Back on the battlefields of the Land of Frost, if Mei Terumi hadn't held off Killer Bee, the entire Konohagakure command center in the Land of Frost would have been decimated. Ino and Karin, who played pivotal roles there, would never have been spared!
In the subsequent battles against the Eight-Tails and Kakuzu, Mei Terumi had also contributed immensely.
If she were a spy, then we'd better have a few more like her!
"So, how is Mei now?"
Thinking of that woman in the blue dress, Kakashi's mind was in a knot.
"She's fine. She didn't resist and is being quite cooperative while held in the Torture and Interrogation Force."
"Because of her military service, those in the Interrogation Force haven't dared to use torture on her."
Jiraiya signaled for Kakashi to quiet down and then continued:
"It's not just Mei Terumi. Ino of the Yamanaka clan was also visited by the Interrogation Force at her home."
"They claimed the girl had a Puppet Technique formula implanted by enemy forces and needed to be detained. Even Inoichi himself wasn't spared."
Jiraiya's words made Kakashi clench his fists.
This was absolute nonsense!
Forget Ino for a moment—who was Inoichi Yamanaka?
He was a veteran Jonin mastered in the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques, and more importantly, he was the head of the Yamanaka clan! How could he possibly have been implanted with a Puppet Technique formula by an enemy?
"Even the Senju residence was visited by members of Root, attempting to arrest Karin. Fortunately, Karin isn't in Konoha right now, and Tsunade threw all of them out of the estate."
At the mention of Tsunade, Jiraiya couldn't help but offer a helpless smile.
"Even Karin..."
Kakashi understood completely now. This was Danzo Shimura purging his political opponents.
"For now, he doesn't dare move against Tsunade or me, but soon it should be the turn of—"
Knock, knock, knock—
Before Jiraiya could finish his sentence, the door to the tavern's private room was knocked. Without waiting for permission from Jiraiya or Kakashi, the door was violently pushed open.
Three Root members, dressed in ANBU gear and wearing striped masks, appeared before them.
"Hatake Kakashi, you are suspected of having an unknown force plant a Puppet Technique formula on you. You are required to come with us now."
"This is the detention notice."
Without waiting for either Jiraiya or Kakashi to speak, the Root member displayed a document approved by the Torture and Interrogation Force for his arrest.
"This is a joke," Kakashi whispered, then silently stood up.
He chose not to resist. Right now, these accusations were false, but if he fought back, the lies would become reality.
Jiraiya watched the scene in silence, draining his cup of sake in one gulp. He hated this—he hated everything about it.
In fact, it wasn't just Kakashi and Mei Terumi; even the surveillance members stationed near Naruto's home had doubled. For now, Jiraiya and Tsunade hadn't been targeted by Root due to their immense influence, but Jiraiya believed it was only a matter of time.
Jiraiya stood up, took a bill from his pocket, placed it on the table, and turned to leave. He hated these schemes, but that didn't mean he would sit idly by.
Suppressing dissenters and detaining the innocent—virtually everyone with even a slight connection to Sakura, aside from Jiraiya and Tsunade, had been visited by Root. Clearly, Danzo was ensuring that nothing would go wrong during his ascension to the position of Fifth Hokage.
Hokage... is the title of Hokage really that alluring?
Jiraiya shook his head; he needed to find Tsunade. The old man couldn't handle much more stress, and only Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, could truly contend with Danzo.
The Senju Residence
A warm green light emanated from her hands as Tsunade treated Hiruzen Sarutobi's body, with Shizune silently assisting her.
"I've told you before, what were you thinking acting so impulsively at your age?" Tsunade complained to Hiruzen, though her medical ninjutsu never faltered for a second.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent.
Now that the Daimyo had personally named Danzo as the Hokage, everything Hiruzen had done previously felt like a joke. Furthermore, the fact that Sakura had left Konoha with Karin and Sasuke left Hiruzen at a loss. He didn't know what Sakura intended to do, but he knew her character. Sakura was absolutely not the type of person to let others attack her without hitting back.
