"Lord Hokage, please speak."
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen become serious, Kageyama Kogetsu also became serious, sitting up straight with his chest out as a sign of respect.
"On my way back to Konoha from the capital of the Land of Fire, I was attacked by a large group of ninja. The five Anbu ninja under my direct command were killed, and I myself was seriously injured."
Kageyama Kogetsu's expression changed, and he became furious. "This is outrageous! How dare they attack the Kage of Konoha! Who did this?"
"I'll go and finish them off immediately!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was very satisfied with Kageyama Kogetsu's attitude.
"We don't know who the mastermind is yet, because there are too many forces that are at odds with Konoha."
"However, judging from the current situation in the ninja world, it is most likely not the work of the four great ninja villages, and the smaller ninja villages probably don't have the guts."
"But their suspicion cannot be completely ruled out. I have already arranged for the Anbu to investigate."
"The most likely masterminds, I currently suspect two people."
"The first is the masked man. This person has the motive and the ability."
Kageyama Kogetsu's expression was a little troubled. "Lord Hokage, I'm not afraid to fight the masked man, but this person is proficient in space-time ninjutsu. It's too difficult to track him down."
"I know. So if it's him, we can only temporarily stand down and settle the old and new scores together when we find an opportunity."
"My other suspect is Danzō."
"Huh?" Kageyama Kogetsu feigned surprise. "How can that be?"
"Elder Danzō may be a bit extreme, but he wouldn't do something like this, would he?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes were deep. He shook his head. "Kogetsu, you don't understand Danzō."
"He is ambitious and unscrupulous, and has always coveted the position of Hokage."
"Most importantly, he has a prior record of assassinating me once."
"But for the sake of Konoha's overall situation, I only warned him and didn't pursue the matter too much."
To hell with the overall situation. If I were in your shoes, I would have dealt with Danzō long ago.
Perhaps the analogy is not entirely accurate, but the principle is the same.
It's like the emperor's Jinyiwei or Dongchang, the blade in his hand for doing dirty work, has developed its own will and deviated from its original purpose. How can that be allowed?
In such a situation, either extinguish the will, or start over and get a new blade. Otherwise, sooner or later, it will harm the wielder, and even kill them!
Kageyama Kogetsu complained inwardly, but on the surface, he looked as if he had a sudden realization. "I see. Then Elder Danzō is indeed a major suspect."
"So, Lord Hokage's meaning is for me to secretly monitor and investigate Elder Danzō?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and praised, "Young people are quick to react. That's right."
"Understood. I will do my best to complete the mission," Kageyama Kogetsu said with a solemn expression.
"Mm, I believe in you."
"By the way, without you in charge of the Police Force, will there be any major trouble?"
Kageyama Kogetsu smiled confidently. "No. The healthiest state for an organization is to be able to operate normally even without its leader."
"Lord Hokage, what if the investigation reveals that it really was Elder Danzō?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened. "Strip him of all his positions, expel him from the ninja registry, and throw him in prison."
Uh... it's the second time already, and you're still not going to kill him? You're going to wait for a third time, aren't you?
The bonds of this world... I can only say that for Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzō is truly true love!
"Understood."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat for a while, then left at the end of the workday to go back to the Hokage's office to work overtime on official duties.
...
Three days later, late at night. The moon was dark and the wind was high. In the center of the Forest of Death, two figures met.
"Kogetsu, what did Hiruzen want with you three days ago?" Danzō asked, feigning composure.
Kageyama Kogetsu said irritably, "What else could he want?"
"Of course, it was to have me monitor and investigate you."
"Danzō, you really don't take my words to heart. You actually tried to take Lord Hokage's life. Perhaps our cooperation should end."
Seeing Kageyama Kogetsu's dissatisfaction, and that he was in charge of monitoring and investigating him, Danzō quickly appeased him, his tone unprecedentedly gentle.
"My apologies. It's not that I don't take your words to heart, but that I acted impulsively out of frustration."
"There was a very gentle solution, but after a year of effort, an accident occurred, and it was impossible to carry it out."
"For the sake of our pleasant cooperation in the past, and the fact that Hiruzen is ultimately fine, please let this matter go."
Hey, Danzō is actually softening. What a rare sight.
It seems the force of Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions this time has made him a little scared.
If I seriously monitor and investigate him, Danzō will only be constrained and things won't go his way.
"Hmph, don't let it happen again."
"If Lord Hokage is assassinated again, whether it's you or not, I'll put it on your head," Kageyama Kogetsu said, still irritated.
Danzō felt a little aggrieved, but for his own sake, he still managed a smile. "Don't worry, I know."
"Alright, I'll be going now."
"You'll be investigated for some problems this time, but they won't be related to the assassination of the Hokage."
"Wait a moment."
"What else is there?"
Danzō's smile widened, and he asked for advice with a sincere expression, "Kogetsu, since your idea is to use a gentle method to make Hiruzen step down..."
Kageyama Kogetsu interrupted, "It's to let him enjoy his golden years!"
"Lord Hokage has risked his life for Konoha and worked hard for most of his life. Shouldn't he enjoy his family life in his old age?"
"Are we really going to let Lord Hokage work like a horse and die in office?"
Danzō nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "Yes, yes, I used the wrong words. Hiruzen should enjoy his later years."
This guy... he's clearly trying to get someone to step down, but he says it so righteously. Where did he learn that?
The Konoha Ninja Academy doesn't teach this stuff.
"Since you've proposed such an idea, you should have a corresponding method, right?" Danzō's face was full of expectation, yet also a little apprehensive.
"Ah, I do," Kageyama Kogetsu said frankly.
Danzō's method of making people step down was simply too crude, with no technical skill at all!
Although his method was not some unparalleled masterstroke, it definitely had more substance than Danzō's method, and the risk was also smaller.
"What method?" Danzō asked impatiently.
"Heh heh... Elder Danzō, you're being a bit out of line," Kageyama Kogetsu said with a faint smile.
"Uh... I was a bit impatient. Which lucky woman have you taken a fancy to?"
"Tell me, and I'll take care of it."
Danzō was full of confidence, almost patting his chest as he spoke, his words quite pleasant.
"It's a bit hard to say," Kageyama Kogetsu feigned difficulty.
"Wait, didn't we agree last time that you'd just say it directly?"
"You're not giving me any hints. How am I supposed to guess?" Danzō was annoyed and said irritably.
"There are hints, there are."
"She has a good relationship with me, a very good relationship with Mikoto, and her identity is extremely special," Kageyama Kogetsu said with a slight smile.
After hearing the hint, Danzō's brain went into overdrive, and he quickly filtered through Kageyama Kogetsu's social network to find a woman.
"Uzumaki Kushina!"
Danzō's eyes widened, and he blurted it out. Then he frowned, his expression troubled. "She's not easy to handle."
"She's both the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the late Fourth Hokage's wife, and she has Hiruzen's backing."
"I give up. Why her, of all people?"
Kageyama Kogetsu chuckled. "I'm very interested."
"What, can't you handle it, Elder Danzō?"
"Then let's just forget it. Pretend I never mentioned it. I'll be going now."
Danzō quickly said, "Wait a moment!"
Seeing Kageyama Kogetsu turn back, Danzō said again, "It's not that there's no way..."
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