297. A New Face on the Hokage Rock

"Konoha, October 19, 51st Year of the Konoha"

"Despite our warnings, the Hidden Cloud Village has persistently provoked us, repeatedly invading and harming our border civilians and shinobi forces."

"Having reached the limit of our patience, we launched a self-defense counterattack against the Hidden Cloud on October 14, 51st Year of Konoha!"

"Our border forces fought valiantly in this war, sacrificing themselves for justice!"

"Under the wise command of Lord Danzo, we achieved a significant phased victory on the evening of the 18th!"

"In this battle, we annihilated over 2,000 Hidden Cloud invaders and captured more than 1,000."

"We also killed the former leader of the Hidden Cloud Village, the Third Raikage."

"This is a great victory, effectively striking down the arrogance of the Hidden Cloud and curbing their growing militaristic ambitions!"

"Here, we advise the Hidden Cloud to abandon their unrealistic delusions as soon as possible. Peaceful development is the only way forward."

"If the Hidden Cloud continues to persist in their folly, Konoha has the resolve and the strength to annihilate all invaders!"

"Any enemy who dares to invade Konoha will meet only one end—utter defeat!"

When this newspaper was printed and distributed at the fastest possible speed, the entire village of Konoha erupted in excitement!

It must be noted that Danzo had chosen to embark on this mission in secret to resolve the conflict as quickly as possible.

Thus, the villagers and shinobi had no idea that Lord Danzo had already set out for the front lines until they saw the newspaper.

In other words, they were still in the village preparing supplies and mobilizing troops.

Suddenly, a newspaper arrived.

Bam!

The war was already won. And it was Danzo who led a small team to the front lines, achieving victory with the speed of a blitzkrieg!

From Konoha's declaration of war against the Hidden Cloud to this "phased" victory, it took only five days...

What kind of feeling is this?

Nothing but sheer, overwhelming surprise!

As for the battle achievements mentioned in the newspaper, they were even more astonishing.

Slaying the Third Raikage and annihilating thousands of Hidden Cloud shinobi?

Could a small team really accomplish this?

Such terrifying achievements made the villagers who read the newspaper immediately question whether this was fake news.

But then they remembered that it was Lord who commanded and led this war.

Well, that explains it...

After all, Lord Danzo's ability to turn the impossible into reality is not a one-time thing.

Any miracle, as long as it is associated with the name "Danzo," becomes something expected.

In any case, after a brief moment of shock, the entire village of Konoha fell into a frenzy of celebration.

A large number of villagers spontaneously rushed into the streets, shouting Danzo's name.

Some even began comparing him to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

Although the latter held the terrifying title of "God of Shinobi,"
the era in which he lived is too distant for the current generation of young people.

Danzo, on the other hand, has accomplished everything and created all these miracles right before the eyes of these young people.

To them, Danzo is the true "god of shinobi" in their hearts!

While the villagers were cheering and celebrating, a high-level meeting was also being held in the Hokage Building.

Given the importance of this meeting, almost all the clan leaders personally attended.

"I never expected Lord Danzo to choose such a risky plan."

"Even more unexpected is that such a risky plan actually succeeded."

Nara Shikaku, known as the smartest man in Konoha, was holding a newspaper and shaking his head with a smile.

For the sake of secrecy, only a very small number of people knew about Danzo's covert mission to the front lines.

This information was basically limited to a few core high-ranking officials in Konoha.

Although Shikaku had guessed this plan based on various clues,
when the news of the plan's success and Konoha's victory appeared before him, it still felt somewhat unreal.

Moreover, unlike the information accessible to ordinary villagers, Shikaku's sources were more comprehensive and in-depth.

Thus, he knew that the victory in this war was almost entirely due to Danzo and his Root team.

In particular, the intelligence that Danzo single-handedly killed the Raikage and wiped out over a thousand Hidden Cloud shinobi in one move left him utterly stunned.

