Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Danzo couldn't understand nine out of ten sentences Orochimaru said, but that didn't affect his comprehension. From Orochimaru's words, he understood that only by transplanting the Mangekyou Sharingan could he transplant more of the First Hokage's cells and awaken Wood Release. Thinking about this, he wondered if he had secretly transplanted a Mangekyou Sharingan, which suppressed the First Hokage's cells and prevented him from awakening Wood Release... If that was the case, could he transplant more of the First Hokage's cells now, and maybe he could awaken it!

However, considering that this kaleidoscope was his biggest secret, and that only Orochimaru currently possessed the skill for cell transplantation, he didn't want to reveal his secret to Orochimaru... It seemed he'd have to have Ryoma find some scientists to try it out...

"Advisor Danzo, I only said that the Sharingan and Mangekyou Sharingan can guarantee that you can transplant the First Hokage's cells without being affected. As for whether you can awaken Wood Release, that's hard to say. Actually, the most direct way to increase the probability of awakening Wood Release is to directly transplant the First Hokage's cells, but you've seen the results. Almost all of them were assimilated by the massive life force and Yang Release chakra within the First Hokage's cells... There are very few people in the ninja world who can withstand the life force and Yang Release chakra within the First Hokage's cells. Even Tsunade and Nawaki, who are direct descendants of the First Hokage, couldn't..."

Orochimaru pointed to a group of petrified living specimens in a machine not far away, looking at Danzo with a strange expression. He had explained it so clearly, how could this old man be so stupid? With that kind of intelligence, it's no wonder his Hokage teacher had kept him completely under his thumb for so many years...

None of the living specimens showed any signs of life. They began to lignify almost the instant the First Hokage's cells were transplanted. No one could withstand it. Cooperating with Danzo also had its advantages for him. At least the live experiments that he could only dream of before could be conducted here without any scruples. Moreover, although Danzo was useless at everything, he was definitely the best at molesting children. As soon as he opened his mouth, the Root underlings would immediately go out to the surrounding villages to molest children. Their techniques were quite skilled. They had done this many times before. To be honest, if he continued to receive this treatment, Orochimaru would never have thought of leaving Root. Danzo provided food, lodging, research funding, and research materials. He only occasionally allowed him to conduct research on some things. It was much more comfortable than his previous miserable days of hiding from Tsunade all day long.

"Clap clap clap...!"

"Everyone says that Orochimaru, the cold-blooded king of Konoha, is the man in the world who is closest to that good-for-nothing Tobirama Chiyo, and he certainly lives up to his reputation..."

Just as Danzo was about to say something, a hoarse voice that sounded like it belonged to a bad person came from above, startling Danzo and Orochimaru. The two looked up and saw a person wearing a mask with only one eye showing, dressed in a black robe, floating gracefully above the laboratory. The person's hands were still clapping, and the look in their single eye revealed an expression of appreciation.

Who are you? Where are my men? (▼へ▼メ)

Danzo was shocked. This was his stronghold, and someone had sneaked in without a sound. He had almost lost all his capable underlings, but he still had a few on guard duty. Moreover, this was his Root Headquarters, and he hadn't even noticed someone sneaking in. The most crucial thing was that he didn't know when this guy had entered or how much of his conversation with Orochimaru he had overheard.

This guy is wearing a mask and acting all mysterious; he doesn't look like a good person at all. If word gets out that he had a transplant of the First Generation cells, things will be terrible!

"Hmph! Those shrimp soldiers and crab generals outside can't stop me. Didn't you go to the Land of Water to find me? I wondered why the Konoha Hokage's assistant would travel all that way to the Land of Water to find me. Turns out it was to transplant Senju Hashirama's cells. I didn't expect Senju Tobirama to have such a courageous disciple. It's truly rare. Judging from your right arm, you must have transplanted quite a few Sharingan eyes, right? Ouch, your eye is all covered. Did you get a sty?"

Wearing the same mask as Obito, Shinto, imitating his idol Madara's disdainful gaze, glanced at the grotesquely dressed Danzo below and spoke in a nonchalant tone, mimicking Madara's voice.

