Chapter 259: The Ambition of Shimura "Scapegoat" Danzō!
Inside the Hokage Tower...
"Danzō, you finally decided to crawl out from underg—"
Hiruzen Sarutobi began, intending to tease his old comrade, but the words died in his throat when he saw the man's appearance. Grayish-white bandages were wrapped around most of Danzō's head, covering his right eye. His right arm, so crucial for a ninja, was tucked inside his robes, held in a sling. Though he walked with a cane, he showed no other signs of weakness, but Hiruzen and the two elders knew better.
"Danzō, if your injuries are that severe, you should be resting," Hiruzen said, his tone softening. "The situation on the front lines has stabilized. You can afford to take a break."
"I am not yet at the age of retirement!" Danzō replied coldly, taking his customary seat at the council table. "I have received the reports from the Land of Hot Water! The Shadow of Darkness... heh! What a great contribution he has made!"
In that one battle, Konoha had annihilated the invading Kiri forces, erased the AB Combo and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from history, and captured both the Three-Tails and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. From Konoha's perspective, it was a glorious, unprecedented victory. The "F4" of the high council were all thrilled.
But... they were also filled with a sense of regret, and even dread.
In the early stages of the war, when Konoha was on the back foot, the entire village had to be united. But now, with the tide turned, and Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri all crippled, Konoha held the "fruit of victory" in its hand. And in this new situation, the high council had become restless.
The source of their anxiety was none other than the "Shadow of Darkness" Danzō had just mentioned. Nara Keisuke's contributions to this war were simply too great. So great that Hiruzen had the strange feeling that if he didn't make him the Fourth Hokage after the war, the entire village would riot.
And yet... how could he allow a Nara to become Hokage?
The competition for the position had already begun. Hiruzen's favored candidate was Minato Namikaze. With his pure lineage, great power, and sterling reputation, he was the perfect choice. Danzō, on the other hand, was secretly backing Orochimaru, who was Minato's equal in almost every respect except for public appeal. Other candidates, like Uchiha Fugaku or Hyūga Hiashi, were just there to fill out the roster.
Before the meteoric rise of the "Shadow of Darkness," everyone in the know had assumed the Fourth would be either Minato or Orochimaru. But who could have predicted Keisuke's rise? And the solidity of his war record? After the Land of Hot Water campaign, his personal merit alone was probably equal to Minato's and Orochimaru's combined.
It wasn't that they weren't strong. It was that Nara Keisuke was too strong. So strong that even Hiruzen, sitting in the Hokage's seat, was beginning to feel a sense of fear.
'Heh heh...' Danzō's single eye swept over the faces of the other three, taking in their expressions. 'I knew it. I'm not the only one who's wary of that brat.'
His own feelings had evolved. At first, he had wanted to recruit Keisuke. But as his fame grew, especially after he had recaptured the Five-Tails for Konoha, that desire had turned into a burning need to "eliminate him as soon as possible." The Five-Tails was too dangerous to be left in the hands of the Nara clan. Only Root, only he, could maximize its value.
To that end, he had even risked working with the enemy. He had met with the masked man and had not only fed him intel on Keisuke, but had even revealed the weaknesses of the Nara clan's secret arts. To facilitate his plan to "assassinate Keisuke and steal the Five-Tails," he had even used the Third Raikage's attack as an excuse to be "sent back" to the village, thus "sending" Keisuke to the front.
He had thought Keisuke would be killed. He never imagined that not only would he survive, but he would turn the situation into another glorious victory. Danzō had failed to kill his rival, and he had failed to get the Five-Tails. He had been about to give up.
But then he'd heard the news. The Five-Tails was gone, but now Konoha had the Three-Tails and the Eight-Tails.
He'd heard that the more tails a beast had, the stronger it was. If he could get his hands on the Eight-Tails... what would he have to fear from Nara Keisuke? And if not the Eight-Tails, the Three-Tails would do. As the leader of Root, the man who bore the darkness of Konoha, was it too much to ask for one or two Tailed Beasts? He didn't think so. The only problem was convincing his old comrades.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Let's get down to business, Hiruzen."
The three of them nodded, and after a round of boring pleasantries, the topic finally turned to the Tailed Beasts.
"You all know the situation," Hiruzen began. "We've captured the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and the wild Three-Tails. According to the latest report from the front, Nara Keisuke has already successfully tamed the Three-Tails."
This was new information. A shockwave went through the room.
"Tamed the Three-Tails? Just like the Five-Tails?" Danzō was momentarily stunned, then his face flushed with anger. "On what grounds?! The Nara clan already has the Five-Tails, and now they're taking the Three-Tails as well?! And what about the Eight-Tails? Is he planning to tame that one too? Is this his Konoha, or is it our Konoha?!"
His righteous indignation was so thick it was nauseating. But Homura and Koharu agreed with him.
"I also feel that Nara Keisuke's actions are inappropriate," Homura said, finding a reasonable excuse. "The subjugation of the Three-Tails was not his achievement alone."
Koharu, on the other hand, just went straight for the slander. "Heh! He's already taken the Five-Tails, and now he's tamed the Three-Tails. Who knows what that brat will do next?"
"Enough!" Hiruzen rubbed his temples, a headache forming. He had never realized how unified their hostility towards Keisuke was. "Nara Keisuke did tame the Three-Tails, but according to Shikaku's report, he only did so to reduce its resistance and animosity when it is handed over to the village."
This was another bombshell.
"He's planning to give it to the village?" Homura asked, pushing up his glasses.
"That brat wouldn't be so kind!" Koharu sneered.
"Hiruzen," Danzō said, seizing the opening. "The Three-Tails. Root will take it."
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