Naruto: Eating Kaido's Azure Dragon Devil Fruit-Chapter 301 Danzo’s Ambition

"Danzo, you..." Koharu Utatane spoke somewhat hesitantly.

Homura Mitokado also frowned.

"Danzo, this is against the rules, right? And your ’Root’..."

"My ’Root’ is also for Konoha!"

Danzo interrupted him, raising his voice. "Supporting this great tree of Konoha from the shadows, no one understands the village’s dark side better than I do, and no one is more determined than I am to spare no cost for the village’s future!"

He looked around at everyone.

"Although the war is over now, Kumogakure and Iwagakure are watching covetously, and internally we are not a unified block either! Konoha needs a tougher, more decisive leader! Not an... overly merciful young man!"

His words were almost directly aimed at Namikaze Minato.

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became tense.

Those supporting Minato showed indignation on their faces, but due to Danzo’s seniority and influence, no one refuted him immediately for the moment.

Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face darkened. He had not expected Danzo to challenge so directly.

Sora coldly observed this farce.

’Danzo is destined to be futile. Sarutobi Hiruzen would never hand the position to a radical like him.’

’Moreover, those shady dealings he hides in the dark, his backside isn’t necessarily any cleaner than Orochimaru’s.’

Just then, Homura Mitokado, who had been silent, spoke again.

"The matter of the Hokage candidate can be discussed again later. However, before that, regarding some rumors about Orochimaru, I believe they need to be verified immediately!"

He looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Hiruzen, I have received some concrete information indicating that Orochimaru is not only researching forbidden jutsu, but may also be using Konoha ninjas’ bodies for experiments!"

"If this is true, the nature of it is extremely vile and must not be tolerated!"

This instantly stirred up a huge wave!

Using Konoha ninjas for experiments?

This touched everyone’s bottom line!

Even the few people who supported Orochimaru had their faces change instantly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sharply looked at Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru! Is what Homura said true?!"

Orochimaru faced his teacher’s sharp gaze and the questioning, angry eyes of everyone in the room. He knew he was completely finished.

He gave a cold laugh and did not answer. He only took a deep look at Danzo, swept his gaze over Sora, and finally rested his eyes on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Haha... Konoha... Hokage..."

He did not say another word. He turned and walked straight out of the meeting room.

Everyone knew that Orochimaru was already out of the running.

What awaited him was likely the village’s judgment.

Orochimaru’s departure left the meeting room quiet again.

What remained were only the two candidates, Namikaze Minato and Shimura Danzo.

But the atmosphere was completely different now.

"Today’s meeting ends here."

Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have aged several years in an instant, waving his hand wearily.

"The selection of the Fourth Hokage will be decided another day. Meeting adjourned."

Everyone left one after another with different thoughts.

Sora also turned to leave.

"Azure Dragon."

A hoarse voice sounded behind him.

Sora stopped. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

Danzo slowly walked to his side, lowering his voice.

"Your strength and talent are truly wasted in the Anbu. If you support me to become the Fourth Hokage, the position of Deputy Leader of Root will be yours."

"We can make Konoha stronger together."

Sora sneered inwardly.

Deputy Leader of Root?

He isn’t even willing to draw a bigger pie.

He turned around and looked calmly at Danzo, shaking his head.

"Councilor Danzo, I have no interest in power. I only follow the Hokage’s orders."

"Besides, our relationship is hardly friendly!"

After saying this, Sora left directly without waiting for Danzo’s response.

Watching Sora’s retreating figure leave without hesitation, Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly.

...

Root base, the innermost secret room.

Danzo sat on a stone chair, lightly tapping the armrest.

"Tenzo."

A short figure wearing a tanuki mask appeared soundlessly below, kneeling on one knee. It was Yamato.

"Lord Danzo."

"Where is the squad containing Asuma, Kurenai, and Uesugi Min at the moment?"

Yamato answered immediately.

