They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 220 Mrs. Hatake, you don't want anything to happen to Kakashi, do you? (6.5K)

boom!

"Is this what you call 'absolutely foolproof'? Is this what you mean by 'stopping at the right point'?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the intelligence report in his hand onto the table, glaring angrily at Danzo Shimura in front of him, and kept accusing him.

"What did I say back then? Suppress him, suppress him a little. Just slightly dampen his reputation. Just make sure he steps down from the position of Hokage successor. I didn't mean to crush him!"

"And what promises did you make to me back then? Danzo, don't tell me you don't know what Sakumo Hatake's fighting strength means to us right now."

"The legendary hero of Konoha, the 'White Fang of Konoha,' feared by other ninja villages, was neither killed by the enemy nor died on the battlefield serving Konoha. His death was caused by suicide under the accusations of his own villagers. I can only imagine how they'll laugh at us behind our backs!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi grew angrier as he spoke, perhaps angry that such a useful tool as Sakumo Hatake had died, perhaps angry that Konoha's international reputation had plummeted after the news got out, or perhaps his mind was disturbed by the guilt and panic in his heart.

In short, he had a rare big argument with Danzo Shimura again after the Second Shinobi World War.

"You're an old hand at this kind of thing, didn't you do any planning before putting the plan into action? Didn't you ever think this would happen? Now how are we supposed to explain this to the villagers, to those ninja clans, and to Hatake Nao and Hatake Kakashi?"

The thought that he might lose the support of the village's Jonin and ninja clan because of this made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel uneasy.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura's plan was done in secrecy, as the saying goes, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

The news of Sakumo Hatake's mission failure spread throughout Konoha overnight, which in itself was suspicious. Combined with the earlier discussions about Hokage candidates arising from Jiraiya's return to the village and Hiruzen Sarutobi's attack, anyone with a slightly quick mind and a bit more information could guess the gist of it.

After all, everyone knows why Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't want to step down.

The Sarutobi clan's ever-expanding territory, the constant influx of clan members into key departments, and the blatant presence of the Anbu chief and deputy chief—the son and daughter-in-law of Sarutobi Hiruzen—are all clearly visible to everyone.

They were all foxes who had lived for thousands of years, so they had naturally read Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio countless times. Some of them had even used the techniques used by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Naturally, he knew the ins and outs of it very well.

In this situation, they could accept Hiruzen Sarutobi using methods to suppress Sakumo Hatake's reputation, since it was a "reasonable" political tactic.

However, using this method to suppress Sakumo Hatake to death would be beyond their tolerance.

After all, just as Hatake Sakumo could threaten Sarutobi Hiruzen's position, so too could these clan leaders and outstanding young ninjas!

You, Hiruzen Sarutobi, were able to suppress Sakumo Hatake to death today, but who knows if you will take action against them tomorrow?

This is what Hiruzen Sarutobi is most worried about at this moment.

Danzo Shimura was well aware of Hiruzen Sarutobi's inner anxieties.

Rather, that's what he was aiming for.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation won't collapse overnight either.

In Shimura Danzo's plan, this was just an appetizer he brought to his old teammates, merely the first step on his path to becoming Hokage.

Danzo Shimura knew that while Sakumo Hatake's death would certainly cause Hiruzen Sarutobi a crisis of trust, it would only be a minor problem.

Since Sakumo Hatake was ultimately dead, Fugaku Uchiha was the only remaining candidate for Hokage.

Although the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village had improved considerably before, the appearance of the Mangekyou Sharingan during the Second Shinobi World War caused their image to decline again, and now there is certainly no one to support them.

The others, Tsunade and Orochimaru, are still young, so it's likely that Sakumo Hatake didn't have any outstanding achievements.

As for Shimura Danzo, his chances are slim now. Although he gained a lot of prestige through the Miroku sect and the half-price supplies incident, the position of Root leader still earned him a lot of points among the various ninja clans. Unless Sarutobi Hiruzen commits some unforgivable mistake, he has no chance of taking over now.

So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Hiruzen Sarutobi's position as Hokage is currently secure.

Well, if nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected is about to happen.

