I have a bunch of relatives who want to become Hokage.

As one of the five great powers, if even their bottom line is known to others, what's the point of playing games?

Chapter Forty-Eight: Visiting the Roots

After a heated exchange, the first round of talks between Konoha and Kirigakure came to an end, and everyone got up and dispersed.

Contrary to his submissive and conciliatory demeanor during the talks, the Watermelon Pufferfish Demon was now in a fit of impotent rage, acting as if nothing had happened.

No one was surprised.

We're all just working, why be so serious? Just do your best.

The thought of earning another two billion for the Land of Fire filled Danzo Shimura with a great sense of accomplishment.

He was exhausted during that time; foreign intelligence work is very demanding.

The only thing he wasn't entirely satisfied with was that the Uchiha clan had actually participated today. Although Nara Shikaku said he would explain, he still had reservations about it.

These ninja clans will still stick together when it matters.

However, the ninja clan is ultimately a remnant of the previous era, and in an era dominated by a single country and village, it would generally decline.

His clan, Shimura, disintegrated over the past few decades.

Some of his clansmen hoped he would help, but he refused.

Old things should be buried. Who was Shimura Danzo? He wanted to be Hokage because he felt that his methods were the right ones for Konoha.

Why cling to that tiny patch of land? What's wrong with being an ordinary member of the village? The village isn't so stingy as to not reward merit for achievements. Why do you have to rely on a ninja clan to dare to compete with non-ninja clan ninjas?

Just look at the Sarutobi clan. How many truly capable people do they have now? They can't withstand any storms. It's only because Hiruzen is protecting them that they'll suffer in the future.

only……

The Uchiha and Hyuga clans are still as strong as ever.

Especially the Uchiha.

However, Danzo Shimura did not harbor malice towards the Uchiha because of their strength.

He hadn't forgotten how overjoyed the clan was after the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, sacrificed himself for the village, and how eager they were to seize the highest power in the village.

The Senju Mori, who was also one of the founders, did not do that.

If Senju Mori hadn't still been around at the time, he and Hiruzen might not have been able to hold their ground.

At the time, other ninja clans were also eager to make a move, but they weren't as open about it as the Uchiha.

Since then, the Uchiha clan has repeatedly tried to challenge the authority of the Hokage Building using their crude methods. However, they have never understood that the Uchiha clan is the least likely to produce a Hokage in Konoha, and no one wants to see a Hokage with the surname Uchiha.

However, the First Hokage made Hokage a shared dream for all Konoha people, including the Uchiha. Shimura Danzo knew this well; Hokage was less of a dream and more of a belief.

Isn't he also deeply involved?

Therefore, this clan became the biggest hidden danger in the village.

The sooner this kind of thing is resolved, the better. Unfortunately, the Uchiha clan has produced a constant stream of geniuses, and they are also very united.

However, Danzo Shimura was still undecided about the matter. After all, someone like Kagami had emerged in this generation of Uchiha, and Danzo Shimura also felt regret for his comrade who died young.

Your descendants really do resemble you. If you were alive, would things be different now?

When Shimura Danzo first saw the descendants of that realm, even his heart, which was as hard as stone, wavered slightly.

But that's all there is to it.

He couldn't bring himself to trust the Uchiha.

In the darkness of the ninja world, no one has the right to trust others.

After leaving the Hokage Building, Danzo Shimura returned to his lair under the escort of Root ninjas.

Sitting down in his office, Danzo Shimura didn't immediately deal with the documents on his desk. Instead, he slammed his cane down heavily.

"Where is Orochimaru? Has he forgotten his mission? Hiruzen sent him to be my bodyguard, and I need to see him now."

Someone quickly left in the darkness.

Only then did Shimura Danzo begin to process the documents.

Orochimaru has been acting increasingly outrageously lately.

Of Hiruzen's disciples, the only one he couldn't understand was Orochimaru, but he knew one thing: Orochimaru couldn't do without his support.

Just as he was the only high-ranking official to support Orochimaru's candidacy for Hokage, he was Orochimaru's only ally in this village.

Although it was something that had to be done out of necessity.

Surprisingly, it was Minato Namikaze, that junior, who took over.

That's hilarious.

After a while, a tall, thin figure emerged from the darkness.

"Danzo." Orochimaru's figure looked eerie in the shadows, but this aura had no effect on Shimura Danzo.

"You did another experiment?" Shimura Danzo looked at him coldly. "You dared to go to a meeting after finishing an experiment? If I hadn't ordered someone to clean up, you would have been discovered."

"This material isn't suitable for long-term storage; it will affect the results," Orochimaru said calmly. "Besides, I'm not your subordinate; you only need to provide the material."

"Heh..." Shimura Danzo put down his pen, his gaze turning cold. "Orochimaru, don't try that on me."

"What do you want?" Orochimaru asked noncommittally.

"What did you think of that Uchiha guy today?"

"Oh? He's the next subject?"

"Did you ruin your brain with all that experimentation? I'm asking you, is it possible to get him here with me?"

"My teacher would never agree to let the Uchiha join the Anbu." Orochimaru immediately lost interest.