To be honest, this is his first time cosplaying. He had previously impersonated Hatake Kakashi, White Fang's cousin, but that was a completely fabricated character, so it wasn't too difficult. However, playing Madara is much more challenging. Learning that look of someone who sees everyone as a grandson is really tiring. I wonder if he can fool Danzo.

Forget about fooling Orochimaru. Even Obito, after evolving into Ultimate Iron Man, couldn't fool Orochimaru. The chances of this simple-minded boy fooling Orochimaru are basically zero.

439. Was Danzo really that cultured?

He originally sneaked in hoping to talk to the leader alone, but he found Danzo looking for Orochimaru. Seeing Danzo's familiar villainous look, he knew Danzo had already had a dead man's cell transplant and one of his eyes was ruined. Had the old man been beaten so many times he'd gone mad? Even with his right hand bandaged, it was still an explanation for the injury. And now he had a dead man's eye too—wasn't he afraid of getting infected...?

and many more!

It seemed that Danzo's right eye, which was wrapped in bandages, was different from the eye on his right hand. Immediately, he activated his Observation Haki to cover Danzo. The next moment, Shinto was also dumbfounded. What he saw was not the three-tomoe Sharingan, but the Mangekyou Sharingan!

What the hell is going on?

Having studied the history of the ninja world extensively, he knew that apart from Madara, the wild Uchiha patriarch, no domesticated Uchiha clan members in this era possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan. So how come Danzo had one? That's a bit illogical!

Madara Uchiha, Izuna Uchiha, the second male lead's father, Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha... a series of names of Uchiha from the past and future who could awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan kept swirling in his mind. First, Madara and his younger brother could be ruled out. The future Shisui Uchiha and his youngest son were still a question mark, so they could also be ruled out. That left only the second male lead's father, who had already taken shape and ascended to power. However, the second male lead's father was still unmarried. The last time he met him, he was still a teenager. It was said that when his father died, he had only evolved to three tomoe. It shouldn't be his eldest son who awakened the Kaleidoscope so early. Although he didn't know exactly when the second male lead's father awakened the Kaleidoscope, he figured it wouldn't be now. The second male lead's father wasn't the composed father of his two sons yet. If he had awakened the Kaleidoscope now, he would have flown away long ago. Why would he hide his Kaleidoscope? Besides, in the original work, the second male lead's father had a pair of intact Kaleidoscopes, without any signs of them being pried off. And Danzo really didn't have the ability to pry off Kaleidoscopes now.

But even the second male lead's father was out on the field, so he really couldn't figure out where Danzo's kaleidoscope came from. Madara couldn't possibly be so generous as to gouge out his own eye and give it to him, could he? But the pattern on that eye wasn't the same as Madara's. Madara's kaleidoscope pattern was much more complex; Madara's was the Eternal Kaleidoscope.

Could it be Uchiha Kagami? (⊙_⊙)?

After eliminating all the Uchiha he knew from the past and future who could awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, only Uchiha Kagami remained, whom he wasn't even sure if he had already awakened it. After all, he was Shisui's grandfather, and Tobirama Senju called him the man with the best chance of awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan after Madara. He was the strongest Uchiha in his time, and Uchiha Kagami died under mysterious circumstances. When he first heard the news of Uchiha Kagami's death, he was somewhat stunned because Konoha only said that Uchiha Kagami was dead, but didn't say how he died or who killed him. Later, several people in the ninja world came forward to admit that they were the murderers, but when White Fang came to their door one by one, without exception, they were all just trying to ride the coattails of the incident to climb the ranks. At the time, because he had read the original work and knew that Uchiha Kagami would die young, although he was curious about how Uchiha Kagami died, he didn't dwell on it. After all, he wasn't from Konoha.

Because Uchiha Kagami died young, he never thought that Uchiha Kagami would awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan. After all, in this era, even if someone awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, they would still be a father, let alone a grandfather like Madara. Who could kill them silently? It was simply impossible!

