was indeed Danzo Shimura's bloodline. Hopefully, he still has some humanity left.

As expected, Danzo Shimura fell silent when the topic of children came up.

Although he didn't do it, the child is indeed his, and according to Orochimaru's words, it's confirmed to be a boy.

He only had one daughter in his life, and not having a son was always a regret. Unexpectedly, this regret has now been made up for by a twist of fate.

"Go and persuade Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi as soon as possible."

After a moment of silence, Shimura Danzo signaled to Orochimaru to quickly persuade the two men.

The Hidden Cloud Village, Hidden Stone Village, and Hidden Sand Village will soon take action, so we must prepare as quickly as possible.

"Lord Danzo, please await my good news."

Orochimaru smiled and agreed, then turned and left, first going to the Hyuga clan's territory, and then arriving at the Uchiha clan's territory with Hyuga Hiashi.

"Has Danzo gone mad?"

After hearing Orochimaru's account of the ninja nation plan and what Danzo Shimura had done, Fugaku Uchiha was so shocked that his three-tomoe Sharingan started spinning faster.

This is absolutely insane!

"You agree to his plan? Are you crazy?"

Looking at Orochimaru's composed and elegant expression, Fugaku Uchiha understood that this man had come as a persuader, meaning that he had agreed to Danzo Shimura's plan to build a ninja nation.

This guy's gone mad!

Everyone says that the Uchiha ninjas are crazy, but they are on a completely different level compared to these people.

"From the Second Shinobi World War to the Third Shinobi World War, based on the previous developments, the next Shinobi World War is only a few years away, and the one after that isn't far off. Doesn't Fugaku-kun get tired of it?"

Orochimaru didn't want to fight those endless ninja wars anymore, mainly because they were too boring.

If Shimura Danzo could unify the ninja world, that would be a good thing.

Meanwhile, since this Ninja World War was led by Danzo Shimura, his Rinnegan would inevitably be revealed, as he had coveted those eyes for a long time.

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha remained silent for a long time before looking at Hiashi Hyuga.

"Hiashi-kun, do you agree too?"

Since being rescued by Hiashi Hyuga during the final battle of the last Shinobi World War, his relationship with him has become much closer, and the two clans have even formed alliances on several occasions.

The situation in the village was too complicated, so he could only stick together with Hiashi Hyuga for warmth.

Now he wants to hear Hiashi Hyuga's choices and opinions.

"Otsutsuki Rei made an appearance during the battle that destroyed Amegakure, and he may very well reappear this time. This is an opportunity for me."

Hiashi Hyuga was able to come because he was persuaded by Orochimaru. He didn't care about Danzo Shimura's plan to build a ninja nation; the only thing he cared about was the Otsutsuki relic.

That eye must be retrieved!

"I need your help to retrieve my eyes from Kumogakure."

After thinking for a while, Fugaku Uchiha finally agreed, as he also had his own needs in this great battle.

Losing his eyes twice in a row has always been a pain for him, and his potential has been exhausted, making it impossible for him to awaken the Kaleidoscope again. He needs to get his eyes back, and two pairs of eyes at that.

Only by getting those two pairs of eyes back can I achieve a major breakthrough.

"I've always been looking forward to seeing the fusion of Fugaku-kun's eyes."

Orochimaru licked his lips. It would be best if he could get back Fugaku Uchiha's two eyes. He wanted to see if the eye techniques of those two eyes could undergo a transformation after they were combined.

Although he possessed Uchiha Myokyo's eyes, they were ultimately fused with his father's eyes. Even with their similar bloodlines, they still couldn't compare to the eyes awakened by the same person as Uchiha Fugaku.

If those eyes could be merged, there would be a pleasant surprise.

I wonder what happened to those two pairs of eyes in Hidden Cloud Village and with Hao Jun. I'll ask Hao Jun when I have the chance.

After persuading Hiashi Hyuga and Fugaku Uchiha, Orochimaru returned home and told Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze what had happened.

"Has Danzo Shimura gone mad?"

Jiraiya, like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Fugaku Uchiha, thought that Danzo Shimura was insane; otherwise, how could he have made such a crazy decision?

"Shimura Danzo was more clear-headed than all of you. He knew that if the cycle of the Ninja World War continued, Konoha would eventually be dragged down, so he had no choice but to take risks and seek change."

Although the risks are high, the rewards could be substantial if successful.

Orochimaru said something on behalf of Danzo Shimura, but this displeased Jiraiya.

"So you're on Shimura Danzo's side again?"

"Do you want me to show you the list of people who died in both Shinobi World Wars?"

Orochimaru retorted, saying he really didn't want to communicate with this idiot, who was completely inflexible. He had come mainly to talk to Minato Namikaze.

He was always very satisfied with this junior, but also always regretted not being able to take him on as a disciple and train him. Instead, Jiraiya spoiled him.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I would like to ask you to stay in the village and help the village overcome this difficulty. I will take good care of myself and Kyu-han while I am away."

Without hesitation, Minato Namikaze asked his teacher directly.

He cared more about the village than his own safety.

Danzo Shimura's plan was too crazy; if he wasn't careful, the entire Hidden Leaf Village would become history.

Even if you survive, your heart will be filled with guilt and regret.

He is unable to fight right now, so he can only ask Jiraiya-sensei to stay behind.

Jiraiya did not agree, but frowned in thought, his face showing hesitation.

"I will find a completely safe place for Minato and the others to settle down, and I will also arrange for my clone to assist them, to ensure that there will be no danger."

Orochimaru glanced at Minato Namikaze with satisfaction, then immediately made a promise.

He did not intend to let the Six Paths bloodline body appear in front of Shimura Danzo, as that would inevitably be sensed by him. What he was using now was an Otsutsuki bloodline clone.

He will arrange for six bloodline clones to protect the safety of Minato Namikaze and Kyuuban Uzumaki. He values ​​both his junior disciple and the child in Kyuuban Uzumaki's womb very much and will never let anything happen to them.

(End of this chapter)