Naruto: By lying low and hiding, he eventually became the leader of the Legendary Sannin.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have relinquished too much power to Danzo over the years.

Putting aside everything else, a large portion of the undercover agents around him were cultivated through "roots".

Faced with the possibility of Danzo's betrayal, he was momentarily unsure whether to continue trusting the secret agents before him.

After thinking for a moment, he turned to them and said:

"I will personally go and meet with Danzo later. The two of you..."

"Okay, you guys wait for me here."

The two secret agents exchanged a glance. Although they were somewhat puzzled, it was clear that respecting orders had become an ironclad rule in their blood.

Without hesitation, they nodded in agreement and disappeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

After thinking for a moment, he finally had someone call Nara Sora, who had just left, back in.

He went around to the table, pulled out a piece of paper, and wrote something on it.

Just as he finished writing, Nara Sora walked into the tent.

He looked up at the Chunin, handed him the note, and said:

"I need to trouble you to make a trip back to Konoha and deliver this note to either Mitokado Homura or Utatane Koharu in the Konoha Building."

"Yes!"

Without asking any questions, Nara Sora took the note, put it away, and quickly turned and walked outside.

As Hokage, he had to prepare for all the worst-case scenarios.

Having done all this, Hiruzen Sarutobi tidied his clothes and headed towards the spot left by Danzo without hesitation.

Several hours later, following the directions left by the guard, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived in front of a huge waterfall.

Before him, on a boulder beneath the enormous waterfall, stood a familiar figure.

This person was Danzo.

At this moment, the wound where his right arm had been severed was already wrapped in a thick layer of gauze.

Even from dozens of meters away, you could still see the red bloodstains seeping through the gauze.

"You came?"

Danzo did not turn around, but he could still sense Hiruzen Sarutobi's arrival.

"Ah."

"So, you've come here to capture me and take me back to Konoha."

"Ah."

The answer was still simple, but Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression began to darken.

"Ah..."

After a slight smile, Danzo finally turned around and looked at his longtime friend.

A few seconds later, a hint of anger slowly rose in his eyes.

Suddenly, he loudly questioned:

"What right do you have to arrest me?"

"Don't you still understand what's best for Konoha?"

Faced with Danzo's questioning, Hiruzen Sarutobi responded in a deep voice:

"That's because you've been colluding with outsiders..."

"So what!"

Before he could finish speaking, Danzo interrupted him.

A hint of resentment flashed in Danzo's eyes as he stared intently at him and said:

"As expected, it was a mistake for the Second Hokage to hand over the position to you."

Sarutobi, do you think being a village chief is such a trivial matter?

"As long as it benefits Konoha, the method doesn't matter; the result is what matters most."

However, Sarutobi shook his head in disagreement at his explanation, saying:

"What you call 'beneficial to Konoha' is just your personal opinion."

"Forget it, there's no point in saying all this now."

But you know my personality well; this time, I'm afraid you won't be able to bring me back.

Clearly, Danzo no longer wanted to talk to him.

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of ninjas suddenly appeared around him, subtly surrounding Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Seeing those few "Root" members, and the majority of other ninjas wearing headbands bearing the insignia of Kumogakure.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank rapidly.

It seems that Kagura understands Danzo's character better than he does...

He closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was filled with determination.

He glanced at the enemies around him, and said with a slight smirk:

"Danzo, I didn't expect you to have such a wide network of connections."

Whether it's Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village) or Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village), it seems you can always find someone to cooperate with if you want to.

Faced with his "praise," Danzo did not shy away at all and said:

"In this ninja world, I can find anyone if I want to."

Anyone!

In the end, he seemed to deliberately emphasize those last three words.

"So, what are you offering them as leverage this time?"

Before Danzo could answer, a somewhat composed-looking middle-aged man from Kumogakure stepped forward and spoke for him:

"Cheers?"

You are the only one.

The head of the Hokage of Konoha.

Seeing the malicious gazes of those around him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression became much more solemn.

He suddenly shouted loudly into the air:

"You brat, aren't you coming out yet?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a black-haired youth appeared out of thin air in front of him.

"Old man, you lost!"

It was Kagura who had been watching over them all along.

Chapter 40 The Strength of the Hokage

Hiruzen Sarutobi dared to come alone without anyone, which was certainly not a rash act.

From the moment he received Kagura's Flying Thunder God mark, he knew very well that this kid would definitely be following him in secret.

Although it's unclear exactly how strong this kid is now, judging from his ability to single-handedly wipe out more than a dozen Kirigakure Jonin, he's probably at least at the Kage level.

With their combined strength, even if they couldn't kill the person in front of them and escape unscathed, it wouldn't be difficult for them to get away.

However, to his utter surprise, Kagura appeared and immediately said, "Old man, you lost!"

Just as his eye twitched slightly, Kagura turned to Danzo and continued shouting:

"Hey, old Deng, I'll take your life this time."

His words caused an awkward silence to fall over the room.

Although no one knew what he meant by calling Danzo "old man," everyone was certain, based on the context, that it was definitely not a compliment.

Danzo, who was publicly named, also had his cheek twitch.

Looking at Kagura's smug face, he felt a sharp pain in his right arm, which had been cut off not long ago.

Finally, he, who was usually unsmiling, erupted in rare rage and shouted:

"Attack! Don't let them get away, especially that kid Kagura!"

As his staunch supporters, the members from "Root" rushed forward immediately.

The Jonin from Kumogakure, though slightly annoyed by his commanding tone, were not entirely pleased.

However, after considering their purpose, they still chose to charge forward.

However, two people rushed forward before they could hesitate.

The two men's target was Kagura, who was standing at the very front.

Clang! Clang!

Faced with the two men's attack, Kagura immediately drew her weapon to parry.

With two metallic clanging sounds, Kagura leaped away from her original position.

After landing and regaining his footing, he finally saw the two people rushing towards him.

Although it had been almost ten years since they last met, he recognized one of them immediately.

"Hey, I didn't expect to see you here, Tsuchishiro."

That's right, the young man among the two who was wearing a uniquely shaped hat and had one eye covered.

It was Tsuchishiro, who had participated in the Chunin Exams with him in the Land of Water many years ago.

As a representative of the younger generation of Kumogakure, he naturally participated in the battle on the front lines this time.

However, compared to the high-profile Kagura, this seemingly honest and ordinary young man, who is actually quite capable, has not made a name for himself.