Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Looking at Kakuzu, whose entire body was covered except for a pair of bright green eyes, Danzo felt a chill run down his spine from those green eyes. It wasn't that Danzo was afraid; he'd been in the ninja world for years, seen countless half-human, half-demon, and half-human, half-ghost creatures. Kakuzu's green eyes were nothing to scare him. Besides, he firmly believed in righteousness; he'd never done anything wrong in his life and had nothing to fear... It was just that this bastard's glowing green eyes were truly bizarre. He'd seen conjunctivitis, cataracts, and now glaucoma...

After speaking, Danzo clapped his hands as if making a deal with the short mule. His Root henchmen quickly carried up several large boxes, placed them on the ground, and opened them. The boxes were filled with bright green banknotes. Kakuzu looked at the boxes of green banknotes, and tears, uncontrollably, streamed down his face…

"I wonder if you are satisfied? This amount of money is only for the three-tomoe Sharingan you possess. Of course, if you acquire more three-tomoe Sharingan in the future, the price will remain the same. I'll take as many as you have!"

Seeing the tears streaming down Kakuzu's face, Danzo said with a hint of smugness, "I've discovered how satisfying it is to throw money around like a tycoon. I regret it! I've made so many mistakes over the years..."

"...The price is very reasonable, I can see your sincerity. Here are four pairs of three-magatama jades. Wait for my news, but next time I hope you can put the money into the sealing scroll..."

Kakuzu snapped out of his daze and looked at Shimura Danzo strangely. He had originally planned to rip him off, but after seeing several large boxes full of banknotes, he realized he didn't need to raise the price anymore. Shimura Danzo was the epitome of a rich, foolish person! However, Kakuzu was also very annoyed by Shimura Danzo's smug expression. He took out a bottle containing four pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan eyes, threw it over, put the several large boxes of banknotes into the sealing scroll, turned around and left. Halfway there, he turned back and gave a faint look of disdain.

It's as if he's saying that Konoha's chief advisor doesn't even have a sealing scroll, so what's he trying to show off to me for?

........

A flock of crows flew over Danzo's head. Danzo, who was initially thrilled about gaining four Sharingan eyes and being able to show off again, suddenly turned pale upon hearing this. He gritted his teeth, watching Kakuzu's departing figure. If he could, he would simply wave his hand and have his henchmen kill this bastard who stole his monster and ruined his show. However, considering the other's background, he gritted his teeth and endured it. "When I awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan in Konoha, the first thing I'll do is take down this bastard..." (▼he▼メ)

I've risked my life for Konoha all these years, and all I'm doing is showing off a little, so what?

Anyone can use a sealed scroll to store money, right? I just want to show off! (▼へ▼メ)

...

On the other side, Kakuzu counted his money while thinking about his next battle plan. Although he couldn't understand why Danzo was spending such a high price to acquire these Sharingan eyes, which he considered utterly useless, it wasn't his concern. However, Kakuzu always put loyalty first. His good brother had found him such a way to make money, so he naturally had to repay him. Worried that Danzo's acquisition of the three-tomoe Sharingan would be detrimental to his good brother's village, he first woke up the drunken slug girl hiding on his shoulder and asked her to inform his good brother. He also hoped that his good brother could help him come up with a battle plan if he had time.

Although the Uchiha clan is now in decline and not as powerful as it was during Madara's reign, that's only in comparison to their former glory. Even with their current weakened state, compared to the complete decline of the Senju clan, the Uchiha are still widely recognized as the strongest clan in the ninja world—this is undeniable. While they may not have any top-tier double-flower red-hat members, he wouldn't be foolish enough to infiltrate the Uchiha clan's territory to commit a crime. This clan, with its millennia-old tradition, has a deep and abiding tradition. Besides, he's not someone who can take on ten thousand men; being ganged up on by a bunch of idiots is no joke. A perfect plan is essential. His previous strategy of ambushing in bushes outside Konoha was effective for short periods, but prolonged ambush would alert Konoha. Therefore, this tactic is no longer viable. However, since leaving the village, he's forgotten all the haphazard battle plans he learned in his youth. For years, he's focused solely on making money, and his fighting style is straightforward and brute force. He hasn't bothered with strategic planning in years…

He doesn't know how to do this. Miss Slug is always in a daze, and the only person he still keeps in touch with in the ninja world is his good brother, Golden Lion...

