"Danzo, you have challenged the limits of my tolerance time and time again. You have disappointed me too much."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face carried a look of deep disappointment.
"I lost! Hiruzen, Third Hokage, I have lost to you once again!"
Danzo couldn't help but laugh.
He turned back and looked at the Hokage Rock behind him.
His previous schemes and determination now seemed like a farce; their only effect was to make him look even more pathetic and ugly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi reached out, and Enma, transformed into the adamantine staff, landed in his palm.
Danzo sneered, "I couldn't understand before why I always lost to you, but now I understand... it's because you think further ahead than I do!"
He scanned Orochimaru.
"What a show!"
"Danzo... it's come to this, and you're still talking about a show?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't even know what he was talking about.
Although the original plan was to let Danzo defect and set a trap to see if Shinno could be lured out, there was no mention of collaborating with Orochimaru to destroy Konoha.
Even the descendant of the Shikotsumyaku who had rescued Shisui earlier had appeared!
Was this still just an act?
He was afraid they might actually be trying to kill him!
He couldn't trust Danzo.
Because this wasn't the first time Danzo had attempted to assassinate him.
"Danzo, does the leak of the Multi-Size Technique have anything to do with you?"
Akimichi Choza was now wearing a look of fury.
Danzo remained silent.
When a person has lost, anything they say sounds like an excuse.
He lost interest, withdrawing his gaze from the stone statue of the Second Hokage, and said, "At this point, even if I said it wasn't me, you wouldn't believe it..."
Danzo scanned the surroundings.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, I only lost to you because you are the Hokage! If I were the Hokage... you wouldn't be able to beat me either!"
"You are too muddled!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, but he was also relieved—
Fortunately, he had adopted the "Branching Operation"!
Danzo's obsession with being Hokage was deeper than he had imagined.
While part of the original intent of the "Branching Operation" was to handle matters unsuitable for Konoha's people to deal with a secret organization, it also cut off any possibility of Danzo inheriting the Hokage title.
Without this, if something were to happen to him, Konoha would likely fall into internal strife because of it.
He gripped the adamantine staff, a sliver of killing intent growing in his heart.
Swish!
Several figures landed in front of Danzo.
"My Lord..."
"Was it successful?"
"Yes."
"Let's go!"
Danzo turned to leave.
Not far away, Orochimaru's lips curled up as he poured blood from a bottle and formed hand seals.
In the next second, countless snakes were summoned from Orochimaru's mouth, surging in all directions.
Orochimaru smiled with delight:
"I've been preparing this plan since I defected years ago. Hiruzen-sensei, your momentary kindness... is precisely your weakness!"
As he spoke, his figure vanished from the spot.
The Orochimaru before them was also a Shadow Clone. His true body might have already fled, or perhaps he never came at all, but he left behind a complete mess.
The people of Konoha looked grim.
The New Year Festival hadn't even started, yet they had already lost all face!
Utatane Koharu looked at the Third: "Hiruzen..."
"Clean up Konoha and save the wounded!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his anger. "Kakashi, lead everyone to restore stability to Konoha. Other Anbu will follow me to hunt down Danzo!"
"Hiruzen, leave this to someone else."
Homura Mitokado hurriedly tried to dissuade him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head solemnly: "Danzo is no ordinary person. You take people to clear the snakes in the village. Him... I will kill personally!"
After speaking, he used the Body Flicker to pursue the direction of Danzo's retreat.
Just then, Masahiko arrived in a hurry.
Seeing the mess, he was somewhat bewildered: "Lord Advisors, what... happened here?"
"Masahiko, how is Guy?"
"Nothing serious, he'll be fine after a period of recovery."
Masahiko replied, "Where is Hokage-sama? And..."
"Danzo has defected, and Hokage-sama has gone in that direction to pursue him..."
Before Kakashi could finish, he saw Masahiko already using the Body Flicker to pursue, with only the words "I'm going to support Hokage-sama" echoing in the air.
He fell silent for a few seconds and sighed softly: "Everyone, let's get to work."
With Hiruzen Sarutobi's instructions, Kakashi now held the authority to command everything, and naturally, no one dared to refuse.
"Yes!"
"Wait, Asuma, you go to the hospital for treatment first."
Kakashi looked at Asuma.
Asuma hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm fine."
