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

Chapter 41 Danzo: This must be a trick by Kirigakure! We absolutely cannot fall for it! (Please vote!!)

It was evening in Konoha at this time.

The cold streetlights on the road, one after another, resemble the moons rising and falling in the sky, creating a path leading to boundless darkness.

Beneath the bustling streets teeming with people, a dense and heavy shadow lies hidden.

"Experiment 31, begin."

In a vast, empty underground space, the lighting was as bright as day.

There is also a laboratory with double-sided glass, where several figures wearing white coats and masks are busy fiddling with the distillation flasks, test tubes and glassware in front of them.

Rows of glass cold storage rooms display all sorts of materials, many unidentifiable reagents, and culture dishes containing cell tissues.

There were also some glass containers filled with a transparent green solution, soaking some strange plant specimens, as well as some animal torso specimens, bloody organs such as eyeballs and kidneys.

On the other side of the double-sided glass, a man dressed in a dark gray kimono, with his head and right eye wrapped in bandages, stood there, exuding a sinister aura.

His narrow left eye was filled with deep darkness as he stared intently at the busy figures in front of him.

No, it should be said that he was staring at something on the experimental table.

It was a piece of white flesh about the size of a thumb, made from the cells of the First Hokage.

But soon, the researchers turned around and gently shook their heads at the man.

"Lord Danzo, the thirty-first experiment has failed."

Upon hearing this, Danzo Shimura's face darkened even further.

Although he didn't expect these useless people to actually be able to be cultivated, the fact that the progress was this slow still frustrated him.

With Orochimaru and Tsunade's help, the experiment would definitely go much more smoothly than it is now.

Tsunade is out of the question.

To recreate the First Hokage's Wood Release, it is necessary to use the First Hokage's remains and extract his cellular tissue for experiments.

Tsunade would never agree to such a desecration of the remains of a sage, especially since it was her grandfather's remains. If she found out, it would cause a lot of trouble.

Then, only Orochimaru remains.

Danzo could smell the scent of his own kind in Orochimaru, and sense that he was getting closer and closer to "darkness".

However, it will take some time and a suitable opportunity.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Danzo said in a hoarse, low voice, "Continue."

Just as the words were spoken.

"Lord Danzo."

A masked figure suddenly appeared, holding a piece of paper in his hand. He knelt behind Danzo and said calmly, "This is top-level intelligence from Kirigakure."

Highest level?

Danzo's expression froze. He turned and took the deciphered intelligence report, squinting as he scanned it.

As he looked at it, his brows gradually furrowed.

There are unusual movements within Kirigakure; are they plotting something against the Land of Whirlpools?

Why is it the Land of Whirlpools?

What is the purpose of the Hidden Mist?

In some ways, the Land of Whirlpools serves as a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, and also as a barrier for the Land of Fire.

However, since the countries of Water and Fire are separated by sea and are not connected by land like other major countries, the buffer role of the Whirlpool Country is negligible.

Therefore, the attack by Kirigakure on Uzushiogakure did not pose a significant threat to Konoha.

"Is it for the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, or for the sealing technique?"

As soon as the thought popped into his head, Danzo shook his head and dismissed it.

Kirigakure is not short of bloodline ninjas, and the Uzumaki clan's bloodline abilities are very difficult to awaken. Moreover, their abilities are troublesome, and even Kirigakure would have to pay a huge price to deal with them.

The Three-Tails and Six-Tails aren't as strong as the Nine-Tails, so ordinary sealing techniques are sufficient; there's no need to insist on the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques.

Moreover, according to Danzo, the Three-Tails and Six-Tails Jinchuriki of Kirigakure are still alive, so there is no need to replace them.

This means that the effort and the reward are not proportional at all.

"So, they really are trying to keep us occupied? Perhaps they've even set a trap?"

Danzo fell into deep thought and doubt, and his face grew increasingly gloomy.

Even though he and Sarutobi had arranged for Orochimaru to deal with the troublesome Kumogakure, Konoha still faced the common threat from the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, and Hanzo the Salamander from the Land of Rain was not an easy-going and kind fellow.

Don't forget, Tsunade is still useless.

The pressure on Konoha now comes even greater from the puppet army led by Chiyo.

Also, the so-called Lord of Dawn City seems to be a brat named Tsukimi Rikugawa?

That brat's subordinates actually managed to discover a spy with the bloodline limit "Transparent Escape," and even had the audacity to package the spy's head as a gift and send it to the daimyo's mansion.

