Escape From Konoha

After the forced interruption of the public meeting, a depressing atmosphere of tension, uneasiness, and suspicion was raging everywhere in Konoha Village.

Some even more extreme people began to publicly denounce the faults of the Third Hokage.

Although in that interrupted public meeting, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen only admitted two of his faults, the rumors involved far more than two faults.

Therefore, even the unmentioned wood escape experiments, such as desecrating the remains of the previous Hokage and causing the innocent and tragic death of a large number of experimental subjects, were directly placed on the Hokage himself, and no argument was allowed.

Among this, rational people will inevitably have random thoughts. Only a few people maintain an objective and neutral attitude, but in this firm voice against the Third Hokage's rule, they seem insignificant.

In fact, if this kind of thing happened twenty years ago, although it might shake the Hokage's reputation, it would not necessarily affect the Hokage's rule and management of the village.

But the problem is that Hiruzen, as the Hokage, not only committed major mistakes, such as not doing his best, which caused the dangerous S-class rebel Orochimaru to defect from the village, which resulted in many Konoha ninjas being sacrificed in the pursuit of Orochimaru. , and those villagers whose relatives were kidnapped by Orochimaru and used as experimental subjects were even more agitated and held a grudge against Hiruzen. The matter with the son of the Fourth Hokage was also the last straw for him.

More importantly, Hiruzen himself has already reached the age of retirement, and various accidental or inevitable reasons have made it impossible to preserve his position as Hokage.

Therefore, the election of the fifth Hokage announced after the Jonin meeting was supported by the voices of most people in the village.

Hiruzen's actions disappointed them. Now Konoha must replace the Hokage with outstanding abilities to turn the tide.

Therefore, although the unknown elder Shimura Danzo was rarely mentioned in the rumors, after a long period of fermentation, he also gained the support of a considerable number of people in the village, many of whom were new blood.

For the unknown Danzo elder, this was an expected surprise.

He is already in the darkness. If he wants to truly become Hokage, he must stand under the sun, and the prerequisite for standing under the sun is to gain the right to speak from most people in the village. The position of Hokage is justifiable and one can sit safely.

…

"I never thought that Hokage-sama would be defeated like this. It's completely unimaginable..."

In a certain conference room in the Nara Clan's territory, Yamanaka Haiichi, who was invited to come, rubbed his brows and seemed to feel a headache and helplessness about the public opinion storm outside.

This is no longer something they can change.

Moreover, the current situation in Konoha is not suitable for any further struggle. Restoring order in the village as soon as possible and allowing the new Hokage to take power is the most important thing at the moment.

All other matters can be put on hold.

"The most important thing is Kakashi's betrayal. I didn't expect him to be Danzo's elder. He has been hiding it perfectly so far."

Shikaku, who returned from release, sighed deeply, with a hint of tiredness in his eyes.

Kakashi's betrayal was something he didn't expect.

If this hadn't happened, he and the Third Hokage wouldn't have been caught so easily that day. They wanted to leave, and even the roots couldn't stop them.

But with the help of Kakashi, the situation is completely different.

It also made the situation one-sided, causing the Hokage's defense to collapse instantly.

But he really couldn't figure out when Kakashi and Danzo hooked up.

After the third generation was reset, or before the fourth generation came to power, was he already a member of Danzo?

Haiyi and Dingzao also had complicated expressions. After getting the general situation of what happened that day from Shikaku, their first thought was that they didn't believe it.

How could Kakashi, who was the head of ANBU, be Danzo's man.

But everything that happened now made them have no choice but to believe it.

Kakashi is not from the same group as them.

He used the trust of his companions and successfully deceived everyone, so that none of them discovered Kakashi's true face over the years.

This ability to hide one's true nature, or even to disguise oneself, makes them terrified.

They couldn't imagine that a partner they had worked with for many years would stab them in the back at the most critical moment.

Such betrayal stung even more than Danzo's unabashed malice.

"Now that the matter is over, what should we do next?"

Dingzuo asked.

The downfall of the Third Hokage and Kakashi's betrayal have resulted in the Anbu now being fully controlled by the Roots.

The two consultants also focused on Danzo at this time.

