Naruto: Eating Kaido's Azure Dragon Devil Fruit-Chapter 253: You Regret, I Shadow!

"Precisely because he has rendered great service, we absolutely cannot indulge his potential danger."

Danzo refused to back down. "Allowing an unstable factor with potentially disloyal intentions toward the village and possessing formidable strength is the greatest irresponsibility to Konoha. Hiruzen, you are too indecisive."

"I have my own considerations."

Sarutobi Hiruzen’s voice also turned cold.

"I will send people to investigate this matter covertly. Until concrete evidence emerges, Sora remains a hero of Konoha, the Anbu’s ’Azure Dragon’. Any action targeting him must receive my approval."

"Covert investigation? By the time evidence is concrete, I’m afraid it will already be too late."

Danzo laughed in extreme anger. "Hiruzen, you will regret this. When he grows powerful enough and turns against Konoha, you will realize how foolish today’s decision was."

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly stood up, placed his hands on the desk, leaned forward, and a powerful aura befitting his long-held high position emanated from him. He stared at Danzo and said, word by word,

"Danzo, I am the Hokage."

These words were like a final ultimatum, declaring who held the authority to make decisions.

’Always like this, every time he uses his status as Hokage to suppress me. If I were the Hokage.’

’If I were the Hokage.’

Danzo stared fixedly at Sarutobi Hiruzen, his chest heaving violently, clearly enraged to the extreme.

But after a stalemate lasting several seconds, Danzo finally squeezed out a cold snort through gritted teeth.

"Hiruzen, you will pay the price for today’s weakness."

Having said that, he turned abruptly and slammed the door shut with a ’bang’ as he left.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the still-vibrating door panel, slowly sat back in his chair, and took a deep puff from his pipe.

How could he not know that Danzo’s worries had some merit?

But as the Hokage, he had to weigh the pros and cons and consider the bigger picture.

Taking action against a Kage-level powerhouse who had just rendered great service, without any solid evidence, would have disastrous consequences.

The incident of "Konoha’s White Fang" was not many years in the past.

’I hope... my judgment is not mistaken,’ he silently thought to himself, but that sense of unease lingered like an unshakable dark cloud.

...

Konoha Root, a dark underground base.

Danzo sat stiffly in the main seat, his face livid. The rage from the Hokage’s office still burned in his chest.

"Indecisive. Womanly compassion."

"Hiruzen, you simply don’t understand. Some threats must be completely eradicated while they are still in their infancy."

After cursing Sarutobi Hiruzen twice, Danzo summoned two trusted subordinates.

One was a member of the Yamanaka clan, skilled in mental probing and control. The other was a ninja from the Aburame clan, controlling special kikaichū insects.

Danzo issued a cold order.

"You two, go to the village orphanage immediately."

"Bring back the two youths closely connected to Sora, Miyamoto Ichirō and Kabuto, to Root. Be careful not to alert anyone."

"Yes."

The two Root members accepted the order without emotion, their figures instantly merging into the shadows.

Danzo waited patiently, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers. His mind had already begun calculating how to use these two pawns to make Sora comply.

Or... turn him into a new "tool" for himself.

However, in less than half an hour, the two Root members returned, their faces carrying a rare hint of hesitation.

"Lord Danzo,"

the Yamanaka clan ninja reported in a low voice. "The orphanage is completely empty. According to our investigation and inquiries with nearby residents, Miyamoto Ichirō and Kabuto disappeared without a trace over a month ago. No one knows their whereabouts."

Danzo abruptly stood up.

"What? Disappeared without a trace? All of them?"

A surge of furious anger at being tricked welled up within him.

The team sent to the Land of Earth to carry out a mission, led by Nonō, had been wiped out.

The medical unit was attacked, and Yumi and Ayumi, who were close to Sora, were "kidnapped" by "Iwagakure".

Now, even his last remaining ties at the orphanage had vanished from the world!

There could be no such coincidence in the world!

"Sora... it must have been him."

Danzo could be completely certain that all of this was staged by Sora himself. "He planned it all along, severing all visible connections to Konoha. He indeed harbors ulterior motives."

At this moment, the last shred of uncertainty in Danzo’s heart vanished.

Sora’s "betrayal" was now a certainty in his eyes.

He could no longer wait for Hiruzen’s slow and useless "covert investigation".

"Assemble Teams ’Kō’, ’Otsu’, and ’Hei’. All elite members."

Danzo’s voice was icy, carrying an indisputable killing intent. "Accompany me on a mission to the Kumo front line."

He intended to go personally to "invite" back this "hero" of Konoha.

As for Sora’s ability to confront the Third Raikage head-on? Danzo was not overly concerned.

With his own strength, plus Root’s endless sealing techniques and encirclement tactics, he could similarly confront the Third Raikage face to face.

Moreover, he believed that after the major battle, Sora must have been heavily expended and was certainly not at his peak condition. It was impossible for him to recover so quickly.

With premeditation against an unprepared opponent, coupled with Root’s absolute advantage in numbers and methods, capturing a thirteen-year-old brat, even if he was Kage level, should be no difficult task.

Soon, over twenty elite Root members with fierce auras, wearing animal masks, assembled within the base. They were silent and soundless, like cold killing machines.

Danzo swept his gaze over his loyal force, a flicker of satisfaction and absolute confidence in his eyes.

"The advantage is mine. Depart."

At his command, he transformed into a black shadow, merging into the secret passage leading out of the village.

Behind him, over twenty black shadows followed closely, carrying their cold mission and Danzo’s swelling ambition. They quietly left Konoha Village, heading straight for the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.

...

Kumo Front Line, Konoha Camp.

Sora stayed alone inside his tent, holding a secret letter just issued by the Hokage’s Office.

The letter’s content was simple. In official terms, it notified him that the orphanage companions he was concerned about, Yumi and Ayumi, had unfortunately been attacked by an Iwagakure elite squad during the transfer of the medical unit and had been kidnapped. The village was conducting a full investigation, etc.

Looking at this meticulously worded letter, bearing the standard "Hokage style" care and evasiveness, a cold smile unconsciously curled at the corner of Sora’s mouth.

"Quite fast action, coming to test me already?"

He understood clearly. Sarutobi Hiruzen’s move served two purposes. One, to fulfill the duty of informing him. Two, to observe his reaction.

Unfortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen was destined to be disappointed.

Sora casually shook the letter into powder.

Anger? Grief? Nonexistent.

However, he indeed needed to return to Konoha. The Ascension Island base was newly established. Many supplies and specific research materials still temporarily needed to be obtained through Konoha’s resource channels for now.

Before completely tearing off the pretense, surface level cooperation and "loyalty" still had to be maintained somewhat.

As for whether Sarutobi Hiruzen suspected that he himself had staged the medical unit attack?

Sora did not care at all.

As long as there was no solid evidence, given the Third Hokage’s increasingly indecisive nature and his own current "heroic" reputation on the surface, he would never dare to act rashly. At most, he would increase surveillance and probing.

"Then I’ll go back and put on a show with them."

Sora stood up, adjusted his Anbu attire, and walked toward Akimichi Torifu’s tent.

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