I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 259 Shimura, the Black Pot, Danzo's Ambition!

Konoha, Hokage Building, inside the Hokage's office.

"Danzo, you've finally decided to crawl out from underground—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the last colleague to enter the office, intending to make a joke, but when he saw the other person's face clearly, he swallowed his words.

Grayish-white bandages wrapped around most of Shimura Danzo's head, including his right eye, leaving only the left side of his face exposed.

The left arm, which is very important to a ninja, was tucked into Danzo Shimura's robe, just like the broken right arm that those seriously injured patients had to keep in a sling.

Although Shimura Danzo did not show any unusual behavior while walking, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane would not believe that he was really alright just because of that cane.

"Danzo, if your injuries are too severe, you should rest for a while."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard, completely omitting the previous teasing topic.

"The fighting on the front lines has completely subsided, and you can rest for a while now."

"I'm not ready to retire yet!"

Danzo Shimura responded coldly, then sat down in his designated meeting seat, leaning on his cane.

"I've received the results of the war in the Land of Hot Springs! The Shadow of Darkness... Ha! What a great achievement!"

In this battle of the Land of Hot Springs.

Konoha almost completely annihilated the Kirigakure forces that had invaded the Land of Hot Springs, eradicated all the famous ninjas such as the A-B duo and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and even captured very special beings such as the Three-Tails Isobu and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

From Konoha's perspective, the "High-Ranking F4" were thrilled with their glorious victory.

However, these individuals were not without regrets, and even harbored some apprehension.

In the early stages of the war, Konoha was at a disadvantage, and the entire village had to work together to fight the enemy.

But now the war situation has reversed.

The Hidden Cloud Village lost its AB combination, while the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Mist Village lost the Five-Tails, the Three-Tails, and a large number of war troops, respectively.

Konoha practically held the "fruit of victory" of the Third Shinobi World War in one hand.

Under these circumstances, it's inevitable that some of Konoha's higher-ups would feel uneasy.

What made Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others feel bewildered was none other than the dark shadow mentioned by Danzo Shimura!

Nara Rankei's contributions in the Third Shinobi World War were truly immense!

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had a strange feeling that if Nara Rinkazu wasn't put on the throne of the Fourth Hokage after the war, the entire Hidden Leaf Village would not agree.

however……

How could Hiruzen Sarutobi possibly allow a Nara clan ninja to become the Fourth Hokage?

The competition for the Fourth Hokage had already begun to brew within Konoha Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi favored the Yellow Flash to become the Fourth Hokage. He was of impeccable lineage, possessed immense strength, and enjoyed unparalleled prestige, making him the perfect candidate for the next Hokage.

Meanwhile, Shimura Danzo secretly supported Orochimaru. In terms of status, position, and strength, Orochimaru was almost on par with Namikaze Minato, except for his popularity.

As for the other candidates, such as Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi, they were all just there to make up the numbers.

Before the shadow of darkness rose like a comet.

Almost all the ninjas who knew the top-secret information that "the Hokage is about to be replaced" concluded that the Fourth Hokage would be chosen between Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru.

But who could blame him when Nara Rangsuke rose to power so quickly, and when his military achievements were so substantial?

After the Battle of the Land of Hot Springs, Nara Rinka's achievements alone were almost equal to the combined achievements of Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru!

Admittedly, in terms of the number and frequency of high-level missions completed, Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru definitely surpassed Rankei Nara.

But no matter how many S-level or A-level missions there are.

Could it be greater than turning the tide of the war, or greater than capturing the Five-Tails, Three-Tails, and Eight-Tails?

It's not that Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru weren't strong.

Nara Ranka is just too strong!

The sheer power of the Dark Shadow was enough to make even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who sat in the Hokage's seat, feel somewhat alarmed.

Not to mention Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, two elders who had previously clashed with Nara Rinka...

"hehe……"

Danzo Shimura's single left eye swept lightly across the faces of the other three men, taking in all the changes in their expressions.

"I knew it. I wasn't the only one who was wary of that Nara Ranka..."

At the very beginning, Shimura Danzo's view of Nara Rangsuke was simply "to have the other party work for him".

So later on, Nara's fame grew, especially after he recaptured the Five-Tails for Konoha.

Shimura Danzo's attitude towards the Dark Shadow became "he wished he could get rid of it as soon as possible!"

The Five-Tails' power is far too dangerous.

How could Danzo Shimura entrust such a dangerous tailed beast to Nara Rangsuke and the Nara clan?

Only the Root, only Danzo Shimura, could maximize the power and value of the Five-Tails!

In order to seize the Five-Tails, Danzo Shimura was even willing to risk his life and seek revenge against a powerful enemy.

