When Danzō saw the Third Hokage agree to his request, his face remained calm, but inwardly he was already blooming with laughter.
'Although I'm not the Third Hokage right now, my Root has developed very well, not the least bit inferior to his Anbu. This means I've already split off a large portion of his power.'
He smiled and spoke.
"Lord Hokage, I can handle this matter for you, but the prerequisite is that he must be sent to the battlefield. Otherwise, this won't be easy to manage."
Even he was unwilling to carry out an assassination within the village.
If it were discovered, the impact would be terrible.
'I've heard that kid is extremely strong. Within Root, only I would have a high success rate if I took action personally.'
'Even if I struck within the village, one mishap could cause a huge commotion. It would be very easy to fail and would instead put the target on high alert.'
'It's not worth it for me to make a move just to gain a few new recruits. Not worth it.'
'But if it's handled outside the village, then it couldn't be easier.'
'I even have a way to make someone from another village do it for me. For example, that Fourth Raikage is a force I can borrow. It's the most suitable way to eliminate an unstable element in the village.'
When the Third Hokage heard Danzō agree to this, his face lit up.
"That's easy. I will send him to the battlefield."
'After all, I'm the one advocating for this. It would be hard to justify him *not* going to the battlefield.'
'Even if he doesn't want to go, I, as Lord Hokage, still have the authority to make him go.'
At this moment, Danzō's left eye narrowed slightly.
"Of course, there is one more condition for this matter to be accomplished."
Hearing this, the Third Hokage became a little dissatisfied.
"Danzō, is there no end to this? I've already agreed to your previous request."
Danzō explained calmly.
"To be on the safe side this time, I will ask the Fourth Raikage to specifically target that kid for the kill. Don't you think we should give the other side some benefit?"
The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed. 'Have an outsider kill a member of the Uchiha Clan?'
'That's actually a good idea. The Fourth Raikage is indeed a top-tier expert.'
'This way, the matter will be 100% successful. But... a benefit he mentioned?'
He still asked cautiously.
"What benefit? Be specific."
Danzō said with narrowed eyes.
"Naturally, when we renegotiate the peace treaty, I hope Lord Hokage can make some concessions."
When the Third Hokage heard this, his expression changed. 'Concessions?'
'Is he planning to make me betray the nation's interests again?'
'Last time, when I signed the peace treaty with the Stone Village, I made concessions, and I stepped down because of it.'
'Danzō couldn't be trying to dig a pit for me to make me step down, could he?'
'Although this man is a blade in my hand, this blade is double-edged. I must constantly be on guard against him.'
'It's just for a son. How can I give up my position as Hokage?'
He said sternly.
"Danzō, watch your words. I cannot agree to this request."
Danzō sighed internally. 'This old fox is really cautious. It seems this won't work.'
'If he had actually agreed, I would have made him sacrifice a large amount of the village's interests to make peace with the Cloud Village.'
'That way, I, Danzō, could incite the ninja clans' forces to make him step down.'
'At that time, who in the village would be able to compete with me?'
'The Uchiha Clan doesn't have the people's support.'
'The Third Hokage's three disciples are not in the village.'
'If I then communicated with the Daimyō and promised him benefits, I could truly realize my dream of ascending to the position of Hokage.'
'It's just a pity this guy isn't that stupid.'
Danzō calmed his feelings and could only say.
"It's just promising some minor benefits, such as some money. A large village like ours can still afford it."
The Third Hokage immediately said.
"One hundred million ryō. Any more and it's off the table."
Danzō could only agree.
One hundred million ryō was not a small sum.
"Then I will go back and arrange the plan."
"Afterward, I will send the list of talent I want to Lord Hokage. I hope Lord Hokage will persuade those clans not to obstruct it."
...
After Danzō left the Hokage building, he returned to his Root base.
He immediately drafted a secret letter, pondering who he should send to deliver this letter to the Fourth Raikage.
'But to get close to the Fourth Raikage, one must be powerful and proficient in the ways of espionage.'
After thinking it over, there was only one candidate: Yakushi Nonō.
He immediately headed for the outskirts of the Leaf Village and walked into an orphanage.
Inside, a group of children was playing.
He paid them no mind, walked directly to a building, and pushed open the door to enter.
Inside the building's office sat a woman wearing a white headscarf and large glasses.
Hearing the door open, she noticed the visitor, stood up, and said respectfully.
"Lord Danzō."
Although she had already resigned from Root, the respect that needed to be shown was still necessary.
The reason she could serve as the orphanage's director now was precisely because of Lord Danzō's financial support, which allowed her to take in these orphans who had lost their parents due to the war.
Danzō waved his hand.
"No need to stand."
He then sat down in the seat in front of the desk.
He spoke.
"The orphanage is run well."
Yakushi Nonō said with a smile.
"It is precisely because of Lord Danzō's help that the orphanage can provide a place for these children, who became orphans due to the chaos of war, to find a place to rest."
Danzō was extremely pleased to hear this, although this was not his original intention.
He just wanted to select talent from the orphanage.
These people, with no one to rely on, could be more easily cultivated into loyal subordinates after entering his Root.
"Have you found any useful talent recently?"
Yakushi Nonō sighed inwardly. 'So, he wants talent for Root again.' Although she had retired from Root, she still knew what a dark place Root was.
If she had a choice, she would not provide talent to Danzō and send these orphanage children to that dark place.
But she had no choice. If she didn't provide talent to Danzō, this orphanage probably wouldn't be able to stay open.
She could only say.
"There is one fellow with talent for being a ninja, named Yakushi Kabuto."
Danzō glanced at her.
"He shares your surname?"
Yakushi Nonō nodded.
"He's an orphan I picked up from the Land of Fire. He was young at the time and couldn't even remember his parents' names clearly, so he could only take my surname."
Danzō understood. 'So that's how it is.' He asked.
"You should have taught him the basics of being a ninja, as well as the basics of espionage, right?"