Escape From Konoha

The sultry heat left over from summer has gradually disappeared from the air.

The autumn wind was bleak, and when Kakashi woke up in the morning, he noticed that today's weather was colder than the previous few days.

The rumors have been fermenting for three full days.

After vigorous suppression by the ANBU and security forces, the situation has slowly improved.

If based on this rumor, no killing moves are made, it won't take long for this matter to be revealed.

No matter what, the one who is clearly in charge of Konoha is the Hokage.

To try to shake the Hokage's justice with such unsavory rumors would be to look down on the Third Hokage's hard work over the years.

What's more, behind the Third Hokage, there is the behemoth of the Sarutobi clan.

Before him, ANBU, an important department, was all run by ninjas from the Sarutobi clan. No one knew what terrifying power this usually inconspicuous ninja would unleash at critical moments.

Even now, some important positions among the ANBU are still occupied by ninjas from the Sarutobi clan.

Not to mention, the Inokacho Tribe, the die-hard supporters of the Sarutobi Clan.

Before the fall of the Third Hokage, the status of these four ninja clans was more stable than that of the Hyuga clan, which had the blood inheritance limit.

Konoha is the world of the Ninja clan.

All high-level decision-makers are from the Ninja clan.

With unknown rumors, it is extremely difficult to leverage the rule of the Ninja clan.

"Things have reached this point, it should be almost done..."

Kakashi looked out the window at the rustling autumn streets, which were much cooler than before.

Get out of bed, get dressed, and put on a forehead protector.

Kakashi opened the door and planned to go out.

But when he reached the door of a room, he suddenly stopped.

The door panel was locked, and the door handle and iron lock were all covered with dust.

Thick dust also accumulated at the crack of the door.

It was obvious that this room had been sitting here for a long time without being opened.

Kakashi turned around, and after a brief hesitation, he put his hand on the iron lock and twisted it slightly.

The iron lock deformed directly and broke in the middle.

Kakashi unscrewed the doorknob, pushed the door open and entered.

Dust was flying, the windows were closed, and the curtains blocked the view outside the window, making the light in the room very dark. Many corners, as well as the beds and cabinets, were covered with cobwebs, like a haunted house.

Not only that, in the center of the room, there was a pool of black, dried blood that had not been cleaned up.

Judging from the traces, no one has cleaned this place for a long time.

Every step Kakashi took kicked up a lot of dust in the room.

He didn't pay attention to this, his goal was clear, he walked to the cabinet on the wall and stopped.

Opening the drawer of the cupboard, there was very little dust inside. A short knife with the same blade style as the one he held was quietly placed in the drawer.

Kakashi picked up the dagger, raised it a little higher than his eyes, and pulled the dagger out of the scabbard with a clang.

The cold sword light reflected on Kakashi's black and white eyes. Because the sword light was too dazzling, he subconsciously squinted his eyes.

On the edge of the blade, there seemed to be a scarlet color flowing through it.

"It's time for you to come out..."

◎

"Hokage-sama, there is news about Tsunade-sama!"

The sound of ANBU suddenly barging in resounded in the room.

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen and Shikaku, who had been awake almost all night, immediately became energetic after hearing the news, as if the tiredness had been wiped away from their bodies, and they sat upright in their own places. .

"Show it to me quickly!"

Hiruzen stood up quickly, walked quickly to the ANBU ninja, and took the scroll from the ANBU ninja's hand.

Shikaku also stood up, walked to Hiruzen's side, and looked at the contents on the scroll.

There are only two lines of words on the scroll, indicating that Jiraiya and Anbu have found traces of Tsunade in the Kingdom of Iron, and can contact Tsunade herself within the next two days.

Seeing this, both Hiruzen and Shikaku relaxed the tense muscles on their faces.

Jiraiya, who was out, and the news from Anbu, like timely rain, extinguished the fire of disaster that was burning wildly in the hearts of the two.