357. The slug got drunk again and was delivered to the wrong place.

"boom!"

"Shinto-kun, back in the Kakuzu era, he already made a deal with Shimura Danzo. He's worried that if Shimura Danzo gets those Sharingan eyes, it will be detrimental to your Sunagakure, so he sent you to inform you and, incidentally, to have you prepare a battle plan for him..."

"boom!"

(⊙_⊙)?？ ？ ？ ？

"Was that a slug's sound just now? (⊙_⊙)?"

In the Senju clan, Tsunade, who was "educating" her younger brother, looked at him with a puzzled expression. She had been so engrossed in hammering him that she seemed to vaguely hear the sound of slugs, but she wasn't sure. Apart from a faint smell of alcohol in the air, she didn't see any reptiles.

"It seems, maybe, perhaps... but I didn't see any bighead carp... (⊙_⊙)"

Nawaki, the young master of Konoha, who had been beaten black and blue by his older sister, forgot the excruciating pain on his face and head and blinked his small eyes, which were now slits, in a daze.

"Kakuzu made a deal with Danzo? A deal involving Sharingan? What is Danzo up to now...?"

Although she and her younger brother weren't entirely sure if the slug had actually been there, the smell of alcohol in the air was undeniable. She hadn't drunk for several days, and her younger brother wasn't old enough to drink, so she kept a close eye on him. To prevent the brat from sneaking off to find that bastard Shiki, she even took him with her to work at the hospital, so he had no chance to drink. Plus, both she and her brother had heard the sound just now, so it wasn't a hallucination. Judging from the alcohol concentration in the air, the incredibly intelligent Tsunade came to a conclusion: Shiki was probably plotting something again, or perhaps he knew Danzo wanted the Sharingan, so he brought Kakuzu to trick Danzo. Moreover, judging from the slug's words, Kakuzu wasn't just selling the Sharingan to Danzo; it seemed to be a long-term collaboration. Kakuzu was severely unbalanced, good at fighting and plundering but not at literature, so he asked Shiki to help him devise a plan.

But then another question arises: what does Danzo want the Sharingan for? It's not like the Byakugan. Even the Senju clan, with their massive chakra reserves, can't handle the Sharingan's overwhelming power. Only someone like Kushina, with chakra measured in oceans, could manage it. With Danzo's crippled body, even if Tsunade didn't look down on him, he might not be able to handle a single tomoe. And then the slug got drunk and, instead of delivering a message to Shiki, got lost and ended up here...

-_-||....

After thoroughly analyzing the entire incident, Tsunade was exasperated. Ever since that bastard Shiki gave Kakuzu the slug's clone, her grandfather's summoned beast had never been reliable. Now, even delivering a message got lost. -_-||

However, what the slug said infuriated Tsunade. Over the years, those high-ranking officials had turned the village into a mess, especially the power struggles between the group battles and her, the Hokage teacher, which had really worn her out. The village that her two grandfathers had worked so hard to build had become a stage for their fame and fortune. If it weren't for the fact that her younger brother was still young and needed her care to prevent him from "going astray," she would have wanted to leave the village after the war to avoid seeing or hearing such troubles.

Now Danzo has even targeted the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha and the Senju have been sworn enemies for many years, and she herself doesn't particularly like the Uchiha. But they are, after all, one of the founding clans of Konoha. Now Danzo has actually targeted them and even has his eyes on them. What is this guy trying to do?

"Holy crap, holy crap! Last time I heard Orochimaru say he was going to collaborate with Danzo on some kind of research project, but I forgot what it was. Orochimaru's always researching those weird things, could it be that Danzo wants to research the Sharingan...?"