But now, thinking about Uchiha Kagami and considering the many reasons behind his death, Masato really thinks that this Mangekyou Sharingan might actually belong to Uchiha Kagami. It might be difficult for others to kill Uchiha Kagami, but for Danzo, it wasn't as difficult as one might imagine. Who would have thought that his childhood friend would be stabbed in the back? And that stab would directly cost him his life...

Therefore, Shinto concludes that the Mangekyou Sharingan in Danzo's right eye most likely belongs to Uchiha Kagami. After all, in the past few decades, only Uchiha Kagami possessed the talent to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan. As for why Danzo only had one, that remains unknown; perhaps Uchiha Kagami's other Mangekyou Sharingan grew out of place...

After making some guesses, he discovered that Danzo was discussing some kind of scientific research project with Orochimaru in an unusually intense manner, which made him even more curious. Could Danzo really discuss science with Orochimaru?

Is this fucking fake?

Is Danzo so cultured that he can discuss science with Orochimaru?

His clapping and revealing that he was completely involuntarily impressed by Snake's solid theoretical foundation and the surrounding live experimental subjects, truly worthy of being the man who turned a hot-blooded anime into a fantasy anime, he is indeed awesome!

Since it's already been exposed, it doesn't matter. Anyway, Orochimaru and Danzo have already passed their honeymoon period, and judging from their tone, they should be gradually entering the breakup period. So he guesses that even if Orochimaru doesn't believe his nonsense, he won't tell Danzo his thoughts. Orochimaru is a very arrogant person. If Danzo didn't have something he needed, Orochimaru probably wouldn't have cooperated with Danzo. You can see that Orochimaru really looks down on Danzo when he forcefully drove away Danzo's underlings.

shock!!!

"Who are you, sir? It's rather inappropriate to come here without even greeting me..."

Upon hearing the words of the mysterious person above, both Orochimaru and Danzo were startled at first. Then, Orochimaru's quick-witted mind immediately cleared up. He licked his lips habitually, a strange light flashing in his eyes, and said something.

At that time, Danzo was still in shock from having his secret discovered and couldn't speak. If he had previously suspected that wild Uchiha existed in the Land of Water, and that he had traveled all the way there but couldn't find a single hair and was defeated, making him wonder if that bastard Shiki was just fooling White Fang, now, looking at the person in front of him, he saw through the disguise under his bandages at a glance, and the playful look in his right eye as he looked at him, he was basically certain that this wild Uchiha really existed.

Perhaps there's some kind of connection between the Mangekyou Sharingan, which is why this wild Uchiha noticed the Mangekyou Sharingan in his right eye. And judging from his tone, his friends' deduction might be correct: this wild Uchiha might be someone who faked his death and escaped during the First World War...

With his biggest secret exposed, how could Danzo possibly stay calm? If it weren't for this wild Uchiha's outstanding combat record, he would have blown him away with a single Wind Release technique.

This guy can go toe-to-toe with Shiki the Golden Lion, especially with his fire-style attacks that are like a natural disaster. Even though on paper they're 2v1, he's still pretty nervous...

440. That's Madara, how could he not get hard?

"I never imagined that in just a few decades, the world would forget me. Kid, listen carefully, my name is... cough, Uchiha Madara! My dream is... cough, remember this name well!"

He was really good at imitating Ban Gu's arrogant self-introduction, but he got so into it that he almost wandered onto the set of The Voice of China. Luckily, he managed to restrain himself in time and didn't tarnish his idol image too much...

"Impossible! Madara Uchiha is long dead! Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

As soon as Shinto finished speaking, before Orochimaru could even reply, Danzo's eyes widened and he exclaimed excitedly, his face filled with disbelief.

No wonder he was so excited. The final battle at the Valley of the End, fought by Madara and the first generation, was truly spectacular. He still vividly remembers being one of the cheerleaders brought by the second generation. Even decades later, he still can't forget that towering figure who looked down on the world and could dominate everything!

