Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

He wasn't actually thinking about becoming Hokage; rather, it was his Second Hokage's dying wish that he become Hokage. To fulfill his teacher's dying wish, he definitely had to become Hokage. However, for some reason, the topic of a Hokage election had started circulating in the village these past few days, and for some reason, Danzo was the most popular candidate. Now, almost everyone in Konoha knew the saying, "Lord Danzo said that if he becomes Hokage, he will lead us to the moon." And it was precisely because of this statement that many villagers had been swayed into cheering for Danzo...

He didn't know if Danzo had said it. The war profiteering had just ended, and Danzo probably wouldn't have the guts even if he wanted to. Besides, Danzo wasn't such a brainless person. But... he wasn't too sure. After all, Danzo could sometimes have a moment of madness, and maybe this was just something he had said on a whim.

So he immediately ordered his clansmen to investigate where the news came from, wanting to know if this quote, which was almost becoming a famous saying, came from Danzo's mouth.

Damn it, I treated you like a brother, but you want to fight me for the leadership position... (▼へ▼メ)

"Do you know who spread this rumor...?"

After taking two more puffs of opium, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked his younger brother, a strange clench forming in his heart. If the sound came from the tavern, it couldn't have come from Danzo. If it was Danzo, he would feel uncomfortable, but at least there was no conspiracy involved. But since it wasn't Danzo, there was definitely something fishy going on!

"There were too many people at the time, and we still don't know who it was. We only know that a boy shouted those words, and then they came from inside the tavern. That boy hasn't appeared since..."

"That's what the younger brother of the clan said."

"Young man...it can't be that brat, can it? (▼he▼メ)"

When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard the word "boy," his heart skipped a beat, and the image of the little lion from Sunagakure appeared in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Internal strife in Konoha would benefit other villages, and the only known outsider was that brat. The key point was that, given that brat's personality, it seemed that he really might be capable of doing this.

........

"Lord Danzo, you're the most popular person right now!"

"Hahaha! It's just a joke the villagers are playing, don't take it seriously...ヾ(^д^*)/"

"That's no joke! The villagers are all deeply moved by your ambition, and some have already gone to the Senju clan to recommend you to Lord Mito!!!"

"Hahaha...Really! These people are so enthusiastic! ヾ(^д^*)/"

“…”

Hiruzen Sarutobi was depressed, but Danzo had been having a blast these past few days. His clansmen were showering him with compliments, making him feel incredibly comfortable.

Although he didn't know what had happened to make so many villagers support him, he really wanted to hug and kiss the guy who had spread the news. After all these years, he had finally found teammates!!

To say he doesn't want to be in charge is utter nonsense. Who in this world doesn't want to rise to the top?

Especially for someone like him who had risen to a high position in the village, and who had even narrowly missed becoming Hokage by a fraction of a second, the memory of what happened that night was nothing short of a nightmare.

However, as Hiruzen Sarutobi's childhood friend and "best buddy," his teacher had already nominated him as the next Hokage, so he couldn't openly steal the position. After all, it wouldn't be morally right. But he was unwilling to give it up just like that. If he were to hand over the club... I mean, Konoha, to him, I'm not bragging, but with such a powerful Konoha, he really dared to fight all the way to the moon!

Unfortunately, those are all hypotheticals. Although the higher-ups didn't mention the Hokage selection after they returned, he knew that the Hokage position would belong to Hiruzen Sarutobi sooner or later. Those people couldn't delay for long, after all, it was the Second Hokage's will. When the time came, as long as Lord Mito said a word, no one would dare to object. At that time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's position as Hokage would be more secure than Iron Egg.

But the situation is different now. He has an unknown but good teammate supporting him in secret, and he has made such a big fuss about it. Now everyone knows that Lord Danzo has the ambition to lead Konoha to the moon. Moreover, so many villagers are supporting him. Perhaps those villagers can really change the current situation.

Lord Mito is easily swayed, especially by the villagers' opinions; he often listens to them. If enough villagers truly support him, it's not impossible to change his mind...

So even though he's been incredibly happy these past few days, it's a pity he doesn't know who his teammate was who helped him, and he doesn't know who this great teammate is.

.......

"Kimoto, have those villagers left yet?"

At this moment, in the Senju clan, Mito Uzumaki looked at Tsunade's father, who was running back covered in sweat, and asked him with a headache.