Rope Tree, with a face twice the size of a normal person's, raised his hands and spoke enthusiastically.

Although Nawaki, Orochimaru's "prized student," has a chaotic talent that even Orochimaru, a scientist, can't handle, Orochimaru truly treats Nawaki like a younger brother. Before the "live experiment" even begins, Orochimaru doesn't hide anything from him and answers every question. Although the kid's brain might forget everything by the next day, Orochimaru is much more patient than Tsunade.

As for the monthly quota of tasks stipulated by the village for Genin, it was basically ineffective in front of Nawaki, the crown prince. Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't wait for this kid to pick up a girl and start a family line for his old Senju clan. The quota of tasks was no problem! The monthly commissions and performance bonuses were still paid. As long as this kid left the village, didn't encounter any danger, and grew up safely, he could do whatever he wanted in the village. However, since Nawaki's two grandfathers had both passed away before he was fully formed, especially his biological grandfather, he was not affected by any "bad habits". So when Jiraiya was not in the village and no one took him out to play, besides staying with Tsunade, Nawaki could only go to Orochimaru to listen to stories to relieve his boredom. In addition, Orochimaru was very knowledgeable and eloquent. When he told stories, he was more immersive than a storybook. So even though he was already a Jonin and could start his own clan, he would still go to Orochimaru's place whenever he had nothing to do.

Since graduating, Nawaki's combat strength is unknown, but his rank has risen steadily. If it weren't for the monstrous nature of the perfect ninja Minato Namikaze, he would have already been crowned the youngest Jonin of this generation. He's the most dashing Jonin in the entire ninja world, and no one can even be envious of him. The contributions his two grandfathers made to Konoha are enough to make Konoha support him for a lifetime...

"What?! Orochimaru went to cooperate with Danzo?! Why didn't you tell me?! (▼he▼メ)"

"boom!"

When Tsunade heard that her friend was collaborating with Danzo and researching the Uchiha Sharingan, she was more concerned than her younger brother. Wasn't this handing Danzo a handle to use against Orochimaru? Everyone knew that Orochimaru was a candidate for Hokage. If word got out that he was secretly researching the Uchiha Sharingan, Orochimaru could forget about becoming Hokage.

Thinking of this, he angrily punched his younger brother on the head again before rushing out the door.

"Sis, where are you going?"

Rope Tree rubbed the new bump on his head and looked at his older sister, who was frantically asking for oxygen.

"Go find that bastard Orochimaru..."

Tsunade walked aggressively, saying that among the three legendary Sannin, she appeared to be the core leader, but in reality, Orochimaru was the core leader and brain of their team. He handled everything from formulating tactics and organizing attacks to maintaining morale. Orochimaru was the most stable of the three, and the data couldn't reflect his role.

Although Orochimaru can be cold-blooded at times, she was 100% in favor of him becoming Hokage. Even though the Senju clan had fallen, their vote was still extremely important. After a while, once the Hokage transition was complete, Orochimaru would undoubtedly become Hokage. However, at this crucial juncture, Orochimaru went and associated with Danzo. Wasn't he playing with his own future? As his childhood friend, she naturally had to stop Orochimaru.

358. Hiruzen Sarutobi: It's all Danzo's fault!

"boom!"

"Old Hokage, why did you send Orochimaru to Root?!"

A deafening explosion, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, reverberated throughout the area within a hundred meters. When the Konoha ANBU guards on duty rushed over and discovered that the protagonist was Lady Tsunade, they calmly returned to their posts, plugged their ears, closed their eyes, and began counting sheep...

Throughout Konoha's history, only Tsunade and Kushina dared to lose their temper in the Hokage Building. However, after Kushina mastered the door-blasting technique, Tsunade stopped banging on doors and started banging on walls instead...