Danzo Shimura's next move, the one that would truly ruin Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation, was about to be unleashed.

In the detailed plan that Hozuki Shingetsu had given him before, Hatake Sakumo's personality was described in detail.

In particular, it provides a detailed account of Sakumo Hatake's emphasis on his comrades and his recognition of Hashirama Senju's original "Will of Fire."

His detailed analysis of Sakumo Hatake even alarmed Danzo Shimura.

However, it was precisely because of this detailed analysis of Sakumo Hatake's personality that Danzo Shimura was able to use his family as leverage to cause the comrade who had been saved by Sakumo Hatake to turn against him.

Without him even realizing it, he subtly revealed many clues to Hatake Sakumo, making him realize that the person behind this plot against him was Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Just as many people perished when the Big Brother disintegrated, under the machinations of the current Hokage and the betrayal of his comrades, and the combined attack of Konoha and Kirigakure, Sakumo Hatake's faith truly collapsed. He then chose to die to prove his innocence, using death to pursue the vanished Konoha in his memory.

Now that Sakumo Hatake is dead, the plan can proceed to the next step.

The scheme that Hozuki Shingetsu laid out six years ago has finally come to an end.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation for being a lecher has long since spread throughout the ninja world. The impression people have of him is that he's capable and powerful, but a lecherous monster.

Coincidentally, Hatake Sakumo's wife, Hatake Nao, was a rare beauty.

On one side is a widow who has just lost her husband and has to raise her young child, and on the other side is a lecherous vengeful ghost known throughout the ninja world.

If this widow were to die at Sakumo Hatake's funeral to prove her innocence, claiming that Hiruzen Sarutobi used Kakashi as leverage to defile her, who do you think the people of the ninja world would believe?!

When that time comes, won't it be the time when Hiruzen Sarutobi is betrayed by everyone, abandoned by his friends and family, and utterly disgraced?

Wasn't this the perfect opportunity for Shimura Danzo to rise to the top and become the Fourth Hokage?

At this thought, Shimura Danzo seemed to already see himself wearing the Hokage's robes, standing on the roof of the Hokage Building, giving a speech to the people of Konoha. He almost couldn't contain his excitement and burst out laughing.

Fortunately, his years of forbearance and his years in Root had honed his ability to conceal his emotions, which prevented him from revealing any flaws in front of the enraged Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Otherwise, it wouldn't seem quite right for him to be laughing and chuckling when Hiruzen Sarutobi was pointing his finger at him and cursing him.

So, hoping to distract himself, he quickly offered Hiruzen Sarutobi's advice, "Hiruzen, what's done is done..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was furious.

"...I've told you so many times, use your job title when you're at work!"

Danzo Shimura was taken aback, then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi. When he noticed the tough look in his eyes, he instantly understood what Hiruzen Sarutobi meant. He was being warned!

Immediately, Danzo Shimura's anger flared up as well.

Although I have my own thoughts on this matter, don't you know that? Didn't you agree to all of this?

Now that something's gone wrong, you're blaming it all on me. As the Hokage, are you really a non-stick pan?

Moreover, this wasn't the first or second time this had happened. As the root of Konoha, Danzo was already used to helping Hiruzen Sarutobi with his dirty tricks and taking the blame for others.

But today, perhaps because the plan was about to succeed, or perhaps because he was tired of being blamed too many times, he was inexplicably annoyed by Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.

Damn it, you're about to step down, and you're still putting on airs like the Hokage, huh?

Alright, I'll let you experience the taste of Naruto one last time!

So he suppressed his anger and said in a calm tone, "...Hokage-sama, what's done is done. Instead of discussing how to deal with me, let's think about how to explain this to the outside world and how to appease Hatake Nao and Hatake Kakashi."

"Regardless of the reason, and whatever our purpose was before, what outsiders see now is our Konoha hero, 'Konoha's White Fang,' who couldn't bear the words of his own people and ultimately committed suicide."

"This incident has had a profound and negative impact on Konoha's image, both internally and externally."

"Therefore, I suggest we start from the following three aspects to try our best to downplay the impact of this matter on the village."

