338. The Meticulously Prepared Trap

Danzo, who had already taken control of the entire Konoha, was well aware of the various actions of his old friends.


In fact, this was the result of his deliberate indulgence.

His goal was to resolve all internal threats in one fell swoop!


Whether it was the daimyo or the conservatives in the village, Danzo intended to use this opportunity to eliminate them all.


Only then could the Land of Fire enter a fast track of development!

As for the choices of Hiruzen Sarutobi and others, Danzo could understand them.

After all, for these traditionalists, breaking the "one nation, one village" system was completely unacceptable.

As veterans of Konoha, they had grown up under this system and naturally could not stand by and watch Danzo dismantle it.

Moreover, Konoha had already overcome its difficulties, recovering from the Third Great Ninja War and regaining peace.

In such a situation, why would Danzo insist on disrupting this peace? Why take such a huge risk to initiate such a radical reform?

If it failed, the entire Konoha would fall into an abyss!

Danzo fully understood such thoughts, as this was the fundamental conflict between reformers and conservatives.


The former sought a better future, while the latter only wanted to maintain the status quo and seek stability.

If it were his original self, Danzo might have stood with Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.

Unfortunately, as a transmigrator, he simply could not accept such a backward system.

Moreover, he also had his own need to centralize power and increase his influence.

Danzo was no saint; he had his own plans and schemes.

Thus, it was hard to say which side was right or wrong.

It was just that Danzo, with the advantage of historical foresight, had a more profound and practical perspective on the issues.

This was why he had garnered a large number of supporters.

Shisui and Ryoma needed no further explanation.

Minato and Shikaku also joined his cause because they recognized Danzo's ideals.

As for the conservatives like Hiruzen Sarutobi, since they could not be changed ideologically, the only option was to change them physically.

Soon, with Danzo's arrival, the entire capital was in an uproar.

Although the nobles in the capital wished they could grind Danzo's bones to dust, when he actually set foot on their land, they still fawned over him, greeting him with ingratiating smiles.

After all, this man was the most feared killer in the ninja world today.

He killed enemies, but he also killed his own people—even nobles!

Not only that, he was the leader who had led the Land of Fire to victory in the Third Great Ninja War, a hero and idol to countless people.

It could be said that Danzo's status in the Land of Fire was truly unparalleled.

His military achievements fully justified his position as the general.

Therefore, no matter how reluctant the daimyo and nobles were, they had no choice but to come and greet him.

This was not only a gesture of respect to Danzo but also to themselves.

However, along with Danzo came some uninvited guests.

For instance, a few of Danzo's old friends whom he had been thinking about.

Yes, to ensure that Danzo could be dealt with smoothly, Hiruzen Sarutobi and two others had managed to temporarily leave Konoha and come to the capital.

Watching Danzo being revered by the masses, a flicker of conflict passed through Hiruzen's eyes.

To be honest, after a long period of rivalry and witnessing Danzo's miraculous feats and achievements, Hiruzen had already given up on regaining power.

If Danzo could dutifully assist Minato, manage Konoha properly, and focus on recovery and gradual development, Hiruzen would have been content to stay at home, tending to his garden and living out his retirement as a former Hokage.

But Danzo was determined to seize more power.

He even slaughtered nobles and targeted the daimyo, pushing the situation to an irreparable point!


Abolishing the "one nation, one village" system and having Konoha take over all power was something Hiruzen could never accept.

This was a betrayal of the First Hokage, of all Konoha's predecessors, and of the entire Land of Fire!

Without any successful precedent, Danzo's actions would only provoke hostility from all the nations in the ninja world, dragging Konoha into an abyss!

Thinking of this, Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh deeply.

He never imagined that the day would come when he and his former comrade would be forced into a confrontation.

Perhaps sensing Hiruzen's mixed emotions, Koharu Utatane, standing beside him, warned, "Hiruzen, this is our last chance to stop Konoha from falling into the abyss. Don't be soft-hearted."

Glancing at Koharu and Homura Mitokado, who each had their own thoughts, Hiruzen could only nod slightly, despite the complexity in his heart.

Fine, as long as Danzo could be sealed away and allowed to retire peacefully, that would suffice.

Perhaps from the beginning, Hiruzen had never considered taking Danzo's life.

But once he decided to fire this arrow, where it would land was no longer within his control.

At the same time, the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the daimyo's most important force, were also secretly observing Danzo's every move.

The moment he stepped into the capital, they had already hiding inside Danzo's residence, quietly waiting for the right moment.

"Is everything ready?" Kazuma asked, checking the surroundings once more.

Even someone as unruly as him couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as the moment approached.

"Don't worry, everything's ready," Tou, standing nearby, quickly responded.

The residence that was to be gifted to Danzo was filled with explosive tags.

As soon as Danzo entered, they would be detonated, creating an explosion powerful enough to blow the entire residence sky-high.

As for the nobles and nearby civilians?

Unfortunately, sacrifices were inevitable in such struggles.

Additionally, the Four Thunder Guardians were positioned at the four corners of the residence.

Even if the explosion didn't immediately take Danzo out, they would quickly follow up with their strongest technique, the "Limelight," to level the area.

Even if they couldn't kill Danzo outright, they would at least severely injure him, creating enough opportunity for the next phase of the attack.

Unfortunately, all of this had already been seen through by Danzo using his Byakugan.

As he looked at the seemingly magnificent residence before him, he let out a cold laugh of disdain.


Yet, despite this, he still chose to follow the daimyo's envoy and step into this meticulously prepared... trap!