These past few days, she didn't know what was going on, but every day villagers would come to her Senju clan to see her, saying good things about Shimura Danzo, one of Tobirama's disciples. The gist of it was that she, a top figure in Konoha, should support Shimura Danzo to become Hokage. At first, she was confused. She knew Shimura Danzo and had met him a few times. He was the only young man among Tobirama's disciples whose chin was split open. He was also quite good-looking. Although he couldn't compare to Uchiha Kagami, he was at least a head taller than Hiruzen Sarutobi and was an outstanding young man in the village.

But this has nothing to do with him becoming Hokage, right? Besides, didn't Tobirama already appoint Hiruzen Sarutobi as the next Hokage? What's going on here?

Although Tohru also believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi becoming Hokage would damage Konoha's image, the choice was ultimately made by Tobirama, the Second Hokage, so she naturally trusted her brother-in-law's judgment. Even if the villagers boasted wildly about leading Konoha to conquer the moon, she couldn't change Tobirama's will. Therefore, having no other choice, she had her son guard the door every day, immediately coaxing any villagers who came to go.

72. It must have been that brat who did it.

"They've all gone back for now, but I reckon they'll come back tomorrow. I don't know who's behind it, but a lot of people in the village are talking about it..."

Tsunade's father wiped the sweat from his forehead. Coaxing these villagers was indeed too damn tiring. Even his Senju clan physique couldn't handle it. He would rather fight his dead father.

"Could it be Danzo Shimura's doing? But it doesn't seem like it to me. It's too blatant. Besides, Lord Tobirama has already appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi as the next Hokage. His tricks won't work."

An old man with a thousand hands next to Mito Uzumaki guessed.

"Sigh... Mother, I think we should hurry up and let Hiruzen take over, otherwise things can't go on like this..."

Tsunade's father sighed helplessly. Logically speaking, his prestige in the village was much higher than Hiruzen's, and if there were a vote, he would probably be the most popular candidate. However, he also knew that his personality was not suitable for becoming Hokage, and the Senju clan could not produce a third Hokage, otherwise it would not be a good thing for the village. This was why the higher-ups avoided this issue, and the Senju clan also avoided it. Although it was a good thing that his second uncle designated Hiruzen to take the position, Hiruzen and his Sarutobi clan were simply not enough to suppress the other clans in the village. Not to mention, neither Hiruzen nor the Sarutobi clan could suppress the two powerful clans of Hyuga and Uchiha.

If the Senju clan were to stand up for Hiruzen, the topic would inevitably turn back to him. Even if Hiruzen eventually became Hokage, he would still be in an awkward position. So, the original plan was to give him some time to figure out how to win over a few clans, and then the Senju clan would step in to support him. With other clans supporting him, everything would fall into place naturally.

But given the current situation, he fears he'll be drowned in the villagers' spittle before he even takes power...

"No, Hashirama and Tobirama have always wanted to reduce the Senju clan's influence in the village and truly integrate them into the community. If we stand up and stubbornly support Hiruzen now, all of Hashirama and Tobirama's efforts will be in vain. Let's wait and see. Tobirama won't misjudge people..."

Mito Uzumaki shook her head and explained that there was something else she hadn't said. If he couldn't even get past this hurdle, then even if she supported him to take the position, he wouldn't have the ability to lead Konoha. Actually, her best candidate was Uchiha Kagami. He was handsome, had a good temper, and could navigate between the village and his clan with ease. He was a rare talent. But unfortunately, he was from the Uchiha clan, so no matter how outstanding he was, it wouldn't work.

"But if those villagers come again tomorrow, it'll be troublesome. There are more and more of them. I wonder which guy came up with this, leading Konoha to fight to the moon... How could he say such nonsense? (▼he▼メ)"

Tsunade's father was also a spies. Anyone with a brain knows that these words couldn't have come from Danzo. As his second uncle's disciple, in an environment that promotes harmony and family in the ninja world, if he dared to say such a thing, he would be beaten to a pulp by August 15th. So someone must have been up to something behind the scenes.

"...If Kima hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have thought of it. Do you guys think it could be that brat from Sunagakure is behind it? I wouldn't be surprised at all if he said something so strange..."

After a long silence, the old man next to Mito Uzumaki said with a look of sudden realization.

Although he had only interacted with that brat twice, the brat's every action and gesture left a deep impression on him, just like their Lord Hashirama—truly outstanding! It was hard not to remember him...

"Now that you mention it, it's quite possible. What has that kid been up to in the village lately?"

Mito Uzumaki also realized that if they pointed the finger at that brat, everything would seem to make sense. Creating chaos in Konoha would be very beneficial to Sunagakure, since their Kazekage were fighting so fiercely. Sunagakure was already lagging behind Konoha. If Konoha could elect a Hokage so quickly and get out of the predicament of being leaderless, that would certainly not be what Sunagakure wanted to see.

