, Section 57: Sarutobi: Danzo! Good things should be shared!

Chapter 57, Part 57: Sarutobi: Danzo! Good things should be shared!

After receiving Jiraiya's information, Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely distraught.

Before he knew it, Danzo had gotten him into a real mess.

"Root ninjas who use Wood Release."

Hiruzen Sarutobi repeatedly pondered this sentence.

Wood Release is the First Hokage's unique bloodline limit, and can be considered the orthodox style of Konoha.

Countless people participated in the Wood Release experiments from the very beginning. Even the repeated failures and deaths could not stop people's desire for Wood Release.

This is the power of orthodoxy.

If he hadn't stopped them, who knows how many Konoha ninja would have been sacrificed.

Now, this intelligence tells him that Danzo has secretly disobeyed his orders and is conducting experiments with Wood Release techniques.

That's bad enough, but Danzo disobeyed his orders more than once or twice.

The problem is, the Wood Release experiment was a success! Danzo didn't tell him! What was he planning?! Was he planning a rebellion?!

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly fell silent, took a drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and then tapped the cigarette holder.

It's not impossible. Danzo is obsessed with becoming Hokage, and now he has Wood Release... We have to be careful.

"Summon the three Hokage advisors to the Hokage's office for a meeting."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the Hokage's seat, pondering the impact that the exposure of information about Wood Release would have on Konoha.

"In any case, Wood Release should be mastered by the Hokage."

The door to the Hokage's office was pushed open, and Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado walked in.

The main responsibilities of these two advisors can be described as attending meetings, being on standby at all times, and being available whenever needed.

"Xiaochun, Yan, you're here. Please have a seat. We'll talk when Danzo arrives."

Upon hearing this, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance. Their long-standing understanding told them that Hiruzen's target for this meeting was Danzo.

They said nothing, sat down, and waited for Hiruzen to reprimand Danzo before cheering him on.

Danzo Shimura rushed over immediately upon receiving the news, but he was nothing like the two advisors who usually had nothing to do but wait for the meeting.

When Shimura Danzo arrived at the Hokage's office, he glanced at the two advisors who were sitting upright.

Damn it, why is he always the last to arrive at meetings? Do these two live in the Hokage's office?!

"Now that everyone's here, I'll get straight to the point. This is Jiraiya's information; take a look."

Hiruzen Sarutobi passed the scroll to the three men so they could understand the situation.

"Hmph, the credit clearly belongs to my disciple Shiki, not the Uchiha! Hiruzen, we must not allow the Uchiha to rise to power!"

After reading Jiraiya's intelligence, Danzo took the initiative and spoke first.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement. "The Uchiha clan is indeed a force to be reckoned with. Hiruzen, you need to be careful."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared speechlessly at the two pretentious guys.

Can you please stop babbling "Aba aba" every time you encounter an Uchiha?

Is the focus on the Uchiha clan? The focus is on the Wood Release ninjas of Root! Don't let Danzo lead the meeting astray!

"We'll talk about the Uchiha later. Right now, word is spreading throughout the ninja world that Konoha can reproduce the First Hokage's Wood Release, which has caused a lot of apprehension."

Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly ended the conversation with the Uchiha; he couldn't care less about them now.

"Furthermore, Jiraiya also stated that the Root ninjas on the eastern front used Wood Release. What's going on, Danzo?"

"Has the Wood Release transplant experiment been successful?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words weren't spoken in a harsh tone, but they carried an air of authority that put a lot of pressure on people.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had different expressions and didn't say anything, but stared straight at Danzo.

"Hiruzen! You know me. If the Wood Release experiment succeeds, I'll definitely use it on myself first."

Danzo ignored the advisor's piercing gaze and answered calmly.

"Danzo! How come Root ninjas are using Wood Release?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi emphasized his words again. He was pleased that Danzo was willing to answer, but he did not like the content of Danzo's answer.

"The Wood Release transplantation experiment has achieved some success, suppressing the Hashirama cells and thus ensuring a successful transplant. However, once the Hashirama cells are stimulated again, the experimental subjects are quickly engulfed by them."

"It can only be said that they have a wood-style weapon that allows them to unleash the power of wood-style before they die."

Danzo spoke in a very calm tone, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"Hiruzen, let me go recruit volunteers. The wars will only get more and more brutal in the future. With wood-style weapons, we can make up for the lack of combat power in Konoha."

Danzo's calm eyes revealed a hint of fervor.

If Hiruzen agrees, he can recruit volunteers on a large scale to manufacture wood-style weapons.

Regardless of the Konoha ninjas' attitude towards Wood Release weapons, he can use this to step into the open and further enhance his prestige.

"No, hand over the information on Root Wood Release."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shattered Danzo's illusions, his serious gaze demanding that Danzo hand over the results of Root.

"Hiruzen! News of the Wood Release weapons has leaked. Our only option now is mass production, otherwise Konoha might not be able to withstand the pressure from the Four Great Shinobi Villages!"

Danzo was unwilling to accept this. He had tacitly approved the leak of information about the Wood Release weapons in order to use the pressure from the four great ninja villages to force Hiruzen to agree to his large-scale experiments with Wood Release weapons.

Now that the plans are almost all for naught, we naturally have to try to make an effort.

"I'll consider whether or not to conduct the Wood Release experiment. Hand over the Wood Release data, Danzo! I am the Hokage!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't even raise his eyes, directly intimidating the other person with his imposing presence.

Faced with technology that could truly alter the course of the Konoha war, Hiruzen Sarutobi was no longer going to play the game of push and pull with Danzo.

He directly used his power to intimidate people, saying, "I am the Hokage, I want it all."

Danzo's breathing became rapid, his fists clenched, and his whole body trembled.

Danzo is usually very powerful, sometimes even able to suppress the Hokage, but as soon as the Hokage makes up his mind, he becomes as fragile as paper.

So what about the Root? Can they possibly contend with the Hokage who controls the entire Leaf Village?

No, I don't have the ability.

"Wood Release is mine!"

"Wood Release belongs to the village; I haven't investigated their private research into Wood Release."

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Koharu Utatane spoke up: "Danzo, hand over the technique. Wood Release can only be truly effective in the hands of the Hokage."

"Yes, we will not forget Root's contributions, Danzo, thank you for your hard work over the years."

Mitomon En said to Danzo, trying to reassure him.

Danzo, expressionless, slowly exhaled.

"Understood, I will hand the information over to the Dark Division."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the Hokage's office relaxed.

Seeing Danzo's angry expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he needed to appease his friend, since stealing his friend's years of hard work was going too far.

There was nothing he could do; he was the Hokage.

It's lonely at the top.

"Danzo, you've worked hard all these years. Without your efforts, Konoha wouldn't be so prosperous. I will increase the funding for Root and expand its scale and authority."

The benefits promised by Hiruzen Sarutobi made Danzo's expression much better.

The Hokage's office became harmonious and peaceful again.

(End of this chapter)