Actually... he was already half convinced. If this mysterious person was indeed Madara, then many of his previous questions would be answered, such as why the mysterious person's Fire Release techniques were so powerful. Of course! Madara's Fire Release techniques were incredibly powerful!

Why were they able to go toe-to-toe with that Golden Lion?

Nonsense! That's Madara! Of course he'd get hard. It's just that Madara's old. If he were twenty or thirty years younger, Shiki would have been utterly thrashed by Madara...

Only those who lived through that era can truly appreciate just how formidable Madara was. To be able to withstand a blow from Shiki at such an advanced age is a testament to his enduring strength and resilience, a true example of an old horse still capable of galloping on its stall...

However, he had some doubts. Although he wasn't very familiar with Madara, and had only caught a glimpse of him from a great distance back then, he vaguely remembered Madara's tall and strong physique. According to his estimation, Madara was at least 1.82 meters tall, while the "Madara" in front of him was at most 1.75 meters tall and not particularly strong. There was a difference between the two. Even if one shrinks with age, he didn't see the "Madara" in front of him hunchbacked! And he didn't exude any manly... ugh! Old man's smell.

But he could never forget that "Master Madara's" tone of voice and the way he looked at people—it was always the kind of look he gave to a grandson. This unique way of speaking and looking at people was something no one could imitate without unparalleled fighting prowess.

So his trust level towards this self-proclaimed "Madara" was somewhere between believing and disbelieving. He still had doubts until someone explained to him why Madara was so much taller decades ago than he is now.

"Huh? Was I already dead when Tobirama Senju was with you? Hmph! As expected of a good-for-nothing who only knows how to run away, still preferring to use such petty tricks to deceive the world."

Shinto mimicked Madara's disdainful tone, recalling that Madara was indeed quite displeased with Senju Er-ya. After all, Senju Er-ya had killed his younger brother, and Madara was known for his brother complex. If it weren't for his deep bond with Senju and his concern that killing Senju Er-ya would affect their bromance, Senju Er-ya would have been killed by Madara long ago. Moreover, Senju Er-ya also had the title of the fastest man in the ninja world. From Madara's perspective, calling Senju Er-ya a good-for-nothing who only knew how to run away didn't seem wrong.

"Hehe, it is my honor to receive praise from the Asura of the Ninja World. May I ask what brings you here in the middle of the night?"

Although Danzo's intense reaction indicated that the person in front of him was Uchiha Madara, for some reason, Orochimaru felt that the person in front of him was not Uchiha Madara. Moreover, for some reason, the person in front of him gave him a sense of déjà vu, a feeling of familiarity, but he couldn't remember where this feeling of familiarity came from for the time being.

He was certain the person before him wasn't Madara Uchiha. Although he'd never met Madara, he'd grown up hearing stories about him and the First Hokage, and his childhood friend was even the First Hokage's granddaughter. He knew a thing or two about their relationship; supposedly, they were childhood sweethearts who ultimately fell in love but turned to hate...

Anyway, there was still some affection between the two, but when this person addressed the First Hokage, he didn't use the full name and there was a hint of unfamiliarity. Moreover, according to what he knew, Uchiha Madara was a very arrogant person who didn't care about anyone except the First Hokage and his rumored girlfriend, the old lady Chiyo. How could someone with arrogance ingrained in their genes wear a mask and not show their true face?

However, he had no intention of revealing his suspicions to Danzo. His cooperation with Danzo was solely due to the First Hokage's cells in Danzo's possession. Now that he had the First Hokage's cells and even obtained the Second Hokage's Edo Tensei, he seemed to no longer need to cooperate with Danzo. As for the fact that Danzo had evidence against him for experimenting on living people, he didn't care at all. If it weren't for the most basic contractual spirit—providing food, lodging, and research funding, and occasionally helping Danzo with some research without affecting his longevity plan—he would have said goodbye to Danzo long ago.

However, it's one thing for him not to want to be Hokage, and another thing for Danzo to scheme against him. Does he really not know that Danzo's initial intention in seeking cooperation with him was to prevent him from becoming Hokage?

Danzo's ambition to become Hokage was an open secret among the higher-ups, wasn't it?