While stationed in the Land of Hot Springs, Shimura Danzo encountered the mysterious one-eyed masked man and successfully established a temporary cooperative relationship with him.

Shimura Danzo not only provided the one-eyed masked man with a wealth of information about Nara's arsenal, but also revealed the weaknesses of the Nara clan's secret techniques.

In order to successfully achieve the strategic goal of "killing Nara Rangsuke and seizing the Five-Tails Kokuo", Shimura Danzo used the Third Raikage to "send" him back to Konoha from the front line, and then "send" Nara Rangsuke to the Land of Hot Springs.

Originally, Shimura Danzo thought that in this battle of the Land of Hot Springs, the Nara Rinkei would really be killed on the battlefield by the combined forces of the Third Raikage, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure, just as the mysterious one-eyed masked man had said.

Unexpectedly, Nara Ranke not only disrupted the one-eyed masked man's plans, but also achieved a brilliant record on the battlefield that no one could find fault with!

Danzo Shimura failed to kill Nara Rangsuke or steal the Five-Tails, Kokuou.

Before receiving detailed information from the Land of Hot Springs, Shimura Danzo had already given up on his plan to deal with Nara Rangsuke.

But what he never expected was...

Although the Five-Tails is gone, Konoha now has a Three-Tails and an Eight-Tails!

It's said that the more tails a tailed beast has, the stronger it is...

In Shimura Danzo's view, if he obtained the power of the Eight-Tails, why would he need to worry about or fear Nara Rangsei?

As for Nara Ranka defeating and capturing Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki...

Let's get our hands on the Eight-Tails first!

This was the main objective of Danzo Shimura in coming to participate in this meeting.

If the Eight-Tails doesn't work, the Three-Tails will do!

In short, Konoha now has four tailed beasts.

The Nine-Tails was firmly under Hiruzen Sarutobi's control, and Danzo Shimura couldn't reach it at all.

However, there are other eight-tailed, five-tailed, and three-tailed creatures.

As the leader of Root and the bearer of Konoha's dark side, it's not unreasonable for Shimura Danzo to take away one or two tailed beasts, is it?

Danzo Shimura felt that there was absolutely no problem with his idea.

The only problem is how to convince these old buddies...

"Cough cough."

Danzo Shimura coughed lightly twice, breaking the silence in the Hokage's office.

"Let's get down to business, Hiruzen."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane all nodded in unison.

But after a long, tedious chatter...

The meeting in the Hokage's office eventually turned to the topic of "Tailed Beasts".

"You all know what happened in the Land of Hot Water. We captured the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki alive, as well as the Three-Tails in its wild state."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard and said in a deep voice.

"According to the latest intelligence from the front lines, Nara Rinka has successfully tamed the Three-Tails."

This "latest information" was personally delivered to Hiruzen Sarutobi by Nara Shikaku and was not known to the other three.

Undoubtedly, this information caused a huge uproar in the office.

"Taming the Three-Tails? Like taming the Five-Tails?"

Danzo Shimura was momentarily stunned, but then a surge of anger welled up inside him.

"Why?! The Nara clan already controls the Five-Tails, are they going to continue controlling the Three-Tails?! What about the Eight-Tails? Does Nara Rangsuke want to tame it too?"

In the end, Danzo Shimura even added a sentence.

"Is this really Konoha, the village of the Nara clan, or everyone's Konoha?!"

The air of grandeur was so opulent it could make an ordinary person nauseous.

However, Mitokado En and Utatane Koharu both believed that Nara Rinka's handling of the matter was highly inappropriate.

After Shimura Danzo expressed his opinion, these two didn't even give Sarutobi Hiruzen a chance to explain, and spoke up on their own.

"I also believe that Nara Rinka's handling of the situation was inappropriate. The subjugation of the Three-Tails was not due to his efforts alone."

Mitokado Yan managed to find a pretext.

However, Koharu, who switched dorms, was openly and brazenly spreading malicious rumors.

"Heh! He's already subdued the Five-Tails, and now he's tamed the Three-Tails. Who knows what that kid will do next?"

"That's enough!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples, looking somewhat troubled.

How come he only realized today that Danzo and his group were so consistently hostile towards Nara Rangsei?

"Nara Rinka did indeed tame the Three-Tails, but according to Shikaku's explanation, the reason they tamed the Three-Tails was to reduce the resistance and hostility of the tailed beast when it was handed over to the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's explanation dropped another bombshell in the office.

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses. "Nara Ranke intends to offer the Three-Tails to the village?"

Koharu, still grumbling, said to herself, "That guy wouldn't be that kind!"

"Hiruzen".

Shimura Danzo seized every opportunity.

"Take the three tails, the root part."

First update.

Please check back tomorrow morning for the second update...

(End of this chapter)