It also gave him a deeper understanding of Danzo's current strength.

It turns out that when a person becomes strong enough, they really can match an entire army...

Hearing Shikaku's words, the others nodded in agreement.

"Thanks to Lord Danzo!"
"Thank goodness for Lord Danzo!"
"Lord Danzo is the pillar of Konoha!"

For a moment, these clan leaders and elders, who are seen as highly authoritative by others, seemed to transform into Danzo's fanboys, showering him with all kinds of praise.

Of course, not all of their words were mere flattery; much of it was sincere.

Without Danzo, this war would have inevitably broken out.

In that case, these clans would have had to expend a large amount of resources, not to mention the countless casualties among their members.

This is something that the clans, having just survived the Third Great Shinobi War, did not want to see.

Thus, Danzo's epic battle in this war essentially did everyone a huge favor.

At the same time, it further elevated Danzo's status and position in the village.

Fortunately, the Hokage, Minato Namikaze, did not have any concerns about Danzo overshadowing him.

After all, among those present, Minato owed Danzo the most.

Danzo had personally saved his wife, child, and even his own life.

Forget about overshadowing the Hokage; if Danzo said the word, Minato would immediately hand over his Hokage robe to him!

With this in mind, Minato suddenly cleared his throat.

"Ahem, everyone, please listen to me!"
Hearing Minato's voice, everyone immediately fell silent and turned their attention to the young Hokage.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Minato spoke with a serious expression:
"Everyone, Elder Danzo's contributions in this war are monumental!"

"Not only did he thwart the Hidden Cloud's invasion, but he also deterred the surrounding shinobi villages, buying Konoha crucial time for reconstruction."

"In light of his tremendous achievements, I would like to propose something."

"How about we carve Elder Danzo's face onto the Hokage Rock?"

This sudden suggestion instantly silenced the room.

Minato, however, was in no hurry. He calmly watched the people before him, patiently waiting for their response.

After several dozen seconds, someone finally stood up.

Unsurprisingly, it was Homura Mitokado.
"Minato, I understand that you want to honor Danzo for his immense contributions to the village, but the Hokage Rock is, after all, a symbol of the successive Hokages."

"Traditionally, only those who have become Hokage are eligible to be carved onto it."

"While Danzo's military achievements are indeed remarkable, he is not the Hokage..." Homura's words made his stance clear.

Danzo may be great, but he is not the Hokage, so he cannot be carved onto the Hokage Rock.

This also represented the opinion of the majority of the conservative faction.

However, this view was immediately challenged.

"I think Elder Homura's statement is somewhat biased."

Nara Shikaku suddenly spoke up with a smile:
"When the Hokage Rock was first designed, its fundamental purpose was to ensure that future generations of the village would remember the contributions of the successive Hokages and inherit their Will of Fire!"

"Now, I believe that Elder Danzo's contributions to Konoha, as well as the spirit and will he represents, may not surpass those of the successive Hokages, but they are certainly on par with them!"

"Therefore, carving Elder Danzo's face onto the Hokage Rock would not only inspire future generations but also show them that—"

"Becoming Hokage is not the sole purpose. As long as one makes enough contributions to the village and upholds the Will of Fire, they too can be their own Hokage and be carved onto the Hokage Rock!"

Shikaku's words were profound and struck a chord, effectively silencing Homura and the other conservatives.

Because what he said was true—Danzo's achievements over the years were no less than those of the successive Hokages.

In fact, aside from the First Hokage, who founded Konoha, the Second, Third, and even the current Fourth Hokage could not compare to him!

None of these three Hokages could achieve what Danzo did—challenging the four great shinobi villages one after another without a single defeat!

Thus, Shikaku's argument was entirely reasonable.

Seeing the conservatives fall silent, Minato seized the opportunity and declared:
"Then it's settled!"

"If anyone disagrees, they can go ahead and remove my face from the Hokage Rock and replace it with Elder Danzo's!"