Just when he, this scientist, was really a bookworm, a fat nerd?

He was quite curious about why this so-called "Grandpa Madara" had come here in the middle of the night. He hoped he wasn't just out of sleep and wanted to enjoy the sea breeze in Konoha...

Danzo, on the other hand, also perked up his ears.

As he heard "Madara" address the Second Hokage, his belief began to waver. Few in the ninja world had heard of his teacher's legendary status as the fastest ninja in the world, and only Madara would call the Second Hokage a useless runaway. Everyone, regardless of era, was captivated by the Second Hokage's Water Release techniques; even the Mizukage addressed him as the Water God. Only the older generation knew of the Second Hokage's title as the fastest ninja in the world...

At that moment, he gradually ignored the height difference and began to truly believe that the person in front of him was Madara.

He also wanted to know why this old man wasn't peacefully enjoying his retirement, but instead came to Konoha in the middle of the night to cause trouble. He admitted that Madara was incredibly powerful, able to fight Golden Lion Shiki even in his seventies or eighties, but Konoha was no longer what it used to be; there were so many talented people that they could drown him with a single spittle...

"Over the years, I've heard that Konoha has produced a remarkable man who will lead Konoha to the moon. And since the cool breeze is here tonight, and I'm getting old and don't sleep much, I decided to come and see this remarkable man who will lead Konoha to the moon. He hasn't disappointed me. He dared to transplant Hashirama Senju's cells into a body that isn't from the Senju clan, and he even dared to transplant so many Sharingan eyes into someone who isn't from the Uchiha clan. Just this audacity makes me wonder if that good-for-nothing Tobirama Senju was blind not to choose you as Hokage..."

441. Perfect ability to adapt to changing circumstances

A true friend!

Danzo was deeply moved by Madara's words, which contained three parts appreciation, three parts regret, three parts remorse, and one part doubt. His eyes welled up with saliva. He had been in the ninja world for decades, and no one had ever said such a thing to him, nor had anyone ever spoken up for him. Why? He wanted to ask why too. Why did the Second Hokage choose Hiruzen Sarutobi instead of him? He was far superior to Hiruzen in both looks and charisma. Could such an obvious difference not make up for that 0.03 seconds?

If all of this could be done over again, and if the first or second Hokage had been Madara, perhaps things would be different...

That's right! It would definitely be different. Madara admires his talent and courage so much. If Madara were the Second Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi would be sitting in his position now!

"..."

Orochimaru, observing Danzo's dramatic expressions and the man above claiming to be Madara, was puzzled. He wondered where Danzo's antics came from, but this self-proclaimed Madara seemed all too familiar. Although his tone was low, it couldn't hide the hint of arrogance and unreliability. Moreover, based on his understanding of Madara from books and rumors, Madara was a ruthless and taciturn figure who wouldn't waste time with so much nonsense. Therefore, Orochimaru was now fairly certain this man was an imposter. As for his identity…

Perhaps it's because I've been doing research for too long lately, and my mind is a bit foggy. I just can't remember who this familiar feeling is from.

"But it's too late to say anything now. Hiruzen Sarutobi has been Hokage for over twenty years. Even if he were to become the next Hokage, with so many young people in Konoha, it's simply not your turn. Alas! Your life has been full of hardships; you're destined to fight against heaven, against earth, and against Hiruzen Sarutobi..."

Shinto, watching Danzo still clinging to his act, sighed deeply, shook his head, and drifted out the door. Some things shouldn't be said too bluntly; it's best to stop there. He had originally planned to take advantage of the moment to trick Danzo, but seeing Orochimaru's shifty eyes next door, he decided against it. Not only was Nawaki Orochimaru Orochimaru Orochimaru's student, but Orochimaru and Tsunade were also friends. If he were too direct, before Orochimaru fully turned to the dark side, he might just attack. He could imitate Madara's voice and eyes, but he couldn't imitate Madara's awesome Fire Release techniques and giant summoning. If he attacked, wouldn't he be exposed?

Flying, such a niche skill... isn't this setting the stage for Obito's future...?

