Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 313 Assassination of Aokiji (Part 2)

Tsunade wondered if she had misheard. Coming to her senses, she quickly asked, "Sarutobi-sensei is injured? When? Is he alright?"

"Right now, it's still asleep, and we don't know when it will wake up."

Danzo exhaled a breath, his expression solemn.

Without even saying goodbye, Tsunade turned and left, not in the mood to report on the mission.

She was going to the hospital to visit her mentor and see if she, as a medical ninja, could be of any help.

Danzo's gaze fell on Orochimaru, who was still in the room: "Aren't you going with Tsunade?"

"I'm not a medical ninja, so going there is pointless?"

Orochimaru was a bit more rational than Tsunade: "Besides, reporting doesn't take much time."

Danzo greatly admired Orochimaru's rationality.

The events he had experienced quickly coalesced in his mind into words, and Orochimaru gave a candid report.

Danzo listened, a barely perceptible look of apprehension in his eyes.

Aokiji's strength is too outstanding, which is not a good thing.

"To be able to defeat Hanzo at such a young age, you are all truly remarkable." Hanzo praised everyone, specifically naming Aokiji: "Especially Aokiji, his strength is particularly evident."

The reason for praising Aokiji so highly isn't because the sun is rising in popularity, but rather because they want to see if they can stir up jealousy in the other side.

To deal with Aokiji, sowing discord among those around him is a very good strategy.

Orochimaru wore a genuine smile on his face: "That's true."

His answer offered no opening, so Danzo shut his mouth and started thinking of other ways.

After reporting his work, Orochimaru didn't rush to find a hospital. Instead, he stayed and asked about his mentors: "Lord Danzo, Sarutobi-sensei, how did you get injured all of a sudden?"

He was very curious; with Sarutobi's strength, who could have injured him like that?

Danzo fell silent, hesitating whether or not to speak.

Orochimaru sensibly said, "If it's some kind of secret, then forget about it."

Since Orochimaru had already said that, Danzo didn't bother to explain further.

This isn't because I don't trust Orochimaru, but because when it comes to secrets, the fewer people who know, the better.

Danzo apologized, "I'm sorry..."

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Unable to get the answer he wanted, Orochimaru had no reason to stay there any longer.

Danzo nodded, indicating that he could leave.

After Orochimaru left, Danzo was left alone in the huge Hokage office.

He sat in the chair, touching the armrests, a look of enjoyment on his face.

If I could, I'd love to sit in this chair forever.

At night, at the hospital.

Inside the ward, Danzo stared at the middle-aged man on the bed, a cold glint in his eyes.

If he dies...

"Is it Danzo?"

The sudden sound made Danzo's spine tremble.

The middle-aged man lying on the hospital bed slowly opened his eyes.

"Hiruzen, you're awake." Danzo's face stiffened.

With Hiruzen Sarutobi waking up, it signifies the end of his tenure as acting Hokage.

I knew it would end, but I didn't expect it to end so soon.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had just woken up, his voice weak: "I really slept for a long time."

"yes……"

Danzo was thinking to himself, "Why don't you stay lying down a little longer?"

"You've really worked hard these past few days."

Hiruzen Sarutobi lay on the bed, his eyes darting around as he surveyed his surroundings: "Was it you who took care of me during my slumber?"

Danzo said in a deep voice, "That's right."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said, "Is that so? You've really had a tough time these past few days."

Danzo said somewhat unwillingly, "Now that you're awake, hurry back to where you were supposed to be."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head: "This injury is quite serious, and I may need to rest for a while."

Upon hearing this, Danzo narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked troubled: "I might need you to oversee things for me for a while longer."

Danzo frowned and snorted coldly.

He appeared displeased, but was secretly pleased, knowing he could once again serve as Hokage.

The allure of power, once tasted, is like a sweet tooth, impossible to resist.

"I can't stand you."

Danzo was forced to continue serving as Hokage, so he put on a disgusted expression.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw this, and a barely perceptible smile quickly flashed across his eyes.

The matter at hand is of great importance; if not handled properly, it could easily tarnish one's reputation.

Therefore, it is necessary to find someone to take the blame.

After much thought, there was no one more suitable than the person in front of me.

With an apologetic expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said, "I'm so sorry, I'll have to trouble you with the rest."

"Hmph." Danzo remained unsmiling, inwardly reminding himself not to laugh just because he could remain Hokage: "Hiruzen, shouldn't you explain your injury properly?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes and tried to recall the past. It was a painful memory, one he truly didn't want to relive if he could.