"The first thing is to hold a grand funeral for Sakumo Hatake. The funeral must be grand, and it can even be buried according to the rites for a Hokage. In short, it is to show our recognition of Sakumo Hatake's achievements during his lifetime and to commend what he did."

A funeral is definitely necessary. Otherwise, how can we gather the villagers, stir their emotions, and ruin Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation in front of everyone?

"The second thing is to appease Nao Hatake and Kakashi Hatake. Nao Hatake has now left the ninja life, so appeasing her will mainly focus on compensation and honor. The key is Kakashi."

"I suggest recruiting Kakashi into the Anbu and having him serve as the Hokage's personal guard to appease the outside world. This way, the village will show that it will not forget any hero, and that the succession of the mantle will be a way of passing the torch from father to son."

If I don't recruit Kakashi into the Anbu, how will I train this genius after I become Hokage?

"The last thing was to subtly guide public opinion and shift people's focus away from the village. In any case, the village couldn't be wrong; the fault must lie with the people in the middle. We were just too busy to properly monitor public opinion in the village and failed to intervene in time, which ultimately led to this disaster."

"So let's throw out that ninja who was saved by Sakumo Hatake and let him draw the crowd's attention, thus diverting the village's attention from this incident! Anyway, the village definitely can't bear the main responsibility at this time!"

After all, he would be the Hokage in the future, so saving the village's positive image at this time was equivalent to helping himself, so Danzo Shimura would naturally take it to heart.

"As long as the above three aspects can be fully implemented, although this matter will still have some impact on the village, the impact can be said to be negligible."

Danzo Shimura spoke eloquently, and his series of logically sound and highly feasible plans instantly caught Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention.

The reason he previously gave Shimura Danzo the cold shoulder was ultimately because he disliked that Danzo hadn't cleaned up the mess. Combined with Jiraiya's actions, this has led to Hiruzen Sarutobi now facing a crisis of trust.

However, since Danzo Shimura had found a solution, his anger naturally subsided considerably.

"...Alright, Danzo, I'll give you one more chance. Don't let me down this time."

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe, exhaled a long puff of smoke, and gave Danzo Shimura the order to leave.

"Of course, I promise you won't be disappointed this time."

Danzo Shimura nodded in agreement, looking as if everything was going perfectly.

Can the above three measures resolve the impact of this matter?

Yes, but not enough!

What is the best way to resolve a major public opinion crisis?

Naturally, the solution would be to release an even more significant and explosive piece of public opinion to suppress this one!

and so……

"Hiruzen... no, Hokage-sama, for the sake of the village, please sacrifice yourself!"

"As the Hokage, you must be willing to do your part for the village!"

Danzo Shimura glanced up at Hiruzen Sarutobi, suppressed his covetousness for the Hokage's office chair, and turned to leave.

-

"Kakashi, where have you been?"

Evening, at the Hatake residence.

Nao Hatake looked at Kakashi Hatake, who had returned covered in wounds, and a look of worry appeared on her pale face.

The news of her husband's suicide in his study a few days earlier was like a bolt from the blue for her, a housewife who had long since left her ninja identity.

In the years since becoming a housewife, she has not only lost her strength as a Chunin, but also the decisiveness of a ninja.

However, just when she was completely at a loss and her heart was in turmoil, she suddenly realized that her son's behavior had been extremely abnormal in the past few days.

After Sakumo Hatake's death, Kakashi first locked himself in his room for two days without eating or drinking. After he finally went out, he spent all day in the training ground on the back mountain like a madman, from morning till night.

This made Nao Hatake, who was already uneasy, even more worried, fearing that something might happen to her son soon after her husband left.

But what can a woman, a housewife, do in a time like this?

Kakashi Hatake glanced at his mother without showing any expression, then turned and walked past her to the kitchen to find something to eat.

"Kakashi, I made you a meal. The food is on the table..."

Kakashi ignored his mother's voice and didn't even glance at the still steaming food on the table. He took a few cold rice balls from the kitchen and headed for the door, seemingly to go to training.

"...Kakashi, don't be like this. I know your father's death has been a huge blow to you, but you can't keep training like this without regard for your physical condition!"

