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

Chapter 225 Hiruzen Sarutobi: Let the Uchiha suffer a bit, I'll take the blame!

Danzo Shimura was naturally unaware that the orphans in this orphanage were the core of Shingetsu Hozuki's transaction.

You could even say that Hozuki Shingetsu made these dumplings just for this dish of vinegar.

Did the previous spiritification technique and Yakushi Nonou work on Hozuki Shingetsu?

it works!

The Spirit Transformation Technique helps Hozuki Shingetsu control her spirit, and Yakushi Nonou is a blonde, busty, bespectacled girl who really appeals to Hozuki Shingetsu's sensibilities. The usefulness of these two is self-evident.

But compared to Kabuto, all these things can be put aside for now.

If Hozuki Shingetsu were to select a few ordinary geniuses from the original work, then Yakushi Kabuto and Might Guy would definitely be on the list, and could even be considered among the top.

Kabuto Yakushi's talent is evident in his ability to rise from an orphan to a dragon, achieving what even Orochimaru couldn't: becoming the Ryuchi Cave Sage.

Why hasn't the Chakra Research Institute in Kirigakure been appointed as a director until now?

Isn't it just that there isn't a research genius who can unify the Chakra Research Institute and guide the research progress of various projects?

However, Kabuto Yakushi is still just a kid right now, and even if he's a genius, it will take him ten years before he can be of any use.

However, even setting aside his talent in research, Kabuto Yakushi also possesses considerable expertise in many fields such as intelligence gathering, espionage, and medicine, making him a truly versatile genius.

Therefore, Kabuto Yakushi's identity in Kirigakure was thus clarified—he was Shingetsu Hozuki's first disciple.

Although Hozuki Shingetsu had already made it known several years ago, when he first became the principal of the Ninja Academy, that he wanted to take outstanding Ninja Academy students as his disciples, he had not found anyone he was interested in over the years.

Hozuki Gengetsu and Terumi Mei were both from ninja clans, and a large part of their strength relied on their bloodline limits and clan secret techniques, which he didn't have much to teach them.

As for Kisame Hoshigaki's special chakra constitution, all that's needed is for him to make contributions, and then to be taught some powerful, high-chakra-consuming ninjutsu. There's no need for him to put in any effort to guide him.

Most importantly, Hozuki Shingetsu's first disciple carries too much political weight, so none of the three mentioned above are actually the best choices.

Kabuto Yakushi, an orphan with exceptional talent and the ability to cultivate Sage Mode, is the best example of Kirigakure's inclusiveness and open recruitment of talent regardless of background.

However, Shimura Danzo was completely unaware of all this. He was currently immersed in the excitement of soon obtaining the Mangekyou Sharingan and being able to use it as a foundation to ascend to the Hokage position!

"Teacher, I want to travel."

"Sarutobi's residence," Jiraiya said to his teacher.

After the funeral that ruined Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation, in order to fulfill his vow to abdicate, Hiruzen Sarutobi moved out of the Hokage's office and took all his belongings back to his own residence.

He then locked himself in his room and waited for the investigation report.

"Hmph... I'm no longer the Hokage. If you don't come up with a suitable reason, you're probably destined to be labeled a rogue ninja."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat quietly on the sofa, looking at his prized disciple, and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke before giving a reminder.

Just a few days after the funeral, Hiruzen Sarutobi's once tall frame was now slightly hunched, and his face was full of haggardness.

In his forties, he was originally at the tail end of his golden age as a ninja, but now he has half a head of white hair.

The impact of the Hatake Nao incident on him is evident.

"Teacher, what you experienced at the funeral has shown that there are undercurrents in Konoha now, which is exactly the sign of the birth of the prophesied child in the Great Toad Sage's prophecy."

At the funeral, influenced by the atmosphere, Jiraiya briefly believed that his teacher had indeed done those things.

But after calming down, he finally realized that there must be something fishy going on behind the scenes, and someone was definitely slandering Hiruzen Sarutobi!

But words are meaningless, and he had no proof, so he could only keep these words to himself.

However, the chaos in Konoha only strengthened Jiraiya's resolve to go out and find and nurture the Child of Prophecy.

First, he wanted to go out and avoid the various troubles that were about to happen in Konoha, so that he wouldn't have to see them or be bothered by them.

Secondly, the world is becoming increasingly chaotic, which is why he needs to stay by Nagato's side to ensure that this prophesied child will not encounter any accidents before he grows up.

"Really... I'm so glad you trust me."

Looking at the disciple he had personally trained, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

Since that funeral, not only the villagers, but even his own wife, Sarutobi Biwako, have been skeptical of him.

Of the other close relatives, Orochimaru is naturally aloof and has been staying in his laboratory since the funeral; Tsunade is far away in Kirigakure and may have only just learned of the news; the only one left by her side is Jiraiya.

At this time, Jiraiya's trust was a godsend for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hmm... It's good that you're going out now, it'll help you avoid the limelight... So I'll give you a long-term mission to monitor Kirigakure and gather intelligence on them!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment, then grabbed a blank scroll and began issuing missions.