"Reporting to Lord Danzo, according to the latest intelligence, their squad is currently heading to the Land of Hot Water to carry out a B-rank escort mission. They are expected to return to the village in half a month."

"The Land of Hot Water..." Danzo repeated in a low voice.

It was a certain distance from Konoha, but not as sensitive as border war zones.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly gave the order.

"Pass the order to the squad near the Land of Hot Water. It is time to act."

"The target is to capture Kurenai and Uesugi Min alive. As for Asuma..."

"Capture him too!"

"Yes!" Yamato bowed his head to receive the order without the slightest question.

"Remember, the action must be fast and concealed. Absolutely no evidence must be left behind." Danzo emphasized one last time.

"Understood!"

Yamato responded and then disappeared from the secret room.

Once again, only Danzo remained in the secret room.

He leaned back on the cold stone chair, eyes slightly narrowed, quickly calculating the current situation in his mind.

The struggle for the Fourth Hokage had reached its most critical moment.

Tsunade had left the village years ago, her whereabouts difficult to trace, basically out of the running. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

That fool Jiraiya, his head full of talk about some Child of Prophecy, had no interest in power and clearly stated he would not participate in the competition.

Originally the most competitive one, Orochimaru...

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Danzo’s mouth.

Recently, rumors in the village about Orochimaru conducting human experiments and researching forbidden jutsu had intensified, even including some "evidence" with clear pointers.

Naturally, Danzo’s efforts to stir things up had contributed to this.

He and Orochimaru had always had a relationship of mutual exploitation. Now that Orochimaru’s reputation was ruined, for Danzo, shaking off this burden and even stepping on him carried no psychological burden.

Therefore, the only remaining candidate was Namikaze Minato.

Thinking of Namikaze Minato, a deep sense of wariness flashed in Danzo’s eyes.

It wasn’t just because of the elusive Flying Thunder God Technique and formidable strength.

It was because Namikaze Minato was too young!

Youth meant limitless potential, and also meant... he, Danzo, might never get the chance to ascend to power.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was even older than him. He might still be able to outlast him.

But if Namikaze Minato took office, given his age and strength, even if Danzo could endure and hide his time, he probably wouldn’t live to see the day Minato stepped down!

Waiting normally, he would never have a chance.

So, he had to fight!

He had to muddy the waters!

And to take the initiative in the upcoming power reshuffle, he even needed... to win over that kid he both greatly feared and detested, Sora!

Danzo’s fingers unconsciously tightened, making the stone armrest creak.

Sora, Konoha’s Azure Dragon.

If Sora could openly support him, Danzo, then this force would be no less than gaining the support of a major clan like the Hyuga or Uchiha!

Even, because of Sora’s own formidable strength and "hero" aura, the influence might be more direct and powerful.

"A pity..."

Danzo’s eyes were full of unwillingness and resentment.

They were already mortal enemies. Peaceful cooperation was simply impossible.

His probing today had yielded the expected result.

Since inducement was impossible, then coercion was the only way.

Use the people he cared about to force his compliance!

It was a pity Sora had moved Nonō and the others from the orphanage in advance, reducing the leverage he could use.

But fortunately, for some unknown reason, one had been left behind in Konoha, and also that girl from the Yuhi family, who was clearly on good terms with Sora.

Thinking of this, Danzo’s tense mood relaxed slightly, even with a hint of smugness.

He couldn’t help but recall the "Will of Fire" Sarutobi Hiruzen often talked about, things like "protecting comrades" and "the power of bonds"...

Before, he thought these were just foolish, laughable nonsense, excuses for the weak to huddle together for warmth.

But now it seemed that this so-called "bond" could indeed become an excellent tool for manipulating the strong under certain circumstances.

Danzo sneered inwardly.

’Hiruzen, your methods are not entirely useless.’

’It’s just that you use bonds to unite the village, while I... use them to control power!’

---

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

📖 Like the story? Read 120 Chapters ahead!

🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━