Deep beneath the Hokage building, Danzo stood with all Root members gathered before him. With a cold tone, he spoke, "The moment we've waited for has finally arrived. With this, Tsunade's era will come to an end. Before the chaos above settles, we shall remain hidden underground."
One of the Root members asked, "Shouldn't we go and assist them? Even if we support you becoming Hokage, Danzo-sama, it would be meaningless if Konoha and its people were to perish."
Danzo replied expressionlessly, "With that person around, he won't let Konoha fall. There will undoubtedly be casualties, but to me, as long as Konoha doesn't fall, they are a necessary price to pay."
There was something else Danzo didn't say—Tsunade's main body had already gone to attend the Five Kages Summit, leaving behind only a useless shadow clone within the village. Once Anya and the Akatsuki have thoroughly exhausted each other, he would lead every one of his Root members to wipe them all out at once. At that point, the position of Hokage would surely be his.
Before the same Root member could speak again, he suddenly collapsed to the ground. The rest of the members followed suit, falling unconscious together.
A voice then echoed through, "Is that person you mentioned referring to me? Why do you believe I care about Konoha's survival?"
Danzo's single eye instinctively narrowed as he couldn't help but confront him, "Akatsuki is already attacking deep into Konoha. As Head of Anbu, why are you not confronting the enemy, instead hiding here?"
The figure who arrived was none other than Anya. Upon hearing Danzo's words, he responded with a smirk, "Isn't the leader of Root hiding here too?"
Quickly regaining his composure, Danzo looked at his fallen subordinates and questioned, "What did you do to them?"
"Just a simple Genjutsu." Anya said calmly, "This is our final conversation, so I wanted to speak plainly and fully, without any interruptions."
"Final conversation? What do you mean by that?" Danzo grew highly alert, loosening the bandages slightly around his arms, preparing himself for battle.
"There's no need to be so tense. Let's just talk," Anya's eyes took on a distant look as he murmured, "Where should I begin? Perhaps from where our first encounter started… My Master, the death of the White Fang of Konoha."
Danzo immediately tensed his body, "You still remember something so long ago?"
"How could I forget?" A faint smile graced Anya's face while his voice dripped with bloodthirstiness, "Back then, I made my decision—to never let anyone involved in that event escape unscathed. And the first person I dealt with was your subordinate, Nocturne."
"I…"
"Don't rush. Just listen to what I have to say," Anya interrupted before Danzo could speak, "Indeed, I already knew back then that Nocturne worked for you. At that time, I truly had planned on finding an opportunity to eliminate you myself. However, someone stepped forward, telling me to spare your life for now. I agreed. To my surprise, I also learned that you had approached him, asking him to kill me. Funny how things turned out."
Upon hearing these words, Danzo immediately understood who this person was. He uttered slowly, syllable by syllable, "Orochimaru. I didn't expect that you also had dealings with him."
"Dealings?"
"Don't make it sound so bad. It was just cooperation," Anya continued. "Danzo, did you know there's someone in this world who understands you better than anyone else? He knows you even better than you know yourself. Back then, when you spread rumors throughout the village, he knew. When you restarted the Wood Release Experiment, he knew. When you ordered Itachi to carry out the massacre of his own clan, he still knew. No matter what you did, as long as you stood by your convictions, he would ultimately allow you to do as you pleased. Even when you had someone try to kill him, he just brushed it off with a laugh, like it didn't even matter. Your relationship has long surpassed love."
Danzo lowered his gaze. "Hiruzen, huh? He's been dead for several years already."
"Yes, it's been a while. At first, I didn't understand. Later, I finally did." Anya spread out his arms—one palm glowing with flames, the other shrouded in darkness.
"In Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart, the Hokage has always been two people. He was the one standing in the light, while you were the one hidden in darkness. Together, you formed the Hokage—one bright and one dark. That's why, somewhere inside, he always carried a quiet sense of guilt toward you. Likewise, he understood you would never betray Konoha, which is why he repeatedly indulged you. The two of you each inherited one side—light and dark—of Tobirama Senju. But due to lack of ability, you merely imitated him, leading to countless tragedies. I've met Tobirama Senju himself. To be honest, combined, the two of you still wouldn't be his equal."
Danzo didn't believe it. "How is that possible? How old are you? How could you possibly have met Master?"
After saying that, seeing the meaningful smile on Anya's face, Danzo suddenly shivered with fear. "You used Impure World Reincarnation and desecrated Master's soul!"
"This technique was originally created by him. He should have foreseen this consequence."
"Haha."
Hearing all that from Anya, Danzo suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly, mocking. "You've kept all these words bottled up for years, haven't you? But now that you've said them, what can you really do? I know you've always wanted to kill me. But don't forget—the true culprit behind the death of your Master, the Legend of the White Fang, was the rumors within the village, and the entire Ninja World's rigid rules about ninjas. How will you take revenge on all of that? Tell me!"
"Indeed, back then, how many ordinary villagers spread those rumors? How could they all be punished?" Anya countered, then coldly smiled. "I only need to stand aside and watch. The punishment will come soon enough."
As soon as he finished speaking, a deafening roar descended from above, shaking even the deepest underground chambers. The vast scale of the tremor was shocking, and Danzo's expression revealed undeniable fear.
The sudden surge of power had left him feeling utterly powerless. The person standing before him definitely knew something.
Danzo struggled to speak. "Exactly what happened?"
Anya replied casually, "Nothing much. Konoha simply became a pile of ruins. Those villagers you just mentioned—they no longer have a home."
A terrifying realization flashed through Danzo's mind. "Could it be... you've even conspired with the Akatsuki Organization?"
"You're overthinking it."
"Anya seemed to remember something and let out a bitter chuckle, 'Oh right, you just mentioned the rules of the Ninja World. I'll cut through these rules with my blade someday, though I'm afraid you won't live to see it.'"
Hearing this, Danzo's eyes sharply narrowed. He immediately tossed a smoke bomb and without looking back, dashed toward a pre-prepared secret passage.
However, he hadn't run more than a few steps when sharp pain surged through his arm—the very arm he regarded as his ultimate weapon. All the Sharingan eyes embedded within exploded like bombs, and the Hashirama's Essence within his arm turned against him with vengeance, causing a tree to sprout from his limb.
To stop the mutation consuming his body through the power of Hashirama's Essence, Danzo gritted his teeth and severed every link between his arm and the rest of him.
Even as he hesitated for an instant, Anya had already appeared before him, standing right at his doorstep.
Danzo knew in his gut that escape was no longer possible. Instead, a fierce and ruthless expression crossed his face. "So you are the greatest threat to Konoha after all. For Konoha's sake... I can't let you live."
As he spoke, Danzo tore open his upper garment. On his chest, a [Reverse Four Symbols Sealing] formed by black marks took shape.
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