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Inside the Root base.
Danzo donned the Hokage's Ceremonial Robe he had dreamed of, putting on the Hokage's cloak.
The Hokage's Ceremonial Robe, with the words "Fourth Hokage" stitched onto the back, swayed as Danzo walked.
Why was it the Fourth?
Because it had been stitched during the Third Shinobi World War, but Minato Namikaze had become the Fourth Hokage instead.
However, Danzo had not thrown it away.
He had kept it secretly, just as he had kept his own thwarted ambitions, along with the cold resentment deep within his heart toward Minato, toward Hiruzen, and toward those "naive" ideals.
Every time he faced this robe alone, it reignited the undying flame within him and his longing for the position of Hokage.
And now, at this very moment, he had finally draped it over his shoulders.
Although it was merely a replica, and although it was only in the depths of the shadows where no one knew, the psychological satisfaction and illusion of power brought by this attire made him revel in it, every pore seemingly trembling and cheering.
The Hokage's Ceremonial Robe swayed gently with his slow pacing, creating a faint friction sound in the dead-silent base.
He walked through the corridors of the Root base, passing those Root Shinobi who stood like stone statues, wearing masks, and obeying him absolutely.
All of this was about to welcome a brand new beginning.
According to the plan of that dangerous ally—Orochimaru.
The "Konoha Crush" was about to be launched.
Hiruzen, his former teammate, now his political rival and stumbling block, was finally going to die.
And Jiraiya, that guy who had suddenly returned to Konoha, had been successfully lured away from the village by the false information he had released regarding Orochimaru's whereabouts.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado were not worth fearing at all.
As long as Orochimaru succeeded in killing Hiruzen Sarutobi, and as long as Konoha fell into a brief power vacuum amidst chaos and pain...
Then he, Danzo Shimura, this guardian who had always hidden behind the scenes and silently "contributed" to Konoha, would naturally become the Fifth Hokage as the person with the oldest seniority in Konoha!
Thinking of this, Danzo's breathing quickened slightly.
Hadn't years of lying in wait and planning been for this very moment?
From the time years ago when that old fool Hiruzen forcibly disbanded the Root for ridiculous reasons, Danzo had realized the crisis.
But would he just sit and wait for death?
Without the Root, he still had clansmen he could use.
So what if the clansmen were gone?
The Shimura Clan was not a great clan passed down from the Sengoku period like others.
Could they have established themselves, developed, and prospered in Konoha without the support, deals, and cleanups that he, Danzo Shimura, had provided from the shadows?
Without Danzo Shimura, could they have peacefully enjoyed the dividends of peace, developed clan Ninjutsu, and cultivated their descendants?
Wanting only to reap rewards without wanting to contribute—how could that work?
He had gathered the children of age from his clan to form a new Root.
He had also "drafted" young Shinobi from various clans in Konoha to refill his new "Root."
Furthermore, he used the "Cursed Seal of the Tongue" to firmly control their bodies and minds, forging them into perfect tools that obeyed only him, with no past, no future, and only missions.
Today, apart from the Hyuga, and the Uchiha—which had only one orphan and one rogue Shinobi left and existed in name only—almost every large and small clan in Konoha had members under his control, working for him in the darkness.
This was the massive dark web he had woven, the cornerstone of his power, and the chess pieces for his future total control of Konoha.
"Soon... it will be soon..."
Danzo muttered to himself, his fingers stroking the smooth fabric of the Hokage's Ceremonial Robe, a cold glint of certainty flashing in his left eye.
He felt as if he could already see himself standing at the top of the Hokage Building, stepping out of the darkness, truly bathing in the sunlight, and receiving the kowtows of everyone.
Under his leadership, Konoha would discard weakness and naivety, and with iron-bloodedness and strong-arm tactics, sweep away all internal and external troubles, moving toward true, absolute strength.
— — — — — — — — — —
A pair of eyes opened silently in the darkness.
Deep blue, cold and clear like the polar deep sea.
In this blue, there was no usual sunshine or warmth, only frozen killing intent and absolute focus.
A figure wearing a black cloak, seemingly merging into the shadows themselves, slowly "floated" out from a rock wall that showed no traces.
Long black hair, a long black robe, and a fox mask.
It was none other than the disguised Uzumaki Naruto.
He did not use any illumination.
After a period of nearly paranoid, repeated scouting, observation, and analysis, relying on his super-strong sensory perception and keenness to Chakra fluctuations, he had completely figured out every sensory barrier node, energy flow pattern, and guard rotation gap in the outer and shallow areas of this Root base.
Just now, he had used the "Headhunter Jutsu" to bury himself deep into the deeper, colder rock layers beneath Konoha.
He had carefully avoided all known detection layers.
He had dived vertically downward for a full three hundred meters from the lowest level of the Root base, quietly infiltrating the deepest area of this underground base from a "blind spot" that was not covered by any barriers and that no one would have thought of.
At this moment, the venue for the Chunin Exams in Konoha above should be in full swing.
One of his Shadow Clones was taking his place, cheering for his companions in the spectator stands.
Uzumaki Naruto's Main Body had already infiltrated the darkest, most forbidden heart of Konoha like the deadliest ghost.
He had to ensure that nothing went wrong.
A cold sensation came from his palm.
Naruto opened his right hand, and Ice Release Chakra quickly condensed and crystallized above his palm, emitting a faint "click" sound.
An ice blade, crystal clear and emitting a chilling aura, formed silently.
The blade edge was thin as a cicada's wing, flowing with a deadly blue-white luster in the dim light.
At the same time, his vast and precise sensory perception spread out like an invisible radar wave, centered on him.
Kagura Minds Eye!
A sensory technique originating from the Uzumaki Clan, which, under the amplification of the Nine-Tailed Chakra, reached an incredible level of precision and range.
In an instant, the entire vast and complex underground Root base was like a precision instrument stripped of its shell; all internal Chakra reactions, life auras, and energy flow nodes were clearly mapped in his mind.
Every person—guards, researchers, trainees... their positions, movement trajectories, and even their Chakra attributes were transformed into precise coordinates and light points.
Naruto did not hesitate, his hands quickly forming seals.
"Shadow Clone!"
Poof, poof, poof, poof, poof—
A series of faint white smoke exploded around him, and thirty Shadow Clones, dressed exactly like him, wearing fox masks and holding ice blades, appeared instantly.
They said nothing, merely exchanged a glance with the Main Body, and then, like arrows released from a bow, dispersed and sped away silently toward different directions locked in his mind.
Their tasks were clear: search, confirm, pin down, and finally assist the Main Body in finding and locking onto Danzo's exact location.
And Naruto's Main Body moved at the same time as well.
He precisely avoided all patrol routes and monitoring points, like a chess piece jumping freely on a dark chessboard, unrestricted by the rules, and began a silent and efficient "patrol" and "cleanup" in this vast underground base.
The current Naruto was like a "General" on a chessboard that had fused with the movement rules of a "Rook," charging recklessly and unscrupulously.
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