The moment those words left Tobirama’s mouth, everyone’s pupils contracted in shock.
Only then did they finally understand.
Their teacher had never been deciding who should stay behind to cover the retreat.
He had been observing them.
Watching to see who, in the face of certain death, would truly embody the Will of Fire.
Whoever could do that…
Would become Konoha’s Third Hokage.
Unfortunately, by the time they realized it, it was already too late.
Tobirama walked over to Danzō and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Danzō, once you become Hokage, make sure to consult with Monkey and the others whenever important matters arise.”
“Never become someone who acts entirely on his own.”
For perhaps the first time in a long while, a hint of encouragement appeared on his usually stern face.
“The village is yours now.”
“Don’t disappoint me.”
“I understand, Sensei.”
Danzō nodded heavily.
His gaze was unwavering.
“You have my word.”
“I’ll make the village greater than ever before.”
“I’ll drive every enemy from our lands.”
The bold declaration brought a faint smile to Tobirama’s face.
Truthfully, his original choice for the Third Hokage had been Hiruzen.
Hiruzen was calm, measured, and understood how to balance the interests of the village’s many factions.
He was the type of leader who could preserve and stabilize what had already been built.
But now…
Perhaps Danzō wasn’t a bad choice either.
In this age of endless war, maybe Konoha needed a leader with iron resolve.
More importantly—
When Tobirama looked at Danzō, he saw traces of himself.
The same pride.
The same confidence.
The same unwillingness to bow before anyone.
And that pleased him.
“Don’t forget what I’ve said.”
“In the future, all of you must support Danzō.”
As he spoke, Tobirama’s gaze lingered on Hiruzen.
Among all his students, Hiruzen was the only one who might someday clash with Danzō.
At that moment, Hiruzen felt a strange emptiness in his chest.
Yet when his teacher looked at him, he could only lower his head.
“Yes, Sensei.”
Tobirama nodded in satisfaction.
Then, in the next instant—
His figure vanished.
The moment he was gone, Danzō finally released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
Deep inside, he felt an enormous sense of relief.
After all, Tobirama Senju was infamous for his intelligence.
A man whose brilliance bordered on the monstrous.
If Danzō had revealed even the slightest flaw, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Whether it was avenging his student…
Or investigating the mystery of this so-called transmigration…
Tobirama would almost certainly have locked him inside a laboratory.
And given the Second Hokage’s reputation as the greatest master of forbidden techniques in history—
He might even have dissected the secrets of Danzō’s soul and invented a few new soul-based jutsu along the way.
Just imagining such a future sent a chill down Danzō’s spine.
Fortunately, his performance had passed Tobirama’s scrutiny.
Not only had he successfully fooled the Second Hokage—
He had also obtained the very position the original Danzō had coveted his entire life.
The title of Third Hokage.
One sentence.
One decision.
And his entire destiny had changed.
But more important than that…
Danzō’s consciousness sank inward.
Into the depths of his inner world.
A beautifully crafted sandbox-like model quickly materialized before him.
Within it stood a village.
From its center, countless buildings spread outward in every direction.
At the heart of the settlement rose a massive stone cliff.
Carved into it were two familiar faces.
Hashirama Senju.
Tobirama Senju.
There was no doubt about it.
This miniature world represented the place where Danzō had been born and raised—
Konohagakure.
Yet what truly captured his attention was something else entirely.
Above the Hokage Rock, a colossal tree towered into the sky.
A tree that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Its trunk was ancient and majestic.
Its branches stretched across the sky.
And floating above it were three words:
[Tree of Fortune]
This enormous tree had been formed from Konoha’s collective destiny itself.
Five great branches extended from its trunk.
Each branch represented a different aspect of the village’s strength:
Prestige
Diplomacy
Education
Military
Politics
And at that very moment—
The instant Tobirama Senju personally appointed him as the Third Hokage—
Something within the Tree of Fortune began to change.
The branch representing Prestige immediately began to flourish.
Its leaves expanded rapidly, and within moments, a crimson fruit ripened upon it.
Danzō’s thoughts stirred.
