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

Chapter 224 The Appearance of the Kaleidoscope! Kabuto Yakushi Enters the Hidden Mist!

Miscalculation!

Danzo Shimura, sitting in the dimly lit Root base, angrily struck the ground to express his dissatisfaction.

He never imagined that his meticulously planned scheme would end up benefiting the Uchiha clan, whom he hated the most!

A day had passed since the bizarre funeral of Hatake Sakumo. Because of Hiruzen Sarutobi's last words, Shimura Danzo spent the entire day at the Root base racking his brains, trying to come up with a plausible reason that would be accepted by everyone.

But how difficult is that?

This trap set for Hiruzen Sarutobi could be said to have been set up by Shingetsu Hozuki six years ago. In the rush to come up with a plausible reason that would be accepted by everyone, they would have to really confess all of their actions.

However, due to Hozuki Shingetsu's affiliation with Kirigakure, even the dirty water couldn't be poured on him—after all, the idea that Kirigakure could secretly manipulate and coerce a hero's wife was simply too fantastical to be believed by anyone with a brain.

Even if they were to say it out loud, the only ones who would be laughed at would be Konoha itself.

"Damn it! Hiruzen, I didn't expect you to pull this trick on me at the very last minute..."

Shimura Danzo looked at the "investigation reports" compiled by his advisors on the table and sighed helplessly.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't said those words, or hadn't made that decisive move in that situation, in front of everyone, using his last authority as the Third Hokage to choose between himself and Fugaku Uchiha as the Hokage candidate...

Danzo Shimura was 90% certain that he could dominate the subsequent investigation and deliver a result that would allow him to crush Hiruzen Sarutobi under his feet while donning the Fourth Hokage's robes.

But now the outcome is different. After Sakumo Hatake's death, there were very few people who were qualified to become the Fourth Hokage.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi's words back then, it can be said that the current candidates for Hokage are basically limited to him and Fugaku Uchiha, and the judging method is who can produce a survey result that satisfies the public first.

In this situation, he naturally couldn't simply throw mud at Hiruzen Sarutobi—it's simple, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had voluntarily relinquished his Hokage status, was now an outsider, a player turned referee.

This would satisfy everyone, including Hiruzen Sarutobi. If they attacked Hiruzen Sarutobi now, he would surely do everything in his power to help Fugaku Uchiha, turning the tables on them.

Therefore, after Hiruzen Sarutobi said those words at Sakumo Hatake's funeral, there were only three possible outcomes for this incident.

The mastermind behind this is either Danzo Shimura, Hiruzen Sarutobi, or the Uchiha clan; there are no other options.

Given that Hiruzen Sarutobi had already given up the position of Hokage, there were only two possible outcomes: either Danzo Shimura or the Uchiha clan.

This also means that Danzo Shimura has to fight the Uchiha clan to the death.

After all, Danzo Shimura had longed for the position of Hokage for many years, and so had the Uchiha clan.

If we start counting from Madara Uchiha's era, the Uchiha clan's pursuit of the Hokage position lasted at least as long as his!

"Hiruzen, Hiruzen, the master was right about you back then!"

After carefully considering the situation, Shimura Danzo couldn't help but admire Hiruzen Sarutobi's quick wit.

If it had been someone else back then, they would probably be under Danzo Shimura's control by now. But now, Hiruzen Sarutobi has lost his position as Hokage, yet he's jumping out to watch Danzo Shimura and the Uchiha clan fight to the death, which is really infuriating.

Moreover, after the funeral, Hiruzen Sarutobi even attempted to use the Impure World Reincarnation technique on Nao Hatake's corpse, trying to recall Nao Hatake's soul from the Pure Land of Bliss and question her about the truth.

However, the current Impure World Reincarnation technique is ultimately an imperfect version, and the memories of the summoned impure bodies are largely missing. Hatake Nao's impure body did not reveal any useful information—all of this was naturally part of Shimura Danzo's plan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could never have imagined that his beloved disciple had betrayed him and sided with Danzo Shimura.

After all, it was Orochimaru who used the Impure World Reincarnation technique. Even if the Impure World Reincarnation technique were perfected, whether the impure body could speak and what it could say would be entirely up to him.

After all, with his master constantly interfering on one side and Shimura Danzo providing a large amount of experimental material on the other, the choice couldn't be easier for Orochimaru, who yearned for immortality.

"Well, in that case, we'll just have to turn the gun around and aim it at the Uchiha..."

The claim that the investigation results are satisfactory to everyone is, unless decisive evidence can be presented, the essence of this matter is to come up with an exchange method that aligns with the interests of all parties.

After all, you claim that what you have is the real investigation result, but where is the evidence?

