Chapter 79

Danzo and Hiruzen exchanged silent glances after Homura's words. Now is not the time to argue!

“It looks like it’s a serious matter, since you both came, advisers,” the Hokage smiled after a short silence.

- Of course it’s serious! Kiri means she demands an explanation from us, but we only learned about what happened from them! Why are you keeping silent about the fact that Konoha shinobi killed the Head of the Kinoshita Clan! – Homura spoke displeasedly towards Hiruzen and Danzo.

“Tsk, there’s no need to make a mountain out of a molehill, well, an ordinary shinobi of the fog died and died,” the Root Leader coldly snorted in response.

“Tell me that you didn’t know about the recent reward,” Homura answered sharply to Danzo, no less coldly, and continued extremely seriously, glaring at him, “the size of the reward alone indicated the enormous importance of Yoshiro Kinoshita for Kirigakure.” Do you think we don't know that several members of your Root Anbu have recently left Konoha, Danzo?

“On the way here, we interviewed Iruka and are already aware of what happened in the Land of Waves,” Koharu, who had previously been silent, sharply added and continued edifyingly, “of course, we don’t have the best relationship with the fog, but everything is calm and without incident.” If the situation suddenly escalates, it will be you who will bear responsibility for the deterioration of relations between the villages!

The Root Leader's face darkened greatly at the harsh, accusatory glances from Homura and Koharu.

Looking at this from the outside, even Danzo himself was forced to admit that he was the main suspect, because maybe not now, but he had definitely done something similar before, and more than once.

On top of this, he is poorly informed and unable to fully speak out on the matter because none of the Root members dispatched have yet returned with news.

“We’ll see when Kakashi wakes up, but for now it’s too early to guess,” Hiruzen flashed his eyes and smiled reassuringly at the gloomy advisers, taking another drag from his pipe.

They had known each other for many years, so that each of those present understood perfectly what the other was thinking and what the other was trying to achieve.

– Stop beating around the bush already! I understand that it’s certainly not an easy matter, but not to such an extent, especially for you! – Danzo coldly addressed the advisers, tightly clutching his cane.

- Hmm, could you show me the scroll that Yoshiro Kinoshita gave to a member of the Root Anbu right before his death? – Homura stated without a shadow of embarrassment, despite the fact that Danzo hit the nail on the head.

WHAT?!

Genuine surprise was reflected on the wrinkled face of the Third Hokage, because even he knew absolutely nothing about this.

- Hmm, well, what did you think? On the way here, I stopped by the hospital and found out a lot of information from a kunoichi named Haruno Sakura. Iruka may be a good teacher, but he's definitely not a master at gathering information! – Koharu smiled wisely, noticing the surprise on the Hokage’s face.

From what he heard, Hiruzen’s wrinkled face was slightly distorted in impotent anger, but before he could open his mouth, Danzo intervened.

- I don’t have any scroll! Is it difficult for you to check whether my subordinates have returned from a mission or not? I think they're already feeding the worms somewhere in the Land of Waves! – Danzo narrowed his eyes decisively, having managed to draw conclusions from the scraps of information he heard.

After his words, silence reigned in the office.

- Then who? – Homura asked more calmly.

“Suna, Kumo, Iwa... well, or some smaller village...” Koharu answered gloomily.

If Danzō is telling the truth, which is highly likely given the circumstances, then the Root members sent were most likely already killed by shinobi from another village.

Well, those present didn’t look at Kiri at all. It never even occurred to them that such a bait could be made from the respected head of the clan.

In addition, the fact that the reward for Yoshiro Kinoshita appeared before Hatake Kakashi's mission reduced the likelihood of Kirigakure's involvement to a minimum, unless of course they had a prophet.

Not to mention, Kiri is now in decline. And even Hiruzen did not believe in their willingness to go against Konoha with such force.

“Probably only Kakashi can shed light on this issue, and for now I entrust negotiations with the fog to you, advisers,” concern flashed across Hiruzen’s face, who could not leave a bad feeling, but there was no logical explanation for it.

To which Koharu and Homura glanced at each other. They knew how to read between the lines and were well aware that they were being asked to bow out.

- Danzo, Hiruzen... you will be held responsible for this until the situation is completely clarified! – Koharu said coldly at last before leaving the Hokage’s office with Homura.

“These two are starting to lose their touch in their old age, since they were so worried about the trivial shinobi of the fog!” Danzo grumbled coldly shortly after the advisers left.

Almost all the great villages managed to recover and regain their strength so many years after the third world war. Therefore, he considered the imminent outbreak of the next world war inevitable, and the weakening of other great villages in its anticipation as a necessary measure.

“For now, hold your horses there with your Root and never raise the issue of the Jinchuriki again,” Hiruzen said thoughtfully after a short silence and took another drag from his pipe.

From these words, Danzo’s facial features distorted into a gloomy grimace, he perfectly understood that Hiruzen would not miss such an opportunity.

It doesn’t matter at all whether Danzo sent assassins to Yoshiro or not, he will still be made the last one, as always in such cases, because that’s why he is the root that supports Konoha from the depths of the earth.

- Okay, but you're too soft, Hiruzen! – Danzo answered coldly and stepped towards the door.

A quiet sigh escaped the Third Hokage's mouth shortly after the Root Leader left. He understood the meaning of these words perfectly.

As far as we know, the current Kiri was not even close to Konoha, so they don’t have to worry about any pressure at all.

In addition, Danzo's actions have become increasingly radical in recent years, and now he is probably also harboring similar thoughts.

“Was it right to leave the Root to Danzo? Things have been a little hectic lately...” Hiruzen sighed worriedly.