Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

These things are no secret among the higher-ups in Konoha; a little inquiry is all it takes to find out.

1072. Danzo only wants to make money now.

Shinto was stunned and speechless for a long time after hearing what Sakumo Hatake said. This half of Konoha was so poor that he was almost selling his underwear. This was something he had never expected.

Danzo had served as the Hokage's chief assistant for decades, and was also Hiruzen Sarutobi's best friend. Everyone knew how much Hiruzen Sarutobi protected him when he was still alive. Putting aside everything else, just look at the trouble Danzo caused during the Second Shinobi World War. If it were anyone else from another village, they would have been killed as traitors long ago. But Danzo got away scot-free and returned to Konoha to continue living a carefree life, still the chief advisor second only to the Hokage.

But now it's said that Danzo can barely support his own roots.

This... was something he hadn't expected at all.

With Nawaki's rise to power and Tsunade's return, Danzo is bound to have a tough time. He could guess that with his eyes closed. After all, back then, Danzo was fooled by him using Madara's name and attacked Nawaki. This matter has always been a knot in Tsunade's heart. It was only because Senju and Senju's parents helped Nawaki from below that Danzo failed. However, Nawaki is Tsunade's weakness, and that's not an exaggeration at all. Now that the siblings are back and Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead, it would be strange if Tsunade gave Danzo a good look.

However, he had considered that Tsunade might storm into Root masked and give Danzo a few more iron punches, leaving him bedridden for a year or two. He just hadn't expected that Danzo would be unable to support his underlings because his two friends' power had been usurped.

This wasn't mentioned in the original work either. In the original work, Danzo was so carefree. It's probably because after the Uchiha clan was wiped out, Danzo took over all of the Uchiha's assets. That's why Konoha suffered so much in the original work, but Danzo was still living a carefree life.

Finally, when the rice-carrying foreman came to deliver the rice, Tsunade fell into a coma due to overexertion. Danzo was able to take the opportunity to show off his skills as a Naruto character. Although he was eventually killed by the second male lead, he was still much better off than Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen Sarutobi died without taking a single hair with him, while Danzo was able to take half a bridge pier with him as a burial offering.

Looking at Danzo's eventful life in the original work, nothing like what has happened before has ever occurred. So how did it turn out like this?

It's impossible that Danzo wasn't involved in the annihilation of the Uchiha clan. After all, Itachi wasn't good at prolonged battles. Even if he lined up to be killed by so many Uchiha, he would have been exhausted. Besides, the Uchiha clan wasn't a bunch of pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

Therefore, Danzo must have thoroughly investigated the Uchiha clan's wealth during the massacre of the Uchiha clan. As for how much wealth the Uchiha clan possessed, it's hard to estimate. As one of the top super-powerful clans in the ninja world that has stood the test of time for hundreds of years, their wealth is considerable. With the Uchiha clan's wealth, Danzo shouldn't have any financial problems!

However, Shinto didn't know that if the original plot had unfolded as it was, Danzo would indeed have been able to plunder the wealth left behind by the Uchiha clan. How could a brat like Shinto, who lived in hatred all day long, possibly be a match for an old fox like Danzo?

Hiruzen Sarutobi would naturally turn a blind eye to his good friend Danzo. After all, the Uchiha clan had been wiped out, and Itachi Uchiha's "Infernal Affairs" was in the works. He didn't have the mind to pay much attention to Danzo, his good friend. Besides, Konoha was the largest village in the ninja world, so it wasn't short of money.

However, the situation in Konoha at that time was very different from that in the original story. Although the Nine-Tails Night in the original story caused heavy casualties in Konoha, it did not cause too much damage to Konoha because the Nine-Tails was transferred out of Konoha not long after it appeared.

However, in reality, because of his appearance, a battle was fought between Konoha and the Nine-Tails, turning Konoha into a battlefield. Although the casualties were not as great as in the original story, the destructive power was much greater. There was not a single intact building in Konoha, which led to the complete reconstruction of Konoha. Naturally, Konoha needed money to rebuild. Over the years, several leaps and the reconstruction during the Nine-Tails Night completely wiped out Konoha's wealth, and it took many years to recover.

