Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

Shimura Danzo readily agreed to Hiruzen Sarutobi's three conditions.

A look of wild joy flashed in his eyes, and he immediately bowed deeply, trying to hide his excitement by lowering his head: "Thank you, Third Hokage! I will certainly follow your instructions, strictly implement these three conditions, make thorough preparations, and ensure that the plan goes perfectly."

Danzo didn't take the promise seriously. As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi acquiesced, he would have the power to command the ninjas of Konoha at will.

In any case, as long as he can kill Orochimaru, it will be a serious weakening of Hiruzen Sarutobi, and at the same time, it will expand his own influence.

At least in Shimura Danzo's mind, he was one step closer to becoming Hokage.

Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness and worry in each other's eyes.

We've been classmates and colleagues for decades, who doesn't know what Danzo is?

The problem is that Orochimaru is too much of a threat, and they have no other choice but to follow Danzo's plan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi made this decision out of sheer desperation.

From their perspective, for the safety of Konoha and to protect the villagers and Konoha ninja, they had no choice but to allow Danzo to take the risk.

Furthermore, we must fully cooperate with Danzo to minimize the risks of the plan.

The Konoha F4 have reached a consensus, and the plan is about to enter the implementation phase.

Koharu Utatane said, "Hiruzen, you have made your decision. I will fully cooperate, do a good job in guiding public opinion, and ensure the stability of Konoha."

Mitokado Homura chimed in, "We will do our best to cooperate with Danzo, while closely monitoring Orochimaru and the movements of other ninja villages. We will report to you immediately if anything unusual happens."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand: "Alright, I'll leave it to you."

"Danzo, you must be very careful and remember the three conditions I told you."

"Yes, Third Hokage!"

The three bowed simultaneously to accept the order, their tone respectful.

After the meeting concluded and everyone left, the council chamber returned to silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slumped back in his chair, slowly raising his head to gaze at Konoha Village outside the window.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, making the office warm and cozy, but Hiruzen Sarutobi felt cold.

He knew it wasn't real coldness, but rather the helplessness and guilt he felt after crossing his moral boundaries.

Hiruzen Sarutobi even felt that he wasn't human!

His hands gripped the handrails tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Don't blame me. I am the Hokage, the Third Hokage. I must be responsible for Konoha Village..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi could only believe that he had no other choice. It was the helplessness of being the Hokage of Konoha, and the helpless choice of sacrificing his personal feelings for the safety of Konoha.

If he didn't think that way, he probably would have no choice but to commit suicide.

But as he thought about it, Hiruzen Sarutobi ended up deceiving himself.

He truly believed that the current situation was Orochimaru's fault, not his own cowardice.

He sincerely apologized in his heart: I'm sorry, Orochimaru!

It's because your teacher failed to guide you onto the right path that you had to sacrifice your life to ensure the safety of Konoha.

May you find peace and happiness in the Pure Land...

After Danzo walked out of the Hokage Building, he could no longer hide the ecstasy in his eyes, and a smug smile appeared on his lips.

Orochimaru was ultimately too inexperienced.

This kid actually thinks that by winning the war and taking over Kirigakure and the Land of Water, he can gain honor and become Hokage.

snort!

Innocent!

Konoha Village belongs to me, Danzo Shimura. If you dare to set foot on the land of the Land of Fire, you will inevitably fall into the trap I have set.

Danzo Shimura was satisfied with the design of the follow-up plan.

After killing Orochimaru, he took the opportunity to spread rumors that Hiruzen Sarutobi had killed him, letting everyone know that Hiruzen Sarutobi was a jealous and envious bastard who would even assassinate his own students.

He said that no one should touch his comrades in Konoha, but he personally killed the student who had just made a contribution to the destruction of the country.

The Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure were both traitors who killed their own village comrades!

Ultimately, the safety of Konoha depends on me, Danzo Shimura, and on my Root organization.

Once Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation is completely ruined, the Hokage position will fall to Danzo!

Danzo Shimura believed that as the Fifth Hokage, he would perfectly transform Konoha and make it the most powerful ninja village in the ninja world once again.

Everyone must revere and submit to Him!

Without the slightest delay, Danzo immediately summoned his trusted Root ninja and assigned them tasks:

Someone is secretly spreading rumors that Orochimaru intends to establish an independent country in the Land of Water.

Someone disguised themselves as a Hidden Mist ninja and went to the Land of Water to contact Yamanaka Hatsukyu and sow discord.

The most elite Root ninjas quietly left the village, awaiting the order to surround and kill Orochimaru.

Meanwhile, in Kirigakure, the Land of Water, at the Mizukage Building.

Orochimaru stood on the roof of the building, taking advantage of the rare clear weather to carefully observe Kirigakure.

Konoha ninjas patrolled the streets, the villagers of Kirigakure obediently accepted their new ruler, shops opened for business, and people worked hard.

Kirigakure Village is even more bustling and prosperous than before.

Standing beside Orochimaru, Yamanaka Hatsukyu whispered, "Orochimaru-sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi has agreed to Danzo Shimura's plan. The Root ninjas have begun setting up ambush positions, preparing to kill you on your way back to Konoha."

Orochimaru smiled faintly and asked with a disdainful tone, "Hatsukyu, Shimura Danzo's brain couldn't have come up with such a simple and effective plan. Did you do something behind the scenes?"

Yamanaka Chujiu chuckled: "I have a lot of living puppets with roots, so I guess I'm just making use of them."

Orochimaru scoffed, "I knew it."

"You've really put me in a corner with no way out. Now I have no choice but to face Sarutobi-sensei head-on."

Yamanaka Chukyu retorted, "Orochimaru-sensei, are you afraid?"

"Afraid?"

"What am I afraid of?"

Orochimaru said with frustration, "Sarutobi-sensei is getting old after all. He is indecisive and has many concerns, but he made the wrong decision when he shouldn't have made it."

"To be honest, I also find it a little hard to understand the four of them, the teachers."

"Even though you and I, master and disciple, have completely controlled more than 12,000 Konoha ninjas and have a huge influence among other ninjas, Danzo actually thought that he could kill me, Orochimaru, with the power of a few elders."

"If Danzo really kills me, Konoha will shatter on the spot!"

Yamanaka Chuji was overjoyed: "Orochimaru-sensei, you've accepted my plan?"

Orochimaru said helplessly, "Can I not accept it?"

"Shimura Danzo has already come to kill me, and Sarutobi-sensei has even agreed to and cooperated with him. If I don't want to die and don't become a rogue ninja, the only way I can go is to return to Konoha as soon as possible, overthrow Sarutobi-sensei's rule, and become the Fifth Hokage myself."

"Kid, don't get too cocky!"

"Once I have complete control of Konoha, I will focus on researching ninjutsu and dump all the work on you, keeping you incredibly busy!"

"Haven't you been trying to force me to become the Fifth Hokage?"

"Fine, I'll take the Hokage position, but all the work is yours!"

"You'll be my Hokage's support, and the only one at that. You'll be incredibly busy!"

The ninth day of the lunar month in the mountains was bewildered: "Huh?"