But that sense of unease only lasted a moment.
Thinking about it, in the manga, Jiraiya wasn't much better either—he still frequented bathhouses and questionable bars, being lecherous and vulgar as ever.
But due to Jiraiya's recent storyline being so emotionally moving and the saying "respect the deceased," all of a sudden he appeared noble beyond measure, causing people to overlook his past misconduct.
From this angle, humans truly are quick to forget.
Everyone thought Nagato was a smooth talker once again, but reading further left them completely confused.
Naruto's so-called persuasive skills...
Back then, when he convinced Gaara and others, everything made perfect sense. But now, these words lacked any compelling logic capable of persuading Nagato.
Yet after Naruto finished speaking, Nagato simply believed him.
Not only were readers caught off guard, even Konan, who was watching from the side, couldn't figure out what had just happened. All she knew was that after Naruto spoke, Nagato was willing to perform the Rinne Rebirth technique.
Then, as if by miracle, the entire village was resurrected.
Every deceased person revived—except for Jiraiya, who died in Amegakure, and Tsunade, who collapsed from excessive chakra depletion—everyone else returned to life.
It was like resurrection was just a game.
Of course,
as villagers slowly gathered in the wide expanse flattened by [Shinra Tensei], they couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.
As long as there is life, there remains hope.
Before they knew it, everyone had finished reading the day's update, already feeling a little unsatisfied.
They clearly knew Akaba updated quite fast. However, even if dozens of chapters dropped every day, it still wouldn't be enough to satisfy their hunger for more.
Based on current developments, it seems the Sixth Hokage will be succeeded by Danzo. However—
Hmm. Best to keep your mouth shut.
People still dared not push their luck repeatedly. Although Danzo wasn't Hokage yet and hadn't taken action previously, pushing too far against psychological limits wasn't wise.
Some might have been too scared to speak out, but that didn't mean no one dared crack a joke.
Recently, The Third and Danzo had frequent interactions, both getting involved in experiments such as Cursed Seal and Impure World Reincarnation.
One wanted to keep Orochimaru in check and prevent him from repeating the path depicted in the manga.
The other was focused entirely on ninjutsu itself.
Whether it was Cursed Seal or Impure World Reincarnation, completing development as soon as possible became a priority, and Danzo didn't care what kind of experiments were needed to achieve that.
So both of them remained holed up in the research institute.
In terms of understanding ninjutsu, The Third undoubtedly possessed unmatched expertise. Although Danzo's theoretical knowledge might not rival The Third's, his strength and insight were nothing short of formidable.
With their assistance, Orochimaru's research advanced at a much faster pace.
Still, during leisure moments, things could sometimes get annoying.
Like right now.
Coincidentally, an Anbu had just delivered the latest manga chapter, and naturally The Third read it first.
After finishing, despite not expressing much, upon seeing Danzo's lines, The Third couldn't help but smile knowingly and said, "Danzo, you should take a look at this. Your student's perception of you is spot-on—calling you The Sixth Hokage."
"…"
Danzo glanced briefly, wearing a look of indifference, then turned back to focus on studying the Cursed Seal.
Hokage?
I have no interest in becoming Hokage!
Though he'd long abandoned his desire for the Hokage title, provoking him like this still set his blood boiling. The Third made a small joke, and seeing that Danzo didn't respond, he chuckled and put the manga aside, preparing to continue researching the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu alongside Danzo and Orochimaru.
But Danzo casually picked up one of the books and said, "What's the point of being Hokage? You're no better than me—you died at your student's hand, one student is dead, another sealed, and the third remains in a coma."
Now it was Orochimaru's turn to be cut deep.
He lifted his head, eyes filled with resentment. It was bad enough that you two weren't helping with the research—now you're screwing with my head too? What exactly are you trying to pull?
"Cough cough, I just checked," Sarutobi lightly cleared his throat, changing the subject. He also added, "The Impure World Reincarnation can now be used. Orochimaru, you don't need to keep researching this anymore."
Orochimaru fell silent.
The Impure World Reincarnation was such an intriguing jutsu—it delved into the mysteries of the soul. Honestly, he really wanted to keep studying it.
But since the Third so strongly disapproved, he had to consider his teacher's opinion. After a long pause, he quietly nodded and said, "Teacher, I understand."
"Let's look at the Cursed Seal first. Even after copying it, it's still not as strong as the original. I prefer bringing Tenguji into Konoha and cultivating his abilities as a ninja."
Tenguji was the name of the Sage's body from the Tengu Clan.
Danzo had spent a long time reviewing documents today, and his understanding of the Cursed Seal was only slightly inferior to Akaba's and Orochimaru's.
He discovered that the fatality rate of the seal was extremely high.
Even if it worked at all, the result was never as powerful as the original. After all, copied results were merely imitations; it was natural for them to fall short.
If that was the case, why not focus on cultivating Tenguji instead?
"As for the issue of loyalty, there will always be ways to solve it. We certainly aren't lacking in those sorts of methods here."