Nao Hatake stood at the door, her arms outstretched to block Kakashi's path, and earnestly tried to persuade him.

She only has one son, and she has to take good care of him no matter what.

She was once a ninja herself, and although she no longer has the decisiveness and strength she once possessed, her experience remains. She knows that Kakashi's current actions are merely an outlet for his frustrations and do not contribute to any improvement in his strength.

Kakashi looked up at his mother for a moment, and then a hoarse voice came from his mouth.

"...He is not my father; he is just a coward."

Ignoring his mother's objections, Kakashi used a Body Flicker Technique to pass by her and arrive at the door.

"Also, his incident taught me a lesson."

Kakashi rested his hand on the doorknob, his gaze falling on the portrait hanging opposite the dining table. Sakumo Hatake was looking at him with a gentle smile.

"Ninjas, in the end, still have to rely on themselves. Ninjas... are nothing more than tools to complete missions. What comrades... that's laughable."

Kakashi Hatake's lowered gaze revealed boundless rage, though it was unclear whether this rage was directed at Sakumo Hatake, the villagers from that time, or someone else.

boom!

Kakashi opened the door, but as soon as he rushed out, it was as if he had hit a wall, and he was jolted back.

"Be careful, Kakashi... Where are you going at this time?"

He looked up and saw a middle-aged man with half his body wrapped in bandages and holding a cane standing in front of his house.

He naturally recognized that this was Shimura Danzo, the Hokage's assistant and the leader of Root.

However, Kakashi, whose heart was now filled with hatred, naturally didn't care about Danzo Shimura's purpose in coming to his door. After awkwardly uttering an apology, he bypassed Danzo Shimura and ran into the dark mountains without looking back.

As the sun set, its afterglow fell upon Kakashi's running body.

His small body rose and fell on the ground, with endless darkness in front of him and the warm glow of the setting sun behind him.

"Kakashi!"

Nao Hatake leaned against the door, watching her son run into the darkness, her cries filled with endless worry.

But Kakashi paid no heed and continued running with all his might. The boundary between light and darkness shifted back around him, gradually moving from in front to behind.

The sunlight seemed to be using its last bit of strength to chase after him, but it still couldn't keep up with the speed at which he was falling into darkness.

Finally, with Kakashi's powerful leap, he broke free from the sunlight and plunged into endless darkness.

"It seems that Sakumo's passing has been a significant blow to him!"

As Danzo Shimura watched Kakashi's departing figure, a strange look flashed in his eyes.

A genius who falls into darkness is still a genius, isn't he?

For him, this kind of genius was more to his liking.

"...Did Lord Danzo come here on business?"

Nao Hatake withdrew her gaze from Kakashi and then looked at Danzo Shimura with a wary look.

Losing her husband left her feeling lost and helpless, but it did not rob her of her wisdom.

Although she didn't know the specific details of the public opinion storm surrounding Hatake Sakumo, the fact that the village had remained completely indifferent from the whole affair showed that the village certainly hadn't played a glorious role in the matter.

Therefore, Nao Hatake was still very wary of Danzo Shimura's visit at this time.

It wasn't that she was worried about what Danzo Shimura might do to her; she was mainly worried about Kakashi and what the village might do to him.

"Mrs. Hatake, won't you invite me in for a chat? I can't just stand here talking to you like this!"

Shimura Danzo did not answer Hatake Nao's question directly, but gave a vague answer and entered the room at Hatake Nao's invitation.

The door slowly closed, completely shutting out the last warmth of the setting sun from the room.

-

After entering, Shimura Danzo first lit incense in front of Hatake Sakumo's portrait and offered a simple prayer before discussing business with Hatake Nao.

In other words, he was entrusted by Hiruzen Sarutobi to tell Nao Hatake that the village would hold a grand funeral for Sakumo Hatake, give her a generous sum of money as compensation, and allow Kakashi to join the Anbu. He also promised to catch the culprit who slandered Sakumo Hatake.

Aside from Kakashi joining the Anbu, Nao Hatake was not interested in anything else.

