Chapter 619: Bad News Coming One After Another
"We found several secret scrolls. According to their contents, Lord Danzo seems to have cooperated with an unknown force and Amegakure to kill Sōsuke."
The Anbu Ninja reported while presenting the recovered scrolls to Hiruzen with both hands.
"An unknown force… Could it be related to Uchiha Madara?"
Hiruzen immediately thought of Uchiha Madara, but his expression remained calm.
Before the investigation was complete, information concerning "Uchiha Madara" absolutely could not be leaked. Otherwise, it would cause conflict.
The Uchiha Clan already had a history of coups, and now Danzo's death was inexplicably connected to the name "Uchiha Madara."
Not to mention Ninja who already held prejudice against the Uchiha Clan, even Hiruzen himself could not help feeling some suspicion toward the Uchiha now.
He did not believe the entire Uchiha Clan had a problem, but he believed it was highly likely that "Uchiha Madara's" influence existed somewhere within the clan.
For the harmony and stability of Konoha, Hiruzen did not want others to know this information, including the other two members of Konoha's higher-ups.
Hiruzen opened the scroll and instantly recognized the handwriting as Danzo's. This was a secret scroll personally written by Danzo.
After carefully reading the entire scroll, Hiruzen nodded and dismissed the Anbu.
There was very little information about the unknown force, and there was no mention of "Uchiha Madara." The scroll mainly detailed Danzo's arrangements for surrounding and killing Sōsuke.
Before finding Hiruzen, the cautious Mugetsu had already searched everything thoroughly, so all the information Hiruzen discovered was information Mugetsu wanted him to discover.
For example, the scroll that claimed to help Danzo obtain Wood Release had been dealt with by Mugetsu immediately.
"Release!"
Once the Hokage Office was empty, Hiruzen channeled Chakra and formed hand signs. The words on the scroll rapidly twisted and changed.
To outsiders, this was merely an ordinary secret scroll, but after careful reading, Hiruzen, as Danzo's friend of several decades, had noticed something different hidden within it.
"Hiruzen, if you are reading this secret scroll, then I should already have been killed."
That was the first sentence Hiruzen saw.
"Sigh."
Hiruzen let out a deep sigh.
If Danzo had not died, he truly would not have discovered this secret scroll, because if Danzo were still alive, Hiruzen could not have ordered Anbu to thoroughly search Root.
"This operation is extremely dangerous. Even with my full preparations, there remains a risk of death, but I must go. If successful, Konoha will eliminate a major hidden danger, and I will also be able to uncover some of Uchiha Madara's secrets."
When he saw the words "Uchiha Madara," Hiruzen's gaze sharpened.
"Uchiha Madara's methods are extremely powerful. Even the most secret areas of Root can be entered and exited by him freely, and he also holds considerable influence in the Ninja World."
Hiruzen was somewhat shocked.
So "Uchiha Madara" had actually discussed cooperation with Danzo inside Konoha?
Hiruzen frowned. Anbu's defenses were not much stronger than Root's. If "Uchiha Madara" could move freely through Root, then he could also move freely through Anbu.
"How did he bypass the Great Barrier?"
Hiruzen's expression turned grim.
The entirety of Konoha was covered by a massive barrier. Whether someone entered through the main gate, burrowed in from underground, or descended from the sky, they should have been detected by the Great Barrier.
"The Uchiha Clan cannot be trusted. Uchiha Madara is definitely related to them."
From the handwriting alone, Hiruzen could feel Danzo's suspicion toward the Uchiha. This was also why he wanted to prevent the information from leaking.
This information was far too harmful to unity.
"Uchiha Madara can kill even a well-prepared me, so he must be plotting against Konoha. Keep a close eye on Utatane Koharu, Homura Mitokado, and Orochimaru. Prevent Uchiha Madara from using them to destroy Konoha."
"Hiruzen, protect Konoha."
At that point, the contents of the scroll completely ended.
Hiruzen rubbed his tightly furrowed brow. He could feel the threat of "Uchiha Madara" through Danzo's words.
However, Danzo himself did not know much about "Uchiha Madara," so naturally, the scroll did not contain much concrete information about him. Most of it was speculation based on the current situation.
