336. Declaring War on the Old Order

"Can you defeat Danzo?"

Without a doubt, this is a very serious and realistic question.

If you can't defeat him, then no matter how much you say, it's all in vain!

You can't possibly talk someone into surrendering or committing suicide, can you?

Even if you possess the ultimate persuasive skills like a certain protagonist, it probably wouldn't mean much to someone like Danzo.

You might not even get a few words out before he cuts you down...

Hiruzen Sarutobi's question immediately silenced his two friends for a moment.

But Koharu Utatane was clearly not ready to give up. She stared intently at Hiruzen and said through clenched teeth:

"Hiruzen, can't you see what Danzo is planning?"

"What is Danzo's goal in slaughtering the nobles and controlling the Daimyo? Can't you really see it?"

Faced with Koharu's questioning, it was Hiruzen who fell into silence.

After all, the things Danzo has done over the past two years are already common knowledge.

Anyone with eyes can see his intentions—to seize the political and financial power of the Daimyo for himself, thereby making Konoha the true center of power in the Land of Fire.

This is a blatant violation of the "One Nation, One Village" system established by the First Hokage.

It's also one of the reasons why the ex elders has grown increasingly dissatisfied with Danzo.

If his previous actions were still tolerable, then Danzo's recent massacre of the nobility has truly made them feel an unprecedented sense of urgency.

If Danzo has finished off the nobles, who's next?

The Daimyo?

This is the last thing Hiruzen and the others want to see.

Once the Daimyo is killed, Konoha will inevitably face condemnation from the other great nations, becoming the enemy of the entire shinobi world!

In such a scenario, the other four great nations, under the orders of their respective Daimyos, could very well unite and launch the Fourth Great Shinobi War against Konoha.

At that point, it wouldn't just be a matter of how many people die—Konoha could very well be wiped off the map!

This is what the old officials fears most.

Seeing Hiruzen remain silent for so long, Koharu pressed on:

"Hiruzen, can you really stand by and watch as Danzo destroys the system left by the First and our teacher, plunging the entire Land of Fire into ruin?"

Faced with this question, Hiruzen immediately responded with determination: "Of course not!"

"But the problem is, how do we deal with Danzo?"

His face once again showed hesitation.

Because the core of the entire issue is 'how to restrain Danzo.'

Both around sixty years old, Hiruzen could already feel his combat abilities declining rapidly.

Yet Danzo, at this age, seemed to be in some kind of rapid growth phase, his strength increasing at an astonishing rate.

Even Hiruzen, once hailed as the "Strongest Hokage," had no confidence in defeating him.

Koharu, however, seemed to have already prepared for this question.

"Don't worry about that. The Daimyo has invested heavily in those twelve shinobi over the years."

"Four of them have even mastered a sealing technique said to be capable of sealing anything."

"As long as we can work with the others to hold Danzo down, we can complete the seal."

Here, Koharu was referring to the Limelight Technique of the Four Lightning Style Users.

She deliberately framed it as a sealing technique to avoid Hiruzen's potential reluctance due to old sentiments.

As for what to do if Danzo ends up dead?

Well, they could always find an excuse to pin the blame on the Daimyo.

After all, Hiruzen wouldn't kill her over the 'accidental' death of Danzo, would he?

Sure enough, upon hearing that it was a seal and not a killing, Hiruzen's resistance visibly lessened.

Knowing Hiruzen's character well, Koharu seized the moment to drive her point home:

"Hiruzen, don't forget, Asuma is also one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja."

"And he has accepted this mission as well!"

This statement finally tipped the scales in Hiruzen's already wavering heart...

——————

Root, underground.

"How are our esteemed elders' discussions going?"

Danzo sat in his office, his gaze fixed on the masked Pakura before him.

The Daimyo's secret communications with Hiruzen, the former Hokage, and the other two elders had, of course, already reached Root's ears.

In fact, if Root hadn't deliberately allowed it, the Daimyo's letter would never have reached Koharu's hands!

Contrary to what Koharu and the others might think, Konoha had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Root had become an internal surveillance organization spread throughout the village.

Every corner, every institution, had spies planted by Danzo, including among Koharu's trusted subordinates...

Coupled with the Byakugan's surveillance range of over ten kilometers, no movement in the village could escape Danzo's notice.

The collusion between the Daimyo and the elders had long been exposed to Danzo.

Hearing the question, Pakura immediately replied:

"Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado have been secretly contacting their former subordinates these past few days."

"Although they were careful, we still found out."

"As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, he only sent a letter to Asuma Sarutobi. The contents are unknown."

Danzo raised an eyebrow and chuckled:

"So our ex Hokage has decided to get involved after all..."

To be honest, given his years of understanding of Hiruzen, the old man was probably scheming to drive him out of power, regain control, and set things right.

As for killing him, given Hiruzen's soft-hearted nature, that was unlikely.

So why would he agree to the Daimyo's plan?

There's only one reason: either the Daimyo hid part of the plan, or Koharu did...

But for Danzo, this wasn't important.

What mattered most was—

The fish had taken the bait.

Thinking this, Danzo couldn't help but smirk.

"In that case, I'll just add fuel to the fire."

With that, Danzo immediately ordered a newspaper to be sent to the Shinobi United News

The next day, an article titled "On the Necessity of Centralization in the Land of Fire" was published on the front page of the Shinobi United News.

In it, Danzo meticulously argued for the necessity and superiority of a unified, centralized government.

He claimed that only by consolidating power could efficiency be improved, the Land of Fire's rapid development be propelled, and the people's standard of living be raised.

The moment this article was published, the entire shinobi world was once again set abuzz.

To many, this was nothing less than a declaration of war—

A blatant declaration of war against the old nobility and the old order!