So after the Uchiha clan was wiped out, there was no need for Hiruzen Sarutobi to say anything. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were faster than Danzo. While Danzo was still having his Root underlings collect Sharingan, the Uchiha clan's wealth had already been confiscated by Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. When Danzo remembered, he sent his underlings to the Uchiha clan's warehouse, but they didn't even get a hair.

However, we didn't think much about it during the team battles back then. The logistics were handled by the two teammates. When we ran out of money, we would just deliver some gifts and submit a report.

This is also why Tsunade took over the logistics department and ignored Danzo. Danzo's Root immediately fell into a financial crisis. Now, let alone tailed beasts, Danzo, who can barely support his underlings, only wants to make money.

However, since Tsunade returned to Konoha, she has kept a close eye on Danzo and his Root organization. The now-corrupted Danzo doesn't understand legitimate ways to make money, and legal businesses are too slow and don't suit his villainous persona. Besides, he has so many people in Root waiting to be supported; slow profits are unacceptable. But quick money-making schemes are almost always shady dealings, and Tsunade is keeping a close watch on him, just waiting for a legitimate reason to take him down...

......

"Lord Danzo, Takikage has already entered our Land of Fire and intends to pass through our Land of Fire on his way back to Takigakure."

"That brat Tsunade... (-"- Angry)"

At the root of Konoha, Danzo sat on his dragon throne, scratching his thinning hair. Hearing his subordinate Aburame Torune's report, he was about to give the order to take action when he remembered that Tsunade was watching him. He was so angry that he slapped his thigh.

Originally, Shiki had his own ideas about having a tailed beast under his control, but considering the lesson of the Seven-Tails back then, and without any good buddies protecting him now, if it happened again, it might not be as simple as kneeling on durians.

So he gave up after thinking about it. Now all he wants to do is make money, and make a lot of money!

After his rebuilding twenty years ago, and with so many years of steady development, Root's current strength surpasses that of the group wiped out in the Land of Water. Leaving aside the messy Sharingan experiments, just supporting such a large group is a considerable expense. Furthermore, while Nawaki and Tsunade were still away, Koharu and Homura had lavishly spent money at his place, and now, with Tsunade targeting them and funding cut off, Root's expenses have been covered by the Shimura clan. But how can the small Shimura clan possibly sustain such a large expenditure? Even if he's currently surviving on plain porridge, steamed buns, and expired rations, the Shimura clan will run out of food in ten to fifteen days...

this.

1073. This is even cooler than Danzo shooting down the moon.

So when Danzo heard that Takikage had bought the tailed beast from Shiki for 10 billion, his mind started to race.

He was too lazy to think about tailed beasts anymore, but this tailed beast was worth a hundred billion!

If he had 10 billion, Tsunade wouldn't be able to target him!

Of course, Golden Lion didn't need to even think about the 10 billion he had. That guy had turned Shennong, who had just become a Jinchūriki, into an idiot with just a few punches, showing that Golden Lion's output was still incredibly powerful. Although his underlings were not bad, and were stronger than the original batch, they were just cannon fodder against Golden Lion.

So he set his sights on this Takikage. Putting aside the fact that Takikage's performance at the auction, where he asked for 10 billion, proved that he had more than 10 billion, or even more. Secondly, there was the tailed beast in Takikage's possession. Even if he didn't use it to train his subordinates, he could easily sell it to those small ninja villages for several billion, if not 10 billion.

Once he gets the money, he can escape his current predicament.

After learning that Takikage was being surrounded by a group of leaders from small ninja villages and bounty hunters, Danzo immediately ordered Aburame Torune to find out Takikage's location and see if they could take him down!

Now that Takikage's location has been found, Danzo was about to order Aburame to lead the men to attack when he remembered that Tsunade was watching his Root. He wondered if Tsunade would find an excuse to attack him once they made a move, which made Danzo so angry that his teeth ached.

She mentally cursed the entire female family of that masked man who swaggered around under the guise of Uchiha Madara. She shouldn't have listened to that bastard's nonsense and went to attack Nawaki back then. Now, not only did she fail to take down Nawaki, but she also attracted Tsunade's relentless targeting.

"Snapped!"

"Bring Takikage and the Jinchuriki back to me. Be discreet so Tsunade doesn't find out..."

