Escape From Konoha

In the underground ward, Shikamaru once again saw Danzo lying in a wheelchair with his right arm full of needles.

Shikamaru had no doubt at all about the air of gossamer breathing and the decadent and rotten air on his face. The other party was just using medicine to hold on to his last breath and not die.

The skin on the right arm is pale and bloodless, with scarlet three-magatama Sharingan inlaid on it. Even the right eye, which is covered by a white cloth band, probably hides a Sharingan.

"Danzo-sama, Nara Shikamaru has arrived."

Aburame walked to Danzo's side and gently called Danzo who was sleeping. Then she stood upright on one side, her unsmiling posture full of seriousness and indifference.

Hearing Aburame's call for a root, Danzo slowly opened his turbid but sharp eyes and saw Shikamaru, who was already standing two or three meters away in front of him.

The other party looked calm and seemed not to be affected by the environment here.

But Danzo could still tell that the other party's psychology at this time was somewhat tense.

Since the establishment of the Roots, this place has been a dangerous and forbidden place that everyone talks about in Konoha ninja's mouth.

Countless tragic missions of dark nature, including various inhumane experiments, can basically be related to the root cause.

"Elder Danzo."

Shikamaru called out respectfully.

Although Danzo was deprived of his position as an elder, in fact, he still had extremely high power in the village. It could be said that he was a real elder, and there was a huge difference in nature from the two dead advisors.

During this period, he learned about the development history of the Roots, and Shikamaru deeply realized the darkness and horror of this organization.

"Don't be nervous. Now that you're here, I won't do anything to you. Now I have very little life left. I just rely on the forbidden medicine developed from the roots to hang on to my last breath. This place in the future belongs to you young people. .”

Although Danzo's aura was weakened, the voice he spoke was very clear, with a power that penetrated people's hearts. It was unnatural for him to show nervousness and panic in front of him.

"yes."

Not knowing what Danzo was thinking, Shikamaru could only nod in agreement.

Regardless of Shikamaru's careless attitude, Danzo would not think that in such a short period of time, the other party would really integrate into the root organization.

In any case, the reputation of this organization can be described as infamous in the eyes of many people.

Shikamaru's rejection was not unexpected by Danzo.

"Given you so many days, you should have an understanding of the roots of my management. If you have any ideas, just tell me directly. I will arrange everything before I die."

Danzo's face was neither happy nor sad, as if the person who was about to die was not him.

Shikamaru pondered for a moment, and finally plucked up the courage to look directly into Danzo's eyes and said, "I want to know what Elder Danzo thinks about the next placement of the Roots and the Fighting Faction?"

After years of intensive cultivation, the root organization secretly protected Konoha from the beginning, but gradually developed its own independent thoughts as the times evolved. It also means that this organization not only belongs to Konoha, but also is outside the village's management system. In the most powerful period, even the Hokage's decision-making can be intervened, destroyed and organized.

Even... a coup for power!

Especially this organization has begun to control the voice of the fighting faction in the village. Once it loses control and goes berserk, Konoha will immediately fall into endless civil strife and become a mess.

At that time, not to mention resisting foreign enemies, whether it can maintain internal rule will still be a key issue.

"The strength of the martial arts faction will gradually be consolidated under the Hokage, but the basic responsibilities will remain unchanged."

Danzo gave this answer as if he had expected this question.

“Why should the responsibilities of the root remain the same?”

Shikamaru frowned.

If the root is not dissolved, the blade will hurt itself sooner or later.

From a long-term perspective, disbanding the roots will be of great benefit to Konoha, as it will not cause serious internal divisions in Konoha.

"Those who do not plan for eternity are not enough for one moment. Those who do not plan for the overall situation are not enough for one domain. Your vision is not long enough. Let's put it this way, Shikamaru boy, do you think the next Hokage after Tsunade will fall in Whose body?"

Danzo asked as he looked into Shikamaru's eyes.

Shikamaru thought for a moment and said a name: "Naruto."

Danzo nodded, seemingly satisfied with Shikamaru's judgment.

"As a Hokage and a ninja, one's own strength is the foundation of one's standing. And the strength of a ninja is composed of many factors. Uzumaki Naruto can be said to be unique in this regard. But he did not lead a pack of wolves in troubled times. His talents are too naive. Therefore, although he has great strength, if the management power is also given to him, his own existence will be the greatest instability for the village."

Danzo felt something as if he had seen through Naruto's character.