After the fermentation of external rumors, the reputation of the third generation dropped to the lowest ever, but Danzo unknowingly cultivated his own 'fans', gained the support of a certain voice, coupled with the support of high-level consultants, and As the leader of the martial arts faction, he is vaguely able to compete with another candidate, Tsunade.

If Tsunade arrives at the election meeting in a few days as promised, it is still unclear who will win.

But the worst thing now is that they can't contact Tsunade, and they don't know where Tsunade is now... It can be said that the probability of Tsunade arriving as promised is very slim.

The current situation is very clear.

Even if Tsunade relies on her previous accumulation, no matter how high her reputation is, it is meaningless if she cannot run for the Fifth Hokage.

Konoha desperately needed a Hokage, not wait for an uncertain future.

"According to the original plan, although after Elder Danzo came to power, it was not a good thing for the ninja clan who held too much power, especially the Sarutobi clan... But for the village, it might be a bad thing. Good thing. Moreover, Elder Danzo will not be so impatient to kill the donkey. At least during his lifetime, he must rely on various ninja clans to maintain the rule of the village."

Shikaku can see through families, villages, individuals, the connections among them, and the complicated interests.

No matter which Hokage comes to power, the first thing to be afraid of is the ninja clan with a large amount of land and population.

Even the Third Hokage cultivated the Sarutobi clan and supported the Inokacho clan to check and balance the other ninja clans and achieve the balance in his mind.

The person sitting in that position knew very well that the Shadow was afraid of the Ninja clan, so the power of the people was needed to check and balance the Ninja clan. Because the Ninja clan will affect Kage's power, they must suppress the civilians to weaken Kage's control over the village and open up a space for the Ninja clan to live.

The three complement each other and form a circular ring. This is the balance achieved by the third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.

And whether Danzo can do this, while weakening the ninja clan, find a new balance and stabilize the village... Regarding this, Shikaku has to put a question mark.

But in the current situation, we can only believe in Danzo... no, we must believe that he can do it.

"Do you support Danzo..."

Both Haiyi and Ding Zuo showed complicated expressions.

Although he had expected it, he still felt repulsed when he heard Shikaku say this.

From the bottom of their hearts, they resented ninjas like Danzo who would do whatever it took to win.

Such a leader is really unconvincing.

If Danzo continues to go deep into the darkness of Konoha, Haiichi and Dingza will naturally have nothing to say, because this is the root's own job, and it is also the obligation and responsibility of its existence. Using unscrupulous means will only be an advantage, not a disadvantage... But let With such a person standing under the sun and ruling the village, anyone will feel a sense of disobedience.

They do not object to Danzo taking charge of the root, but they exclude people like Danzo from succeeding as Hokage.

Darkness is the opposite of light.

"I know what you want to say. Elder Danzo has always been very scheming... Such people will inevitably have darkness in their hearts, causing the village to lose its positive meaning. But now that the situation is clear, don't think so much There are negative results. The tone has been set, and everyone just needs to work hard in this direction. I will still hold the position of Jonin squad leader, and try my best to prevent Elder Danzo from being exposed to those darkness..."

To cultivate Danzo into a bright and uplifting Hokage, Shikaku said so, but he still felt a mountain of pressure in his heart.

When I think of Danzo, who usually has a gloomy face, wearing a pure white god robe and making a gentle and friendly smile to the children in the village, this will definitely scare the children to tears and give them nightmares for a week.

Thinking of this, Lu Jiu's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

No matter what, the other person's temperament is strangely inconsistent with Naruto's.

I wonder if Elder Danzo was so gloomy when he was young. Shikaku shook his head and smiled bitterly.

If you really want to assist Danzo, maybe the first big thing is to let Danzo change his ghastly face and become as friendly and contagious as possible.

"That's all we can do, let's go back and make arrangements first."

"Well, please, I hope Konoha will usher in a new atmosphere in the future."

Shikaku sighed inwardly.

Be it a village or a family, there is no way to have the best of both worlds in this world.

As the Jonin squad leader of Konoha, he naturally has to consider the overall interests of Konoha, but as a ninja, he often has to take care of the family behind him and cannot act arbitrarily...

position.

When he thought about such a thing, Shikaku felt that this would give him a headache more than Danzo being the Hokage.

After Haiichi and Choza left, Shikaku also stood up and headed to the Hokage Building.