But when he thought that in a few days he wouldn't even be able to afford plain porridge and steamed buns, Danzo gritted his teeth. He thought, "How many more decades do I have left in my life? I'm already seventy. If I don't fight now, I'll never have another chance."

The bold get rich while the timid starve—damn it!

.......

"Jiraiya sent me a message: Do you know anything about the Akatsuki organization in the Land of Rain? What is that old man Hanzo doing, that he allowed such a terrifying organization to emerge in his country..."

Inside the Hokage Building, Tsunade was calmly and skillfully counting banknotes, while Sakumo Hatake was also resting with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the mountain of banknotes piled up in front of him.

The fact that the two of them didn't care about the mountain of banknotes in front of them left Nawaki, who was wearing a Hokage robe but didn't look like Minato Namikaze, dumbfounded.

He and his older sister had frequented various casinos for many years, and now he was the Hokage. He had seen all sorts of ups and downs, but this was the first time he had ever seen so much cash. The visual impact was just too great.

It's one thing to be calm about Brother Sakumo; although the Hatake clan has a small population, they are a traditional wealthy family, so it's not surprising that they have such composure. But his older sister remained as calm as a rock in the face of so much cash, and he admired her composure immensely!

However, Tsunade seemed distracted. She appeared to be counting money, but in reality, she was thinking about the news her friends had sent her. Itachi Uchiha, Kisame from Kirigakure, Sasori from Sand, and Deidara, Onoki's Explosion Release disciple—all of these people were from the Akatsuki organization in the Land of Rain. Her thoughts were the same as her friends': such a terrifying lineup was nothing more than rogue ninja banding together for warmth. Nobody would believe it.

"...Now I won't hide it from you anymore. I know a bit about the Akatsuki organization, but I haven't had much contact with them. After all, when I went to find Sasori to bring him back to the village to have a child with Shuri, I only went there once. Back then, the Akatsuki wasn't as large as it is now. I only met the two leaders and Sasori. Until recently, Sasori sent a message to his father that the purpose of the Akatsuki was to capture tailed beasts to create super nuclear weapons to destroy the world. However, since there's no evidence and I always feel that their goal is too... chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur), even my idol Madara didn't dare to say he wanted to destroy the world. With their few muskets, it's impossible. So I haven't paid much attention to it. As for Itachi and the others joining the organization, I only found out from Jiraiya."

"As for Hanzo of the Salamander, I estimate he's long dead. After all, I had a pretty good relationship with him. Back then, my younger brother was passing through the Land of Rain and he even got to drink with him. But Hanzo of the Salamander hasn't contacted me for many years. And when I went to the Land of Rain, I didn't see Hanzo of the Salamander. But that's the Land of Rain's internal affair, and it's not appropriate for an outsider like me to interfere. Just like when Hanzo of the Salamander killed the previous leader and took over, and the Akatsuki's lineup wasn't very strong back then. But after Jiraiya mentioned Itachi Uchiha and the others to me, I realized that with their current lineup, it might not be impossible for them to destroy the world."

Shindou nodded indifferently, saying that he couldn't remember exactly how Konoha knew the Akatsuki's goal was the Tailed Beasts in the original story. It was possible that Itachi Uchiha had relayed it, but perhaps because he had gone to chat with them last time, Itachi hadn't had time to pass it on to Kakashi before leaving. As a result, Tsunade and the others didn't seem to know the Akatsuki's purpose yet. However, the story had progressed to this point, so it didn't matter if he told them the Akatsuki's purpose. After all, it seemed that the Nine-Tails inside the Savior's body was only taken down when the Fourth Shinobi World War started. As for Konoha reminding the other villages, it wouldn't make a difference. Putting aside whether Onoki and the Raikage believed it or not, even if they did believe Konoha's explanation, with the Akatsuki's current lineup, they wouldn't be able to stop them from taking down the Tailed Beasts.

"Hmm...that's pretty cringeworthy...What?! They're going to capture the Tailed Beasts and destroy the world?"

Nawaki nodded in agreement as usual when he heard his future brother-in-law's words, but then he realized what he meant and stared at his future brother-in-law in disbelief. Even Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake looked over in shock.

The news shocked the three of them so much they almost fell over. This was even more awesome than Danzo's dream of hitting the moon!

