351. Danzo: I Have Another Plan

"Shikaku, you've really been through a lot these days."

In the Daimyo's palace of the Land of Fire, Danzo, the General, looked somewhat apologetically at Shikaku, who appeared visibly exhausted.

It had been a month since the shocking cabinet incident that had shaken the entire ninja world.

Under Shikaku's command, the capital's order had gradually stabilized, and basic operations had been restored.

This finally put the citizens of the capital at ease.

They had initially worried that Lord Danzo might take advantage of the situation to amass a fortune.

However, it turned out that Danzo not only refrained from arbitrarily expanding the scope of his crackdown but also imposed strict restrictions on his own officials.

Without sufficient evidence and identification, arbitrary arrests were strictly prohibited.

Especially for ordinary citizens, a rigorous approval process was required before any arrest could be made.

This significantly changed the public's perception of the so-called cabinet.

At the very least, it seemed much better than the previous noble ministers...

Speaking of which.

At this moment, Shikaku was holding a stack of documents nearly half his height. He placed them heavily on Danzo's desk, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Are these all the documents that need my signature?"

Even Danzo, in front of Shikaku, rarely showed a hint of embarrassment.

After all, Shikaku was currently the only capable administrative talent under his command.

If he accidentally pushed Shikaku to the point of quitting, Danzo himself would be the one to suffer.

"These are all the public condemnation letters from various political leaders!"

Shikaku pressed his hands on the documents, his face clearly expressing the words "I'm exhausted."

In his entire life, he had never seen anyone receive so many letters of condemnation.

To say that Danzo was universally despised would be an understatement!

However, Danzo showed no reaction; instead, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"These political leaders probably only dare to curse me on paper."

"A barking dog doesn't bite. If they really had the capability, they wouldn't need to write so many letters."

With that, Danzo let out a cold laugh.

He immediately used a fire-style jutsu to burn all the condemnation letters in front of him, not even bothering to read them.

This scene stunned Yoshitaka, who was standing behind Shikaku, and then a look of deep admiration appeared on his face.

These were letters from political leaders of other countries, and the General didn't even glance at them before burning them all?

What immense courage and boldness!

Truly, the General!

Compared to Yoshitaka's shock and excitement, Shikaku's reaction was much calmer.

In fact, he had anticipated this.

And indeed, things were unfolding just as Danzo had predicted...

"A joint force composed of four major nations has been officially formed and is currently stationed in the Land of Frost."

"This force is led by a Jonin from Kumogakure."

"It consists of non-official ninja units from smaller nations like the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Grass, along with the four major nations."

"The total number is around 500, with about ten Jonin."

When Shikaku revealed the composition of this allied force, everyone present nearly burst out laughing.

Even Shikaku himself felt somewhat speechless.

While such a lineup might be considered strong among smaller nations, capable of overrunning any country outside the five great nations, using it against Konoha seemed almost comical.

A ragtag group of 500 ninjas, with only about ten Jonin, was hardly enough to even make a dent in Lord Danzo's plans.

A single jutsu could easily wipe them out.

Not to mention, Konoha currently had three tailed beasts and a young, vigorous Fourth Hokage, known as the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze.

Even if the combined forces of the four major nations came, it would still be a fair fight, let alone this ragtag group.

So, were these so-called political leaders unaware of Konoha's strength?

On the contrary, in the ninja world, they were probably the ones who understood Konoha's power the best.

Whether it was the currently strongest Kumogakure, the weakened Iwagakure, or Kirigakure and Sunagakure.

They had all been defeated by Danzo before, so they knew exactly how terrifying Konoha's strength was.

Then why did they form such a ragtag force to parade in front of Konoha?

The main purpose was to satisfy the demands of their respective Daimyos.

Since they wanted to save face without spending money, they formed this "budget version" of a united force to show off in front of Konoha and meet their KPIs.(Key Performance Index)

Hence, this farcical scene...

"As we expected, Konoha's actions have broken the long-standing tradition of one nation, one village in the ninja world."

"From now on, the rift between the various ninja villages and their respective nations will only grow wider and become irreparable, until the moment of complete collapse!"

Danzo had a clear understanding of the current ninja world situation.

So far, everything was unfolding according to his plan.

"Since the Daimyos dare not approve the military budgets of the ninja villages, and the major villages are only paying lip service to their Daimyos' orders, why don't we add fuel to the fire and let the flames of suspicion burn even brighter?"

Danzo lightly tapped the desk with his fingers, a look of excitement and anticipation on his face.

Those familiar with Danzo's style, like Ryoma and Shikaku, inwardly sighed—

It seemed someone was about to suffer.

Sure enough, Danzo quickly assigned them tasks.

"Ryoma, have the Root operatives embedded in the various nations' governments start spreading rumors about the ninja villages disobeying the Daimyos' orders, and stir up as much hostility between the nobles and the villages as possible."

"Also, get those mercenary groups from the underground bounty stations moving!"

"Tell them they can offer a full range of services to the noble Daimyos, including security and training!"

"As long as they pay, not only can they get personal protection, but we can also help them train a new ninja force!"

"Ninjutsu scrolls, tools, whatever they need, they can come here to buy in bulk! Konoha's archives are overflowing with ninjutsu!"

"As for money, that's not a big deal. We're not in it for the money; we're mainly concerned about the safety of the noble lords!"

After hearing Danzo's plan, everyone present couldn't help but feel a chill.

The "Darkness of the Shinobi" was literally pushing these nations toward division!

Not only offering protection but also helping them train new ninja forces?

Once successful, why would these nobles even need their villages?

Wouldn't it be better to keep the power firmly in their own hands?

Even if the noble lords didn't agree to these terms, how do you think the ninja villages would react upon hearing this news?

Would they really stay idle?

Danzo doubted it!

In fact, someone like Onoki might even choose to strike first, just as Danzo had.

By then, Konoha would be the one watching from the sidelines, condemning fiercely.

Additionally, Danzo specifically instructed at the end: "Don't touch the Land of Lightning. Let their Daimyo continue to trust Kumogakure."

"I want to see just how deep their bond is."

"When they see all the other nations completing their reforms, will the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning really be able to sit still?"