The time has come to test our ability to adapt to changing circumstances; we must decisively change tactics and use a roundabout approach.

Given Danzo's current level of corruption and his mention of "young people" as a prelude, one should be able to guess the Nawaki incident. Even if not Nawaki, thinking about the Perfect Ninja seems plausible. If he could actually kill the Perfect Ninja, that would be a pleasant surprise. Even if he couldn't and Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed, Konoha would be in chaos for a while, reducing the pressure on his three disciples who were still fighting on the border of the Land of Fire. At least if Konoha was in chaos, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't send anyone to the border. As long as his three disciples followed his tactics, Konoha's border guards wouldn't be able to handle them. The ninja world isn't all that wonderful; even Konoha sends cannon fodder to guard the border, not elites. Everyone knows this without saying a word.

Even in peacetime, the number of casualties at borders between countries has never decreased. Who would send their elites to such a dangerous place?

Killing two birds with one stone, absolutely perfect! ヾ(^Д^*)/

His ability to adapt to the situation is simply unmatched. It's a pity there was no food or wine, otherwise I would have definitely offered him a toast!

...

"...Orochimaru, what do you think of this guy?"

After Madara left, Danzo's eyes darted around, seemingly gleaning some insight from Madara's words. However, he needed to go back and close the door to think things through. In the past, he had made too many decisions because he was too hasty, revealing flaws in his plans and causing each one to fail. Therefore, after learning from his past failures, he forced himself to calm down and learn to stop, think, and formulate a plan before taking action.

However, he had no one around him to rely on, so he just asked Orochimaru a question out of habit, which was just a common way to end a conversation. He didn't expect Orochimaru to give him any valuable advice.

"...Heh, since Advisor Danzo already has his own plans, I won't offer any further comments. I have other projects to research. Advisor Danzo, please proceed..."

Orochimaru chuckled as he watched Danzo's eyes darting around, then turned and went back to his work. He was absolutely certain that this guy, who gave him a familiar feeling while impersonating Madara, wouldn't just ramble on and leave tonight. He had a feeling this guy was trying to trick Danzo, but it didn't really concern him. He wasn't interested in the Hokage position; as long as Danzo didn't interfere with his longevity plans, that was fine. What happened to Danzo was none of his business. He didn't care if Danzo got tricked; after all, how well did the old guy fare? He was still pretty carefree...

"..."

After Orochimaru turned to continue his research experiments, Danzo hurriedly left Orochimaru's laboratory and returned to his room. He had his underlings stand guard ten meters away, locked the door, and slowly lay down on the bed to think. Although he wouldn't admit it, Madara's words had enlightened him. His best friend had been Hokage for over twenty years, and even if he were considering the next Hokage, he would choose from the younger generation. Both Orochimaru and White Fang were in their prime. Orochimaru could stay in his laboratory for ten days and ten nights without eating or drinking, and White Fang often went one or two months without sleep when he was on a mission. Orochimaru had been tricked by him, and he didn't have a good solution for White Fang. Moreover, judging from White Fang's attitude, even if he became Hokage, it would probably only be a temporary position. Anyone with eyes could see that White Fang's personality was indeed not suitable for being Hokage. Leading the Anbu and leading the village were two completely different concepts. It wasn't just about being able to fight and kill. Based on his understanding of his best friend, his best friend's focus should be on the next generation. It was meaningless for him to worry about whether White Fang was suitable to become Hokage.

Firstly, he had the First Hokage's cells transplanted, and he even got the Sharingan and Mangekyou Sharingan, but so far he hasn't shown any signs of awakening his Wood Release. If White Fang really can't withstand his best friend Hiruzen Sarutobi's talk-no-jutsu and becomes Hokage, even with White Fang's current super high popularity, he can't stop it.

442. He's practically become Danzo's father.

Secondly, all his men were wiped out in the Land of Water. Even if his earliest batch of underlings were trained and ready to be deployed, it would take several years. He only had Ryoma as a usable person, so he couldn't cause any trouble even if he wanted to.