One thing, he had to stop Danzo.

◎

Hokage Building, rooftop.

Danzo stood here, holding a cane in his hand, looking up at the shadow rock at the top of the cliff with his exposed left eye, his eyes flashing with fluctuations.

The first Hokage Senju Hashirama.

The Second Hokage Senju Tobirama.

The Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato.

The time of these men has passed, and behind these four giant shadow rocks, a fifth shadow rock will soon be carved.

The Fifth Hokage...Shimura Danzo.

Although his face remained calm, Danzo's heart was full of joy and joy.

The next Konoha was an era dominated by Shimura Danzo.

Even after death, he will be famous throughout the ages and become a shadow rock on this cliff that will never fall, together with the Hokages of the previous generations...

"Hiruzhan, I win this time..."

Danzo looked at these shadow rocks in a daze and murmured.

It felt like he had returned to that war-torn era, following his teacher, the Second Hokage, across the battlefield. Everyone went through life and death together, forming an indelible bond of comradeship.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kagami Uchiha, Feng Akimichi, Koharu Koharu, Mito Kaden... and Danzo Shimura.

But now, Uchiha Mirror died early and died in the internal fighting of the Uchiha clan.

Akimichi retired after his success and retired from the Akimichi clan. He did not care about world affairs. He probably did not want to get involved in the struggle for power anymore. He would only step forward when Konoha encountered a crisis.

As consultants Koharu and Mito Monobu moved to bed, their road had come to an end, and Danzo already had an idea of ​​their arrangements.

As for Hiruzen, who was both a close friend and a powerful enemy, Danzo had many thoughts about what kind of fate he would give him.

However, due to various reasons, no actual action has been taken for the time being.

Is it soft-hearted? Danzo became vigilant for his hesitation.

But on the one hand, since he is about to become Hokage, is it really necessary to kill Hiruzen who has lost his influence?

As long as he is imprisoned for the rest of his life without contact with the outside world, many accidents can naturally be avoided.

In other words, what is the policy of Naruto.

Hesitation, hesitation, and confusion occupied Danzo's pupils for the first time.

As the darkness of Shinobi, he is almost at the end.

The following policy can no longer be applied to the Hokage's template using the fundamental principles of conduct.

The confusion in his heart now is just like that choice back then. Now, he has to face a new choice.

Slash the sun, kill...or stay...

Just as he was thinking this, footsteps came from behind.

"Elder Danzo."

The voice came from behind.

"Is it Shikaku?"

Danzo did not look back, but he knew who was coming to him at this time.

"it's me."

Lu Jiu, who appeared not far behind Danzo, answered.

"What's the matter?"

"I want to know what Elder Danzo will do with the Third Generation next."

"What do you think?"

"Although the third generation of adults has made many mistakes, their sins will not lead to death."

"Is this the attitude of the Nara clan?"

Danzo turned his head and glanced sharply at Shikaku.

As if being stared at by a vicious snake, Shikaku's body tensed, then slowly relaxed, shook his head and said: "No, this is my suggestion as the Jonin squad leader. With all due respect, there are still many people in the village who are opposed to it. Elder Danzo took office as Hokage..."

Speaking of which, he believed Danzo could understand the pros and cons.

Not to mention that Danzo is not the Hokage now, even if he becomes the Hokage, it is not something that can be achieved in the short term if he wants to monopolize power.

The coldness in Danzo's eyes slowly faded away.

"Your suggestion, the old man will consider it."

Shikaku breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Danzo would insist on his own opinions and ignore other people's suggestions... Now it seems that this Shinobi is also beginning to adjust some of his methods and styles.

Light and darkness are two completely different realms.

"Then, I'll take my leave first..."

"etc."

Danzo called to Shikaku.

"What else is there?"

Lu Jiu looked at Danzo in puzzlement.

"Minister Anbu... Do you have any recommendations?"

ANBU Minister?

Lu Jiu was stunned.

Wouldn't it be enough to just hand over this kind of thing to Kakashi?

Although Kakashi betrayed the Third Hokage, he was still a part of Konoha after all. With Kakashi's strength and ability, he was qualified for the job of ANBU Minister.

"Kakashi is dead."

Danzo's words made Lu Jiu's eyes widen and his heart sank.