The fully matured fruit floated from the branch and landed gently in his hand.
Focusing on it, he saw two golden characters emerge across its surface:
Senju Physique.
In other words…
If he consumed this fruit, he would gain the physical constitution of the Senju Clan?
Excitement flashed across Danzō’s eyes.
If one were to discuss the strongest bloodlines in the shinobi world, three clans stood above all others:
The Senju, the Uzumaki, and the Uchiha.
The Senju and Uzumaki were descendants of Asura Ōtsutsuki, inheritors of his powerful life force.
They possessed enormous chakra reserves and regenerative abilities that bordered on the miraculous.
It was precisely because of this that the Senju brothers had once dominated the world.
Hashirama could clap his hands together and seemingly summon any technique he desired.
Tobirama had turned Water Release into something closer to an ocean itself.
After all, ninjutsu often came down to one simple principle:
Overwhelming power solves everything.
When your chakra reserves were large enough, even a simple C-Rank technique could unleash catastrophic destruction.
If he truly obtained a Senju physique, his strength would rise by an enormous margin.
Suppressing his excitement, Danzō raised the fruit and took a bite.
The instant it entered his body—
A torrent of energy exploded through his chakra pathways.
It surged like a raging river, washing through every inch of flesh, every organ, every bone…
Even every single cell.
Heat spread throughout his body.
It felt as though something buried deep within him was awakening.
Something powerful.
Something ancient.
“What happened, Danzō?”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Hiruzen glanced over.
The concern in his eyes was genuine.
Although he still felt a lingering disappointment over losing the position of Hokage, this was hardly the time to dwell on it.
Their situation remained dire.
And if even Danzō—the newly appointed Third Hokage—collapsed now, Konoha’s future would be thrown into chaos.
“I’m fine.”
Danzō slowly rose to his feet.
When he opened his eyes again, it almost looked as though lightning flashed within them.
Everyone present immediately sensed the difference.
The aura surrounding him had changed.
Before, Danzō had felt cold and somewhat sinister.
Now…
He radiated authority.
Resolve.
An imposing presence that naturally drew attention.
Is this what becoming Hokage does to a person?
Hiruzen studied him silently, lost in thought.
“Danzō, what should we do next?”
Listening to the distant sounds of battle, Koharu asked anxiously.
Although Tobirama had successfully drawn away Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s elite forces, their situation was still far from safe.
There were simply too many Kumogakure shinobi involved in the rebellion.
Hundreds at the very least.
Every one of them harbored deep hatred toward Konoha.
None would willingly allow Tobirama’s students to escape.
Under such circumstances, returning to the village while carrying their injuries seemed almost impossible.
Yet Danzō showed no sign of panic.
Instead, he calmly unfolded a map.
Since escaping through conventional means was unlikely…
They would have to rely on something unconventional.
Inside his mind, the miniature model of Konoha began shrinking.
The perspective expanded outward.
Soon, the entire shinobi world appeared before him.
Most of the map remained obscured beneath thick fog.
But Konoha and his current location shone brightly.
Danzō narrowed his eyes.
Instantly, the area within five kilometers of his position expanded.
Every detail became crystal clear.
Terrain.
Forests.
Rivers.
Even enemy units.
Each Kumogakure rebel was marked clearly upon the map.
Their movements.
Their positions.
Their patrol routes.
Nothing escaped his notice.
If someone else possessed such an ability, Danzō would undoubtedly curse them for using cheats.
But when a transmigrator did it—
Could that really be called cheating?
A faint smile appeared on his face.
His finger tapped heavily upon a large river displayed on the map.
“To return to Konoha, we must cross the Dairei River.”
“The enemy knows that.”
“They’ll undoubtedly set up numerous ambushes along the opposite bank.”
His gaze sharpened.
“So…”
“What we need to do is keep them off balance.”
“We harass them.”
“We force them to reposition.”
“We identify the weakest point in their encirclement.”
A dangerous gleam appeared in his eyes.
Then he slammed his finger onto the map.
“And when that opening appears…”
“We strike with everything we have.”
“One decisive blow.”
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