Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

Chapter 667 Weighing
Konoha.

Hokage Building.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at a stack of mission records he had found from the Root's headquarters base, his expression looking extremely grim.

Some of the contents recorded here made even a veteran in political manipulation like him feel a chill in his heart.

He really didn't expect that Danzo would do so many things behind his back.

Originally, he thought that he and his old friend were two sides of the same coin, and that at least a large part of what the other party did was not entirely for Konoha.

But now it seems that he still underestimated the ambition of his old friend.

This is not a majority. It would be good if one third of it was for the village.

Sarutobi Hiruzen is now somewhat glad that after discovering that there was a problem with the Root, he immediately sent his Anbu to take over the Root's headquarters base.

Otherwise, if these mission records were to leak out, who knows how much trouble it would cause in the village.

Not to mention the human experiments, the fact that he secretly captured members of various families and studied their family secrets was enough to stir up the nerves of those families.

After a quick look through them, Sarutobi Hiruzen put most of the mission records aside and took out two records in particular.

One is about Yamato.

When he learned that the other party had truly inherited the Wood Release ability of the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, he was extremely delighted.

No one knows the power of Wood Release better than him. Having witnessed Hashirama Senju in action, he knows very well that this is an ability that can be worth a thousand or even ten thousand.

The most important thing is that Wood Release is very effective in dealing with the tailed beasts.

The tailed beasts are the "nuclear bombs" controlled by the major villages. Originally, because everyone has this power, they can live in peace.

But now, we have the means to restrain ourselves.

Then, you will have more initiative when making decisions in the future.

Likewise, it was because this power was too strong that the village attempted to replicate this power for a period of time.

Unfortunately, after sacrificing a large number of outstanding ninjas, it still failed.

So, the village gave up long ago.

Unexpectedly, Orochimaru and Danzo actually persisted and succeeded.

However, when he thought of Orochimaru, a layer of gloom appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.

If, before he got this mission record, he still felt guilty about giving up Orochimaru and strongly recommending Namikaze Minato to be the Fourth Hokage.

Now, I really don’t have any such thoughts at all.

There's no way, Orochimaru is too cold-blooded.

Just from this mission record, you can see how many ninjas from the same village were used to conduct experiments in order to replicate the Wood Release of the first generation.

This does not include other experimental costs.

Honestly, based on this alone, he could have ordered the capture of Orochimaru.

But when he thought that the other party was his apprentice, he couldn't bear to give this order.

"Forget it. After I abdicate, I'll keep a closer eye on him!"

Thinking this in his mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen put down the task record in his hand and picked up another task record with a serious expression.

What was recorded on it was the records of the Root's actions against Qingming, and a detailed analysis of the intelligence on Qingming.

The record ended yesterday, the day before Danzo launched his action.

Sarutobi Hiruzen read the above content carefully.

It can be seen that after Qingming participated in the Chunin Exam, Danzo sent people to target him.

From sending people to intercept and kill in the beginning, to later Danzo having people pass information to Kirigakure, allowing them to cross the eastern defense line, enter the territory of the Land of Fire, and ambush and kill Qingming and other support forces.

Later, when Qingming was ordered to reinforce the Black Stone stronghold, he was surrounded and killed by a spy inside and outside.

Everything is recorded clearly above.

If that were all, it would be fine.

Although he did not agree with what Danzo did, he was trying to eliminate the hidden dangers for the village after all.

But later, when he guessed that Qingming might have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, things took a turn for the worse.

Danzo's actions are no longer for the village, but to obtain his eyes.

"Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured.

As the Hokage and the patriarch of the Sarutobi clan that has been passed down since the Warring States Period, he naturally knows the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Not to mention those far away, just the most recent one, Uchiha Madara, possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan.

And who is Uchiha Madara?

This is someone who can rival the God of Ninja World, Senju Hashirama.

Back then, if Hashirama Senju hadn't stopped him, he alone could have leveled the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Qingming may not be able to do this now, but if Danzo’s guess is true, then capturing him will not be an easy task.

That's right, Sarutobi Hiruzen has concluded that he is responsible for Danzo's death, even though the Anbu ninja he sent to investigate the cause of Danzo's death has not returned yet.

After all, Danzo’s last mission was to lead people to surround and kill Qingming.

Now that he is dead, the biggest possibility is that he was killed by Qing Ming.

This also greatly improved the accuracy of Danzo's guesses.

After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen was very clear about the strength of Danzo and his Root ninjas. Without an overwhelming advantage, it would be impossible for them to escape without a single person.

This also indirectly confirms Qingming's strength.

To deal with such a ninja, the price the village will have to pay will definitely not be small.

The most crucial thing is that behind Qingming stands the entire Uchiha clan. If the news that he has awakened the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan leaks out, I am afraid that the Uchiha clan will choose to protect him to the death.