Although he has now stepped down, he is still the de facto Hokage until a new Hokage takes office, so signing such an order requires no consultation with anyone.

Moreover, even if he really steps down, he can still issue such tasks. After all... the influence of a retired leader is something that those who know, know.

"Old man...take care!"

Jiraiya took the mission assignment, tucked it into his pocket, gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep look, and then got up and left the Sarutobi residence.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the gate, he ran into the trio of Shimura Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura.

"..."

Although Jiraiya didn't know the role Shimura Danzo played in the Hatake Nao incident, his previous behavior in Root alone was enough to make him disgusted.

So Jiraiya gave a brief greeting and left without looking back.

"Hiruzen's three disciples are all outrageous!"

Upon witnessing this scene, Xiaochun, who was turning to her dormitory, immediately felt a surge of anger.

Tsunade, needless to say, is Hashirama Senju's granddaughter and completely ignores them.

Orochimaru, with his aloof nature, paid them no attention whatsoever.

Jiraiya was a bit better, and was sometimes polite, but after deciding to leave Konoha temporarily, he naturally didn't care too much about these formalities and wouldn't make any special effort to save face for them.

"Alright, don't forget the purpose of our trip."

After glancing at Jiraiya's retreating figure, Shimura Danzo stopped Koharu Utatane from complaining.

His current core goal is to become Hokage. He can deal with Jiraiya and the others after he becomes Hokage.

"Hmm... Danzo, did you really obtain the crucial evidence in the Hatake Nao case?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, immediately changed the subject and asked about this old teammate.

She and Mitokado Homura only received a message from this old teammate saying that they had found evidence of the Hatake Nao incident.

However, it was not explicitly stated what the evidence was, only that it would be shown to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Upon hearing Koharu Utatane's words, Homura Mito immediately looked at Danzo Shimura with a curious gaze.

"Now that we're here, let's meet up with Hiruzen and watch it together!"

However, Danzo Shimura naturally wouldn't display the Mangekyou Sharingan outside, and immediately led the two of them inside.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been concentrating with his eyes closed, was surprised to see the trio arrive together. However, he was immediately shocked by Danzo Shimura's words.

"The culprit in the Hatake Nao incident is the Uchiha clan!"

Accompanying Shimura Danzo's resounding words was a glass bottle he pulled from his pocket.

The glass bottle looked ordinary, no different from its counterparts in a normal laboratory.

What's unusual is the two eyeballs floating inside in an unknown liquid.

"Huh? What's this?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were puzzled and did not immediately recognize the origin of the eye.

After all, the Mangekyou Sharingan had not been revealed in Konoha for decades since Madara Uchiha left.

The last time they were seen was on the battlefield in the distant Land of Rain. The information they had about them came from Tobirama Senju's secret notes, so it's normal that they didn't recognize them at first glance.

"This is the Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Shimura Danzo stared intently into his old teammate's eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"What?"

Upon hearing this, the spacious room fell silent. The three looked at each other in bewilderment, and it took them a while to recover.

Koharu's gaze was fixed on the snowflake-shaped hexagonal pattern on the eye, the intensity in her eyes almost tangible.

After all, this is a kaleidoscope!

Back then, it was on par with Wood Release, serving as one of the two pillars of Konoha's ultimate power. Now that Wood Release has passed away, the significance of this Mangekyou Sharingan to Konoha is self-evident!

"Could this kaleidoscope be the same one that appeared on the battlefield in the Land of Rain?... But Danzo, how did you find this kaleidoscope?"

Under the allure of the Mangekyou Sharingan, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two had long forgotten the true culprit behind the Hatake Nao incident, their minds filled only with the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Indeed, these are the same kaleidoscopes from the battlefield in the Land of Rain!"

Danzo Shimura confirmed Hiruzen Sarutobi's guess, and then slowly began to "reveal" the origin of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

When Hozuki Shingetsu gave him the Mangekyou Sharingan, he naturally didn't tell him about its origin.

After all, Madara Uchiha was already very old at this time, and apart from secretly targeting Takigakure and Nagato Uzumaki, he wouldn't cause any trouble.

Under these circumstances, Hozuki Shingetsu would naturally not reveal his information.

However, this did not prevent Shimura Danzo from fabricating a plausible origin for the Mangekyou Sharingan. In Shimura Danzo's words, the origin of the Mangekyou Sharingan inadvertently became related to Uchiha Madara—the eyes came from Uchiha Madara's "son".

Amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, Shimura Danzo began to spout nonsense with a straight face:

Before Madara Uchiha defected from Konoha and fought Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End, he had a brief affair with a woman from another village.

This woman became pregnant as a result, and the child she gave birth to became the owner of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Influenced by his father, this child harbors a deep hatred for Konoha and has been plotting revenge against the village ever since he awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan.

The previous battlefield in the Land of Rain was intended to attack Konoha, but it was blocked by Wood Release ninjas who appeared out of nowhere.