Even after receiving Jiraiya's message, Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake, upon seeing the terrifying lineup of the so-called Akatsuki, wouldn't have considered the possibility of world destruction. After all, the ninja world had existed for countless years, and they had never heard of anyone planning to destroy it. They assumed the Akatsuki was just trying the old trick of creating chaos in the ninja world to seize power and eventually unify it. They never expected the Akatsuki's ambition to be so vast...

That's truly unbelievable.

1074. Your perspective is determined by your position; Rope Tree finally understood.

"Although it's hard to believe, that's what Sasori really said back then. After all, his wife Shuri is the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. Don't let his deadpan expression fool you; no one is without feelings... And if what Jiraiya said is true, then with their current lineup, they do have that opportunity."

Masato shrugged and said.

"Snapped!"

"Nawaki, immediately send someone to inform the three major villages of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure, and tell them the Akatsuki's purpose!"

Tsunade, unable to sit still any longer due to her fiery temper, slammed her hand on the table and said to Nawaki, "I've stopped counting the money."

To be honest, she couldn't believe it either. After all, destroying the world wasn't that easy. But according to Shinto's analysis, the Akatsuki's current lineup was capable of gathering so many super rogue ninjas together. The leader of the Akatsuki was definitely not simple. Such a terrifying lineup could sweep through any village they faced. Capturing the tailed beasts would be too easy for them.

"It's no use. First, the Akatsuki organization hasn't made a move yet, and we don't have any evidence. Second, the Raikage is arrogant, and Onoki is too scheming; even if we notify them, they won't believe us."

Hatake Sakumo shook his head and said that although it was hard to believe that someone wanted to destroy the world, such a terrifying lineup was right in front of him, so he had no choice but to believe it. However, he would let go of Tsunade's suggestion to notify the other villages. He hadn't had much dealings with the Fourth Raikage, but he had dealt with Onoki a lot. Given Onoki's personality, as long as it was something Konoha said, even if there was evidence, Onoki would still suspect what Konoha was up to.

"Sakumo is right, your idea is good, but unrealistic. And... have you guys noticed something? In the entire ninja world, if we're talking about who understands the Tailed Beasts the most, besides the Tailed Beasts themselves, it's me. The Tailed Beasts are indeed strong, but even the strongest Nine-Tails was easily defeated by me back then. To be honest, even if all nine Tailed Beasts combined their powers and created some kind of super nuclear warhead, it's not necessarily enough to destroy the world, right? And the most crucial question is, where did the Tailed Beasts get their method for creating world-destroying weapons? I'm not bragging, I've studied the Tailed Beasts for decades, and Orochimaru is also incredibly knowledgeable, right? Even he and I don't know how to use the Tailed Beasts to create world-destroying weapons, so how did the leader of the Akatsuki know? Don't you guys find that strange?"

"Furthermore, I've met the leader of this Akatsuki organization, and my impression of him is that he's practically illiterate. I'd be lucky if he could even write his own name. How could someone so illiterate come up with such a sophisticated plan?"

Masato pulled Tsunade down to sit and explained.

“…”

Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake nodded in agreement, finding some merit in their analysis. In the ninja world today, this guy was the one who had dealt with the Tailed Beasts the most. Over the years, he had defeated several of the nine Tailed Beasts. Moreover, they had also seen the Tailed Beasts. Although the Tailed Beasts were very powerful, the strongest among them was the Nine-Tails, and the weakest was the One-Tails. The One-Tails was several times stronger than the Nine-Tails, and the difference between them was not as simple as just having a few fewer tails.

While the Nine-Tails is indeed powerful, it is far from being capable of destroying the world. The other tailed beasts are far inferior to the Nine-Tails in terms of power. Even if the power of the nine tailed beasts were combined, it would be impossible to achieve the power to destroy the world.

World destruction?

That means wiping out all living beings in the ninja world. That's what world-destroying means. The tailed beasts' strength levels are uneven, so they clearly don't meet that requirement.

And while this guy was exaggerating a bit, what he said was also true. Tailed beasts have existed for hundreds or even thousands of years. Even the tailed beast that this guy recently sold to Takikage, which was formed from the Sage of Six Paths' inflated energy, has existed for hundreds of years. How could a leader of the Akatsuki organization know about the method of using tailed beasts to create world-destroying weapons?

