“Something more important?”
Everyone present immediately looked surprised.
At a time like this, what could possibly be more important than mobilizing troops and rescuing their teacher?
Danzō did not answer immediately.
Instead, he slowly rose from his seat and walked toward the open window.
His gaze traveled beyond the rooftops of Konoha, over the endless sea of trees, until it finally settled on the towering Hokage Rock.
The vast stone cliff stood majestic and imposing.
Its smooth face was still largely untouched, bearing only the solemn carvings of the First and Second Hokage.
By all rights, before long, a third face should be added there.
His face.
Provided he won the coming struggle.
Provided he secured victory and cemented his authority once and for all.
Only then could he truly become Hokage in both name and reality.
A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
Instead of answering, he posed a question of his own.
“What do you think is the most important qualification for becoming Hokage?”
The room fell silent.
Everyone stared at him in confusion.
Before anyone could respond, Danzō continued.
“Courage?”
“Responsibility?”
“Or perhaps…”
“The Will of Fire?”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Then he shook his head.
“No.”
“None of those.”
He paused briefly.
“To be honest, that old Hyūga was right.”
“A Hokage who can do nothing but point fingers and issue orders will never earn true respect.”
Danzō extended a finger toward the window.
A small sparrow fluttered down and landed gently upon it.
His voice became lower.
Sharper.
Colder.
“This world operates on a very simple principle.”
“The strong rule.”
“Only overwhelming power can force those relics of the old era to bow their heads and accept reality.”
At those words, Hiruzen frowned.
He was beginning to understand where Danzō was heading.
A trace of concern entered his voice.
“You mean…?”
Danzō flicked his finger lightly.
The sparrow took flight, soaring into the sky until it vanished beyond the horizon.
Then he slowly turned around.
His eyes lifted.
Their focus shifted toward another section of the village.
Toward a very specific district.
The Uchiha compound.
“You’re going after the Uchiha?”
Not only Hiruzen, but everyone else widened their eyes as well.
Among them, none reacted more strongly than Kagami.
His teammate had just become Hokage.
He had barely taken power.
And now he was planning to move against the Uchiha Clan?
What kind of absurd situation was this?
The only exception was Senju Bu.
The old man looked positively delighted.
As a member of the Senju Clan, he would have been perfectly happy to see the “evil Uchiha” put in their place.
Seeing the alarm on everyone’s faces, Danzō chuckled softly.
“Relax, Kagami.”
“I have no intention of wiping out the Uchiha Clan.”
That statement immediately eased some of the tension in the room.
Danzō continued:
“However…”
“Setsuna Uchiha chose a very unfortunate time to challenge my authority.”
A cold smile appeared on his face.
“If I don’t make an example out of him after today’s stunt…”
“Then there’s no point in me being Hokage at all.”
After all, Setsuna had openly ignored the Hokage’s summons in front of the entire village.
If Danzō allowed that to pass without consequence, every clan would interpret it as weakness.
And once a leader was seen as weak, authority quickly became meaningless.
Kagami finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
As long as Danzō wasn’t planning to exterminate the clan, things could still be resolved.
Truthfully, even Kagami felt that Setsuna had gone too far today.
The elder’s actions had crossed a line.
After a moment of silence, he looked at Danzō and asked:
“So what exactly are you planning to do?”
Sarutobi also wasn’t convinced.
His expression remained serious as he offered one final warning.
“The Uchiha Clan possesses a deep foundation.”
“Even without Madara, their overall strength remains formidable.”
“They’re not an opponent to underestimate.”
His gaze grew more solemn.
“Especially Setsuna Uchiha.”
“He once served as Madara’s personal guard.
His strength is unfathomable.”
“Even our teacher treated him with caution.”
“You absolutely cannot take him lightly.”
Faced with Hiruzen’s repeated warnings, Danzō merely grinned.
“The Uchiha are powerful.”
“Proud.”
“And obsessed with strength.”
He paused.
Then his eyes narrowed.
A sharp, dangerous aura radiated from him.
“So what?”
His voice suddenly rose.
“I intend to defeat them head-on.”
The moment those words left his mouth, a powerful presence surged from his body like a tidal wave.
The entire Hokage Office seemed to tremble beneath it.
For an instant, as everyone stared at the confident, commanding young man before them…
It felt as though Tobirama Senju himself had returned.
“Relax.”
Danzō withdrew his aura and casually patted Hiruzen on the shoulder.
“Don’t forget.”
“When it comes to dealing with the Uchiha…”
“No one had more experience than our teacher.”
Hearing that, Hiruzen finally relaxed a little.
In that regard, Tobirama truly was an authority.
He had spent years studying and countering the Uchiha.
More than once, he’d even used Kagami as a sparring partner for various exercises.
Since Danzō was this confident, perhaps he had indeed inherited some of Tobirama’s methods.
After pondering for a moment, Hiruzen finally nodded.
“As long as you’re certain.”
Danzō chuckled.
He strode back to the Hokage’s desk and dropped into the chair without hesitation.
“If I didn’t have that much confidence…”
“Then I wouldn’t deserve to be the Third Hokage.”
His gaze swept across everyone in the room.
Pride and certainty filled his voice.
“Go make your preparations.”
“Tonight…”
“We’re going to teach those old fossils in this village—”
He grinned broadly.
“What a real surprise looks like.”
The confidence in his smile was absolute.
“They’re nothing more than remnants of a bygone era.”
“It’s time for the next generation to take the stage.”
Those words struck home.
Even Hiruzen, Homura, and the others—normally calm and composed—felt their blood begin to boil.
After all…
They were only in their twenties.
At that age, who didn’t dream of changing the world?
Who didn’t believe they could build something better than what came before?
A spark of anticipation lit up their eyes.
In unison, they answered:
“Yes, sir!”
After everyone departed, silence returned to the office.
Only then did Danzō slowly close his eyes.
The reason he was willing to confront the Uchiha head-on had nothing to do with the anti-Uchiha techniques Tobirama had left behind.
Not because those techniques were ineffective.
The problem was far simpler.
He hadn’t had time to learn them.
From the moment he arrived in this world until now, less than ten days had passed.
No matter how talented he was, he couldn’t instantly master every technique with a single glance.
Fortunately…
He had a cheat.
Danzō immediately focused his consciousness inward.
Within his spiritual space, the great Tree of Fortune continued to flourish above the miniature model of Konoha.
Its vast canopy spread like a protective shadow over the village.
And hanging from the branch that represented Politics was a ripe, radiant fruit.
Its description shimmered before him:
[Will of the Kage]: As Hokage, you possess an unshakable Will of Fire.
Before you, all falsehoods are stripped away.
Your Will of Fire manifests as overwhelming spiritual force, coating every attack with blazing authority.
Pierce all illusions…
Coat attacks with overwhelming will…
Danzō nearly laughed.
This is basically the ninja world’s version of Conqueror’s Haki.
And it even comes with advanced coating built in!
Judging by the description, it might possess additional effects as well.
For a moment, excitement flashed through his eyes.
So Tobirama hadn’t been lying after all.
The Will of Fire really could be used as a weapon.
Danzō licked his lips in anticipation.
Then he slowly turned his gaze toward the Uchiha district.
His eyes narrowed.
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
“Now then…”
“I wonder if you naturally troublesome Uchiha…”
“…are ready to experience Danzō-sama’s Will of Fire.”
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