Danzo said indifferently.
The Third thought about it for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "Let's observe him first and see whether he can truly integrate into Konoha. If integration proves possible, we won't need to play the villain either."
"Do as you please."
Danzo remained silent briefly before turning around and leaving. Instead of returning directly to Anbu headquarters, he headed toward the manga shop.
As he walked, he continued reading the manga he'd taken from the Research Institute.
There were no cars in the Ninja World, so the risks associated with being a head-down pedestrian weren't too high.
By the time he returned to the village, he had already read up to the latest chapter of the manga. That's when he saw the title "The Sixth Hokage" in the comic—the one assigned by the Third.
Danzo was furious.
As far as Hokage went, he actually didn't care much.
After all, it was merely a position, and sitting atop it wasn't necessarily beneficial.
Yet even the Daimyo refused to recognize the comic version of himself—preferring to choose someone like Kakashi, a mere youngster, rather than making him the Sixth Hokage.
That was what angered him.
Am I weaker than Kakashi?
Besides,
From the plot, the next chapter would likely involve Sasuke returning to Konoha seeking explanations, whereupon he, as the Sixth Hokage, would confront Sasuke in a life-or-death battle.
Without needing to read further, Danzo had already seen his own death in the storyline.
How does a villain stand a chance against the main character anyway?
As he approached the manga store, he overheard hushed whispers—most discussing Kakashi and "Danzo" of Root.
Obviously, many people had complaints about Danzo's shameless attempt to seize the Hokage position.
However,
when everyone noticed Danzo's arrival, the entire room instantly fell silent.
Akaba heard the sudden quiet outside.
After sensing the surroundings, he immediately understood—his former teacher had come personally.
He quickly gave a few instructions to his shadow clones before stepping out of the house.
As he walked out, he saw many notes hanging on the comment board, one of which stood out particularly:
"I'll beat Danzo! I'll protect Konoha! My passion's blazing—rawwwr!"
Although no name was left behind, judging by the style alone, it must've been Duy.
Akaba wiped the sweat off his brow and casually tore down this note, crumpling it into a ball.
"Teacher, want to sit down and have some tea?"
He approached from the front.
Danzo remained silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No thanks. I'm just here to check your health condition. Seeing you've recovered reassures me."
Fear, avoidance—that was the attitude most ordinary villagers held when encountering him. The Danzo in the manga exceeded even his real-life behavior; it was no wonder others didn't recognize him as worthy.
Still, he wasn't particularly troubled.
Sure, he wasn't suited for the Hokage seat—that was something he'd long come to terms with. So what if he wasn't?
When it came to strength among the younger generation or popularity among villagers, who could surpass his disciple? Recently they'd even co-founded a charity foundation together.
That was a clever move—helping gain recognition from both villagers and the Daimyo.
Even though Akaba was quite lazy, those actions weren't necessarily aimed at becoming Hokage, and precisely because of that, they didn't seem like mere showmanship, naturally earning more acknowledgment.
At that time, with just a little maneuvering from him—
The Fourth's position? My disciple has dibs!
Thinking thus, his mood improved slightly.
This smile sent shivers down many spines. Most present were ordinary civilians, while a few were merely Genin and Chunin—rarely having interacted with Danzo normally, their understanding of the current Danzo was shallow.
From this perspective, Akaba did his teacher a bit of an injustice. As he and Danzo exited the manga shop, Danzo took a few steps forward, originally intending to ask Akaba to return, but suddenly recalled something important:
"Akaba, is there any chance that Rinne Rebirth could revive Madara and even make him stronger than before?"
Sage Fukasaku had mentioned this technique.
It was a terrifying Kinjutsu. Previously, Danzo had focused only on its power to bring back the dead, not thoroughly considering this other potential application. He thought of it just now after witnessing Nagato's scene.
If Madara revived at a dramatically enhanced level, then things would become unplayable.
"In that case, we must ensure Impure World Reincarnation doesn't spread beyond control."
Akaba whispered lowly.
Madara possessed the ultimate Sharingan—the strongest eye in the world—which could perceive secrets behind numerous ninjutsu techniques, thereby easily devising countermeasures, although certainly unaware how to use Impure World Reincarnation.
Danzo lightly frowned, then nodded in comprehension: "Looks like it'd be best to erase all traces of Impure World Reincarnation—including our memories—I, Sarutobi, and Orochimaru too."
"Erase memories?"
"Yes."
This task was extremely difficult to achieve, but Konoha had Mito Uzumaki—who mastered every sealing technique under the sun.
For her, this would be no great challenge.
"That could work too. Better to wipe out all related records first. When we need them again, Yo will bring them out personally. That way, there won't be the slightest chance of a mistake."
Akaba nodded in agreement.
Danzo gave a noncommittal nod, though he had different thoughts in mind.
Besides Akaba, a copy should also be kept with Mito Uzumaki. Only then could they guarantee absolute security.
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