Even if there is evidence, is the evidence necessarily true?

Whether this is true or false is ultimately in the hands of the various ninja clans that act as judges.

As for the influence of the various ninja clans, Shimura Danzo believed it was deeper than that of the Uchiha clan, so the rest was up to him to figure out how to negotiate with them...

With this thought in mind, Shimura Danzo stood up and was about to walk outside.

"Lord Danzo, Itachi has sent someone to request an audience."

Just then, a Root ninja knocked on the door, his deep voice echoing throughout the underground office.

"Itachi?"

Danzo Shimura was taken aback, then realized that it was Hozuki Shingetsu's code name.

Danzo Shimura knew that Shingetsu Hozuki wouldn't send someone over without a reason, and given their current alliance, he decided to have the messenger brought over after some thought.

A moment later, a middle-aged man dressed in plain clothes, without any ninja accessories, and dressed as a businessman, entered the basement to work.

"What did that kid want you to come here for?"

As soon as the two sides met, Danzo Shimura went straight to the point and asked the question. At this moment, he had no time to beat around the bush with an envoy.

"After all, this involves the plans of both sides. The Lord has been closely monitoring the progress of the plan. He is aware of everything that happened yesterday and is also aware of Lord Danzo's current predicament. Therefore, he specifically ordered me to come and help."

The messenger was not intimidated by Shimura Danzo's imposing manner and spoke eloquently.

"Oh? To be able to relay messages between two locations in just one day, your master's information network is truly impressive!"

"Looks like it's time for me to get rid of the rats in the village."

Danzo Shimura narrowed his eyes and said with a gloomy expression.

He was naturally not surprised that Konoha had spies from Kirigakure; he only said that to gain the upper hand in the upcoming negotiations.

After all, given Hozuki Shingetsu's personality, the fact that he dared to send someone over after learning the news means he must have a real solution.

At this point, Shimura Danzo was in a dilemma. Fearing that the other party would make exorbitant demands, he naturally wanted to do everything possible to take the initiative.

"Oh, you jest, sir... But speaking of rats, we seem to have a big rat in our area that's been steadily bringing food into our house!"

Having been carefully trained by Hozuki Shingetsu, he was naturally not intimidated by this level of threat. After calmly responding with Tsunade, he directly stated the purpose of his trip.

"After my master learned of Lord Danzo's predicament, he ordered me to present this painting to Lord Danzo, saying that this painting would be enough to resolve Lord Danzo's current predicament."

As the messenger spoke, he took out a scroll from his robes and handed it to Shimura Danzo.

With a sense of curiosity, Shimura Danzo slowly unfolded Hozuki Shingetsu's painting.

There were no strange words on the smooth scroll, only a lifelike eye drawn in the center.

Judging from its shape, this is a normal human eye.

However, unlike normal eyes, this eye had a clearly defined snowflake-shaped hexagonal pattern in its pupil. Under the artist's superb skill, this eye seemed to radiate an inexplicable brilliance, staring intently at Shimura Danzo before him.

"Eye?"

Danzo Shimura didn't notice anything unusual at first, but he knew that Shingetsu Hozuki wouldn't speak without reason. Since he said it could solve his problem, it must be helpful to him.

So after much thought, he finally caught a glimpse of inspiration from the snowflake-shaped hexagonal pattern in the pupil.

Then, his expression changed drastically.

"This is... the Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Danzo Shimura recalled the records about the Mangekyou Sharingan of the Uchiha clan from his teacher's secret experiments, and couldn't help but observe this eye again based on this information.

"It really is the Mangekyou Sharingan!"

After careful observation, Danzo Shimura confirmed that the eyes in the painting were the "ultimate power" of the Uchiha clan, the Mangekyou Sharingan!

Aside from his teacher's notes, this was the first time he had ever seen information related to the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"However, since that brat Hozuki Shingetsu sent this painting and said it could solve my current predicament, does that mean he knows where the eye is, or that he has the eye in his possession?"

Suddenly realizing this, Shimura Danzo let out a long sigh, slowly calming his excitement, and looked up at the messenger.

Seeing Shimura Danzo's expression, the messenger knew all too well that Shimura Danzo had already seen through the depths of those eyes.

Although he was shocked when he first found out, seeing Shimura Danzo's appearance just now still made him feel a sense of contempt.

What kind of "Darkness of the Ninja" is this? It can't even resist the temptation of a mere Mangekyou Sharingan. How dare it be on par with Lord New Moon?

With this mindset, the envoy's tone couldn't help but carry a hint of arrogance, "Lord Danzo must have already seen through the nature of these eyes... That's right, these eyes are currently in my master's hands."

Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo finally felt relieved.

Since Hozuki Shingetsu is behaving this way, it's clear he wants to make a deal.

Once he obtains the Mangekyou Sharingan, he can naturally submit an investigation report on the grounds that the owner of the Mangekyou Sharingan has bewitched Nao Hatake.

Moreover, obtaining the Mangekyou Sharingan would greatly enhance his prestige in Konoha. Even if other factions coveted the Mangekyou and wanted to conduct research, they would only be able to participate under his leadership.

Therefore, Danzo Shimura was absolutely determined to get his hands on the kaleidoscope!

As he thought this, he subtly observed the messenger before him, seemingly wondering where the kaleidoscope had been hidden.

If he carried this kaleidoscope with him at all times, why would he need to trade it?

"Lord Danzo, there's no need to look at me like that. How could I possibly carry something like that around with me?"

The envoy knew what Shimura Danzo was up to as soon as he saw the look in his eyes, and immediately looked at him with a half-smile.

Given Shimura Danzo's temperament, he naturally wouldn't feel embarrassed. Seeing his scheme exposed, he immediately asked without changing his expression:

"Tell me, what does he want?"

"The Book of Seals".

The envoy smiled slightly and uttered a sentence.

"impossible!"

Danzo Shimura flatly refused, not only because he was not qualified to approach the Book of Seals, but even if he were, he would not use it as a bargaining chip.

After all, any ninjutsu in the Book of Seals can create a powerful Jonin, especially ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God Technique, Spirit Transformation Technique, Impure World Reincarnation Technique, and Mutual Explosion Technique. If an enemy learns these ninjutsu, it will be a disaster for them.

Even if he's selling his father's land, we still have to consider how he'll deal with Kirigakure after he takes power!

The envoy was not surprised by Shimura Danzo's refusal. After all, negotiations are about asking for the moon and then settling for the moon. Only after this condition was rejected could he put forward his real conditions.

"In that case... let's use the Spirit Transformation Technique plus one person!"

Danzo Shimura breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the conditions; compared to the Book of Seals, a Spirit Transformation Technique was nothing.

After all, while the Spirit Transformation Technique can separate a person's soul from their body, the user is left defenseless when using this ninjutsu. Although one can send someone to protect them, a true master would never leave themselves in an undefended state.

Hozuki Shingetsu's purpose in asking for this spiritification technique was simple: he wanted to enhance his control over his soul, or rather, his spiritual power.

His next goal for improving his strength was to train in Sage Mode regularly, but he has yet to succeed.

After careful consideration, he decided that in addition to secretly ordering Orochimaru to research the complete version of the Impure World Reincarnation technique and summoning the Second Hokage of the Impure World Rai to learn the complete Lightning Release Chakra Mode, thereby greatly enhancing his cellular activity and increasing the speed of chakra recovery, he also needed to start from the mental aspect.

After all, the key to Sage Mode lies in one's own "perfect as a sage" state of mind, and in the harmony between one's own chakra and natural chakra.

Although he could connect to the Six-Tails through his cheat ability and rely on the Six-Tails' spiritual power, Hozuki Shingetsu still wanted to increase his control over his spirit if possible.

Having tried all the conventional methods, his gaze naturally turned to this spiritification technique.

Danzo Shimura was naturally unaware of this; what intrigued him more than the spiritification technique was the person Hozuki Shingetsu specifically requested.

"Who is that kid so concerned about?"

Seeing his reply, the messenger knew the matter was settled, and so he readily replied in return:

"It is your 'walking shrine maiden,' Yakushi Nonou."

"Yakushi Nonou?"

Danzo Shimura was taken aback. He had even thought of Orochimaru, but he hadn't considered Yakushi Nonou.

However, if it's Yakushi Nonou, then it means that Hozuki Shingetsu values ​​her information gathering abilities...

Danzo Shimura pondered this for a moment without replying.

"Since my master has taken Yakushi Nonou, he naturally intends to use her. Therefore, I hope that Lord Danzo will not engage in any underhanded tactics."

Then, as if remembering something, the messenger casually said:

"By the way, I heard that Yakushi Nonou really likes children and even runs an orphanage in your village... So, in order to get Yakushi Nonou into working mode as soon as possible, and also to avoid any unpleasantness between us, I hope that Lord Danzo will transfer the orphans in the orphanage to us..."

"An orphanage?"

After careful consideration, Shimura Danzo realized he had no recollection of the orphanage. After hesitating for a while, he agreed to the deal.

Although I'm a little sad to lose Yakushi Nonou, such a useful tool, it's all worth it compared to the kaleidoscope.

(End of this chapter)