Judging from Tsunade's fierce and domineering expression, her anger was at its peak. Rushing over there would not only fail to save the Hokage, but would likely result in being instantly obliterated by her punch. Don't be surprised; Tsunade's punches are just that powerful. Only Shiki the Golden Lion could withstand them. If they were to be instantly killed by Tsunade and die at the hands of their own people, they wouldn't even have the chance to be buried in the cemetery.

"That bastard Danzo has already made Orochimaru research the Sharingan, didn't you know? (▼へ▼メ)"

And the Konoha ANBU underlings were right. Tsunade's anger level was at its limit, and she could enter Super Zone mode at any moment—a kill-or-be-killed-everything mode. Just moments ago, she'd learned from her underling, whom she'd beaten to a pulp, that Orochimaru was going to cooperate with Danzo. For the sake of his comrade's future, after giving his underling a barely fatal basic attack, he rushed to Orochimaru's laboratory. However, even a rabbit has three burrows, let alone Orochimaru, who was constantly hiding from Tsunade's raids. To avoid Tsunade's attacks, Orochimaru had practically spent all his wealth digging tunnels and building backup laboratories throughout Konoha. He'd move immediately after staying in one place for a week, showing just how much Orochimaru loved science, remaining steadfast even in such harsh conditions…

Anyway, Tsunade only found one of the laboratories. When she arrived, it was deserted. After smashing around the deserted laboratory, Tsunade, who had calmed down a little, immediately thought of a key question.

That is, Orochimaru is about to take over as the leader, and the Hokage values ​​this beloved disciple as much as his two sons, even more than he values ​​his youngest son. Although Orochimaru has not taken up any department since the end of the war and spends most of his time in his laboratory as a carefree hermit, the Hokage would not stop using his special crystal ball to keep an eye on his beloved disciple. Now that Orochimaru is cooperating with Danzo, the Hokage could not possibly be unaware of it. In other words, it was the Hokage who sent Orochimaru to cooperate with Danzo.

After sorting out such a complicated relationship, Tsunade immediately stormed up to the Hokage's office, clenching her fists, and punched the outer wall of the Hokage's office with a punch that could kill someone. Looking at the old Hokage who was ignoring her anger and leisurely smoking his pipe, Tsunade was about to explode. She was furious at his lack of self-control!

Orochimaru is your beloved disciple, and he's about to become Hokage. You actually gave him to your best buddy! What a great friendship! Don't you have any idea how many times your best buddy has screwed you over the years? He even drove you to the ICU. If it weren't for my medical skills, you would have been dead by now, and my two grandfathers would be having morning tea. Now you're even giving your soon-to-be-promoted disciple to Danzo to cause trouble. Are you deliberately trying to prevent Orochimaru from becoming Hokage?

Tsunade grew angrier and angrier, feeling more and more indignant for Orochimaru. She rolled up her sleeves, clenched her fists, and fiercely confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying, "Tell me, what explanation do you have?"

"Cough cough cough...! Put Orochimaru aside for now. Danzo and Orochimaru are researching the Sharingan? Where did you get this information??)?Д?(?"

After a busy morning, he had planned to use his crystal ball to check on the physical and mental health of Konoha women during lunch break. The signal was still connecting and about to play when a loud bang startled him. Fortunately, his years of acting skills prevented him from being too embarrassed. He saw his other beloved student glaring at him with clenched fists, while the wall behind her seemed to be collapsing. He secretly thought that probably only Shiki could handle her. His composure remained relatively stable, but when he heard Tsunade's words, his years of acting skills instantly crumbled. His heart felt like it had been clenched, and he almost choked on the smoke. After coughing up the fumes, he stared wide-eyed at Tsunade nervously. Orochimaru and Danzo were researching the Sharingan? How did they get the Sharingan?

