Crossover Anime: Plundering the Heavens and Building a Dimensional Empire

Page 46

There's no doubt something's wrong.

Danzo sighed, gripped his cane tighter, and slowly said, "Traces of the Anbu have been discovered within the Land of Hot Water, and it has been confirmed that they were the ones we sent out earlier..."

Danzo paused deliberately at this point before continuing, "They are all dead."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged face gradually became distorted, from initial shock and disbelief to later grief, unbearable pain, and finally madness.

He lowered his head, clenched his fists, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Danzo, are you sure?"

Danzo stood in front of his desk, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi who had aged considerably in an instant. He seemed to feel a pang of pity, but quickly put it aside.

He nodded and said in a deep voice, "Confirmed. The scene was horrific, a complete mess. Sarutobi Miroku's death was so gruesome that he was almost unrecognizable; only half a head was discernible..."

"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi, not wanting to hear any more, slammed his fist on the table, instantly denting it.

My son is gone!

That's for sure.

Although Danzo had been causing trouble behind my back, this was no joke, especially since I had my eldest son hint that it was time for Danzo to take action.

Unexpectedly, Danzo's Root organization and the Anbu directly under the Hokage failed this time.

Uchiha Hakumu, is that guy really that strong?

Mangekyō Sharingan...

It can't be wrong, it can't be wrong.

If it's awakened, it must be the Mangekyou Sharingan. Otherwise, with just an ordinary Sharingan, it's impossible to survive the annihilation of the Anbu and even wipe them out...

Hiruzen Sarutobi hissed in a low voice, "Uchiha Hakubaku, I must kill him."

The pain of losing a child!

It hurts so much, it really hurts so much.

His eldest son, whom he had raised for many years, was killed just like that, killed by the inherently evil Uchiha. That damned Uchiha Hakumo, if I don't kill you, I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will not be the Third Hokage of Konoha!

Danzo watched this scene silently, thinking that it was truly rare to see someone lose their composure like this.

Hiruzen, it seems this matter has hit you hard.

Then don't blame me.

Upon hearing the news, Danzo rushed over, not because he had any ulterior motives, but because he wanted to use this incident to make Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hakubaki fight to the death.

I never expected that this inherently evil Uchiha brat could actually wipe out all the elites of my Root organization and the elite force led by Sarutobi Miroku.

To be honest, Danzo was utterly astonished when he first received the secret report.

Because he really didn't expect Bai Mu to be so powerful.

This undoubtedly fueled Danzo's desire to possess it.

Bai Mu's eyes became what he believed in.

However, Danzo knew very well that to deal with such a troublesome enemy, he couldn't rely on himself alone; he still needed the Hokage to step in.

The hatred for killing one's son is irreconcilable!

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi is usually indecisive, Danzo didn't believe he could hold back on this matter. After all, that was your precious eldest son, the son you had raised for so many years.

Not to mention you have a younger son, Asuma is utterly useless, far inferior to Sarutobi Miroku. Therefore, Danzo firmly believed that Sarutobi Hiruzen would not remain indifferent.

As it turned out, Danzo was right. Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed completely enraged, with only one thought in his mind: to kill Uchiha Hakubaki and not let this menace continue to live.

"Hiruzen, when are we going to make our move?" Danzo asked softly, watching Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was trying his best to suppress his emotions.

"Not urgent!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly.

Although he was furious and wanted to kill Bai Mu.

But now is not the right time to take action, especially since the Anbu members died in the Land of Hot Springs. If Bai Mu were to use this as leverage, it would be a major problem.

We need to smooth things over for now, making it clear that those people didn't die at Bai Mu's hands, but at Yun Yin's.

After his anger subsided, Hiruzen Sarutobi regained his composure and wouldn't make any misjudgments. For now, he just needed to smooth things over.

Therefore, he immediately gave the order: "Miroku and the others did not die at the hands of Hakubaku, but at the hands of Kumogakure. So inform the front lines that Kumogakure must be defeated!"

"Let's leave aside that inherently evil Uchiha brat for now. What do you think Tsunade would think if she found out?" Danzo hadn't expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to actually tolerate it, but that wouldn't do, so he desperately wanted to continue targeting Bai Mu.

"Stop thinking about targeting Tsunade. The important thing now is to kill Uchiha Hakumo. But we can't keep sending people to assassinate him. We have to get the help of Kumogakure to take him down."

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew about Miroku Sarutobi's matter, and he needed a reasonable excuse, and he couldn't let Shirai use it to cause trouble. He had to make the matter public now.

The secret service was carrying out a top-secret mission when it was ambushed by the Cloud Village, suffering heavy losses and being completely wiped out.

Captain-Commander Sarutobi Miroku has died in battle!

This is what Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted.

Danzo: "..."

Hiruzen, you really are insidious.

Danzo could roughly guess Hiruzen Sarutobi's plans, especially those concerning Miroku Sarutobi, which were intended to secure a place for him as a hero...

Hmph, trying to glorify himself?

As expected, Hiruzen, you're still as hypocritical as ever!

But will that inherently evil Uchiha brat grant your wish?