Having recalled most of it, he opened his eyes, lowered his voice, and slowly recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

During this time, Danzo's expression changed from calm to surprise to rapid breathing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at it, then lowered his voice slightly: "What's your opinion on this matter?"

Without hesitation, Danzo said, "For the sake of Konoha, this is the best way."

He had wanted to kill Aokiji for a long time, but he had never had the opportunity.

Hiruzen Sarutobi feigned concern and sighed, "This is a serious matter, and I think it's necessary to discuss it with Koharu and Kadoya again."

"Can."

In Danzo's view, since both of them had agreed, the other two were just going through the motions.

The two quickly reached a tacit agreement on how to deal with Aokiji.

"However, dealing with him will not be an easy task."

Danzo's words were rather cryptic.

Based on his understanding of Aokiji, killing him would be extremely difficult.

He now holds a high position of power, and it would be very easy for him to kill a subordinate.

They can be randomly sent on secret missions, and ambushed and killed along the way.

However, this strategy only applies to ordinary ninjas.

First of all, ninjas are generally very responsible and are sometimes willing to risk their lives to achieve their goals.

Using this, it would be easy to kill the ninja.

But Aokiji is different; that kid has no sense of responsibility.

When faced with an enemy they cannot defeat, they will not hesitate to prioritize their own lives and choose to flee.

Even if the person he was protecting was a relative of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, such an important figure, he would still flee without hesitation.

If something like this happens once, it will definitely happen again. Given Aokiji's personality, he's definitely capable of doing it.

Besides the above, Aokiji's personality is still independent and he disobeys orders as casually as drinking water.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to separate him from Tsunade and send him on other missions alone, but the guy refused without hesitation, disobeying orders.

Because Aokiji's strength is too outstanding, Hiruzen Sarutobi cannot completely leave him unused, which has led to the current situation.

Sending Aokiji into the trap under the guise of a classified mission is also unrealistic.

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood Danzo's underlying meaning, and his sigh revealed a deep sense of helplessness:

"Putting aside his personality and personal strength, he often goes on missions with that person in pairs. If you want to make a move, you have to separate that person first."

Putting aside the issue of their identities, Hiruzen Sarutobi still had a teacher-student relationship with Tsunade, so he naturally didn't want to drag her into it.

"This is indeed a very troublesome matter..."

Ever since Aokiji revealed his Sharingan abilities, Danzo has been plotting to eliminate Aokiji, this thorn in his side, for the past six months.

Even so, he still hasn't figured out how to make a move.

There's only one chance; if you fail...

Given Aokiji's personality, it's hard to imagine him doing anything outrageous.

Furthermore, the Uchiha clan has long been dissatisfied with the higher-ups. If the assassination fails, and Aokiji raises his voice, they will not only face Aokiji's revenge, but also the Uchiha clan.

If it really comes to that, Konoha will be facing a civil war...

Regardless of victory or defeat, this will be a devastating blow to Konoha.

Thinking of this, Danzo's eyes turned fierce, and a bold decision began to form in his mind.

To kill Aokiji, one must be prepared to kill that person as well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed the ruthlessness growing in Danzo's eyes and rebuked him, warning, "Danzo, don't do anything rash..."

Danzo is the perfect scapegoat for the assassination of Aokiji.

However, there is one downside: having inherited the darkness of the village, he tends to act in extreme ways, sometimes resorting to any means to achieve his goals.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi was afraid that the other party might do something outrageous.

"I have my own sense of proportion."

Danzo did not answer this question directly.

The idea of ​​killing Tsunade along with her was just a thought.

Although he is ruthless, he is not so heartless as to be that depraved.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sensed that he wasn't entirely at ease with him and kept a watchful eye on him.

Danzo, unwilling to continue the discussion on this topic, instead asked, "Could the people lying in ambush by the roadside be the work of Kirigakure and Iwagakure?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi denied this, saying, "It shouldn't be, otherwise they wouldn't have saved me and then specifically let me go back."

Danzo rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Danzo, who was deep in thought, and asked him to go in his place to meet and negotiate with the other side.

Danzo nodded in agreement.

........................

One week later.

Given the precedent of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the location for this meeting is different from the last one; it will be within the Land of Fire.

The Third Tsuchikage and the Third Mizukage had no objection to this and went to the appointment as usual.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, both sides got straight to the point.

The Third Mizukage narrowed his eyes to slits, obscuring his expression: "What do you think about that suggestion from last time?"

Regarding Aokiji, Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane all agreed on the matter.

"I'm sorry, I can't agree to that."

