Tsunade was inwardly displeased. "Are you threatening me?"
Samui shook her head. "Sorry, I'm merely stating a fact. If I accidentally offended you, please forgive me."
"Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura cast a pleading glance to the side.
Kakashi helplessly lowered his voice. "Sasuke was originally a rogue ninja. According to tradition, he indeed should be executed. It's just because Tsunade-sama suppressed the matter that the situation didn't escalate."
Shikamaru quietly reassured them with a single sentence. "What are you guys worrying about? The Sasuke now is completely different from when he first defected. Haven't you heard what the Cloud Village people said? Their teacher was captured by Sasuke himself?"
"If I'm not mistaken, their teacher should be the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki from Cloud Village. That person is a supreme expert who ranks among the top in the entire shinobi world! Since Sasuke defeated him, Sasuke's strength is already no less than yours now, Naruto. If anyone wants to execute Sasuke, unless the Raikage personally does it!"
When Naruto and Sakura heard this, it seemed to make sense. As long as Sasuke doesn't go looking for trouble with the Raikage, ordinary ninja won't stand a chance of catching him.
At this thought, they both felt much more at ease.
Tsunade was still hesitating when suddenly Danzō's cold voice came from outside the door. "Why hesitate over such a matter? Letting a rogue ninja escape punishment has already brought disgrace to Konoha!"
Tsunade slightly frowned. "Elder Danzō, I don't recall inviting you here."
"Konoha isn't just yours alone!" Danzō scoffed coldly. "This is all of our home. I certainly can't watch it being destroyed by you!"
Tsunade's expression turned cold. "Elder Danzō, watch your words!"
Danzō stared coldly in return. "What? Am I not speaking correctly?"
Shizune couldn't help but mock, "Since Konoha is all of our home, why didn't we see Elder Danzō come out to resist when Pain attacked?"
"You don't understand anything! I was planning to guard Konoha's last shift; I just came out a bit late..."
Before he finished speaking, Sage Fukasaku rebuked, "That guarding of yours means killing your own people? Gamagori the Toad was killed by you!"
"It's all for Konoha's sake! The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is an important asset to the village; absolutely cannot let Akatsuki take him away!" Danzō paused then continued, "For this, some sacrifices are inevitable!"
Fukasaku became so angry he laughed sarcastically. "Then why aren't you the one sacrificing?"
"Didn't you hear me say 'some sacrifices'? How could someone as important as me be considered 'some'?" Danzō said unhappily.
Danzō left everyone speechless with his shamelessness. So everything just comes down to your decision?
Behind Danzō, Torune Aburame and the others exchanged worried glances. Why did Danzō suddenly seem to lose restraint?
Given Danzō's usual caution, shouldn't he act this high-profile? Could it be he felt victory was already certain?
Sage Fukasaku asked with a grim face, "Then tell me, if Lord Seiki hadn't saved Konoha, when were you planning to come out and sacrifice yourself?"
"Samui, who was watching the spectacle unfold, noticed the old toad glanced toward the man she had first noticed when he spoke. She couldn't help but feel surprised internally—'Could it really be Pain who defeated the Akatsuki leader and saved Konoha?'"
"If I'm going to be late coming out, better not come out at all!" Danzo said matter-of-factly. "Preserving my precious life to rebuild Konoha is what matters most!"
Tatsuma and the others widened their eyes in disbelief—had Danzo been drinking before coming here?
His bluntness was excessive!
Even Fukasaku was confused, unable to tell whether the other was truly foolish or just pretending.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Danzo turned to Tsunade, saying, "Tsunade, in my opinion, you're no longer suited to continue as Hokage!"
Because of Danzo's shocking earlier remarks, everyone remained unusually quiet for a moment.
Tsunade asked calmly, "Give me your reasons!"
Danzo continued with great eloquence, "First of all, you show favoritism and allow rogue ninja to run free, causing our allied villages to feel shocked and confused..."
Samui and her companions felt touched—never had they imagined they held such importance in Elder Danzo's eyes!
"Second, you're far too impulsive and arrogant. If it weren't for your condescending attitude provoking Pain, he wouldn't have destroyed the village in anger. Although everyone was revived afterward, that doesn't excuse you from responsibility..."
Samui and her companions listened in stunned silence. Could it actually be true what they said about "reviving" the villagers?
Thinking about this, they couldn't help but ask, "Wait a minute, this 'reviving' you mentioned..."
"Be quiet, I haven't finished yet!" Danzo appeared clearly impatient. "Third, Hiruzen was too lenient and let Orochimaru go, causing great calamity for Konoha. You didn't stop Jiraiya from taking foreign disciples either, nearly leading to Konoha's destruction. People like you, so weak-hearted, are simply unfit to be Hokage!"
Samui felt a surge of anger—weren't they supposed to be allies? Why were they suddenly unafraid of shocking her anymore?
Before Tsunade could speak, Naruto became furious first, "You bastard!"
Danzo mocked, "What? Did I hit a nerve? If Jiraiya weren't already dead, just for training the Akatsuki's leader alone, he should have been put on trial..."
"Enough!" Tsunade slammed the table in front of her, shattering it into pieces. "All you're saying is nothing more than an excuse for wanting to become Hokage yourself!"
"Precisely right!" Danzo admitted straightforwardly. "In this turbulent era we face now, no one is better suited to be Hokage than me!"
Tsunade couldn't help mocking him, "If Hokage was decided purely by how thick-skinned someone is, you're definitely more suitable!"
Danzo calmly accepted her compliment, "It's good to see you still have some redeeming qualities!"
"You..."
"Instead of bickering endlessly and letting others laugh at us," Danzo smiled coldly, "why not find a trustworthy and impartial person to make the judgment! I believe Lord Seiki would be most suitable!"
Everyone's hearts trembled slightly. From Seiki's previous actions, and even according to Mizuki's report, Seiki clearly should be on their side.
Yet Danzo sounded so confident—could it be he had already taken some measures against Seiki?
Samui and her group were even more shocked. Letting an outsider interfere in the Hokage succession without a single objection... Who exactly was this man?
Tsunade's expression darkened slightly, but she still said, "Fine."
"Hahahahaha!" Danzo laughed loudly. "No wonder you're Tsunade. That kind of courage puts most people to shame. Lord Seiki, share your decision with everyone!"
Seiki feigned hesitation for a moment. "When facing enemy invasion, can true warriors who confront the enemy head-on really be compared to cowards hiding underground?"
"You all heard it," Danzo declared, his laughter stopping abruptly as he turned back toward Seiki in disbelief. "Lord Seiki called them cowards and warriors... You... why..."
Smiling, Seiki said, "Elder Danzo, tell me you didn't actually believe that technique, Kotoamatsukami, could work on me?" He added, "By the way, don't you feel like something's missing from your right eye?"
Danzo was startled and immediately touched his right eye. "Where's my eye?"
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