"Also, Danzo, you were too overconfident."
Hiruzen sighed helplessly.
According to Mugetsu's information, Danzo had been killed by Sōsuke. But in this scroll, Danzo believed that if he died, it must have been because "Uchiha Madara" played some dirty trick.
Hiruzen thought for a moment, put the scroll away, summoned an Anbu, and ordered, "Notify Mugetsu to come to the Hokage Office."
The Anbu nodded, left the office, and swiftly went to find Mugetsu, bringing him back to the Hokage Office.
"Sandaime-sama," Mugetsu greeted respectfully, with a hint of fatigue on his face that was difficult to conceal, perhaps because he had not slept well last night.
"You've worked hard. Something like this happened, yet you still taught today." Hiruzen sighed.
Although Mugetsu had not reported Danzo's matter immediately during this incident, his actions and behavior had made Hiruzen even more satisfied with him.
"It was only a few hours of class. It did not affect much. Besides, Sandaime-sama, you are still working. How could I stop?" Mugetsu said with a serious expression.
"No wonder Danzo wanted to entrust Root to you. When he first established Root, he was as diligent as you are now," Hiruzen said with emotion.
After exchanging a few simple words, Hiruzen handed the scroll to Mugetsu.
Mugetsu was the only Ninja in Konoha besides him who knew of "Uchiha Madara's" existence, and he also had an unusual relationship with Danzo. Hiruzen believed Mugetsu had the right to know.
After reading the scroll, Mugetsu showed surprise.
"Uchiha Madara actually entered Konoha!"
Of course, he was pretending.
Mugetsu already knew the contents of this scroll.
His Sealing Technique had long surpassed Kushina's, and he also possessed extraordinary perception abilities such as the Byakugan and Transparent World. How could he not have discovered the tricks Danzo had hidden in the scroll?
It was only because the hidden contents of this scroll would not affect Mugetsu's plan that he had not dealt with it.
With Uchiha Madara drawing attention, Konoha would not focus too much on the Shinobi Sect.
Mugetsu could only say that Danzo truly was cautious. Even in a secret scroll written by his own hand, he did not write down everything due to the risk of exposure. There was no mention of Wood Release or the Rinnegan, as if his only goal had been to eliminate Sōsuke.
A person like that would probably only become sincere when leaving his final words.
"Describe the scene you witnessed in detail. Was it truly only Sōsuke who killed Danzo?" Hiruzen asked.
Since Danzo was so certain in his secret scroll that his death would be related to "Uchiha Madara," Hiruzen felt that Sōsuke might have some connection to "Uchiha Madara."
Perhaps this entire incident was a scheme between Sōsuke and "Uchiha Madara."
"Only Sōsuke and Lord Danzo were fighting. Everyone else was far away, and there were no signs of them making a move," Mugetsu nodded.
Danzo had underestimated Sōsuke and overestimated himself and Uchiha Madara.
"I see…" Hiruzen fell into thought.
Danzo's account was merely speculation, while the information Mugetsu provided was what had actually happened. Naturally, Mugetsu's information had to be the primary basis for any judgment.
However, according to Mugetsu's information, many of Danzo's ideas revealed clear problems.
"Your training squad should recruit new members. It is not right for it to have only one member all the time." Hiruzen suddenly thought of something and spoke.
"Shisui may be young, but he is steady and talented."
Hiruzen felt that the Uchiha had problems, but at this critical moment, having Anbu openly investigate the Uchiha would cause trouble. So he thought of a good solution: use the Uchiha to defeat the Uchiha.
Mugetsu's two Uchiha disciples could be trusted completely. If Obito's personality had been more suited for Anbu, Hiruzen would have had both of them join.
"Shisui does indeed have the talent to become Anbu," Mugetsu nodded.
He guessed Hiruzen's intention, but this was not a disadvantage for Shisui.
The Uchiha problem involved too many aspects and could not be fully resolved from within the Uchiha Clan alone. It had to be handled from both inside and outside the clan.
Mugetsu's idea was to use the training squad as a springboard for Shisui, both to train his abilities and to build his record.
Although both paths led to Anbu, Shisui's situation was not the same as Itachi's.