No matter what, I finally saw the key to breaking the game.

"Continue to keep in touch with that side and ask Jiraiya to tell Tsunade about the difficult situation the village is facing now. Also tell Tsunade that the Daimyo has agreed to her succession as the Fifth Hokage!"

Rolling up the scroll, Hirazan said solemnly to the Anbu ninja in front of him.

This time things are different from the past, Tsunade can't tolerate pushing back and forth, rejecting the position of Hokage.

"yes!"

The ANBU ninja responded and left quickly.

"Hokage-sama, since Tsunade-sama has news, we just need to keep Elder Danzo steady and not provoke him."

Shikaku analyzed calmly.

For them who have already grasped the trump card, at this time, it is not appropriate to have too much conflict with Danzo, and unnecessary changes will occur.

Hiruzen nodded in agreement and came down.

Shikaku's thoughts coincided with his.

Danzo had already planned to make a desperate move. Although he was not afraid of a head-on conflict as the Hokage, that would definitely trigger a strong backlash from the martial arts faction.

For him who wants to focus on buying time, it is not suitable to escalate the conflict with Danzo at this time.

At least justice is on his side. Facing Danzo, who has always lacked this foundation, he has a huge nominal advantage to operate.

As long as he, as Hokage, doesn't make mistakes, Danzo can do nothing about it.

"Just follow what you said. Next, we will focus on stabilizing the public opinion within the village. We will discuss the rest after Tsunade comes back."

Hiruzen had plenty of confidence when he said this.

It was as if I had returned to the prosperous days of my youth, and I felt at ease.

No matter what, he will always be Hokage. As long as he occupies this name and has a huge ruling base in the village, it will be difficult for Danzo to launch a coup by force.

If Danzo really wants to imitate the fourth generation Mizukage Goju Yagura of Kirigakure Village who succeeded in the coup, or the Uchiha clan as a loser, Hiruzen would not mind letting Danzo taste the pain of a disastrous defeat.

By then, he might be able to get rid of the roots, the biggest bane within Konoha, once and for all.

At this moment, the office door was pushed open again.

He is still an ANBU ninja wearing a mask.

As soon as he came in, he shouted urgently: "Something is going wrong, Hokage-sama, there are... rumors outside..."

"Rumors outside? What happened to those rumors?"

Seeing this ANBU ninja rushing in in such a hurry, Hiruzen immediately asked.

Although he felt a little more confident after hearing the news about Tsunade, he still did not dare to be careless in the face of Danzo.

As a close friend since childhood, he was very aware of the difficulties of his old friend.

"The direction of the rumors outside has begun to change, involving...involving..."

The ANBU ninja seemed very flustered and did not dare to continue.

"What's involved? Come on!"

Seeing the ANBU hesitating, Hiruzen and Shikaku's expressions darkened.

Ordinary rumors would not panic the ANBU shinobi so much.

And now that the ANBU ninjas are acting so chaotic, it is obvious that the rumors outside involve more sensitive matters.

"It involves...the Fourth Hokage..."

When the Anbu ninja said these words, it was as if all his strength had been drained from his body, and the clothes on his back were soaked with cold sweat.

"Watergate?"

Ri Zhan and Lu Jiuju took a breath of cold air, their bodies trembled, and a deep uneasiness emerged in their hearts.

Although they knew that Danzo was bold, they did not expect that Danzo would bring out the Fourth Hokage who had died twelve years ago to speak out.

"How did those rumors spread..."

Ri Zhan suppressed the panic in his heart, managed to calm down and asked.

"Those rumors claim that Lord Hokage deliberately delayed the rescue time when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha twelve years ago, and deliberately caused the death of the Fourth Hokage..."

After hearing this, Ri Zhan took a step back as if his body had been hit hard, and coughed violently.

There was a cold murderous look in the cloudy eyes, which made the temperature in the room drop several degrees.

