Danzō no longer cared about his so-called plans. The threats posed by the First Mizukage, Yuto, and Madara Uchiha to Konoha were simply too great.
Especially Yuto, since his resurrection, he had repeatedly targeted Konoha. This was more than enough to show his deep-seated hostility towards Konoha!
In Danzō's eyes, Yuto was an even greater threat than Madara!
Although Konoha's people had moved past the shadow of Yuto's resurrection, thanks to Hashirama Senju, Danzō saw no real improvement in the situation.
Hashirama's strength was immense, but against a combined Yuto and Madara, he would surely be defeated. Even if the chances of them joining forces were slim, any possibility was a huge hidden danger to Danzō.
Though Hashirama had handed all of Danzō's forces to Jiraiya, Danzō only felt a sense of wariness and annoyance towards him, not hatred. Even an enemy would respect a man like Hashirama. Besides, Danzō's true goal had always been to make Konoha stronger.
Danzō saw the situation clearly. The three-way stalemate looked solid, but it could shatter at any moment.
Their power was so immense that any one of them faltering would change the entire shinobi world's balance. Unless another superpower, not weaker than any of the three, appeared again, but that was highly unlikely.
Without a force equal to Hashirama's, the only thing that could change the shinobi world's situation, in Danzō's view, was Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan.
Since the plan was no longer viable, there was no need for a plan!
"This is my only chance!" Danzō raised his cane, his eyes filled with a ruthless glint. He strode powerfully in the direction of Yuto's chakra.
"This chakra... it's him!" Orochimaru, who had just left his secret room, squinted his eyes, looking towards Yuto's direction.
"Has Danzō's failed before it even began?" A bead of cold sweat trickled down Kabuto's forehead. His voice was slightly subdued.
"Tch, you can't predict the methods of an old monster like that," Orochimaru said after a brief pause. "But even if the plan has failed, Danzō won't give up so easily."
"Orochimaru-sama, the First Mizukage Yuto is already outside Konoha. What should we do now?" Kabuto's face was laced with worry.
If they left Konoha now, they might get caught in the fight between Hashirama and Yuto. But if they stayed, the longer they remained, the higher the chance of being discovered.
After all, the disappearance of the three Anbu he knocked out was no small matter. Knowing Konoha's efficiency, they had probably already been found.
"Stick to the original plan, and we must leave Konoha immediately!" Orochimaru glanced around, his voice tinged with tension.
Kabuto couldn't help but freeze for a moment. He whispered, "If we leave Konoha now, I'm afraid..." He trailed off, looking at Orochimura cautiously, knowing he understood the implication.
Orochimaru gave Kabuto a deep look, then his figure flashed as he moved towards a patch of shadow. Kabuto hurriedly followed.
"Hmph, I don't know what's happening, but for a chakra eruption to occur outside Konoha... something is definitely wrong." Orochimaru's face held a cold sneer as he spoke in a low voice. "The First Mizukage Yuto's goal is likely Konoha itself!"
In a forest on the outskirts of Konoha, a huge explosion suddenly echoed through the trees. The next moment, a massive crater appeared not far from Yuto.
Before Yuto's chakra had even fully manifested, Hashirama Senju had already arrived from Konoha. But as the smoke from the crater slowly cleared, Hashirama's figure appeared before Yuto.
Seeing Hashirama, a faint smile appeared on Yuto's lips.
Thump! Thump! Heavy footsteps echoed. Hashirama's face was solemn and grim as he stepped out of the crater, one step at a time.
"Long time no see, Hashirama!" Yuto smiled, raising his arm and waving at him in greeting.
Seeing Yuto's gesture, Hashirama instinctively raised his own arm to wave back. But after only a few waves, his arm froze mid-air. His eyelid twitched as he gritted his teeth, "You bastard!"
"You really haven't changed at all," Yuto said with a strange smile, shrugging his shoulders. "I was just about to come find you, but you came here yourself!"
Hashirama took a deep breath, his expression hardening again. "Oh?"
Yuto blinked, feigning a look of confusion. Hashirama, who was watching him, was about to get angry but suddenly froze.
"What's wrong with your eye?" Hashirama frowned, looking at the Sharingan in Yuto's left eye socket.
"You mean this Sharingan? It's a bit ugly, but its ability is quite good. Perfect for a test." Yuto casually pointed to the Sharingan in his eye socket.
Though Yuto said this, Hashirama didn't believe him for a second. Looking at Yuto's nonchalant expression, Hashirama's eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness.
Currently, in the entire shinobi world, the only ones who truly understood Yuto were Madara and himself. The Uchiha clan's Sharingan was indeed powerful, especially when it evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan. But this so-called power was only impressive to ordinary shinobi.
With Yuto's strength, he should have looked down on the Sharingan. Of course, Hashirama felt the same way.
After all, even Madara, the strongest of the Uchiha, had been defeated by him. As for Yuto, it took both Hashirama and Madara working together to barely seal him.
It was precisely because of this that Hashirama knew Yuto would never look down on the Sharingan. But now, Yuto had actually implanted one into his own eye socket.
This could only mean one thing: the power of this Sharingan was so great that even Yuto was tempted by it!
But! Looking at the Yuto before him, Hashirama's fists clenched tightly. For some reason, he was suddenly consumed by rage!
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