As Danzō's trusted subordinate, Aburame Torune was very capable. The first two tasks were completed quickly.
The third task was delayed for some time, but that was because the relevant arrangements in the Land of Fire had not yet been made. The moment they were, Torune stole them.
This man was known in Root for his infiltration techniques, and his personal combat power was not bad either, easily at the Jonin level.
Konoha 57, December 15th. As was customary, Sarutobi Hiruzen, accompanied by five of his direct Anbu ninja, went to the Daimyo's residence in the capital of the Land of Fire to attend the annual year-end conference.
This conference, besides summarizing the year's work for the Land of Fire and Konoha, would also discuss the financial budget for the coming year.
The more money from the sponsor, the better. Even with a wealthy treasury, more was never too much. Therefore, successive Hokage had always attached great importance to it.
The Hokage rarely left the village during the year, and Kageyama Kogetsu, knowing Danzō's character, secretly had his summoning animal follow.
The people Danzō sent out did not act immediately, but chose to do so on Sarutobi Hiruzen's way back.
Ninja were also human, and this would more or less lower their guard.
When they did act, they had the hired bounty ninja go first, not to achieve the goal, but to consume the chakra of Hiruzen's party.
When the bounty ninja could no longer withstand the heavy casualties, the ten members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja activated an earth-style trap, splitting the battlefield and creating a favorable combat environment.
Six of them went to deal with the injured Anbu ninja, using their numerical advantage to break through the line, eliminate the support, and then turn back to assist.
It had to be said, this assassination was much more thorough and powerful than the last one.
The thoroughness lay in the fact that their origins could not be traced. The bounty ninja were real bounty ninja, not impostors.
After the ten members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja were taken from Kageyama Kogetsu, they were not brought back to Root but were trained outside. Only a very few people knew about them.
Now, besides Danzō and Aburame Torune, only Kageyama Kogetsu knew of their existence.
The golden eagle returned to Konoha and relayed the message. Kageyama Kogetsu immediately tore through space and rushed over, hovering in mid-air to watch the battle.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen really couldn't hold on, he would intervene in time to support him.
It had to be said that the not-yet-completely-aged Sarutobi Hiruzen was really something. He fought one against seven and managed to kill them all.
These seven, after Danzō's potential-squeezing, life-shortening demonic training, had reached their peak strength ahead of time. Each was a formidable Jonin.
Cooperating with each other, they had the strength to hunt a Kage, only slightly weaker than the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen was one of the best among the Kage-level combatants, so they were still a bit lacking.
If the other three had not been taken out by the Anbu ninja in a desperate exchange, they might have really killed Sarutobi Hiruzen.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen was not unscathed. Danzō had turned all ten of them into living bombs.
Caught off guard, Hiruzen was hit by one, and coupled with the injuries from the seven-man siege, he was seriously injured.
After finishing off the enemies, Hiruzen did not dare to linger and quickly returned to Konoha.
The dead Anbu ninja could only be left behind, to be dealt with later.
Aburame Torune, who was watching the battle from a distance with a telescope, returned to Konoha just after Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Root base, Commander's office.
After hearing the report, Danzō was not only disappointed but also furious. He swept everything off the table and became a "useless" repeater.
After a while, Danzō's anger subsided slightly. He turned and stared sinisterly at Aburame Torune. "Why didn't you act?"
Aburame Torune's tone was indifferent and composed. "Without Lord Danzō's orders, I did not dare to act on my own, for fear of ruining the big plan."
"I..." Danzō's expression froze, and his head hurt a little.
Sometimes, a subordinate who is too obedient is not a good thing. Too rigid, unable to be flexible!
"You may leave," Danzō said, slumping into his chair and waving his hand, feeling very tired.
"Yes, Lord Danzō," Aburame Torune's tone was as usual, and he then vanished.
While it was lively at the Root base, it was not quiet at the Anbu headquarters either. It was even more lively!
This time, Sarutobi Hiruzen was truly angry.
Last time, he was unharmed, and his five direct Anbu ninja had not died, only been injured, all of which were curable.
This time, he was seriously injured and almost killed. All five of his direct Anbu ninja were killed. How could he let it go so easily?
Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned all the Anbu ninja in Konoha and had them investigate the mastermind behind the assassination.
Danzō had a prior record, so he was naturally under Hiruzen's suspicion.
To prevent Danzō from destroying the evidence in time, this time Kageyama Kogetsu personally led his trusted Anbu ninja into the Root base and launched a major search.
Danzō could only do his best to hide his disappointment and anger, trying to deal with Hiruzen.
Fortunately, the people who had acted had no apparent connection to Danzō. Otherwise, a flaw would have been exposed.
If Danzō had been discovered this time, he would have been finished.
Even a good-natured person has a temper. Once their bottom line is crossed, their anger can be terrifying!
Without finding any evidence, Hiruzen did not even give Danzō an explanation and left with his men. Only then did he go to the Konoha Hospital for treatment.
Due to Hiruzen's special status, he could not work while injured. Uzumaki Karin proactively offered her palm for him to bite.
This treatment was only available to those at the minister level or above in Konoha, and they could only bite the palm, not the wrist.
Although the rule was secretly approved by Hiruzen, the ones backing it were Uzumaki Kushina and Kageyama Kogetsu.
...
That evening, ten minutes before the end of the workday at the Police Force, there was a knock on the door of the head's office...
"Hey, why has Lord Hokage come in person?" Kageyama Kogetsu feigned surprise and stood up from behind his desk to greet him.
"I have something to discuss with you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a chuckle.
"If you needed me, you could have just sent an Anbu."
"It's no trouble, no trouble. I just wanted to come and see you."
"Your office is nice. My office seems a bit old and gloomy."
Kageyama Kogetsu's office had long been renovated, with a style closer to that of an official cadre, modern yet dignified.
To get the feeling right, Kogetsu had even placed four flags in his office. Two large flags were placed behind his modern office chair.
On the desk were small flags, one with the Konoha symbol and one with the Police Force symbol.
By the window, when a small breeze blew, the small flags fluttered, which was quite nice.
"I'm a person who likes to follow trends."
"If Lord Hokage likes it, I'll have someone renovate the Hokage's office."
As Kageyama Kogetsu spoke, he led Hiruzen to the sofa in the guest area and sat down, then boiled water to make tea.
"Forget it. I'm already old, and I've gotten used to it after so many years," Hiruzen said with a chuckle, waving his hand.
"Lord Hokage is not old yet. You can serve for another twenty years without a problem."
Kageyama Kogetsu smiled as he lifted the teapot and poured the boiling water into the cup. The tender green tea leaves unfurled in the scalding water, which was quite interesting to watch.
With Fire Release nature transformation, boiling water for tea was just that fast.
Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed heartily. "Hahaha... you're exaggerating, you're exaggerating."
"I'm already old. I should step down in a few more years at most."
"If Jiraiya and Tsunade are still not interested by then, I plan to recommend you as the Fifth Hokage."
Kageyama Kogetsu looked happy, but in reality, his words were insincere. "Thank you for your high regard, Lord Hokage. I will wait patiently then."
The two chatted for a while. Hiruzen put down his teacup and said with a serious expression, "Kogetsu, I have an important and secret mission for you!"
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