The Anbu ninja swallowed his saliva and shuddered, feeling uneasy as he felt the terrifying murderous aura continuously released from Hirzen's body.

"Tuan-Zang-"

Ri Zhan almost gritted his teeth and said this name, his eyes were red with killing intent.

Lu Jiu smiled wryly, gaining a new understanding of the boldness of this ninja's darkness.

Not only the Third Hokage, but even Minato, the deceased Fourth Hokage, dared to speak out.

You know, there are many diehards in the village who once followed the fourth generation of goals. Did Danzo think that the incident was not big enough, so he came here specially to add fuel to the fire?

It seems that this is not just a battle between the roots and the Naruto faction, I am afraid that even the Konoha ninja who was once loyal to Minato is willing to stand up.

If the scale is not well grasped, Lu Jiu shudders just thinking about it.

"Are there any other remarks besides this?"

Sensing that this ANBU ninja seemed to have something to say, Shikaku made the best preparations.

"...Rumors also claim that in order to cover up the fact that the Yondaime was assassinated, the Hokage has been covering up the identity of the Yondaime's child for twelve years, treating it as a demon fox, completely suppressing the reputation of the Yondaime, and destroying everything about the Yondaime. Erase everything..."

"..."

There was a deathly silence in the office.

Shikaku was stunned.

I thought I underestimated Danzo's boldness, but now it seems that my previous estimate still greatly underestimated Danzo's courage.

Not only the Fourth Hokage, but now even the son of the Fourth Hokage was involved, making this secret public.

Naruto, because he is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, his identity in the village is very sensitive, and now his identity as the son of the Hokage has been announced...

The corners of Shikaku's mouth twitched and his eyelids twitched.

As Konoha's think tank, he didn't know how to deal with this kind of thing for the first time.

Even if he faced the behemoth of the Ghost Country, no matter what, he could come up with some ways to deal with it. Even if he died in the line of duty, it would still be a way out.

But he really didn't know how to deal with such a complicated matter.

How to stop such rumors?

In particular, the rumor itself has a certain basis in fact, but some important details have been modified.

But no matter what, there is no doubt about Naruto's identity.

He was the son of the Hokage and should have enjoyed the treatment of a hero's son instead of suffering the harsh criticism and disgust of the villagers.

Lu Jiu only felt that he was as big as one head and two heads now.

Not to mention Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, the murderous intent in his eyes has turned into reality, making the Hokage's office fall into a depressing atmosphere like a quagmire, making people breathless.

"...how dare he...how dare he..."

boom.

The office door was pushed open again.

The ones who came in were Shikaku's Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Kaiichi.

Judging from the looks in their eyes, it was obvious that they had gotten the rumors from outside, and they rushed in anxiously.

When they were about to speak, Shikaku smiled bitterly and said, "No need to report, this side already knows."

Ding Zao and Haiyi were slightly startled. They looked at Hiruzen, who was already distracted, and had no choice but to look at Shikaku for help, and asked: "Shikaku, what should we do next?"

"You ask me? Who should I ask?"

Shikaku could only smile bitterly again.

It can only be said that Danzo made too much noise this time.

He also wanted to ask, how will Danzo end?

In other words, has Danzo considered how to end it?

In fact, Shikaku began to wonder if if things were to continue to develop, even the Uchiha clan, which had mysteriously disappeared, would have to be publicized...

Shikaku could never have imagined that a high-ranking elder would be so bold.

What's even more ridiculous is that this tiger grew up under the eyes of the Third Hokage.

Is the power of the martial arts sect, or the power at its roots... so out of control?

Ding Zuo and Haiyi looked at each other, both seeing the sigh in each other's eyes.

The three clans of Pig, Deer and Die all prosper and suffer. This is a covenant they have been adhering to since the Warring States Period.

The three clans have long been as close as one clan.

Compared to the Sarutobi clan, the relationship between the three clans is obviously closer.