Don't say you found it in a book. Like this guy said, Orochimaru has read so many books over the years, what book in the ninja world hasn't he read? If even Orochimaru can't find it, then this becomes the biggest point.

"Is it possible that their goal is fake, just a diversion, and that they have some other real purpose?"

Despite being beaten by Tsunade for decades, Nawaki's brain hasn't gone dull; on the contrary, it seems to have become more intelligent, and he's almost at the truth of the matter.

It's true what they say, your perspective is determined by your position. Before, with my older sister protecting me and not being the Hokage, I was carefree and didn't need to think much. Now that I'm the Hokage, my brain is getting sharper and sharper...

"Probably not. According to what Handsome Scorpion said, the leader gathered them together with the intention of having them capture the Tailed Beasts. So the goal of capturing the Tailed Beasts should not change."

Masato glanced at Nawaki with surprise and explained.

As expected, people are forced to their limits. If Tsunade hadn't forced Nawaki to become Hokage, she probably wouldn't have such a clear thought process. She's almost guessed the plan of the Six Paths' mother's will. Reviving the Ten-Tails to destroy the world is a pretense; the real purpose is for her to come out and destroy the world.

"You mean there's someone behind the Akatsuki organization? Could it be that Uchiha from back then?"

Sakumo Hatake immediately understood what he meant, and then frowned, the image of the Uchiha clan that had appeared in the Land of Water popping into his mind.

At first, he thought that the person who controlled the Nine-Tails during the Nine-Tails Night was a wild Uchiha from the Land of Water. But then he thought about it and realized that it wasn't. When the Uchiha who controlled the Nine-Tails during the Nine-Tails Night fought Minato, he didn't use any powerful Fire Release techniques.

"That's possible. Back then, I also thought that the Uchiha who controlled the Nine-Tails on the night of the Nine-Tails was him. But something didn't feel right. The Uchiha who controlled the Nine-Tails was much weaker than the Uchiha who fought me in the Land of Water. I haven't seen any trace of him all these years. Such a powerful person hiding in the shadows must have some big plan. If it's connected to the Akatsuki's plan to destroy the world, then it makes sense. If he wasn't the kind of person who hates heaven and earth, it would be impossible for such a powerful person to hide in the ninja world for decades."

Masato echoed what Sakumo Hatake had said.

"So what do we do now? We know their plan, we can't just do nothing, can we?"

Tsunade said somewhat irritably, stuffing the mountain of banknotes in front of her into the sealing scroll without bothering to count them. After all, they were all going to be given away anyway, so why bother counting them...

"What else can we do? We'll just have to deal with whatever comes our way. We can't control the tailed beasts of the other villages anyway. Konoha can keep an eye on the Nine-Tails, and Sunagakure can keep an eye on the One-Tail and Seven-Tails. As long as we don't let them gather all nine tailed beasts, then that world-destroying nuclear warhead is just empty talk. However, luring out that Uchiha hiding in the shadows is impossible. Unless he reveals himself, finding him is harder than climbing to heaven."

1075. This guy is fucking despicable.

"Since you knew their target was the Tailed Beast, why did you sell it to Takikage? They couldn't protect that Tailed Beast."

Tsunade said irritably.

The origin of the tailed beast in Takikage's hand has spread throughout the ninja world: the bloating in the Sage of Six Paths' stomach. Although this sounds far-fetched, even the tailed beasts can't find a reason to refute it. After all, the Sage of Six Paths was old and could indeed have indigestion. And since the Sage of Six Paths could give birth to nine of them, it doesn't seem impossible that the bloating would transform into tailed beasts. Although they are different species, it is indeed a fact that they were born from the Sage of Six Paths.

Even the Tailed Beasts couldn't refute this origin. Even if they thought it was far-fetched, they could only reluctantly believe it. It was because they believed that the Tailed Beast in Shinto's hands was a real Tailed Beast that Tsunade, who had already put the money back into the sealing scroll, started to complain again. Although it was fine as long as the Akatsuki couldn't capture all nine Tailed Beasts and couldn't create the world-destroying weapon, wouldn't it be better to have one more Tailed Beast that wasn't captured?