In terms of the strength of a ninja, he has nothing to fault Naruto. As long as such a guy continues to grow step by step, he will sooner or later become a powerful weapon for the village to deter the outside world.

Moreover, he also has the ability to get close enough to others, which is exactly what a Hokage needs.

However, he is too indecisive about some things, and he also has a complicated relationship with the traitorous ninja that is constantly being cut and confused.

As for flaws, this is the only one.

After all, no one is perfect, and Danzo does not expect Naruto to become a perfect ninja like his father, the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato.

He is like a spring breeze to his own people and ruthless to his enemies.

"Elder Danzo means..."

"Naruto Uzumaki is the same as Hiruzen. He is not decisive enough to eradicate the roots early, and he cannot compromise. In such a chaotic world, if no one restrains him, his naive idea will lead Konoha to a place of eternal disaster. . Those fighting factions who came over were not so much recruited by me as they were pushed to my side by Hiruzen himself. Facing enemies as wolf-like as tigers, ninjas cannot blindly be weak and pray for peace. They can only let the surrounding people Only if the country remains weak can they become Konoha's allies."

Shikamaru stared seriously at Danzo, who was neither happy nor sad in front of him, and fell into complex thoughts for a while.

Heartless?

No, although the other party has done a lot of dirty things in the past, the idea of ​​Konoha supremacy is not strictly a bad thing for Konoha at the moment.

In the foreseeable future, what Danzo expected will very likely happen.

As a close friend, he knew best what kind of person Naruto was. Because of this, he could not refute Danzo's words.

It would be okay if it was a peaceful time, but in such troubled times where all countries are at odds, Naruto can only serve as a deterrent with force, but he will definitely not be able to play a leading role.

The final result may be similar to what happened during the Third Hokage's time, causing the conservatives and the martial arts faction to further split.

"Even I have to admit Hiruzen's ability. He has achieved the ultimate in balancing the various factions. However, where there is sunshine, there must be shadows. The closer the trees are to the sunshine, the roots will grow deeper into the earth. This is a fact that is not based on personal will. Seeing you and Uzumaki Naruto now reminds me of myself and Hiruzen in the past. But this shadow of me will still be unable to approach the light after all, and will shrink for the rest of my life. In the dark.”

Danzo may have thought of something, and his tone revealed some nostalgia and emotion.

The voice was still as cold as ever, but it seemed to be a little more humane.

As the saying goes, when a person is about to die, his words are also good. Shikamaru didn't know if Danzo was in this situation, but on the surface, it seemed that the other party was planning to let go completely and wanted to unify Konoha's power. He also considered the next Hokage and prepared for the future of Konoha.

From this point of view, when Uchiha Sasuke attacked Konoha, he obviously had the ability to save Danzo, the two consultant friends, but he did not take any action at the time and allowed Uchiha Sasuke to kill the two consultants. Most of them had the idea of ​​killing with a borrowed knife. Bar.

The power of the advisory group is the first step in unifying Konoha's power.

Therefore, those two advisors, in Danzo's eyes, became people who were destined to die!

Even if he doesn't die in Uchiha Sasuke's hands, he will be secretly dealt with by the roots.

Shikamaru believed that Danzo could definitely do it and had the courage to do it.

"Why, do you still have any doubts?"

Danzo asked softly. Due to his weak look, even the gloom on his face had dissipated a lot.

"No, I just didn't expect that Elder Danzo would make such a big change. It's completely different from what my father and the Hokage said."

Shikamaru didn't know what attitude to take when facing Danzo, and said a little at a loss.

"If you give me another ten years, I will come up with another plan to strengthen Konoha. But now that I have very little life left, the only people I can trust are young people like you. In terms of ability, , you are not the best ninja I have ever seen, but you are the most suitable person to lead the Roots in the future after my death."

"Is it the most suitable?"

Shikamaru smiled bitterly.

He naturally knew that people like Danzo would not look at him differently at all.

If Konoha moves toward unification in the future, support from the roots is essential.

And he was just a chuunin. How could He De be able to lead such a huge organization?

The strength of the roots is not weaker than that of the ANBU led by the Hokage. This means that whoever controls the root immediately has the ability to arm-wrestle with Naruto.

But now, he naturally does not have the ability to do this. Both strength and ability are too immature.

Danzo chose him through various perspectives, not just based on the individual ninja's ability.

A combination of factors including the connections of the Inar, Deer, and Butterflies clan, direct connections to the Hokage, and close friends of the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki.

This is what Danzo really likes about him.

However, Shikamaru was not discouraged by Danzo's words.