Kakashi...is dead?

"Kakashi...how did he die? Why..."

"I killed it, and this news is temporarily blocked by me."

Hearing Danzo's answer, Lu Jiu couldn't help feeling angry and dissatisfied with Danzo in his heart.

"Why?"

He tried his best to restrain the anger in his heart, and wanted Danzo to give him a suitable reason to deal with Kakashi.

He was indeed dissatisfied with Kakashi, because Kakashi's betrayal caused the third Hokage to step down and let the Wuto faction seize power.

But from the overall interests of Konoha, Kakashi is an indispensable part.

His personal strength, command and management abilities are all top-notch, and he has rich experience that surpasses that of a novice jounin. Such a ninja is more than enough to be trained as the next generation of Hokage...

However, dead.

This had to make Lu Jiu feel angry.

"There is a spy I planted on Orochimaru's side. During the Chunin Exams, Kakashi secretly met with Orochimaru many times in an attempt to harm Konoha. The evidence is conclusive."

"!?"

Lu Jiu was caught off guard by this amazing reversal.

Kakashi began to follow the Fourth Hokage, and after the Fourth Hokage died, he was immediately valued by the Third Hokage. Until now, he has betrayed the third Hokage, and he is the hero who Danzo came to power... In the end, he is the spy planted by Orochimaru in Konoha?

Lu Jiu felt that his mind was a little confused, and he needed to sort out what happened.

"So, Kakashi is from Orochimaru?"

"yes."

Danzo nodded affirmatively.

Lu Jiu didn't believe it all, but he was sure of one fact, that is the fact that Kakashi was dead.

Lu Jiu wanted to curse, but seeing Danzo's gloomy and terrifying face, he still held back.

What nonsense is this?

◎

November 10, morning.

Konoha officially held an election meeting about the Fifth Hokage.

The general process is that the previous Hokage first nominates, goes to the Daimyo Mansion, and is reviewed by the Fire Nation Daimyo. After being recognized by the Fire Nation Daimyo, he returns to Konoha to hold an election meeting.

This includes civilian elections and jounin votes.

Because of this incident, a large number of Konoha Jonin who stayed in other places rushed back to Konoha Village before the meeting. Except for certain forces that cannot be mobilized, most jounin began to concentrate on the headquarters of Konoha Village.

Representing most of Konoha's high-end combat power, more than two hundred special jounin and jounin gathered together at this time.

Although there are still some Jonin who are unable to return due to position issues, they have also asked others to bring back their precious votes and choose the people they want to support.

That's how it should be.

This election, however, is a little different.

In the conference room, there are two seats in the candidate area, and only one seat is occupied at this time.

The second seat was empty.

Since Danzo himself was a candidate at this time, he, who was supposed to be the arbiter, lost his power as a referee and sat in the candidate area.

The arbiter was entrusted to the Hokage, the two elders of the advisory group, and the Jonin squad leader Shikaku.

Lu Jiu looked at the tallied vote results, then looked at the empty seats in the candidate area, and sighed in his heart.

Sure enough, we still didn't arrive in time.

Therefore, the result of the vote no longer matters, the winner is clear at a glance.

Even so, Shikaku coughed, stood up from his seat, and read:

"According to the votes cast by the Jonin, the first candidate, Shimura Danzo, received a total of 41 votes."

There were more than 200 jounin, but only 41 jonin received support. To be honest, this number of votes was less than half of the votes Orochimaru received during the previous selection of the Fourth Hokage.

It looked very shabby.

Shikaku knew that Danzo's support rate was extremely low in the minds of the Jonin, but this result... could only be said to be expected.

Shikaku even suspected that even the suppressed Third Hokage would receive much higher votes than Danzo if he participated in this selection.

Sure enough, is it because his face is so gloomy that it scares the children?

Shikaku glanced at Danzo secretly and found that he was expressionless, as if he didn't know what kind of embarrassing situation he was in at this time.

The ability to nourish Qi is really not weak.

"The second candidate, Tsunade, received a total of 138 votes."

To be honest, the difference in the number of votes received between the two is simply huge.

After all, it is a root buried in darkness. It is too difficult to stand firm in the sun.

When you reach the level of Jonin, you have more or less heard of the root organization and its reputation.