He orchestrated the Hatake Nao incident, using illusion magic to deceive her and then creating trouble at Hatake Sakumo's funeral by spreading rumors about Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"..."

As everyone watched Shimura Danzo speaking eloquently, they couldn't help but show expressions of disbelief.

Nani?

Did Madara Uchiha have a son?

You must have learned this from some obscure history from Kirigakure!

Everyone was about to hurl insults, but then they thought about it again and realized that all of this was theoretically possible.

After all, Madara Uchiha has never had a woman in the records. After being abandoned by everyone and leaving Konoha, it is possible that he might want to rebuild the Uchiha clan if he is restless and wants to make a change.

And after leaving offspring, it makes sense for him to fight Hashirama Senju to the death... but why does it still feel so strange?

Everyone had a lot of grievances to vent, but nowhere to do so, so they could only force themselves to keep them inside.

Danzo Shimura pretended not to notice the expressions on everyone's faces and continued to talk about the various origins of the kaleidoscope.

Actually, he originally wanted to directly blame the Uchiha clan, saying that the Mangekyou Sharingan was the Uchiha clan's private possession, and that everything stemmed from the Uchiha clan's desire for the Hokage position.

But then I thought about it again and realized that something was wrong. Given the current state of public opinion in the village, if it were true that the Mangekyou Sharingan came from the Uchiha clan, then there would be no room for negotiation between the Uchiha and the village.

The final outcome will likely be either that the village is forced by public opinion to exterminate the Uchiha, or that the Uchiha will betray the village.

These two outcomes are undoubtedly unacceptable to Konoha at present.

Therefore, Danzo Shimura resorted to a less idealistic approach, creating a fictional Uchiha clan member. This did not directly target the Uchiha clan, but it still allowed him to associate himself with them and thus strike at them.

"So how did you manage to catch him?"

After closing his eyes and thinking for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked a crucial question.

Yes, it is a kaleidoscope after all!

The "ultimate power" that is on par with Wood Release is not to look down on you, Danzo Shimura, but do you have the ability to subdue a Kaleidoscope?

As for this problem, Danzo Shimura had naturally prepared himself for it long ago.

"After the funeral, I assigned Root ninjas to protect Kakashi Hatake closely. I put myself in his shoes and thought that if I were the murderer, and something happened to Kakashi at this time, Konoha would be in chaos."

"And then, sure enough, I found clues around Kakashi."

Danzo Shimura briefly described the situation at the time and then uttered the most crucial sentence:

"Of course, the key to our victory was not our first move, but that the kaleidoscope's eye power was almost exhausted, which is why we were able to succeed."

Since Hozuki Shingetsu gave the kaleidoscope to Danzo, it must have been after all the experiments were completed, all the data and genes were collected, and all the eye power was almost exhausted before handing it over to him.

That's why Danzo was so open about revealing this information, unafraid of others trying to steal it.

After all, nowadays, kaleidoscopes, aside from their appearance, don't reveal any of their power.

Upon hearing Shimura Danzo's words, the three of them showed no relief, but rather a hint of regret flashed across their faces.

For the three of them, the kaleidoscope served far greater purpose as a tool of war than as evidence.

"So, gentlemen, is this investigation report still convincing?"

Seeing that everyone's attention was drawn to the Kaleidoscope Sharingan, Danzo Shimura stopped pretending and directly revealed his ambition for the Hokage position.

"I have no objection."

"I agree."

Seeing Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado express their opinions one after another, Danzo Shimura suppressed his excitement and turned his gaze to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi, the main ninja, agrees, the rest of the ninja clans will be easy to deal with.

"...I have no objection either."

Under the watchful eyes of the three, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, slowly sat down, and expressed his opinion.

Regardless of how much of Danzo Shimura's words were true, the key point is that the Mangekyou Sharingan was undeniably right in front of everyone.

Faced with such compelling evidence, he was powerless to object.

Become!

Danzo Shimura took a deep breath, trying his best to appear unconcerned, but his hands, gripping his cane tightly, betrayed his true feelings.

"By the way, Hiruzen, didn't you swear an oath on the Hokage Rock to do everything in your power to help Fugaku Uchiha become the Fourth Hokage?"

Just then, Mitokado Homura seemed to remember something and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a strange expression.

Yes!

You, Hiruzen Sarutobi, once swore an oath in front of the villagers, pointing to the Hokage Rock, with the mediation of Mito Uzumaki.

By supporting Danzo Shimura, where does that place the Uchiha clan, and where does it place yourself?

Upon hearing this, the other two snapped out of their daze and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with strange expressions, wondering how this "Shinshi-hitsugu" would respond.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression stiffened, then he weakly closed his eyes and slowly uttered a few words:

"The key now is to solidify the villagers' trust in the village. Danzo's evidence is crucial for maintaining stability, so for the sake of the bigger picture, we have no choice but to ask the Uchiha to compromise..."

"I'll take the blame for the Uchiha's suffering!"

(End of this chapter)