The Uchiha clan is a very sensitive term among the higher-ups. As the founding clan of Konoha, they should be respected by everyone and treated like the Senju. However, the Uchiha have become the most troublesome problem for the two generations of Hokage. Since the Uchiha were born with the attributes of being overpowered, due to a hereditary disease in the clan, they have always regarded everyone as their son. In addition, due to the Uchiha Madara incident, the Uchiha's status in Konoha was quite low. Although they were the main force and core of Konoha, their arrogant and straightforward personalities made them unpopular. However, the Uchiha's achievements in the past were too great. Unless they committed some heinous crime, even the Hokage could not touch the Uchiha.

He has always advocated peaceful coexistence with the Uchiha clan, just like the First Hokage. He has always turned a blind eye to the Uchiha issue. After all, the Uchiha and Senju were the core of the founding of Konoha. The Senju even produced two Hokage, while the Uchiha only produced a few. It is normal for them to have some resentment. When he receives complaints from the Uchiha, he just takes a look, comforts the victims, and that's it. Although they are a bit arrogant, they were heroes who shed blood for the village. He tolerates them and lets them go.

But even he dared not touch the Uchiha clan, yet his best friend and his beloved disciple secretly used someone else's Sharingan for experiments!

Those two bastards... no! Danzo, that bastard, must be bored out of his mind, right?

Now he finally understood why Danzo had asked him for Orochimaru, and why his beloved disciple had agreed to switch allegiances. Danzo, for some unknown reason, wanted to research the Sharingan. However, such a high-level scientific project was beyond Danzo's capabilities, especially the Sharingan, a subject of such advanced technology. In the entire ninja world, only Orochimaru, known as the Second Hokage scientist, possessed the necessary skills. Orochimaru's passion for scientific research bordered on obsession. With such a prestigious subject at hand, how could he resist Danzo's temptation? Danzo's resources combined with Orochimaru's abilities made them a perfect match…

It's all that bastard Danzo's fault! Yes! That's right, it was that bastard who seduced his beloved disciple! (▼he▼メ)

Even though the words came from Tsunade's mouth, he still couldn't quite believe it. After all, even the Hokage, who followed the village's affairs every day, didn't know. Tsunade was either saving people in the hospital or beating people up at home all day long. How could she be more informed than him?

Is this even possible?

359. No one in Danzo's family had the surname Uchiha.

"...Never mind how I know. I got word that Danzo has made a deal with the bounty hunter Kakuzu. I don't know how the deal went, but it was definitely for the Sharingan. I also want to ask you what's going on. Why did you send Orochimaru to Root?!"

Although Miss Slug has become unreliable now, habitually getting drunk and lost, and instead of delivering the letter to that bastard Shiki, she delivered it to her, she couldn't bring herself to say anything for the sake of her grandfather's last bit of face. So, after making excuses, she questioned Hiruzen Sarutobi instead.

"Sigh... Don't worry about this. Go back first. Leave Danzo and Orochimaru to me. Go and call the advisors over, and have Sakumo investigate as well..."

Although Tsunade didn't say it, Hiruzen Sarutobi could roughly guess the reason from her constipated expression. Everyone in the ninja world knew that the First Hokage's summoned beast had become a drunkard. Back in the Land of Rain, Tsunade summoned a slug, but it ran away from Shiki and was completely drunk. So many eyes saw it back then, and it had already spread throughout the ninja world.

And since it involves Kakuzu, it's even more certain that it's related to the slug. Tsunade mentioned last time that Shiki gave Kakuzu, that old fox, a clone of the slug so that the slug could travel all over the world, which is why the slug became a drunkard. Now that Kakuzu has some kind of secret deal with Danzo, Tsunade must have received this information from the slug. Whether it was drunk and came to tell him or not is beyond her consideration.

His most important task right now is to confirm whether his best friend has actually attacked the Uchiha. The war has just ended, and if the Uchiha cause trouble at this time, it will be very disadvantageous for Konoha. Although the Uchiha no longer have the confidence they had when they confronted the Second Hokage, the Senju clan has declined to this day, and the core of Konoha's leadership is none other than the Uchiha. He is very unwilling to see the Uchiha cause trouble.