The path of life cannot be achieved overnight by everyone.

Although the pressure was a bit high, Shikamaru wanted to give it a try more and more.

"Next, Gegen will be your leader at the root. I hope you won't disappoint me. Ahem, Gegen, take him down. I'm a little tired."

Danzo slowly closed his eyes and began to fall into a deep sleep.

Aburame Nodane nodded, glanced at Shikamaru, and motioned to follow her out of the ward.

◎

August 31, 8:50 am.

Just as countries are focusing their attention on the Kingdom of Rain, the Kingdom of Ghosts located in the far west of the continent is also quietly making some unknown arrangements.

In the large conference room 301 of the first administrative building of the military, all the senior military personnel of the Kingdom of Ghosts gathered together.

There were more than twenty people gathered, and Liuli and Ayane, who held high-level positions in the military, also came as scheduled and sat in the first row.

Behind them were a group of other high-level military personnel, most of whom were over thirty years old. Some of them were even in their sixties, but their gazes were extremely aggressive, as sharp as an eagle.

And in the back of the last row, as a newly promoted employee, Ichiji was sitting there bored, imitating her mother Liuli, crossing her legs and holding her hands on her chest. People who didn't know it thought she was here. It was like attending a banquet, which was incompatible with the serious atmosphere in the entire conference room.

In addition, there are two other newly promoted senior executives in the last row. They are more than ten years older than Yiji, and are already in their thirties. It may be that part of the hair has begun to turn gray due to overwork at work.

Compared with Yiji's disappearance, the two newly promoted senior officials had a somewhat tense attitude. Perhaps it was because it was their first time to attend such a high-level meeting and they began to worry about whether they would be able to handle the important tasks ahead.

"Don't be nervous. It's almost always the same for new people. If you come here a few times, you'll get used to it."

Seeing the tension between the two of them, Yiji turned slightly and said something to them.

"Yes, Lady Ichiji."

The two newly promoted senior staff were still too nervous and even used honorifics.

This makes Yi Ji feel helpless, but it is necessary to recruit such new personnel.

Being able to be selected from hundreds of jounin, regardless of their own jounin strength, if their ability is not outstanding, they will not be allowed to participate in this military meeting.

Therefore, these two new senior executives are worth investing in now.

After all, not everyone is like her. From birth, she doesn't know what fear is.

Time passed quickly, and at 9 o'clock in the morning, the big screen at the front, which was originally dark, suddenly lit up.

A line of words appeared on it - the Fifth Ninja World War Operations Meeting.

The naming is very simple and plain, but the content revealed is very thrilling.

Among all the senior officials present, many were elites who had come all the way from the Ninja World War and knew how cruel war was.

Moreover, this combat meeting will never end with all parties maintaining a balance like the Fourth Ninja War.

The Demon Country, which has more intelligence, has predicted that the Fifth Ninja War will break out in the near future.

As long as the Kingdom of Oni ignites the fuse slightly, all the undercurrents hidden in the ninja world will be exploded and become the trigger for the outbreak of the ninja world war.

In a war, it is very necessary to gain the initiative as soon as possible.

This meeting is probably related to this matter. Some sharp-minded senior officials have already made some guesses based on the intelligence at hand.

Leaving his seat, Shiraishi came to the large platform in front of the screen, focused everyone's attention, and quickly scanned the faces of all senior personnel one by one.

"Regarding the recent turmoil in the ninja world, I want everyone gathered here to have received some sensitive information in advance. So, I will not say any more nonsense. The next meeting will be based on the fifth meeting that is about to begin. The first round of talks for the Second Ninja World War. Please speak freely, and I will summarize and organize your various suggestions."

Shiraishi used the headset to spread the sound throughout the large conference room, ensuring that every senior executive could hear his speech clearly.

After saying that, whispers came from below, as if they were discussing in a low voice and exchanging opinions with each other.

Only Ruri and Ayane, who were sitting in the front row, began to sip tea as if they had expected it. They seemed to feel that drinking tea was more interesting than meeting.

Moreover, as Shiraishi's wives, they can be said to be Shiraishi's staunch supporters.

As long as it was a strategy proposed by Shiraishi, both of them rarely objected.

In their view, as long as they determine the next route, they only need to follow it all the way.

When it comes to war, the most taboo thing is to look forward and backward and give up halfway.

Konoha, once the strongest, was defeated at this point.

During the Third Ninja War, the martial arts faction and the conservative faction split. Even without Danzo, those martial ninjas who did not satisfy the policies of the Third Hokage would set up their own schools and seek a way out.