This is similar to bargaining; Danzo did not agree directly.

He wanted to negotiate and sell Aokiji for as high a price as possible, squeezing out every last bit of value.

The Third Mizukage was slightly surprised, opening his narrowed eyes and revealing a dangerous glint in them: "This is truly unexpected."

"Aokiji is an important and excellent ninja in our village. I, Shimura Danzo, would never do something like betraying my comrade."

Danzo spoke with an air of righteous indignation, waiting for the other party to raise their bargaining power before showing any signs of softening their stance.

The Third Mizukage crossed his hands and rested them on his chin, saying with admiration, "As expected of Konoha, even at this point, they still refuse to betray their comrades for peace."

Danzo's eyes were serious; the other party's calm and composed attitude made him uncomfortable.

"By the way, regarding the kidnapper of the Fire Country daimyo's son, has Konoha found him yet?"

Danzo was puzzled by this sudden and inexplicable digression. After a moment's thought, he said, "No, there's still no progress."

After saying that, he stared intently with one eye, wanting to see what the other person was up to.

"Is that so? I do have a lead. Would you like to hear it?" The Third Mizukage's smile was intriguing.

Danzo's gaze sharpened slightly: "What clue?"

The Third Mizukage spoke leisurely: "Uchiha Aokiji..."

Danzo was stunned for a moment: "W-what?"

As if afraid he wouldn't understand, the Third Mizukage went a step further and explained: "The person who planned to kidnap and extort the son of the Fire Country's daimyo and then beat him up was none other than Uchiha Aokiji."

Upon hearing this, Danzo opened his mouth slightly, his shocked expression like a scene that had been paused for a moment.

As if admiring this rare expression, the Third Mizukage smiled with interest, scrutinizing the surprised face.

After a brief moment of disorientation, Danzo composed himself and asked solemnly, "What evidence do you have?"

"motivation……"

motivation?

Danzo lowered his gaze and fell into deep thought.

This reminder makes some things terrifying to think about.

Motives, strength, and time all fit Aokiji.

Danzo's heart was in turmoil.

Aokiji's vengefulness far exceeds imagination.

Based on this case, Danzo can be even more certain that Aokiji's Sharingan in the past was a deliberate disguise.

The Third Mizukage smiled and said, "Do you need me to give you more evidence?"

"No need..." Danzo said in a deep voice.

The fact that they brought this matter to the forefront shows that they clearly have ample evidence.

If this is true, then Aokiji absolutely must die.

Otherwise, the daimyo of the Land of Fire would really be unable to give an explanation.

Before he knew it, Danzo had found even more reasons to assassinate Aokiji.

Bringing up the matter, the Third Mizukage steered the conversation back to the previous topic: "Now, let's have a proper discussion about Aokiji again."

"So this is your trump card...?"

On the way here, Hiruzen Sarutobi specifically mentioned this matter to Danzo.

The Third Mizukage remained calm and asked in return, "It's always good to be well-prepared, isn't it?"

"I see……"

Danzo looked at the man with apprehension: "But before that, I have two conditions."

The Third Mizukage raised his chin: "What are your conditions? Tell me."

"It is inconvenient for Konoha to intervene in this matter. I will create the conditions, but you will have to take action yourselves."

Killing a ninja of Aokiji's caliber would come at a great cost. Danzo planned to use Aokiji's dying counterattack to weaken the power of Kirigakure and Iwagakure.

"That's fine."

The Third Mizukage accepted the suggestion so easily that Danzo could hardly believe it. He looked at Onoki with a questioning expression.

"I'm fine with that too," Onoki replied. "We were going to deal with Aokiji ourselves anyway."

Then, the Third Mizukage and Onoki remained silent, signaling him to continue.

Danzo said in a deep voice, "After he dies, I will take back his Sharingan."

"Can."

Neither the Third Mizukage nor Onoki had any objections.

The Sharingan can only unleash its true power when possessed by members of the Uchiha clan.

It can have significant side effects for people who are not of the same race, such as constantly consuming chakra.

As the talks progressed to this point, Danzo revealed a barely perceptible smile of satisfaction.

Just as he was thinking about how to go back and devise a plan to kill Aokiji, the other party spoke up.

"We've agreed to all the conditions you just mentioned. Now, could you please agree to one more thing for us?"

This certainly didn't sound like good news, so Danzo frowned and asked, "What is it?"

"I hope Konoha can lend us one of our people."

"Who?"

"Tsunade."

"What...what did you say...?"

Danzo's pupils dilated.

P.S.: I have a cold, so I should go to bed early.

(End of this chapter)