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

Chapter 376 The Death of Danzo!

Boom! Boom—

The rumbling sound from the root base didn't stop for a while.

Danzo Shimura's gaze shifted from initial anger, to surprise upon Hiruzen Sarutobi's arrival, to shock as Hiruzen was brutally beaten, and finally to numbness. The fluctuations in his eyes fully reflected the complex emotional journey of this Root elder.

Even at this moment, Danzo Shimura harbored a secret sense of relief.

When he fought Nara Ranka, the opponent suddenly summoned a vast forest, leaving him nowhere to hide. The battle ended with him suffering almost no damage.

In contrast, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The way the other person looks right now... tsk!

The Hokage's hat had long since been blown away, his short, gray hair was covered in dust and debris, his messy goatee was stained with blood, and his magnificent robe, a symbol of the Hokage's status, was torn and filthy, making him look quite disheveled.

"Huff... huff..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's breathing was as heavy as a broken bellows.

The Third Hokage looked at Nara Rinka with a complex expression in his eyes.

At first, he was able to fight against Nara Rinka's special giant ninjutsu.

Subsequently, after Nara Rinkei took out the Flying Thunder God: Shadow Blade, he was completely at a disadvantage and could only passively take hits.

In the end, Nara Rinka didn't even need to use the Flying Thunder God Technique. With his ghostly speed and unstoppable strength, he easily crushed the heavily injured Rinka.

Hiruzen Sarutobi silently calculated in his mind.

Even without the Shimura Danzo incident, if he had fought Nara Rankei at his peak, could he have gained an advantage over him?

That's really difficult...

Even now, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't think of a good way to counter Nara Rinka's Flying Thunder God Technique tactic.

If the Flying Thunder God Technique were so easily countered...

Minato Namikaze would not have been able to establish his formidable reputation in the Third Shinobi World War by relying on this space-time technique...

It's important to understand that [Flying Thunder God: Shadow Blade] is not Nara Ranka's core combat technique; it's merely one of his standard enemy-fighting strategies...

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt even more lost.

He's probably getting old...

In the ninja world, strength ultimately prevails.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi had the strength, he could have forcibly taken Danzo Shimura from Nara Rinkazu.

The subsequent arrangements and strategies would then depend entirely on the Third Hokage's own will.

However, as it turned out, Hiruzen Sarutobi not only lacked the strength to rescue Danzo Shimura, but was also soundly beaten by Nara Rinkei.

In this way...

What else could Hiruzen Sarutobi say?

[You have defeated the A-rank ninja combat objective!]

[You have obtained an A-rank ninja scroll!]

Two message notifications suddenly popped up on Nara Rinka's panel, and his eyes flickered slightly.

"The Third Hokage, in the end, admitted defeat..."

Although Nara Rinka had just given Sarutobi Hiruzen a sound beating.

However, if the other party insists on rescuing Shimura Danzo, they will be willing to pay the price with their lives...

There wasn't much else a good way to get Nara to take the cassia tree.

He can't possibly kill Hiruzen Sarutobi along with him, can he?

If the other party really stubbornly refuses to admit defeat.

Nara Rinkachi could only try other methods to make Sarutobi Hiruzen submit...

Fortunately, this Third Hokage truly lived up to his reputation as the "Hidden Leaf of Light," bathed in sunlight and far removed from all darkness.

This weakness and tendency to compromise...

Sometimes it's really hard to judge.

"Nara - Tsunade".

Hiruzen Sarutobi barely mustered his strength, intending to plead with Nara Rangsuke to at least save Danzo Shimura's life.

But as soon as he was about to speak, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Nara Rin's expressionless face and knew that the other party would not agree to his request, so he simply changed his target and turned his words to his disciple.

"Tsunade, Danzo is, after all—"

"No need to say more, old man."

Tsunade interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Given the current situation, she could certainly tell what the old man intended to say to her.

It's nothing more than empty talk like "forgive and forget."

But if she spares Shimura Danzo, who will spare the villagers who were harmed because of him? And what about her great-grandfather, whose peace was disturbed even in death!

However, having just witnessed Nara Rinkazu's entire reprimand of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade's resentment towards her teacher had largely dissipated.

No matter what, the Third Hokage governed Konoha for decades; even if he didn't achieve great things, he certainly put in a lot of hard work.

Even if he has made some mistakes, he is not like a true villain like Danzo Shimura.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's biggest problem can only be described in four words—insufficient ability.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi were a little stronger, he could have single-handedly controlled both the light and darkness of Konoha, instead of leaving all of Konoha's darkness to others to deal with as it is now...

How could something like Danzo Shimura's story have happened?

anyway.

Tsunade has no intention of letting Shimura Danzo off the hook today.

"I still stand by what I said before."

Tsunade glanced at the numb-looking Shimura Danzo with disgust.

"Shimura Danzo must die."

Upon hearing this, a glint of light suddenly appeared in Shimura Danzo's eyes.

He originally thought that Nara Rinka and Tsunade didn't intend to do anything to him.

Even with Hiruzen's plea, a sense of security still lingered in Shimura Danzo's heart.

What happened today was nothing more than stripping him of his position, losing his roots, and destroying decades of clandestine efforts in an instant...

But at least people's lives can be saved.

Where there is life, there is hope.

Danzo Shimura had been working in the shadows of Konoha for many years, and even without Root, he still had other forces at his disposal.

If we can get through this ordeal, we might be able to make a comeback someday!

But now it seems that Tsunade intends to kill him?

He shed blood for Konoha, he rendered service to Konoha!

How dare a mere Tsunade act like this?!

Nara Rinkasa waved his arm, and the trees formed by the "Birth of the Tree World" completely covered Shimura Danzo, while also blocking the malevolent gaze of this ninja in darkness.

"Sandaime-sama."

Nara Rinka controls the human-shaped wooden cocoon.

My attitude remains the same as before.

"If you think that Tsunade and I violated the village rules by dealing with Shimura Danzo, then you can do it yourself."

"If the Third Hokage can't bear to see his comrades shed blood, then I can do it for him... Hmm, let Tsunade do it for him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips moved a few times, but he didn't utter a single word.

Only four words came to his mind: Why did it have to come to this?

Looking at the old man's expression, Tsunade shook her head inwardly, while simultaneously raising her hands and silently forming hand seals.

"Wood Release: All Cloth Bag Technique!"

Tsunade channeled Wood Release chakra into the earth, and a wooden hand emerged from the depths of the earth, grasping the humanoid wooden cocoon and then tightly closing its five fingers together.

Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously took a few steps forward, raising his right hand and reaching for the wooden cocoon held by the "All Cloth Bag Technique".

"Danzo—"

Click, click—

With a chilling shattering sound.

The wooden cocoon in the shape of a human, along with the Shimura Danzo inside, was crushed by the "Minabu-no-jutsu" (a technique involving the use of cloth bags). Broken pieces of wood mixed with sticky blood oozed from between the fingers of the wooden hand, a truly pitiful sight.

Danzo Shimura, die!

(End of this chapter)