But there is no such mess in the Kingdom of Ghosts. The chaos that was born from the reform at the beginning was completely annihilated by Shiraishi with his thunderous wrist.

Coupled with the strong support of the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Uzumaki clans, the military power of the Demon Country has already been gathered in one place. Whether it takes the initiative to trigger a war or continues to wait for the opportunity, the Kingdom of Ghosts can mobilize and concentrate its own power as soon as possible.

"Lord Shiraishi, before that, I would like to ask you how far this military operation must go before it is over."

A senior executive stood up and asked Shiraishi a question.

Even a powerful country like the Kingdom of Ghosts cannot enter the war stage endlessly, otherwise no matter how big the family fortune is, it will not be able to support it.

"This war is the same as in the past. Conquering cities and territories is only secondary. The most important purpose is to annihilate the effective forces of villages like Konoha. In the era of ninjas, ninjas were the absolute main force in the military. Although at present, with the development of industrial technology, But the power of ninjas is still the mainstream and accounts for a very high proportion. Therefore, I think that compared with how much land and resources we occupy, these things should be considered after annihilating the enemy's effective strength."

There is a famous saying in ancient times that if people lose their land, everyone will gain it. But it must be ensured that the active forces that can resist are still there. If the active forces of villages like Konoha are annihilated, I dare not say 100%. Even if it is annihilated 89%, it means the victory of the Kingdom of Demons. After all, the effective force that can cause obstacles has disappeared, which means that guarding a larger land and resources is nothing more than a meal on the plate.

Moreover, the greatest number of enemies must be annihilated with the least amount of force.

Make sure that after the Ninja World War is over, the Kingdom of Demons has enough energy to finish the war, so as not to let others take away the fruits of victory.

The people below began to discuss in low voices again. Although a few people thought that such a hasty arrangement was a bit too hasty, most of them still held the same idea as Shiraishi. Even if the Ghost Country was not well prepared, the same was true for other countries. In a hurry, if they encounter such an unexpected situation, they may suffer worse than the ghost country.

"Now that everyone has passed, then before taking action, prepare all the materials that can be deployed in advance. In addition, the war may not end quickly, and everyone must also consider the awareness of fighting in winter. Therefore, supplies for winter also need to be prepared in advance. How long will this take?"

Shiraishi looked at one of the senior executives.

The senior executive stood up and said: "If it is an emergency transfer, it will only take less than half a month to complete, but in this way, there may be a risk of being exposed in advance."

"Then extend the time to one month, and be sure to take confidentiality measures. Disband now. The next round of meetings will start around mid-September. Please wait patiently for notification."

The meeting lasted less than half an hour. Everyone packed up the recorded materials and left the large conference room in an orderly manner.

…

"You seem a little impatient."

After the meeting, only Shiraishi, Ruri and Ayane were left in the empty conference room, and the other senior officials had left.

It was Liuli who spoke, and she could feel the urgency in Shiraishi's heart at this moment.

"Yes, because now is a race against time. Judging from the fact that Akatsuki has begun to shrink her strength, there must be some big move next. If I don't investigate this matter clearly, I will always feel a little uneasy. So now it is better to be If we are forced to wait, it is better to take the initiative and use the power of villages like Konoha to test it out."

Shiraishi nodded and admitted.

"But according to the information I learned, the progress of the investigation in these villages is very slow, and they are always a little uncertain about their attitude towards Yugakure."

Liuli said.

The four villages of Konoha sent thousands of ninjas into the Kingdom of Rain to search, and basically all the places that could be searched have been searched. If there is any other place in the Country of Rain that is not within the search range, it is the Rain Hidden Village.

And the things there obviously cannot withstand a search.

But it is not that simple to enter Amegakure to search. At least apparently, villages like Konoha do not want to go to war with Amegakure yet. This will inevitably delay the progress of the investigation.

"Don't worry, after a while, when the atmosphere of suspicion about Amegakure brews, I will light the first fuse in time. Moreover, Jiraiya of Konoha, although his personality is not very likable, but there is no doubt that he has intelligence gathering ability He is a good player, and with a little guidance, it will only be a matter of time before he investigates Yu Yin's head."

Shiraishi said this.

"Is it the confrontation between master and disciple? It seems that what happens next on Amegakure's side is more interesting than imagined. Moreover, it may also help us eliminate an enemy."

Ayane narrowed her eyes and smiled.

Bai Shi nodded, his eyes deepened.

"Well, in terms of use value, this Sannin is no longer useful."