The thought of that head, its face etched with fear and regret, and the name that had been filled with shock, rage, and utter disgrace...

"No matter how precocious they are, they're still just two little devils."

A cold glint flashed in Danzo's narrowed eyes as he calmly ordered, "This intelligence will be given to the Third Hokage tomorrow. I will write a recommendation and explain the pros and cons to him."

He knew his old friend too well, just as Sarutobi knew him.

Given Sarutobi's increasingly indecisive and timid nature, he will be caught in a dilemma whenever he presents the pros and cons, which will then lead to high-level meetings and various wrangling and shirking of responsibility.

But Danzo no longer wanted to focus his energy on these things; he needed to seize the time to become stronger.

Otherwise, anyone could ride roughshod over him.

"this……"

Upon hearing this, the Root ninja was taken aback and hesitated before saying, "Lord Danzo..."

"At this time, it would be unwise to forcibly divert troops to support the Land of Whirlpools, thus dispersing and depleting our limited resources and starting a war with the Land of Water."

Before the Root ninja could finish speaking, Danzo interrupted him coldly, saying, "Here's what we'll do: just to be on the safe side, you take some Root ninja and head to the border of the Land of Whirlpools to find out if it's a trap set by Kirigakure or other ninja villages."

"I will have the Third Hokage arrange for some people to guard the border between the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Fire, so that we can rush over to provide support in time should anything happen."

"If we still can't make it in time, then let's 'collect the corpses' for our allies. After all, we've been on good terms with the Uzumaki clan for generations..."

He paused, then said in a low voice, "Remember! Everything is for Konoha!"

"Yes!" The Root ninja replied without hesitation, bowing his head and speaking in a deep voice, "Everything is for Konoha!"

The Root ninja retreated into the darkness and quietly left.

Danzo looked down at the intelligence report, his eyes flashing with a glint in them.

Although he still didn't believe the information was true, he was now somewhat hoping that Kirigakure was serious.

If Kirigakure really goes to war with Uzushiogakure, regardless of whether they win or lose, Kirigakure, having suffered heavy losses, will be unable to intervene in the subsequent war.

In this way, Konoha will only need to deal with Sunagakure and Iwagakure...

Moreover, his Wood Release experiments also require the assistance of sealing techniques.

"I'm sorry, Lady Mito," Danzo said softly, "It was all for Konoha!"

As he spoke, the image of that head filled with regret flashed through his mind.

What kind of person, or what happened, could make a seasoned spy with a family and children regret his actions?

--------

Inside the Mizukage's office in Kirigakure.

"Hahaha, that's hilarious."

White Zetsu laughed heartily, then said sarcastically, "Those spies were all from Root. The intelligence was all delivered to Danzo, and he didn't make a single move."

"Lord Madara, your former comrade doesn't seem to be all that great..."

"Shut up."

Madara gave Bai Jue a cold glance, which immediately startled the smug Bai Jue, who covered his mouth and nodded obediently.

Ignoring the brainless guy, Madara looked up at the dim moon shrouded in mist outside the window, then looked down at his chest, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

He recalled his last battle with Hashirama, which was also his last meeting with Hashirama.

------

"I must protect us... no, protect my village. No matter what happens, I firmly believe that protecting the village is the top priority. Protecting it is protecting the people, protecting the ninjas and the children."

"Whether they are my friends, brothers, or even my children, anyone who opposes the village will be punished severely!"

------

"Hmph! To protect the village, they'll kill anyone who opposes it? Fine, very well!"

Thinking of this, Madara felt a dull ache in his chest. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he whispered, "You're remarkable, you're aloof, you have great love, but do you think everyone is like you?"

"Just as I said, your putting the cart before the horse will eventually become the darkness of the village. Do you see it now? The Konoha you want to protect is a disciple trained by that bastard Tobirama Senju."

"He is willing to sacrifice everything for the benefit of Konoha, including the Shimura clan, the Senju clan, and now the Uzumaki clan."

"From beginning to end, he has been adhering to the ideas you've distorted, hasn't he?"

"But is this really what you want?"

Bai Jue, listening to Madara's murmurs from behind, scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

Madara is quite domineering when he's in normal circumstances, but when you mention that man named Hashirama, he just seems like an ordinary old man.

Always reminiscing about people and events from the past seems to be a common ailment among the elderly.

"Um, Lord Madara, excuse me..." Seeing that he was still muttering and showed no signs of stopping, White Zetsu could only tentatively raise his hand and cautiously say, "Actually, I have something else to report."

"It's about the Sky Country."

(End of this chapter)