In this way, the situation will turn into a civil strife in the village. After more than two years or nearly three years of fighting, the overall strength of the village has declined. If a civil strife breaks out now, the enemy may take advantage of the situation and invade.

Sarutobi Hiruzen has not forgotten that up to now, the Hidden Cloud Village has not signed a ceasefire agreement with them, and now small-scale conflicts are still breaking out between the two sides on the front line, with a fight happening every now and then.

In this case, making a big deal out of it is not a good option.

But on the other hand, he couldn't just ignore the matter.

Not to mention that such an important figure died in the village, even if his reputation was not good, an explanation needs to be given to everyone.

The pressure from Utane Koharu and Mitokado En alone made it very difficult for him.

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

Just when Sarutobi Hiruzen was thinking about these two old friends, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Then, two figures walked straight in.

The people who came were none other than Utane Koharu and Mito Kado En.

Compared to more than ten years later, they don’t look too old now, and their aura is quite fierce.

As soon as the two men entered the door, they began to question the culprit.

Then Utane Koharu got straight to the point and said, "Huruzen, tell me, was it that Uchiha brat who killed Danzo?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't think it was strange that the two knew about Qingming's involvement in this matter.

Others may not know the abilities of his two old friends, but he knows it very well.

Even though Danzo's Root claims to be loyal to only him, there are actually two pawns planted in it.

Therefore, it was normal for the two of them to follow the clues and find Qing Ming.

Behind the desk, Sarutobi Hiruzen pinched his brows and said in a slightly tired voice: "There is no evidence yet."

"No evidence? Does that mean there's a high possibility that the other party has taken action?"

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish his words, Mito Kado En interrupted him.

Then, Utane Koharu spoke again: "In this case, let's notify the Uchiha clan and ask them to hand over the person. Then we can find out the truth after one trial."

Hearing her words, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and said: "Things are not that simple. Look at these."

As he spoke, he handed several mission records to the two of them.

These included records of the Root's actions against Qingming, as well as records of Danzo secretly capturing ninjas from various families in the village for experiments and research.

It can be said that from the very beginning, what Danzo did was shameful.

Therefore, they had no way to use their power to coerce the Uchiha clan.

what?
Can't you just not leak these records?

Sorry, that's simply not possible.

There is no airtight wall in the world.

Even the Anbu ninjas, who are known to have the most loyalty, are not without family ninjas among them. Who can guarantee that they will not leak the news?

It would be fine if the lid is not opened, but once it is opened, it will be a big trouble.

As for solving Qingming's problem privately.
According to Danzo's analysis report and the results of the last wave of actions, Sarutobi Hiruzen estimated that there were not many people in the village who could definitely defeat him, let alone kill him.

In addition, Qingming's counterattack was passive, so Danzo was inherently at a disadvantage.

Therefore, there is no way to use this reason to attack Qingming.

It can be said that Danzo's death left them with a big problem.

Neither Utane Koharu nor Mitokado En were stupid people. At first, they were very angry when they learned that Danzo might have been killed by a kid from the Uchiha clan.

But now, after reading the information in their hands, they gradually calmed down.

Compared to revenge for their old friend, what the two of them value more is the stability of the village.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could imagine the consequences of acting rashly, and naturally the other two could too.

But it is precisely this that makes them feel angry and frustrated.

After a long while, Utane Koharu gritted her teeth and said, "Are we just going to let that brat get away with it?"

Unfortunately, no one answered her question.

The office was quiet.

After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke: "Now we should first consider solving the trouble left by Danzo. Those chess pieces deployed outside must be matched with people, and the evidence of his participation in the experiment must be eliminated as soon as possible."

"What about Orochimaru?"

Mizuto Menyan suddenly spoke.

In the mission record just now, he saw the cooperation between Orochimaru and Danzo. If he really wanted to deal with it impartially, he should also be arrested.

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused for a moment after hearing this, then said, "I'll keep an eye on him."

The meaning of this statement is very clear, that is, what happened before does not count, and he will keep a close eye on the other party in the future.

Mitokoto En and Utane Koharu looked at each other, and seemed not to be surprised at Sarutobi Hiruzen's choice.

As old friends who have known each other for decades, the two of them are quite familiar with Sarutobi Hiruzen's character.

Therefore, it is normal to guess the other party's choice.

However, Mitomon En finally said: "Orochimaru should not participate in this Hokage election."

Obviously, he also felt threatened by Orochimaru's actions.

Not a threat to himself, but a threat to the village.

Therefore, he directly told the other party not to run for the Fourth Hokage election.

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, agreeing to the proposal.

He had been thinking the same thing anyway, and now he had just taken it a step further.

(End of this chapter)