What a joke.
Stealing ninjutsu—which clan hadn't done it?
It was Danzo's turn to get caught this time, but who could guarantee they wouldn't be next?
If they punished him too severely now, what would happen when it was their turn?
"Me?"
Li Anshi shook his head.
"Lord Hokage, the secret of the flying dagger is not that important to me."
"If Danzo Shimura had asked me for it, I would not have been stingy in teaching him."
"After all, to strengthen Konoha, I even taught the secret art to my three subordinates."
"But unfortunately, Jonin Danzo Shimura chose the method I find most repulsive to obtain it."
"What is mine, I can give to you. But you cannot snatch it."
"Lord Hokage, your asking me such a question is entirely unnecessary."
"Jonin Danzo Shimura is already on my kill list."
"From now on, as long as Elder Danzo Shimura enters within a hundred meters of me, I will kill him on the spot."
As soon as Li Anshi said this, the Jonin present sucked in a collective breath of cold air.
They never would have imagined that Li Anshi had already developed the intent to kill Danzo Shimura.
Furthermore, he had said it right in front of Lord Hokage—that if Danzo came within a hundred meters of him, he would strike.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also startled by his words.
Although Li Anshi's tone was calm, it was precisely because of this that no one thought he was joking.
No one doubted that if Danzo Shimura were to appear before him at this moment, Li Anshi would not hesitate to kill him.
"Ahem…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed a few times. "Anshi, we are all comrades in the same village…"
"Lord Hokage, then may I ask, when Jonin Danzo Shimura made a move on my three subordinates to seize my secret art, did he treat me as a comrade of the same village?"
"If he had treated us as comrades, why would he still attack my subordinates, using such despicable means to steal my technique?"
"He didn't treat us as comrades, so why should I treat him as one?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was at a loss for words.
"Lord Hokage."
Just as Hiruzen was rendered speechless, the head of the Nara clan spoke up.
"Ah, Clan Head Nara."
Hearing this voice, Hiruzen Sarutobi instantly smiled.
The Nara clan had been famous for its high intellect since the Warring States period.
After the death of the Second Hokage, Hiruzen, lacking Tobirama's strategic mind, had relied on the many suggestions of the Nara clan head to govern Konoha.
And the Ino-Shika-Cho clans had, through their actions, shown Hiruzen that they would stand by the Hokage.
Hiruzen greatly respected the wisdom of the Nara clan.
"Clan Head Nara, do you have a suggestion?"
"Lord Hokage, from the village's perspective, there was nothing improper about Squad Leader Danzo's decision to test the three boys."
"After all, as a direct subordinate of the Hokage's Anbu, he has the right and duty to eliminate any potential threats to Konoha's security."
"The crime Squad Leader Danzo committed was that he 'accidentally obtained' the secret of the flying dagger during the test, without first informing you or Jonin Li Anshi…"
"Accidentally obtained?"
Li Anshi glanced at the current head of the Nara clan, causing him to pause.
"That's right."
A few drops of cold sweat formed on the Nara clan head's forehead, but he continued to maintain his stance.
As a ninja known for his intellect, Shikaku Nara knew full well that after the Second Hokage established the Ninja Academy, commoner ninjas would inevitably become another force in Konoha, distinct from the ninja clans.
Once the commoner ninjas rose, the ninja clans would surely face a significant impact.
The most important point was the conflict of their stances.
For the ninja clans that had endured since the Warring States period, the inheritance and continuation of the family was a higher priority than the village.
If one day, destroying Konoha would allow a clan to continue its legacy, there would undoubtedly be some who would join in the act.
But commoner ninjas were different. They were born in the village, grew up in the village. Their environment and the academy's education had taught them to put the "village" first.
If Konoha faced a crisis of destruction, most commoner ninjas would give their lives to protect it.
In Shikaku's mind, the rise of the commoner ninjas would take at least twenty years before they could influence the decisions of the clans.
But he had never imagined that just a few years after the academy was established, two Jonin-level powerhouses, Li Anshi and Sakumo Hatake, would emerge from the first batch of commoner graduates.
Setting aside Li Anshi, a deterrent stronger than a Tailed Beast, just Sakumo Hatake alone—Shikaku felt his strength had already surpassed his own.
There were very few Jonin in all of Konoha who could match him.
This was Shikaku's impression from the Stone Village battlefield.
Without a doubt, Li Anshi and Sakumo Hatake had now become the "banners" for the commoner ninjas.
With them as an example, any future Jonin from commoner backgrounds would instinctively rally under them, becoming a force opposing the ninja clans.
Out of a desire to protect the interests of the clans, Shikaku could not allow them to engage in internal conflict at this time.
Now was the opportunity to get all the ninja clans to stand on the same side.
"Jonin Li Anshi, Squad Leader Danzo Shimura was testing whether the three boys had the ability to protect an important secret of Konoha."
"The fact that they failed the test and revealed the secret has already proven Squad Leader Danzo's concerns were justified."
"Imagine if, without his test, the three of them were captured by ninjas from another village during a mission, leading to your secret art being leaked. What kind of harm would that cause our Konoha?"
"Now, although Squad Leader Danzo accidentally learned your secret art, he has also made a significant contribution to protecting it."
"I believe that with the sealing jutsu Lord Hokage has placed, the possibility of the three of them leaking the secret is gone."
"On this point, Squad Leader Danzo's merits outweigh his faults."
"Therefore, in my opinion, it is not appropriate to impose too severe a punishment on him."
"Otherwise, in the future, when we face a ninja who might leak Konoha's secrets, we may not be so quick to remedy the situation."