It is not difficult to see how unpopular Danzo is among the Jounin of Konoha Village.

According to the normal election mechanism, it is absolutely impossible for such a person to become Hokage.

"According to the results of the vote, the jounin Tsunade will serve as the fifth generation Hokage. However, since Tsunade the jounin failed to participate in this election meeting, it will be regarded as an abstention. Therefore, Shimura Danzo won the final election and succeeded the fifth generation Hokage."

Faced with the dagger-like gazes of the Jonin who supported Tsunade, Shikaku made a difficult announcement.

Although Shikaku had expected it, only when this scene actually happened did he understand how difficult it was to train Danzo into a beloved Hokage.

This question is really difficult to do.

"In addition, at one-thirty in the afternoon, the succession ceremony of the Fifth Hokage will be officially held. At that time, the envoy from the ally Sunagakure Village who came from afar will also witness...the meeting adjourned."

After finishing speaking, Shikaku collapsed completely, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

Seeing the Jonin exiting one after another, Shikaku sat back on his seat, raised his head, and looked at the ceiling above his head, his eyes dull.

"forgive me……"

The future is really ill-fated.

◎

Afternoon, one thirty.

The sunny weather gives people a refreshing feeling.

The election will be held in the morning, and the fifth Hokage succession ceremony will be held immediately in the afternoon. This speed of doing things will undoubtedly give people a very strange feeling of rushing.

Even the Sunagakure Village envoys who were invited a day ago could sense the strange atmosphere permeating Konoha Village.

It seems that everyone is not very enthusiastic about the succession ceremony of the new Hokage.

Although Danzo took advantage of the rumors and gained a certain amount of popularity for himself, but... he was a reclusive person and seldom appeared in public places. Basically, the people who knew him started out as jounin.

This leads to the fact that even if a certain amount of popularity is accumulated, it is only a drop in the bucket compared to the population of the entire Konoha Village.

Many villagers even wondered where this Hokage appeared from. Is there such a person in the village? Why did he suddenly become Hokage... Wait for the question to arise.

However, Danzo had already anticipated these things and did not take them to heart.

What he has to do now is to use the power of the martial arts faction to consolidate his position as Hokage in the ninja hierarchy step by step, and win over more Jonin to join him in the future. Occupying the great righteousness of Hokage, he has this confidence and ability.

The darkness of the past disappeared, and now the light shone on me.

Standing on the rooftop of the Hokage Building, Danzo enjoyed the rays of the sun.

Bright, warm.

At this time, he tried his best to relax the muscles of his face and give people a gentle and contagious look.

At this time, Shikaku, who was standing next to Danzo, noticed that Danzo was fine-tuning his facial expression, and the corners of his mouth twitched subconsciously.

Give up, Elder Danzo, don't force yourself so much. Although I really want to say this, it is obvious that I cannot say this directly.

He was afraid that Danzo would kill him and silence him, and then destroy his body and destroy all traces of it.

But this also shows that Danzo wants to work hard to change himself, which is a blessing in misfortune.

At least he has the consciousness to become Hokage - to bid farewell to the darkness that he relied on in the past.

"The weather is good today..."

Such words came from Danzo's mouth.

"yes."

Shikaku tried his best to make his tone less perfunctory.

He looked at Danzo, who was wearing a god robe and a hat with the word "fire" on his head. If he looked not from the front but only from the back, he should be a good Hokage.

"Next, it's time to make a statement, Elder Danzo - no, Lord Fifth Hokage."

Shikaku looked at the time and told Danzo that the time had come.

After the declaration, Danzo became the legitimate Fifth Generation Hokage.

Even if Tsunade returns, as long as Danzo doesn't make any serious mistakes and is caught, no one can shake his position as Hokage.

As of now, Shikaku doesn't know whether Danzo succeeding as the Fifth Hokage is a blessing or a curse, but at this moment, Danzo is the only choice.

"Um."

Hearing Shikaku's name, Danzo curled up his lips and felt surprisingly refreshed.

This feeling that all the cells in my body are cheering for my victory, I haven't had such an impulse for decades.

Over the years, he has suppressed his nature and stayed with the darkness, as a friend, as a companion... and now is the time for him to abandon the darkness.

