Shimura Danzo.
The de facto second most powerful figure in Konoha. He not only controlled a large, mysterious organization, Root, but also had two powerful right-hand men: the Sannin Orochimaru, and Aburame Tatsuma.
Mysterious, powerful, ruthless, and extremely shrewd.
Danzo was a true figure of a scheming overlord. He often hid in the shadows, observing the developments of the entire shinobi world with a cold eye. Behind many major events, the shadow of this master conspirator could vaguely be seen.
There were even rumors that the mysterious disappearance of the Third Kazekage and the subsequent war between Iwagakure and Sunagakure were inextricably linked to Danzo.
Some high-ranking figures in the villages speculated that this might be Danzo's scheme of 'killing with a borrowed knife', intending to use Sunagakure's hand to deplete Iwagakure's strength, allowing Konoha to reap the benefits from the sidelines.
Of course,
It was just speculation.
Now, the Five Great Ninja Villages were already fighting a messy war. At this point, no one had the mind to investigate the causes of the war anymore.
In fact,
Decades of planning and scheming had indeed allowed Danzo to possess some intelligence channels that even the Hokage might not have.
Therefore, after receiving Jiraiya's secret letter, he quickly ascertained Sora's Ninja Record.
"Yuki Sora…"
"Failed to graduate from the Ninja Academy until age nine due to failing the Three Basic Jutsu. However, a year later, he passed the Chunin Exams with a perfect victory record. Promoted to Jonin at age twelve, even slightly earlier than the White Fang's son. One could say there's a traceable pattern."
Danzo looked coldly at the documents on the desk. If a genius Ninja like this suddenly erupted with combat power capable of suppressing Jiraiya, it was barely plausible.
"And…"
"If this Yuki Sora is truly as powerful as the intelligence suggests, perhaps it's actually a good thing for me, a very good thing!"
A sudden gleam appeared in Danzo's cold eye.
In this world, the only things that could excite him, besides Wood Release and the Sharingan, were the position of Hokage!
'Hiruzen…'
'You've been sitting in the Hokage's seat for far too long, and your weakness is already hindering the village's future!'
'Konoha's sky needs to change!'
Danzo's expression suddenly became excited.
During this Great Ninja War, Hiruzen's weak performance had already caused significant discontent among the village's Ninjas. Even within the Jonin circles, there were rumors that the Third Hokage was unfit for his position.
Why?
The reason was simple: Konoha had suffered too many losses on the battlefield!
Especially on the Iwagakure's front, where Onoki once led his forces right up to Konoha's doorstep. If it weren't for Minato, Kushina, and Jiraiya turning the tide in that battle, Konoha might have been wiped off the map long ago!
That major defeat severely damaged Hiruzen's authority as Hokage, leading to a large number of dissenting voices within the village.
For Danzo, this also meant an opportunity had arrived.
"However…"
"That Suikazan Fuguki is truly disappointing. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, plus Yuki Sora and Yagura… and they still couldn't kill Jiraiya?"
"What a waste of the intelligence I went through great pains to deliver!"
…
In the canyon,
Sora and Mei walked side by side, while the others followed at a distance.
In this battle, although Sora alone severely wounded Jiraiya and killed eleven Konoha's Jonins, Kirigakure's losses were also significant.
Not only were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen decimated with four dead and three injured, but the Deputy Commander of the Combat Division was also covered in burns and nearly killed by Jiraiya.
One could only say that Konoha lived up to its reputation as the strongest Ninja Village. Even Kirigakure, known for its elite forces, suffered heavy losses in one-on-one combat against Konoha's Ninjas.
Fortunately, during the retreat, the group didn't encounter any major troubles. The occasional patrol Ninjas they met were all dealt with by Sora, who simply slit their throats.
"Sora…"
"You actually became so powerful without anyone noticing!"
After gradually leaving the encirclement of Konoha forces, Mei's mood relaxed considerably. She turned her face slightly towards Sora and smiled, "I think if this trend continues, you'll definitely become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, or even the Anbu Commander!"
"Seven Ninja Swordsmen? Anbu Commander?"
Sora gave Mei a strange look, 'Did the future Fifth Mizukage have such modest ambitions?'
'Seven Ninja Swordsmen?'
'Are you talking about the kind that get killed by Might Dai using his cheat, or the kind like Chojuro who can't even defeat a Chunin?'
'Don't make me laugh!'
As for the Anbu Commander, the status isn't bad, but Sora had no interest in it whatsoever.
Anbu were ultimately killing machines living in the shadows.
When his strength was insufficient before, mixing in the Anbu to gain experience was one thing. But now, having stepped into the Rank 5 Reiatsu, Sora's vision naturally wouldn't be limited to the mere Anbu.
For example…
Since the Mizukage's seat is about to become vacant anyway, why couldn't he be the one to sit on it?