The elder's description was correct; such an exaggerated way of describing leading Konoha to the moon does indeed fit the brat's personality...

"That kid has always been normal. He wanders around the village during the day and obediently returns to his lodgings to rest at night. The ANBU members have been following him and reporting to me every day. Everything has been normal for him lately..."

Tsunade's father said that since Sakumo Hatake's father passed away, the position of head of the Anbu naturally fell to Tsunade's father. After all, this is the Hokage's exclusive force, and the head of the Anbu cannot be left to others. Since that brat with a criminal record in their Senju clan is in the village, he is naturally extra careful. He arranges three shifts every day to keep an eye on him in the morning, noon and night. If it weren't for his benefactor, he would have preferred to do it himself.

"I think it was most likely that brat who did it. He even fooled Mirror, so it's no big deal that the Anbu were fooled too..."

The old man of the Senju clan said through gritted teeth. He hadn't forgotten about that brat kidnapping their little princess. Just mentioning that brat made the old man of the Senju clan grit his teeth in hatred. He wouldn't even let that brat help Tobirama collect his body. He even suspected that Lord Tobirama had been infected by the brat's bad luck and killed, just like the rumors said.

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that when he was in the Land of Earth, the Tsuchikage and Mizukage died, and when he appeared in the Land of the Moon, their Hokage and Raikage also died? However, since the parties involved and that kid Sakumo were present, and there was no substantial evidence, he couldn't say anything.

But he still felt that it was that brat who did it.

"Hey... Kima, go and remind Hiruzen to deal with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and some other smaller clans as soon as possible. The Hokage position can't be left vacant any longer."

Mito Uzumaki sighed helplessly and said to Tsunade's father, "I was originally thinking of letting Hiruzen Sarutobi handle it himself, but it seems that won't work now. That kid has too many tricks up his sleeve. Who knows what other crazy ideas that kid will come up with if we keep talking? In the end, she will be the one with a headache. It's better to let Hiruzen Sarutobi take over and let him have his own headache."

Once the Hokage takes over, regardless of whether the Kazekage takes over or not, when the Sand Village comes to negotiate, just have their people take that brat away, so she won't have to worry about him anymore.

Shouldn't such a prodigy be Konoha's exclusive domain? How did he end up in Sunagakure...?

73. Hatake Sakumo: He's the murderer!

"What? You mean the Hokage already finalized it last night? σ(⊙▽⊙a”).

"Sigh...yes! I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. It's a pity it wasn't Lord Danzo; I can't fight him all the way to the moon..."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi acted quickly. When Tsunade's father told him what to do, he went to the Ino-Shika-Cho triad that same day and talked to the three leaders of the Ino-Shika-Cho triad. Anyway, when he came out, the leaders of the Ino-Shika-Cho triad all expressed their support for the Second Hokage's last wish and supported his ascension to the throne.

That same night, he went to the Uchiha clan to see his best friend. The two talked about something, and the next morning, the Uchiha also expressed their support for Hiruzen Sarutobi to take the throne. Seeing that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and the Uchiha clan were both supporting Hiruzen Sarutobi, the remaining smaller clans naturally followed suit. As for the Hyuga clan, since they were almost wiped out by Madara during the war years but were fortunate to have Hashirama Senju's help, they had been following in the footsteps of the Senju clan all these years. The Senju clan, needless to say, naturally followed their leader's last wishes. So while Danzo was happily preparing to wait for Mito Uzumaki to come out and change the will, and he was also preparing to put on his long-prepared Hokage robe and ascend the throne, his childhood sweetheart had already given his acceptance speech that very night.

When the Hokage was chosen the next day, some people in Konoha were surprised by how quickly the person in charge was selected, while others felt sorry for Danzo, who could not achieve his great ambitions.

However, now that the Hokage has been chosen, it's no use feeling sorry for them. They are just ordinary people in the village, and it's not up to them to decide who will be in charge.

"Damn it! How could this happen!!!! o(▼皿▼メ;)o"

"boom!"

Meanwhile, within the Shimura clan, Danzo, one of the main characters of the fishing boat, was furiously destroying the house. Just a day ago, he was still dreaming of wearing a dragon robe, wielding power over the world, and having a beautiful woman by his side. But when he woke up, his underling came to tell him that he didn't need to dream anymore, because the Hokage candidate had been announced last night, and his good buddy was preparing for the coronation ceremony!