The Hyuga clan's reputation certainly rose after their aerial assault forcefully breached the Third Raikage's strongest shield, and he himself fully supported the clan's plans. After all, the Hyuga clan had supported him, Hiruzen Sarutobi, for many years, and he wasn't an ungrateful person. However, the Hyuga clan still lagged behind the Uchiha clan in terms of resources. If they wanted to compete with the Uchiha for the leadership, they would need to work hard for several more years to address their population issues, even though the Uchiha could take on five opponents at once...

"snort.....!"

When Tsunade heard Hiruzen Sarutobi order the ANBU in the shadows to summon their comrades, she knew these guys were up to their old tricks again. She snorted and turned to leave, unable to bear watching those bastards act like politicians.

.......

"Hiruzen, what do you want with us?"

Two of Konoha's four giants, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, arrived. Homura, still looking sleepy, yawned, and a strong smell of garlic filled the entire office. This guy ate garlic for lunch.

"Let's wait for Danzo and Sakumo..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the bastard with a look of his own.

Damn it, I can't even relax at midday! This bastard is actually taking a nap. Couldn't he at least brush his teeth after eating garlic? (▼へ▼メ)

"call out!"

"Lord Hokage, traces of a large-scale combined ninjutsu technique have been found on the outskirts of the village. A fierce battle took place there. Judging from the traces, it does indeed seem to be the work of Kakuzu, but no bodies were left at the scene..."

At that moment, with a "whoosh," Sakumo Hatake suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, startling Homura Mitokado awake. Even after many years, he was still unaccustomed to the sudden appearance of Sakumo Hatake, who appeared without a sound. The thought of such a top-tier assassin going out to collect kills in the middle of the night sent chills down his spine...

"You go back first."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and told Sakumo Hatake to go back first. Now that they had discovered Kakuzu's traces, Hiruzen Sarutobi was certain that Tsunade's information was accurate. When Danzo arrived later, there would definitely be a unique debate, and it would be somewhat awkward for the leader to stay here.

"Kakuzu? What's that guy doing in Konoha? Hiruzen, what's going on? How did Kakuzu end up here? Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Cultured people are cultured people. Although they only half understood what Hatake Sakumo said, they gleaned an important piece of information. Their poor little hearts almost jumped out of their chests. Hatake Sakumo was a legendary old ruthless man who had fought with the first generation and was still alive. Moreover, seeing their friends and Hatake Sakumo looking so serious, they had a feeling that something big was about to happen.

"...Danzo has his eye on the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan and has already made a deal with Kakuzu. I suspect that the evidence found by Sakumo was from Kakuzu attacking Uchiha clan members who went out of Konoha. Kakuzu is a greedy man, so Danzo should trade Sharingan with him. Moreover... it's uncertain whether this will be a long-term cooperation."

After Hatake Sakumo left, only the two of them remained in the office. Sarutobi Hiruzen took a few puffs of his pipe, exhaling disgusting fumes around him, before speaking.

"What?! Danzo has his eye on the Sharingan? What does he want that thing for? Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Koharu and Homura were initially shocked that Danzo was so audacious as to dare to target the Uchiha clan, while at the same time they were curious about what Danzo wanted to do with those useless Sharingan eyes.

Those are Uchiha! Although they all loathe the Uchiha, those idiots are so arrogant and annoying. Apart from their former friend being an oddball, the Uchiha are all the same. Back in their childhood, who wasn't bullied by the Uchiha? In recent years, to put it bluntly, the Uchiha have been the destabilizing factor in Konoha. During the First Shinobi World War, they forced their Second Hokage. If it weren't for their Second Hokage's methods, the Hokage would have almost killed the Uchiha.

Although the Uchiha haven't done anything outrageous over the years, bullying the weak by a mere guard unit happens almost daily. If it weren't for the Uchiha's high status in the underworld, they would have wanted to take action against them. So they actually support Danzo's actions, they just didn't expect Danzo to be so audacious.