Hiruzen had secretly felt relieved more than once that he had sent Orochimaru to the battlefield this time.
Otherwise, once the war ended, his position as Hokage would have completely come to an end. And he had also secretly cursed Danzō more than once.
He had placed high hopes on that idiot, but it wasn't just foolishness, it was downright idiocy.
However, whathe didn't know was that the reason Shin allowed Orochimaru to continue operating in the shadows was to fully investigate and clean out those forces that were absolutely loyal to Hiruzen, to eliminate future threats in one fell swoop.
Unlike the transitions between the First and Second Hokages, or from the Second to Hiruzen, this was different.
Even though Tsunade's rise to power was a peaceful transition and not a violent coup, it would still leave behind significant risks.
Hiruzen had been in the Hokage position for nearly ten years, who knew how many loyal followers he had cultivated in secret?
If those followers weren't removed, they might not pose a direct threat, but, like a toad jumping on your foot, they were simply disgusting to deal with.
A day later, Orochimaru received his deployment orders and immediately set off with Shin to the left flank battlefield.
As for Fukuyama, he temporarily took over command of the right flank army, responsible for holding the line and guarding against a possible betrayal from Ame.
This time, Shin and Orochimaru traveled using the Flying Thunder God Technique, quickly arriving at the frontlines.
---
"What did you say?" Danzō, severely injured but still refusing to leave the command tent, suddenly sat up in disbelief and shouted.
"You said Orochimaru is here, and he's taking over my command authority?" After his shock, Danzō flew into a rage. "That's impossible."
"I've bled for Konoha, I've been injured for the village, how could Hiruzen do this to me?"
"The war is almost over! We're about to win! Hiruzen is doing this just to let Orochimaru steal the credit!"
The high-ranking officers nearby all fell silent at Danzō's outburst.
Why did you get injured? Was it intentional?
No. It was because you're an idiot.
When Suna first started acting up, we advised you to launch an immediate attack, you said it was Chiyo's trap and that Tsunade's warning couldn't be trusted, missing the perfect opportunity.
Later, when we did everything we could to stop you from charging ahead recklessly, what did you do?
You accused us of shaking troop morale and insisted on punishing us severely.
So why the hell haven't you dropped dead yet?
As for the claim that the war is almost over and we're about to win, what the hell does that have to do with you?
Every battle we've won had nothing to do with you, and every defeat was your fault.
If it weren't for your idiotic commands, this war would've been over long ago.
Honestly, we're starting to wonder if you're a spy sent by Suna.
That was the genuine thought of everyone present, except for the Root ninjas.
They were truly fed up with this self-important fool.
Not long after, footsteps sounded outside the tent, and Orochimaru lifted the flap and stepped inside.
"You've all received the notice, haven't you?" He glanced at Danzō and sighed. "Danzō-sama, you've worked hard. I heard your injuries are severe, so I brought Shin specifically to treat you. Injuries like yours are no small matter. They need to be dealt with quickly, or lingering effects may be hard to fix."
"Everyone has witnessed your contributions. From here on, please rest and recover. We won't let your efforts go to waste."
As he spoke, he subtly signaled to Danzō with his eyes.
The message was clear: the matter was already decided, so it was better to step back with some dignity.
He truly didn't want to waste words with Danzō. But he had no choice, Danzō had been generous in funding his research, so pleasantries were still required.
How could Danzō not understand Orochimaru's intentions?
But he was truly indignant.
If it weren't for these idiots failing to cooperate properly with him, would things have gone this badly?
Why was it suddenly being made out to be all his fault?
That was his internal monologue. If he dared say it aloud, someone might have torn him apart on the spot.
We always knew you were good at taking the blame, who knew you were also a pro at shifting it?
Bravo. Truly impressive.
Under Orochimaru's cue, Shin stepped forward to begin treating Danzō's injuries.
"I'm just fine, I don't need treatment." Danzō, furious and with nowhere to vent his anger, took it out on Shin, turning his head away coldly with an uncooperative expression.
Would Shin just take that?
"Don't want treatment? Ok."