This time they were invited to come, partly to fulfill their contract with the Sarutobi clan. As clan leaders, they had to set an example and not break their promises to others.

But on the one hand, it is also for the family's retreat.

Could it be said that we really have to consider the worst-case scenario?

Ding Zuo and Hai began to consider this issue.

The biggest question is, will Konoha, ruled by the Dark Ninja, really tolerate the growth of the Ninja clan?

"Go, go negotiate with Danzo..."

Hiruzen's bitter voice suddenly sounded in the office.

The joy of finding Tsunade disappeared in an instant.

After hearing Hiruzen's arrangement, Shikaku and the others were silent.

They could hear from Hiruzen's difficult tone that this meant compromise.

"Tell Kakashi to return immediately."

Shikaku ordered to the ANBU ninja on the side.

The ANBU ninja was stunned for a moment, then looked at Hiruzen, who closed his eyes and nodded.

"yes."

The ANBU ninja left directly to find Kakashi.

"When Kakashi comes back, I will go with you, Hokage-sama."

Shikaku whispered.

Now their only chance of winning is Tsunade who has not yet returned.

No matter how this negotiation goes, Danzo must be fed, the hungry wolf, in exchange for enough time for Tsunade to return.

"You make the arrangements."

The Third Hokage took a deep breath, turned and walked to the window, looking out at the scenery outside, silent.

"Then let's go down too, Hokage-sama."

Ding Zuo and Haiyi bowed slightly and exited the office.

In the corridor outside, Ding Zuo and Hai Yi looked very solemn.

"I didn't expect the situation to be so serious."

"Yes, with Lu Jiu's arrangement, I'm afraid we have already prepared for the worst. By then we..."

Hai's eyes darkened.

"If Hokage-sama fails, the contract with the Sarutobi clan will end with the three of us."

Dingzuo also sighed.

Like Haiichi and Shikaku, he is ready to sacrifice to preserve his family.

But even if he dies, he must not break his trust, fulfill his contract with the Sarutobi clan, and fight for him until his blood runs out.

"Fugaku... must have faced this same dilemma back then."

Haiyi suddenly said an unexpected name.

Ding Zuo was slightly surprised.

Hai smiled and said: "Even if it is as powerful as the Demon Country, it still has no ability to silently destroy a huge ninja clan in Konoha. Don't tell me, Din, do you think an Uchiha Itachi can do all this?"

A huge family was wiped out before their eyes, but the ANBU didn't discover the fact that the Uchiha clan had been wiped out until the next day.

If the ANBU's mobility was really slow to this extent, then Naruto would have been successfully assassinated numerous times.

"Yes, Uchiha made his choice, now it's our turn to choose..."

Dingzuo nodded and calmed down.

When they made the decision to bring some of their family members to assist Hiruzen, they had the consciousness of sacrifice.

Now that we have this awareness, what is there to fear about the so-called death?

At least this way, the family can still be preserved.

"The Will of Fire... what the elders of the family regret most is that they let us young people enter the ninja school to study..."

While talking and joking, Ding Zuo and Hai Yi walked further and further away, disappearing from the end of the corridor.

The worst possible path ahead is death.

Therefore, the two of them left very calmly.

◎

In the wide and huge space, countless corridors are suspended in the air, crisscrossing each other, seemingly chaotic but arranged in a certain pattern.

Beneath the criss-crossing corridors, there is bottomless darkness, like a giant beast with its bloody mouth, making people shudder.

Feeling the humidity and coldness in the environment, Hiruzen couldn't remember the last time he came to Root's headquarters.

Maybe it was ten years ago, maybe it was twenty years ago... Every time he came here, Hiruzen felt complicated and sad.

This time is no exception.

Because the rumors circulating outside are no longer just rumors.

What he was involved in was not only the battle between two factions, but also the marginalized supporters of the Fourth Hokage, and the neutral Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki-Naruto.

Among them, Naruto was the weakest, but he was also the one Hiruzen was most worried about.