His palm was pierced by several bone shards and bone needles.
Although he had avoided most of the face-aimed attack with Enma's help, in his haste, his shoulder and arm had also been hit quite a bit.
At this moment, these bones were emitting Chakra, eroding his own bones and fascia.
"That person's Shikotsumyaku is different from before; it is eroding your bones. Go for treatment early."
Through his Sharingan, Kakashi could see the Chakra flow in the bone shards and needles in Asuma's hand and noticed something was wrong.
"Asuma, go get treated!"
Utatane Koharu's face turned stern.
Asuma had no choice but to agree, but he felt increasingly ashamed and powerless.
Once again, he could only watch helplessly as everything unfolded... outside Konoha Village.
Danzo was moving rapidly, with most of the Root Organization members following him.
They had already emptied the base.
Meanwhile—
On the other side, Kurenai Yuhi was desperately chasing the Root Organization members ahead.
"Put Yakumo down!"
She was extremely anxious.
Masahiko had trusted her, which was why he had entrusted Yakumo to her protection. She hadn't expected Root members disguised as Anbu to suddenly snatch Yakumo.
Furthermore.
It looked like the other party intended to defect from the village... Her pace grew even faster.
Akai Osamu remained silent, simply focused on rushing ahead.
Just then, from above, an ink bird came flying through the air.
"Stop her!"
Akai Osamu ordered.
However.
Several ink eagles appeared around the bird and quickly dove toward the ground below.
At the same time, a figure dropped from above.
Clang!
Akai Osamu grabbed the unconscious Yakumo with one hand and blocked Shin's attack with a sword in the other, his face full of fury:
"You intend to betray the Lord?!"
"The Lord's order was to protect Yakumo. It is you who are betraying the Lord and the Captain!"
Shin said, gripping his sword.
Sai was flying in the air, painting beasts to surround him.
Akai Osamu found it hard to explain.
To maintain secrecy beforehand, he hadn't informed these two children of the truth.
Now... with an outsider present, he couldn't reveal secrets related to Danzo, and naturally, he couldn't directly tell them that Danzo now intended to defect.
Kurenai Yuhi's eyes lit up as she formed hand seals—
Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!
The genjutsu succeeded.
Akai Osamu was immediately controlled by the genjutsu, but he soon broke free, grabbed Kurama Yakumo, and barked, "If you come any closer, I'll kill her!"
However.
In that instant, the "Kurama Yakumo" in his hand suddenly burst, turning into countless splashes of blood.
What?
Akai Osamu was initially bewildered, not understanding how this could happen.
In the next second, he realized... he was in a genjutsu again!
Breaking the genjutsu and looking closely... Kurenai Yuhi was already in front of him, the Kunai in her hand reflecting light like a blazing sun, making it hard for him to see.
Another genjutsu?
Squelch!
Kurenai Yuhi's Kunai pierced his heart, and while he was unable to react, she directly snatched Yakumo back.
She panted slightly and looked at the other two.
Sai hurriedly said: "There are still Rogue Ninja, my Chakra is low, I can't beat them... Get on, I'll take you back to Konoha!"
Kurenai Yuhi hesitated for a moment.
She did indeed sense at least three enemies!
Although her recent practice of combining movement genjutsu and taijutsu had shown results, she was still not qualified to deal with three Root Ninjas.
But these two... When Akai Osamu saw them, his first reaction was to give orders, showing they were his subordinates.
"Our Captain is an acquaintance of yours. Although we don't know what happened, protecting Yakumo was the mission given to us by Lord Danzo and the Captain."
Shin saw her doubts and explained sincerely.
Hearing this, Kurenai Yuhi carried Yakumo onto a giant ink eagle.
After getting on the eagle, she saw clearly—
All of Konoha was in chaos!
In the distance, there were even intense Chakra fluctuations; it seemed someone was having a massive battle over there.
That was in the direction of the Valley of the End.
Someone was defecting?
Kurenai Yuhi immediately sorted out her thoughts and understood the current situation.
Danzo had defected!
While escaping, he also wanted to take Yakumo... As she was thinking.
From below, familiar Chakra fluctuations and presence suddenly came.
It was Masahiko!
In the next second, she couldn't help but worry: "Masahiko... this is a Shadow Clone, right? He went to pursue them too?"