Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 21 The Organization of the Lowly (Seeking Monthly Tickets!!)

The Land of Fire, Daimyo Prefecture.

In the main hall of the Japanese-style room, two figures sat facing each other at a low table, beneath which lay luxurious golden tatami mats.

Between the two was a brand-new shogi board, and the gradually clear situation on it could be seen at a glance.

The side holding the "Jade General" has been driven to the brink of despair, and the isolated "Jade General" is now being overwhelmed by a large army.

Clearly, this was a game of chess where the players were not evenly matched, and their ages and appearances were also quite different.

According to unwritten "rules", if it is a game between an elder and a younger person, the younger person will take the "King" and move first, while the elder will take the "Jade" and move second.

Now, the situation is completely reversed.

The man wielding the "Jade General" was a man with a gloomy demeanor, while the man wielding the "King General" was a young and elegant boy.

The boy lay relaxed on the tatami mat with his legs crossed, his head resting on the thigh of the kneeling maid behind him. He placed one hand on his knee and looked down at the chessboard with a smile. Several beautiful maids were fanning him gently with palm-leaf fans.

The man in front of him stood ramrod straight, like a sturdy pine tree, staring blankly at the chessboard, so focused that even his breathing was barely audible.

However, what they had in common was that they didn't stop for a moment, constantly moving and shifting the pieces, knowing the positions of all the pieces by heart.

The only sound in the room was the rustling of chess pieces being picked up and put down.

Defense, sacrificing troops, blitzkrieg, luring in...

knock!

"Should we continue to make room for Yu Jiang? Or should we continue to sell off our children to buy time?"

With the final move made, the young man half-covered his face with a folding fan, his eyes slightly narrowed, and chuckled, "Elder Danzo, you've already lost."

Upon hearing this, Danzo did not react much, only looking down at the chessboard.

After a long silence, he looked up at the boy and asked, "The game isn't over yet, Your Highness. Why do you say I've already lost?"

Upon seeing this, a hint of displeasure flashed in the boy's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, his eyes curving slightly as if he were smiling.

"When the game reaches the middle and lower stages, you have two pawns left on the board, which gives you a great advantage in attacking and controlling the board, so you can focus your attention solely on those two pawns."

"But if I were you, I would use them as bait, or abandon one of them and leave the other to attack deep into enemy territory, coordinating with the other pieces to force them to their deaths."

The young man closed his folding fan and said meaningfully, "You can't let go, you can't bear to part with it, that's why you lost. You need to broaden your mind and perspective to see further, Elder Danzo."

Danzo narrowed his eyes, about to say something, but was interrupted again.

"Trying to rob Peter to pay Paul, using delaying tactics, hoping to stall until I make a mistake?" The boy shook his folding fan and said, "Sometimes, you should just admit defeat and not worry too much about winning or losing."

Seemingly sensing the hint that his words were both a reminder and a warning, Danzo ultimately swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"……yes."

With his head bowed, Danzo stared at the chessboard for a while, trying to memorize the moves. Then, he slowly put the pieces back in their place, sighed, and exclaimed, "Your Highness's chess skills are becoming more and more exquisite. Every move I make is under your control."

"Well, I've liked shogi since I was three years old. Back then, my older brothers were playing afternoon tea games and pretend games, so I could only play with my father. And then... that's how it is now, right?"

The boy covered his face with a folding fan, only his proudly raised eyebrows could be seen, and he laughed without any modesty: "Shogi is one of the few skills I can be proud of."

After saying that, he suddenly changed the subject and sighed, "However, a game of chess is just a game of chess. As long as you are good at scheming and understanding human nature, you can win."

"Unfortunately, the ninja world is not a chessboard. If I try to strategize and deploy troops in war, I will be utterly defeated."

He did not hide his shortcomings, nor did he need to conceal them in front of Danzo.

He excels in politics, not in fighting; he's more like a chess player than a pawn.

While Danzo was very naive in political matters, he was better suited to be a dagger plunged into the heart of the enemy.

For the sake of Konoha, he would give up everything, showing no mercy even to his family's betrayal. He not only treated others as tools, but also himself as a tool to be used, completely disregarding his own reputation.

The young man, being the daimyo of the Land of Fire, was able to roughly discern Danzo's thoughts.

Perhaps Danzo has always regretted his hesitation when faced with the choice given to him by Tobirama-sensei.

A mere moment's hesitation cost him the chance to become Hokage.

Danzo's decisiveness and ruthlessness now are all demonstrating his determination through his actions, perhaps to tell Tobirama-sensei that he made a mistake in choosing Sarutobi.

Because what he cherished most was the entire Hidden Leaf Village, not Tobirama-sensei or anyone else.

Although he hesitates when covering for his comrades, he is willing to bear everything for Konoha, even at the cost of his own life.

"So, Your Highness, is there something you want me to do by summoning me here?" Danzo asked directly.

"Yes and no, because this is what you're supposed to do." The boy nodded, then shook his head, before covering his face and laughing, "War is coming, and I hope you can keep the battlefield outside the Land of Fire."

"What does Your Highness mean?"

"The Land of Rain."

A cold, stern look, beyond his years, appeared on the boy's face. He said in a low voice, "Since they are so foolish as to want to resist, then let's bring the war to the Land of Rain and utterly destroy it!"

Hanzo's appearance and the rebellion of the Land of Rain also aroused his vigilance.

Seeing that even the Daimyo of the Land of Rain was beginning to favor Hanzo made him, as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, even more wary.

The nobles of the ninja world have always maintained a facade of harmony, sharing an unspoken understanding.

For example, when the number of ninjas reaches a certain level, they might even deliberately instigate wars in order to maintain their dominance.

Therefore, if it weren't for the need to create a buffer between major powers, how could the Land of Rain have survived until now?

How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?

The Rain Kingdom's antics were so fierce that he couldn't sleep peacefully.

We must defeat the Kingdom of Painful Rain and weaken its arrogance.

Just like the land of grass, those who honestly act as opportunists all become "traitors."

"I understand." Danzo narrowed his eyes, his voice low and menacing. "I will find a way to make the Land of Rain a target for the other great powers!"

"Also, Your Highness, please don't worry about Kumogakure. Orochimaru has already gone there, and they will soon be too busy to take care of themselves."

Orochimaru?

Can they hold off Kumogakure?

Upon hearing this, the young man raised an eyebrow, recalling the effeminate man in his mind, and nodded casually.

He didn't care how many people would die because of his casual remark.

In the ninja world, human life is the least valuable thing, and even ninjas are just as poor and lowly.

"Oh, right." As if remembering something, the boy raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Recently, an organization has appeared in the Land of Rain. It seems to be formed by a group of lowly people. Although it's not worth paying attention to, I've already sent my people there. You can..."

Click.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

Just as he was about to say something, a waiter suddenly pushed open the door and walked in, looking very flustered, holding a box trembling in his hands.

Wrapped in colorful ribbons, it looked very vibrant.

"..."

The interrupted boy was slightly displeased. He first frowned and glanced at the box before his gaze swept over the waiter's face. He said coldly, "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

"You, the person you sent..." The waiter trembled, his face filled with fear, and his hands shook involuntarily.

In an instant, the "gift box" he was holding fell from his hands, making a chilling cracking sound on the ground, as well as a strange sound like a deflated ball.

In an eerie silence, gurgling black blood gradually flowed from the gift box, meandering along the seams of the expensive carpet towards Danzo's feet.

The room, which was originally filled with an elegant fragrance, was gradually filled with a pungent and foul smell of blood.

The head, its eyes wide open in death, rolled to the ground, its reflection showing the boy's terrified face.

(End of this chapter)