"Any news on Sakura?" Hiruzen asked.
"None," Tsunade replied directly.
Compared to Hiruzen, Tsunade was far more interested in how Sakura would deal with Danzo Shimura.
"Sigh..."
Hiruzen lost track of how many times he had sighed. He regretted it now; he should have taken Danzo down back when his forces were defeated. Otherwise, it wouldn't have escalated to this point.
"Don't worry, Sakura isn't a reckless person. She'll definitely have a way," Tsunade said, patting Hiruzen on the shoulder before signaling that the people outside could come in.
Hiruzen looked at Tsunade with a conflicted expression. True, Sakura wasn't reckless, but how could he possibly be at ease?
"Is Hiruzen feeling any better?"
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane walked in, looking at Hiruzen lying on the sickbed with concern.
"I'm fine. The priority now is finding Sakura," Hiruzen shook his head.
Upon hearing this, Homura and Koharu couldn't help but sigh helplessly. Danzo Shimura's actions had far exceeded their expectations. Even now, they didn't dare tell Hiruzen about Danzo's massive purge of dissenters, fearing their old friend might collapse from rage.
"We can only wait for Sakura to return."
"Sakura has always been steady in her actions. Hiruzen, you should rest easy," Homura could only offer words of comfort.
Truthfully, if Danzo were simply staging a coup, even with Hiruzen seriously ill, a single word—"Danzo is a traitor, Konoha shinobi shall execute him"—would have sent countless ninjas rushing forward to kill Danzo Shimura, regardless of the cost. Even with ten lives, Danzo wouldn't have survived.
But he held the Daimyo's decree.
A legitimate, official Hokage decree gave Danzo's actions a veneer of legality. From the moment the Daimyo's seal was pressed onto that decree, Hiruzen Sarutobi was no longer the Hokage.
The current Hokage was Danzo Shimura.
It wasn't necessary to hold the inauguration ceremony for Danzo to be the Hokage; the ceremony was merely to announce the new leader to the public. But how was Sakura going to break this deadlock?
Homura couldn't help but think of the pink-haired girl who had left. In her eyes, there hadn't been a shred of respect for the Daimyo. Homura's mind was a mess, and he wanted to discuss it with Hiruzen, but remembering the blood Hiruzen had coughed up in his rage earlier, he swallowed his words.
The Following Day
The air was crisp and the sun shone brightly. All of Konohagakure was decorated with banners and streamers, and the sound of ceremonial cannons echoed through the skies.
Today was the inauguration ceremony for the new Hokage. Villagers had gathered spontaneously at the entrance of the Hokage building, packing the area so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.
Danzo Shimura stood on the rooftop of the Hokage building, looking triumphant. Wearing the Hokage hat, he looked down at the endless sea of people with a sense of immense satisfaction.
Finally! He had finally waited for this day!
Although he felt a slight sense of unease because they hadn't found the pink-haired girl despite turning Konoha upside down, it no longer mattered.
The situation was settled! As Danzo saw it, even God himself couldn't turn the tide now.
"The year 64 of Konoha..."
Danzo scanned the crowd for Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure but couldn't find that familiar shadow. This left him feeling a bit regretful.
If not for the seat of Hokage, we probably would have been lifelong best friends. But this isn't my fault. If you must blame something, blame the world. Only I am qualified to lead Konoha, and only I can lead Konoha to ultimate glory! Watch me in your final moments, Hiruzen. Konoha will flourish in my hands!
"As the Third Hokage is gravely ill, I, Danzo Shimura, shall take over as the Fifth Hokage."
"I will lead Konoha back to the glory of the First Hokage's era!"
"I will—"
"What about Sakura?"
As the crowd listened quietly to Danzo's inauguration speech, an untimely voice rang out from among the people. Danzo frowned in dissatisfaction, but under the gaze of the public, he couldn't easily lash out.
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