First, Itachi had joined the regular Anbu, while Shisui would join Mugetsu's exclusive training squad, which could basically be considered Mugetsu's own Anbu.
As a teacher, Mugetsu naturally would not let his disciple suffer.
After giving some guidance on the future development of the training squad, Mugetsu left the Hokage Office. Hiruzen continued handling official business and arranged for Anbu to continue the investigation.
This time, the investigation was not limited to Konoha. Hiruzen also began investigating the Land of Rain.
As the place where Danzo had died, the Land of Rain definitely held relevant information he had yet to grasp.
However, before Anbu could uncover any important news related to Danzo's death, one piece of bad news after another reached Hiruzen.
"News of Lord Danzo's death has leaked!"
"Kumogakure forces in the Land of Hot Springs are acting suspiciously!"
"The number of spies in the Land of Fire has surged recently!"
Bang!
Just as Hiruzen was being overwhelmed by the deteriorating situation, the wooden door of the Hokage Office was pushed open, and Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado walked in together.
"Hiruzen, Danzo is dead!" Homura said somewhat sadly.
His relationship with Danzo had not been as close as Danzo's relationship with Hiruzen, but they were not strangers either. They had faced life and death together, and they often attended meetings concerning Konoha's future.
With such a companion gone, even if Homura had some reservations about Danzo's political views, he could not help feeling sadness in his heart.
"I know." Hiruzen rubbed his forehead and sighed.
He had kept the information so secret, yet now the news was everywhere. That could only mean Sōsuke or "Uchiha Madara" had taken action.
"You knew, so why didn't you tell us sooner?" Koharu asked, somewhat displeased.
"Danzo was one of our higher-ups, after all."
From Hiruzen's expression, she knew that he must have received the news much earlier.
After all, Hiruzen had always been close to Danzo. Upon learning of his friend's death, Hiruzen should not have been so calm.
"This matter is very complicated. I originally intended to investigate some information before notifying you," Hiruzen briefly explained.
Danzo's death involved too many things, and "Uchiha Madara" had acted too quickly, ultimately leading to the current situation.
"Let's go to the conference room." Hiruzen stood up and said.
At this point, he could only reveal some information.
Inside the conference room, Hiruzen handed the confidential information he had recently collected to the Advisors for review, while also explaining Danzo's situation to them.
However, Hiruzen did not reveal the existence of "Uchiha Madara." He only stated that an evil Ninja Organization was causing trouble.
"How foolish! Such important information should have been reported to the village. Instead, he acted on his own!" Koharu was somewhat unable to control her emotions.
She now wished she could slap Danzo's corpse. Not only had he courted death, but he had also dragged Konoha into a crisis.
"Ahem. Koharu, Danzo did, after all, sacrifice himself for the village," Homura coughed twice, reminding her.
Danzo had been foolish, but the dead should still be respected. Cursing him now was somewhat inappropriate.
Only then did Koharu notice Hiruzen looking at her with a grim expression.
Thinking of their relationship, Koharu silently closed her mouth. The dead Danzo did not matter, but the living Hiruzen was still the Hokage who had the final say.
"As for Kumogakure, warn Orochimaru to be careful and dispatch more Ninja to patrol the borders."
Hiruzen said nothing more to Koharu and instead shifted the topic to concrete solutions.
"We must crush Kumogakure's arrogance and let everyone know that Konoha is invincible," Homura nodded in agreement.
Why would Kumogakure act at this time? It was nothing more than believing this was a good opportunity.
What Konoha needed to do was shatter Kumogakure's idea and let everyone see Konoha's strength. That way, the turmoil caused by Danzo's death would dissipate.
Of course, if Konoha showed weakness during this process, then perhaps it would not only be Kumogakure. Many would be happy to kick them while they were down.
After the meeting, it was almost time to leave work, but Hiruzen did not immediately return home. Instead, he went back to the Hokage Office and stood before the large floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Konoha.
"I need to give Mugetsu more responsibilities."
Hiruzen put down his pipe and exhaled wisps of white smoke.
Originally, he had wanted Mugetsu's training squad to develop naturally, but now, the situation was becoming increasingly chaotic, and he needed a stronger Anbu.
.....
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