Root was originally just a training institution for the Anbu, but because Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality and abilities were not enough to manage overseas intelligence work, this function of the Anbu was taken over by Danzo Shimura and incorporated into the functions of "Root".

As things have developed to this point, the "root" has essentially become independent, existing in a state of non-interference with the "dark side," with only a nominal subordinate relationship.

The increase in functions led to a shortage of talent. Thanks to Danzo Shimura's efforts, various ninja clans provided talent, but this did not include the Hyuga and Uchiha clans.

Now that Danzo Shimura is getting older, the complexity of overseas intelligence work makes him feel that the resources he currently has are still insufficient.

If there were Uchiha or Hyuga... no, just Uchiha would be enough.

Hinata might not necessarily be suited for work within Root.

Overseas special operations are also a function of Root, and the Hyuga are far inferior to the Uchiha in this regard.

That so-called Prajna Sect dared to play a honey trap with Konoha last time. We must wipe them out, otherwise what will become of Konoha's prestige?

Those rats are quite good at hiding; if I had the power of the Sharingan, I could probably find them very quickly.

They must die as early as possible, and as tragically as possible!

"Although I don't know what you're planning, you know the Uchiha clan's nature very well, right?" Orochimaru licked his lips. "Otherwise, I would have already made my move."

"Forget it, I can't explain it to you. The lab will be moving, so you should keep quiet for a while." Shimura Danzo was now genuinely regretting bringing Orochimaru into this.

This guy is getting more and more unrestrained these days.

However, without Orochimaru, the experiment would not have progressed to its current stage.

bother!

After ending his unpleasant conversation with Orochimaru, and watching one of the three legendary Sannin, a Kage-level powerhouse, walk away without a care, Shimura Danzo decided to deal with the Hannya group first.

Just as he was figuring out how to argue with Hiruzen Sarutobi, a Root ninja appeared in front of him and knelt down.

"explain."

"Lord Danzo, the Third Hokage has arrived with Suigetsu Hozuki from Kirigakure. They say they have important matters to discuss with you."

“I don’t have time to talk to the Mist Ninja about compensation. Did they say what it was? If it’s compensation, tell them that money is not negotiable. If we can’t reach an agreement, we’ll fight again.”

"The Third Hokage said it concerns the Fourth Mizukage. Suigetsu Hozuki hopes to cooperate with Konoha to investigate the truth."

"Bring him in immediately!"

Chapter 49 Even the Hokage is no good

The talks between Konoha and Kirigakure lasted a full month, with both sides racking their brains to secure the greatest possible benefits for themselves. However, starting from the second round of talks, no one from the Uchiha clan was allowed to participate anymore.

Uchiha Shingen didn't care about this. He was only able to participate before because of Nara Shikaku. Obviously, the Hokage Building was keeping a close watch on this and would never allow the Uchiha clan to have the opportunity to participate in Konoha's major decision-making.

Tobirama Senju's principle of "exchange" has become a powerful inertia after being strengthened during the era of the Third Hokage. The strength of this inertia lies in the fact that it makes people, including the Uchiha clan themselves, take this situation for granted.

This further confirms Uchiha Shingen's view that the Uchiha clan cannot change their political environment in Konoha by relying on the Fourth Hokage's "closeness".

Getting close is just a means; Minato Namikaze and the Third Hokage's group are of the same lineage, and the people who make up this group are still the same people. The fundamental policies will not change.

It has nothing to do with feelings about the Uchiha clan; it's just that everyone is used to it.

Minato Namikaze got used to it, and so did the Uchiha clan.

However, on the day the first round of meetings ended, several high-ranking officials still spoke with Uchiha Shingen to learn about the meeting's content.

This is certainly not a happy thing for the Uchiha clan.

In the battle against the Hidden Mist Village, the Uchiha clan was the main force on the front line. However, when it came to formal negotiations with the Hidden Mist Village, they didn't even have the right to participate as observers. They were only able to get into the first round thanks to Nara Shikaku's last-minute decision. It's understandable that they were unhappy.

If you don't attend the meeting, you won't know the true outcome of the negotiations, and naturally you won't be able to gain any benefits; at best, you can only protect what you deserve.

The Uchiha clan is large and wealthy, and no one would complain about having too much wealth.

With more wealth, we can support a larger population and train more ninjas.

Back then, among the Konoha ninja clans, the Senju and Uchiha clans were the most prosperous and had the most ninjas. Now, the Sarutobi clan is number one, the Hyuga clan is number two, and the Uchiha clan can only rank third.

Putting the Hyuga aside, those who know, know how the Sarutobi clan has grown so large over the years.

However, the Uchiha clan has matured somewhat now. Even though they know that the reparations from the Land of Water will be around 20 billion, they haven't made any rash noises.

Otherwise, the Hokage Building could easily label the Uchiha clan as "greedy" simply by saying, "There are places in the village where money is needed everywhere, and it's not just the Uchiha clan that have lost members."

This kind of scenario has happened countless times before.

Uchiha Shingen was pleased that the Uchiha's higher-ups had finally matured. Otherwise, with his current setting as a teenager, it would be awkward for him to be constantly advising a bunch of middle-aged men or old men not to be impulsive, to be calm, and to be mature...