Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic

Chapter 49 Betrayal of the Village!

In the shadows, Danzo Shimura, leaning on his cane, slowly emerged.

"Hiruzen, you're too late." Danzo's voice was devoid of emotion.

"Was I too late, or...?"

The third generation turned around, and his eyes, which had become cloudy with age, were now as sharp as knives:

"Was someone deliberately delaying me?"

The air suddenly froze.

Iruka, anxious and nervous, dared not utter a sound.

Danzo narrowed his one eye slightly, feigning ignorance, and asked, "Hiruzen, what do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Someone used a clumsy diversionary tactic to lure me to the hospital." The Third Generation suppressed his anger:

"Then Orochimaru made his move. His timing was impeccable, Danzo!"

Danzo was silent for a few seconds, then tapped his cane lightly on the ground: "Hiruzen, do you suspect me of colluding with Orochimaru?"

"I have no doubt!" The Third Hokage shook his head, then uttered words that made Danzo's pupils shrink sharply, "I'm certain!"

"Heh," Danzo turned to Iruka, "Hiruzen, even my Root organization relies on evidence. Are you sure it's useless? Where's the evidence?"

The Third Hokage was taken aback, realizing that Danzo was reminding him that there were others present.

Facing Danzo's gaze, Iruka swallowed hard and lowered his head in silence.

The Third Hokage handed Aoko over to Iruka and instructed, "Red, take Aoko and Red Bean to the hospital first."

Kurenai, who also dared not utter a sound, breathed a sigh of relief, picked up Anko, and led Iruka, who was carrying Seigo on his back, out of the house.

The Third Hokage ignored Danzo and did not undo the summoning of Enma. He carried the Vajra Staff and escorted Orochimaru all the way to prevent him from returning.

……

"Bang!"

The door to the ward was closed.

The third generation breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that Qingwu was merely overdrawing his abilities.

He then walked to a quiet room next door.

Danzo, who had been following them all along, hurried in. "Hiruzen, I didn't leave because I wanted to prove my innocence. I didn't..."

"Danzo!" The Third Hokage snapped out of his daze. "You've disappointed me greatly!"

"..." Danzo did not try to explain further. The two had worked together for decades, and their understanding of each other went beyond ordinary friendship.

"Hiruzen, you're too naive," Danzo said slowly.

"You saw the result today; even Orochimaru couldn't be defeated. The power wielded by Senju Seigo is too dangerous; it must be absolutely controlled to ensure this power is used for Konoha's benefit!"

"To be used by Konoha?" The Third Hokage sneered. "Or to be used by you?"

"I am the root, the root of Konoha!" Danzo straightened his back:

"Everything I've done has been for Konoha, unlike you, Hiruzen, who is always blinded by ridiculous emotions."

"So you colluded with rogue ninja!?" The Third Hokage stretched out his hand, revealing an old Konoha headband to Danzo.

"Attacked a Konoha genin during the Chunin Exams?" The Third Hokage's rage finally erupted: "Danzo, do you know what you're doing?"

"Rogue ninja..." Danzo repeated slowly, then said disdainfully, "You failed to manage your own disciples, and you're going to blame it all on me?"

"You—" The Third Hokage's anger came to an abrupt halt.

At that moment, he seemed to have aged considerably.

In fact, he had been growing increasingly distant from his disciples for a long time, and sometimes he had thought that this day would come sooner or later.

However, when he saw his disciple's headband carelessly thrown into the mud, he felt only deep sorrow and self-reproach.

Yes, can we completely blame Danzo?

Orochimaru preferred to work for Danzo in Root rather than help his teacher.

That once beloved disciple... has long since drifted apart from him.

"..."

After a long silence, the Third Hokage finally spoke again.

"From this day forward, Senju Seigo becomes a member of the Hokage's direct Shadow Guard. Anyone who attempts to contact him, control him, or harm him, whoever they may be..."

The third generation's voice was aged yet powerful: "I will consider you—a traitor to the village!"

The words "betrayal of the village" struck Danzo like a thunderbolt.

Danzo's one eye snarled, "Hiruzen, are you insane?! You're going to tear me apart over a brat?"

"You crossed the line first!" The Third Hokage no longer expressed anger, but calmly announced:

"Danzo, remember your place. You are the leader of Root, the Hokage's assistant, but first and foremost, you are a Konoha ninja, and the Hokage is me!"

The two stared at each other, and the air almost froze.

After a long while, Danzo slowly took a step back, his face regaining its usual gloomy expression.

"Fine... I won't touch Senju Seigo," Danzo said, seemingly resigned. "But, A..."

"Similarly, from today onwards, Kagami is a member of Konoha's Anbu, and you are no longer allowed to contact him."

Taking advantage of Danzo's "mistake," the Third Hokage simply issued an ultimatum.

"..." Danzo's face was extremely gloomy.

Faced with the "ultimate move" of "I am the Hokage", he was as powerless to fight back as ever.

Moreover, Orochimaru's failure this time meant that his efforts were not only in vain, but also enraged the Third Hokage.

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!" Danzo rasped.

"Hmph!" The Third Hokage ignored Danzo and turned to walk out of the room.

Watching the Third Hokage's resolute back, Danzo, who had once again fallen to the disadvantage in the confrontation, had a trace of resentment flash in his single eye.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Danzo gripped his cane tightly, cursing under his breath, "Useless... Orochimaru!"

If today's task succeeds, it doesn't matter if he is reprimanded or pays other prices.

A? Actually, it's not that important.

Orochimaru has already confirmed that the Wood Release technique, which is merely a shell of the First Hokage, is far inferior to the First Hokage's and does not significantly contribute to the progress of the experiment.

and so……

How could we possibly give up on that kid, Senju Seigo, so easily?!

However, it's not advisable to make a move right now; we need to find a better opportunity.

Danzo believed that, being in the shadows, he was more likely to seize opportunities than others.

Tap, tap, tap!

The sound of the cane tapping the ground faded into the distance, and the dark room fell completely silent...

……

On the rocky mountain deep in the Death Forest, the night was as dark as ink.

Orochimaru stood on the edge of the cliff, putting on Konoha's green tactical vest for the last time.

From here, he could see the distant sparks of Konoha, and... the silent statues of the Hokage of each generation on the Hokage Rock.

His golden, vertical pupils reflected the land where he was born, grew up, and was about to leave forever.

"Konoha..."

He whispered the name.

There was no hatred or longing in his voice, only a cold, detached scrutiny, as if he were observing a specimen about to be dissected.

"Thousand-Handed Green Wutong..."

Orochimaru licked his lips, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

At this moment, he had both hands intact.

As long as it's not a sealing technique, his modified body can recover from both physical and ninjutsu attacks.

only……

The complex emotions stemmed from...excitement, curiosity, greed, and...a touch of frustration.

He is Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, a Kage-level ninja, who has mastered countless forbidden techniques and secret methods.

He actually suffered a loss at the hands of a 13-year-old ninja.

Although it was only a minor injury, and although I won, but—

"I actually failed!"

Raising one hand, Orochimaru felt a twisted pleasure...