This drastic disparity nearly drove Danzo insane. When he learned that his best friend had gone to recruit the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and kidnap the Uchiha clan, he hadn't even bothered to comfort him. This made Danzo feel like he'd been taken advantage of for years. "I treated you like a best friend, and you bastard, you didn't even bother to comfort me about something this big..."

Just a hair's breadth away! He was so close to leading Konoha to the moon! (▼皿▼#)

......

Inside a hotel in Konoha, Shinto lay lazily on the bed.

Disappointed!

Upon hearing the news that Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to take over, Shinto was very disappointed in Danzo!

Although he knew Danzo was destined for this fate, he still thought that with his help, Danzo would cooperate with him and do something to cause trouble in Konoha for a while. However, this useless teammate did nothing for several days and just stayed in Gari dreaming.

No wonder this guy, who has been Konoha's most famous friend of villains for so many years, still doesn't have a single teammate and is basically a solo player. Anyone who tries to team up with this kind of terrible teammate knows how bad he is!

"You were the one who caused Danzo's affair, weren't you...?"

Sakumo Hatake appeared in his room at some point, looking at him with an expression that said, "I knew it was you."

Although he had been studying hard and sweating it out at home these days, Danzo's words about leading Konoha to fight to the moon had spread like wildfire throughout the village, making it hard for him not to know. At first, he really thought that these words came from Danzo, after all, Danzo had always been quite radical, so it was normal for him to have such thoughts.

But when he came to his senses, he realized something was amiss; the idea of ​​hitting the moon was clearly an exaggerated way of expressing his ambition.

But it wasn't that he looked down on Danzo; Danzo genuinely didn't have such literary talent, and this whole affair reeked of that guy's aura.

Of all the people he knew, only that guy who could chat with the Raikage on their first meeting would utter such boastful words. Moreover, last night, as the head of the Hatake clan, even though he was young, he was invited to the Hokage Building for the election meeting. There, through the thorough analysis of Mito-sama and the new Hokage, his guess was confirmed: he was here on Kima-sama's orders to send this guy away, to prevent him from causing trouble in their village again. Judging from Kima-sama's attitude, if he didn't want to start a war, he would have summoned the Grim Reaper to send him away...

As soon as he entered, he saw the guy lying listlessly on the bed, looking like his plan had been ruined. This made Hatake Sakumo even more certain that he was the murderer!

"Next time you show up, at least make some noise first. If I'm doing something inappropriate for children in my room, it'll be really awkward when we meet... Tell me, Danzo from your village is truly useless. Both are disciples of Tobirama Senju, but the difference is so huge. Tobirama is giving him assists, but this guy can't even get a free win. He deserves to be a little brother forever..."

Shinto rolled his eyes at Hatake Sakumo, neither admitting nor denying it. He didn't intend to hide it for long, especially since old shrewd people like Uzumaki Mito had too many flaws. If they thought about it carefully, they would find something was wrong. This fight would only cause some minor trouble for Konoha, and it wouldn't cause any loss to Konoha. He also had the title of the First Kazekage's nephew and the great genius of Sunagakure. As long as the people of Konoha didn't want to start a war, they wouldn't treat him like this.

"...I'm not very familiar with Danzo, and I don't know much about him. I'm here to inform you that your Sunagakure's negotiation team has already departed and will arrive in Konoha soon. Your time in Konoha is running out..."

Hatake Sakumo just rolled his eyes at this guy's words. "I'm a Konoha person too, after all. Is it really okay for you to say these things to my face? If it weren't for not wanting to start a war, Lord Koma would have already come and unleashed his ultimate attack..." ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

"Don't be so sad. Konoha is a really nice place. I'll come and stay for a while whenever I have time..."

Seeing Sakumo Hatake's expression, Masato thought he was reluctant to part with his teammate, so he got out of bed and patted him on the shoulder in a very old-fashioned manner.

Sakumo Hatake: ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

74. Hai Zang: Those cowards don't dare to rebel!

He had wasted his time in Konoha. He had thought he could get to know Tsunade better, but it turned out that either Tsunade's father was keeping a close eye on her or Tobirama Senju had died and Tsunade was too heartbroken to go out to the casino. Anyway, he wandered around Konoha but didn't run into her. He went to the Senju clan to look for her.

He's just thinking about it. He doesn't have his father's power yet. If he went to his father's house, he'd probably get beaten up.

This is where the difficulty lies in his pursuit of Tsunade; he lacks inherent advantages, even though he's from an enemy village...