In her opinion, it was a good thing that Kakashi joined the Anbu. At least under the Hokage's watchful eye, she wouldn't have to worry about him doing anything to her.

Danzo Shimura looked Nao Hatake up and down, who was lost in thought, from her mature face to her voluptuous body, and couldn't help but feel satisfied with his choice.

Because of Sakumo Hatake's involvement, Nao Hatake was dressed in a long black dress today. The loose dress couldn't hide her shapely figure, and coupled with her pale complexion and haggard appearance, anyone who saw her couldn't help but say:

What a pitiful widow!

Given this outfit, it would be perfectly believable to outsiders that Hiruzen Sarutobi was lustful and threatened Kakashi with his life.

At that moment, perhaps because Shimura Danzo's gaze was too blatant, even the dazed Hatake Nao vaguely sensed it and immediately came to her senses, crossing her arms and looking at Shimura Danzo with disgust.

"Oh, Mrs. Hatake, there's one more small matter I'd like your help with."

Ignoring Nao Hatake's angry gaze, Shimura Danzo slowly told her what he had asked her to do, under the watchful eye of Sakumo Hatake's portrait.

Extremely shocked, Hatake Nao initially thought she had misheard and was looking at Shimura Danzo with a surprised gaze. However, she quickly realized what he had just said when she recalled his gaze.

Snapped!

"You're dreaming!"

Nao Hatake suddenly stood up and slapped Danzo Shimura across the face. In her extreme anger, her voluptuous body heaved up and down.

Although she knew some bad things about Shimura Danzo, Hatake Nao never imagined that the person in front of her could be so shameless!

Now that her husband has just died in the village, and under the gaze of his portrait, how dare he make such a request to her, the widow of a hero!

Danzo Shimura slowly turned his face, ignoring the distinct five-finger red handprint on his cheek, and calmly looked at Nao Hatake, whose face was flushed, before uttering a single sentence:

"Mrs. Hatake, you don't want anything to happen to Kakashi, do you?"

boom!

It was as if a bolt from the blue had struck Nao Hatake. The moment she heard those words, it felt as if her bones had been pulled out of her body, and her full figure collapsed limply into her seat.

However, she quickly came to her senses and glared at Shimura Danzo with gritted teeth.

"I will tell Hiruzen Sarutobi everything... He will definitely be able to protect Kakashi."

Upon hearing this, Danzo Shimura's lips curled into a disdainful smile, seemingly mocking Nao Hatake's naivety, or perhaps also mocking Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Do you think Hiruzen can protect Kakashi under my command?"

Danzo Shimura looked at Nao Hatake with a complex expression, and softly uttered a sentence that sounded like a murmur or a venting: "He is a leaf bathed in sunlight, while I am a root buried deep in darkness. What he cannot do, I can do; and what I can do, he cannot do."

Upon understanding this meaning, Nao Hatake's pretty face instantly turned completely pale, and she slumped into her seat.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, constrained by his status as Hokage, could not act as recklessly as Danzo Shimura.

Moreover, since Shimura Danzo had been planning for so long, he would naturally not give up this great opportunity to become Hokage. For this, he would definitely do everything in his power.

and many more!

In that case… a terrifying thought suddenly flashed through Nao Hatake’s mind.

"You orchestrated Sakumo's death?!"

Nao Hatake deduced this conclusion from Danzo Shimura's determined request. Looking at the man's indifferent eyes, she instantly wanted to stand up and fight Danzo Shimura to the death, and wanted to spread the news to the village.

But she quickly abandoned the idea.

As Danzo Shimura just mentioned, he is a root buried deep underground, with too many ways to deal with Kakashi.

Upon realizing this, Nao Hatake couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. Her gaze passed over Danzo Shimura and fell upon the portrait of Sakumo Hatake on the wall behind him.

"Sakumo, is this the Konoha you've always longed for...?"

After a long silence, a lifeless voice rang out:

"I... I promise you."

Meanwhile, Sakumo Hatake, hanging on the wall, continued to watch all of this with his signature gentle smile.

He silently watched as Konoha, the village he had fought for his entire life and died to realize his ideals, came to be.

(End of this chapter)