Don't forget, Sarutobi Miroku led a group to assassinate him, but was killed by that brat instead. Do you think that evil Uchiha Hakubaku knew Sarutobi Miroku's identity?

It's obvious that we've been exposed, so what do you suggest we do?

Danzo said in a deep voice, "The assassination failed. Uchiha Hakubaku knows it was us, that we gave the order. You said he's now the head of the Uchiha clan. Won't that lead the Uchiha clan to take escalating measures? Don't forget, the Uchiha clan's elite troops are currently on the front lines and haven't returned. If..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Danzo directly, not giving him a chance to continue, and made one thing clear with a strong attitude: only kill Uchiha Hakumoku!

"Alright, Danzo, not all members of the Uchiha clan are like Uchiha Hakubaki. It's just that the fact that Uchiha Fugaku was forced to abdicate this time happened on the front lines, and we were unaware of it and unable to stop it in time. If it had happened in the village, it would have been different. So don't try to escalate this matter. I'll say it again: Uchiha Hakubaki's death is all that matters."

Was it just to kill Uchiha Hakumu?

Forget it, Hiruzen, the Uchiha clan can't be allowed to live.

Danzo believed that the Uchiha clan deserved to die, especially since he needed the Sharingan. So, if the Uchiha clan didn't die, how could he possibly plunder their Sharingan?

Relying solely on battlefield looting would be far too inefficient, so Danzo was naturally eager to annihilate the Uchiha clan.

Now the opportunity has arrived, hasn't it?

The issue is……

Hiruzen, you're still too weak.

Even though your son has been killed, you're still only thinking about killing Uchiha Hakubaki. You're really too weak.

Danzo was unwilling to give up, so he tried his best to persuade him: "Hiruzen, Uchiha Hakumaki is now the clan head, his status is different. If he dies, what do you think will happen to the Uchiha clan? Now is the opportunity. The Uchiha's elite are out there, I think we can make our move..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said coldly, "You say the elite troops are out there? Don't forget one thing: the Uchiha at the front lines have already returned. It was obviously ordered by Uchiha Hakubaku. Moreover, the Uchiha clan's territory is currently under martial law; they're on guard!"

He paused, glanced at his friend, and said in a deep voice, "Compared to Fugaku, Uchiha Hakubaki is like comparing heaven and earth, you know? He's not as stupid as Fugaku!"

Do you think Uchiha Hakubaki is easy to deal with?

No, this guy is cunning, so we need to rely on external forces, and the Cloud Village is undoubtedly the best tool to eliminate him...

Everything was perfectly reasonable, and with his death, not only would the Uchiha clan be unable to find fault with it, but the other ninja clans would also not suspect anything!

"Hiruzen, you want to use the Hidden Cloud Village's help, but the problem is that the frontline commander has now become Tsunade. How do you know where Uchiha Hakubaki is? Without knowing his whereabouts and the battle plan, you can't let the Hidden Cloud Village know where Uchiha Hakubaki is moving. How can you use their hands to kill him?"

Danzo dismissed the suggestion with disdain. He knew Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions all too well, but the problem was that if you couldn't leak any information, then what about having someone target Uchiha Hakubaku?

Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly, "...There are many people and eyes on the front lines, so it's normal for enemy spies to leak information."

"Hiruzen, you wouldn't be thinking..." Upon hearing this, Danzo seemed to realize something, and his expression immediately turned ugly.

You want me to take the blame?

Hiruzen, you really are inhuman.

Danzo understood that if anything went wrong later, he would be the one responsible for leaking the information, because he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was the righteous Hokage and would never do something like betraying classified information or harming fellow villager ninjas.

As for whether others believe it or not?

that's not important.

Who can blame Danzo for having such a reputation? Should we believe in him, the leader of Root and the dark side of Konoha, Danzo, or in the righteous and honorable Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi?

I will not choose either of these options.

"Danzo, I'm sorry to have wronged you, but it's all for Konoha!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a righteous expression.

Danzo felt like he was being forced to eat shit when faced with Hiruzen Sarutobi's explanation. He was being made to take the blame. "You're the perfect and righteous one, aren't you?"

Damn it, Hiruzen, you're inhuman!

Danzo was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

It was nothing more than impotent rage.

Because nobody will believe him.

They'll just assume it was him.

"Fine, fine, Hiruzen, you'll regret this!" Danzo roared in a fit of impotence and slammed the door shut as he stormed out.

Upon seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi, before Danzo could even walk away, immediately added, "Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

……

The Frost Country, the main base.

Tsunade arrived here with Esdeath and Alice Lise.

The person in charge at the front here is Nara Shikaku, the head of the Nara clan, as well as the heads of the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans.

The loyal companions of the Konoha Hokage lineage—the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—are all here. However, although Nara Shikaku is in charge, it is only temporary, and he is not the commander.

Now that Tsunade has arrived, everyone knows who the real commander is.

Of course, if Tsunade doesn't come, it will most likely be given to Minato Namikaze or Orochimaru, but Minato Namikaze is currently still at the Iwagakure battlefield, responsible for the standoff and vigilance.