Only by turning his back on the darkness of the past can he go further on the path of light.

From now on, he is Konoha's Fifth Hokage.

Decades of long-cherished wishes will come true at this time.

There's just one last step left.

With such a relaxed and happy mood, Danzo stepped forward steadily.

His footsteps are firm, and every step he takes means that he is getting further and further away from the darkness.

Darkness will always be lingering behind him.

Standing on the edge of the roof, blowing a soft warm wind, looking at the dense crowd below, Danzo felt very energetic.

For a moment, it seemed that I was thirty years younger, returning to the time when my blood hadn't cooled down.

The young faces of Ri Zhan, Jing, Qu Feng and others emerged from the mind one by one and passed by.

He saw that most of the faces of the ninjas and civilians below were full of doubts, nervousness, and confusion. Even so, he was not angry. Instead, he felt that the faces of these people were very cute and interesting, and full of youthful vitality.

Because seeing all kinds of distrust on these people's faces, Danzo's inner blood was aroused instead.

Sooner or later, he will clear away the doubts, confusion and anxiety on the faces of these people, and open up a brand new era for Konoha.

An unprecedented sense of mission and responsibility prompted Danzo's throat to roll. He calmly faced the crowd below and began to make the sacred declaration of succeeding as Hokage only once in his life:

"I am Danzo Shimura——"

An unexpected sudden change interrupted Danzo's words.

With the sky as the background board, colors and graphics appeared without warning, projected in front of everyone.

In the huge dark space, on the suspended corridor, an Anbu quickly slashed the back of an old man with a knife.

The old man's identity is the Third Hokage.

Everyone was dumbfounded, not knowing what happened.

Why does such a picture, like a projected movie, appear at this time?

No one answered, and no one knew the answer.

But the matter was not over yet. After the Third Hokage was injured, a gloomy old man grabbed his throat, tore off the bandage on his right eye, opened a pair of scarlet eyes and stared at the Third Hokage, performing some kind of technique.

This gloomy-faced old man, everyone knows... There is no doubt that he is the upcoming leader of the Five Hokages, Shimura Danzo.

He attacked the Three Hokages and controlled the Three Hokages using techniques.

Such facts emerge.

Below, Sasuke was staring at Danzo in the sudden scene, his eyes glowing with scarlet light, and he squeezed out a voice through his teeth:

"Mangekyo...Sharingan!"

…

The soft breeze ruffled the silver hair.

The man sitting on the roof enjoys the breeze blowing on his cheeks.

He paid no attention to the picture displayed in mid-air.

Just gently holding the handle in his hand, he pulled out half of the short sword and slowly put it into the scabbard.

Staring intently.

"Hatake Kakashi, as per your request, the arrangements have been made."

A deep voice came from the side.

A strange humanoid figure with a black and white face that resembles a pitcher plant is wrapped in a coat with red clouds on a black background, and the upper body is exposed from the stone slab.

"As expected of Xiao Hei, if we didn't have this kind of 'recording' ability, we wouldn't have been able to see such a wonderful sight."

Bai Jue smiled and gloated over the scene in front of him.

"Idiot, my eye skills are not used for this kind of thing."

Black Jue scolded White Jue.

His pupil technique has the ability to record the scene and save it for playback.

Because of this ability, he can present the enemy's intelligence more accurately and process it for analysis.

So far, he doesn't know how much garbage is stored in his brain.

And now, there is another garbage in the memory box in his mind.

"Next, we have to go back and reply to Orochimaru, are you okay by yourself?"

Black Zetsu asked in a hoarse voice.

"I alone am enough."

Kakashi responded.

"In that case, let's go."

"Hey, I want to stay here for a while."

Bai Jue was a little reluctant.

"Anyway, the ending is already like this, there is nothing to see. Hurry up, don't make me say it a second time!"

Hei Jue's voice was so cold that Bai Jue had no choice but to succumb. Cooperating with Hei Jue, he sank his body and disappeared mysteriously.

Kakashi didn't care about the departure of Hei Ze and Bai Ze.

He stood up from the roof, holding his hair tousled by the breeze with one hand.

"Next, it's time to truly settle this matter, Sandaime..."

His eyes were fixed on the shadow rock, the shadow rock with the face of the Third Hokage carved on it.