Danzo pulled him in, and no matter how angry Hiruzen was, it was of no avail.

He could only come to the root headquarters in person to negotiate with Danzo to prevent further rumors in the village.

At least suppress the influence to a minimum and buy enough time for Tsunade to return.

Therefore, on the way here, Hiruzen was ready to compromise with Danzo again.

As long as Danzo's request is not excessive, he can try to accept it.

If Danzo forced him too hard... A cold and stern look flashed in Hiruzen's eyes.

He is still Hokage now!

Under the protection of Kakashi, Shikaku, and a group of four ANBU jounin, Hiruzen personally led the team to one of the corridors and walked towards the huge iron door at the end of the corridor.

When he reached the middle of the corridor, Hiruzen stopped.

Countless figures shuttled through the dimly lit space, and a large number of root ninjas wearing painted masks appeared in the remaining corridors, staring closely at Hiruzen and his group, their eyes sharp, like machines without emotional fluctuations.

The aura of each of these people is very good, which proves that every ninja has extraordinary skills, at least starting as a chuunin.

Even among the chuunin, he is probably the one who stands out.

Among them, there are even an unknown number of jounin.

From their eyes, it can be seen that the root ninja has no respect for Hiruzen, the Hokage.

He just regarded this Hokage, who held a high position in Konoha, as the prey that was about to be hunted by the roots in the past.

One...Thirteen...Twenty-one...Forty-seven...Shikaku silently counted the number of ninjas at his roots.

Even so, there are more root ninjas, hiding in the dark and not being revealed.

Therefore, the more he counted, the heavier Shikaku felt.

Although I knew that the roots were very powerful, I didn't expect that the roots would grow to this extent.

This scale is no different than ANBU, and may even be stronger.

It can be said that as long as Danzo becomes the Hokage, the root can immediately take over all the work of the ANBU and manage the Leaf Village in an orderly manner without encountering the dilemma of insufficient manpower and failure to implement orders.

This also means that when Danzo comes to power, his dependence on the Ninja clan will be greatly reduced.

At this time, the huge iron door at the end of the corridor slowly opened.

A one-eyed old man about the same age as Hiruzen, leaning on a cane, limped slowly, surrounded by four root ninjas.

Although his walking posture was a bit limp, when his steps landed on the ground, he was very steady and not at all frivolous.

The exposed left eye is as sharp as a knife, piercing the heart.

Just by looking at him, Shikaku felt his eyes sting and looked away, not daring to look at Danzo.

After half a minute of walking, Danzo, surrounded by four root ninjas, stopped three meters in front of Hiruzen.

"Hiruzen."

"Danzo."

The two called each other's names and stared at each other closely, never relaxing.

Then, Danzo's eyes stayed on Shikaku for a moment, until the other person lowered his head, and then turned his eyes to Hiruzen's right side, where an ANBU was located.

Standard Anbu clothing, wearing an animal mask, silver hair and a white fang sword revealed his identity - Hatake Kakashi.

As for the other four ANBU jonin, Danzo actively ignored them.

"You should know the reason for my coming. You cannot let the rumors outside go unchecked."

Hiruzen and Danzo got straight to the point, there was no time to waste with Danzo here.

"I need a spot."

Danzo didn't hesitate to speak.

"Location?"

"That's right, another advisory elder position will be added, and the head of the Hyuga clan, Hinata Hiashi, will take over."

Danzo said.

Hiruzen's face darkened. He did not expect that the collusion between the Hyuga clan and Danzo had reached this level.

Or is this just Danzo's own side of the story?

In fact, the Hyuga clan has no such considerations at all.

If this is the case, Danzo must have other arrangements.

"Okay. However, the rumors outside must stop!"

Hiruzen said in a deep voice.

No matter what, let's settle the rumors first. As for the additional consultant position, it won't be implemented in a short time.

"Give me three hours."

"Okay. In three hours, I will hold a high-level meeting and add a consultant position."