Shin immediately packed up the medical kit and turned to Orochimaru. "There are plenty of other wounded ninjas who need treatment. I'll go take care of them instead. As for Danzō, with these injuries... just bury him already. Keeping him alive is a waste of food."
With that, he walked out without even looking back.
Everyone in the tent was stunned.
Most of them had never interacted with Shin before. Aside from his duel with A, they hadn't even seen him in person. Naturally, they didn't know what kind of person he was.
And now, this was his personality?
Orochimaru almost couldn't hold back his laughter but managed to suppress it with effort.
Funding was important. Funding was important!
Danzō glanced at Shin's retreating back. With his blood already depleted from his injuries, a surge of rage caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood and pass out on the spot.
Yet despite seeing this, not a single person felt even a shred of sympathy.
In fact, it felt incredibly satisfying.
Some even strongly agreed with what Shin had said.
Soon, Orochimaru officially took command of the camp and made a series of new deployments. At the same time, he sent word to Tsunade.
Perhaps it was because of how brutally Danzō had suppressed them before, or maybe it was because of Orochimaru's brilliant performance on the left flank, but morale was now at an all-time high. Everyone responded enthusiastically to his every order.
---
Meanwhile, Danzō had just regained consciousness in his tent.
Upon hearing the news, he showed none of the previous rage, frustration, or impotent fury that he had displayed in front of everyone. Instead, his face carried a dark and sinister smile.
Do you really think I am so incompetent?
I'm just using this chance to pull back from the frontlines and return to Konoha.
Though he tried to reassure himself with those words, the fact that his reputation in Konoha had hit rock bottom still made Danzō deeply frustrated.
Much of what he had done, even his injuries, had been staged.
But there was one thing that wasn't fake: aside from deliberately trying to eliminate members of the Sarutobi clan, he genuinely had wanted to win battles to build prestige for himself.
Yet tragically, he had come to realize, he just wasn't cut out for it.
But when one door closes, another opens.
Homura had already sent word. As long as Danzō returned to Konoha and played his cards right before the war ended, they could work together to eliminate Hiruzen, and Danzō would become the acting Hokage during wartime.
After that, as long as those certain key figures kept their promises, he would completely suppress Tsunade and become the true Hokage.
"Send the order." With that thought in mind, Danzō no longer wanted to pretend to be recovering. He turned to the few Root ninjas who remained with him and barked, "I'm returning to Konoha. Prepare immediately."
"Yes."
---
150 km west of Konoha's camp, in the Suna encampment, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
They too had received news that Ame had agreed to pay reparations to Konoha and was seeking a ceasefire. And the one who had led Konoha's forces to victory over Ame, Orochimaru, had now taken over Danzō's command authority.
At this moment, everyone missed Danzō immensely. His leadership had been their greatest hope for victory.
But now, that hope had been dashed.
Chiyo frowned deeply and finally spoke, "What's wrong? Speak up, what do we do next?"
Hearing her question, everyone looked at one another, but no one said a word.
Seeing their reactions, she immediately understood, these people didn't want to fight anymore. But if they stopped now, the losses to Suna would be far too great.
Yes, their ninjas had infiltrated the Land of Fire and looted plenty of resources, but compared to the cost of the war so far, those gains were nowhere near enough.
What's worse, they had suffered heavy casualties, the compensation payments alone would be enormous. And now, they hadn't been able to plunder anything for quite some time. Most of the infiltrators sent into the Land of Fire had lost contact.
According to the few who managed to escape and return, a maniac squad from Konoha had begun actively hunting down all infiltrating Suna ninjas.
This squad, using unknown methods, could always track their targets down, and once they did, the Suna ninjas were swiftly and efficiently wiped out.
The escaped ninjas had only learned about this from intercepted radio chatter.
But the frightening thing was: none who had actually encountered this squad in person ever made it out alive.
By now, nearly all of their infiltrators were presumed dead, and they still had no idea who was in this squad or even what they looked like.
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200 = +1 bonus chapter
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Completed at Chapter 278!