The two of them exchanged words and exchanged words like swords, very cleanly and neatly.

They all know that time is very precious at the moment. Everything that can be shelved must be shelved. What cannot be shelved must be dealt with later and cannot be delayed.

Seeing that Danzo agreed, Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to leave, Danzo suddenly spoke:

"Then, let's get started."

start? What to start with?

Both Hiruzen and Shikaku were confused.

Suddenly, Kakashi, who was on the right side of Hiruzen, suddenly rose up.

The cold sword light tore through the air and struck Hiruzen's back mercilessly.

Blood spurted out.

The movements are done in one go.

So much so that when the pain came, Hiruzen had a look of astonishment, shock, disbelief, and confusion flashing through his eyes.

Before he could react, Danzo quickly stepped forward, took advantage of Hiruzen's weakness, reached out his hand, and grabbed Hiruzen's throat.

The black binding spell snaked like a snake from Danzo's wrist, wrapping around Hiruzen's body and controlling it.

The four ANBU jonin on the side reacted and stepped forward to stop Kakashi.

Suddenly, one of the ANBU jounin suddenly fell one step behind. He quickly swung his ninja sword, and the sharp wind blade quickly turned from the blade to cover the surrounding area.

Poof!

The three ANBU jounin were stabbed in the back one after another. They lost the power to resist and fell to the ground.

Lu Jiu's expression changed drastically. This scene happened so suddenly that his mind went blank.

When he came to his senses, the four root ninjas who followed Danzo drew out their ninja swords and placed them on his neck, preventing him from making any rash moves.

"Why... why..."

What made Hiruzen more heartbroken than the stab wound on his back was Kakashi's betrayal.

Why……

Why did Kakashi betray him...

As for Hiruzen's question, Kakashi said nothing, holding the blood-stained White Fang dagger, and jumped down towards the dark abyss next to him, and his figure disappeared into the vast darkness without a trace.

"I won, Hiruzen."

Danzo's cold voice sounded.

"Danzo, you..."

"By now, you wouldn't think that it was your ANBU who sent the news back to Tsunade, right?"

The strength in Danzo's hand increased again.

Hiruzen's pupils shrank, his old face twisted in pain.

"If I don't do this, if I don't leave you a hope, and you have no retreat, you won't come to me to negotiate... Let me tell you, the hope in your heart does not exist from the beginning!"

The strength of Danzo's arm increased again, and Hiruzen's entire face began to turn red.

Because his body was controlled by Danzo's spell, he couldn't even make a basic struggle.

"It's time to inject new 'hope' into you..."

Danzo raised his other hand and untied the bandage covering his right eye.

In the ferocious Sharingan, three magatama began to connect and turned into a more complex pattern.

"W-Sharingan!?"

Shikaku was horrified and lost his voice.

He never imagined that Danzo's hidden right eye was actually a Sharingan, and that style...

Kaleidoscope Sharingan!

Hiruzen was forced to raise his head and look at Danzo. After continuing to look at each other for a minute, the struggling look in his eyes slowly returned to calm, exuding a strange peaceful aura.

Seeing Hiruzen already controlled by the Mangekyou Sharingan, Danzo released his grip on his neck.

Hiruzen fell weakly on the corridor, looking as frail as a helpless old man, coughing and depressed.

"You are the beloved Hokage in the sun, but I am the root buried deep in the ground..."

The light that breaks through the darkness will dominate everything.

"Now, all the sins are your fault."

Only in this way can I become the new light of the village, Hiruzen!

The ambition in Danzo's eyes was no longer concealed, and he showed his sharpest fangs towards the position of Hokage.

He is invincible in front of him!

————————————

Let’s wrap up the chapter.

Hiruzen: Danzo, you——

Danzo: Hiruzen, I am the Hokage!

Hiruzen: Danzo, you will regret it!

(PS: The way to save Konoha is to turn Danzo into light!)