Chapter 257: Danzo: Hiruzen, you bribed me! Hanzo's arrangement!
The dispute between Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, Homura Mitokado, and others, and Danzo, lasted for nearly half an hour.
Although everyone argued heatedly, no one was able to convince Danzo.
In this meaningless quarrel, even Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually lost his patience.
"Danzo! Since you are so firmly against it!"
"Then, the negotiations!"
"I'll leave them to you!"
"I'll only give you seven days!"
"No matter what methods you use, or what price you pay!"
"Seven days from now, I want to see the Hidden Rain Village issue a ceasefire announcement!"
"If this matter can be successfully resolved, I will personally ensure increased financial support for Root!"
It must be said,
Hiruzen Sarutobi had grasped Danzo's lifeline.
To have the Village increase its support for Root,
and allow Root to grow further,
was Danzo's long-standing pursuit.
Seeing such an opportunity laid out before him,
even if there were many risks hidden behind this matter,
Danzo could not refuse.
"You all heard what Hiruzen said!"
"I will handle the Hidden Rain Village matter properly!"
"As for... Hiruzen! I hope you remember the promise you just made!"
After achieving his demands through some form of exchange of interests,
Danzo had no intention of staying longer.
He snorted twice and left the Hokage Office with an arrogant expression.
"Hiruzen! You are too lenient with Danzo!"
"Don't forget! He is no longer the Hokage's assistant! He is merely the leader of Root!"
"Moreover! Root's current strength is already sufficient!"
"If we increase investment in Root, it will inevitably affect the balance between Anbu and Root!"
"Koharu! I know! I will reconsider this matter carefully!"
Compared to Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado,
Hiruzen Sarutobi undoubtedly saw further.
If the Hidden Rain Village matter could be handled properly,
the ultimate honor for this matter would still fall upon him, the Hokage.
But if the negotiations broke down, and war reignited,
Danzo and Root would be able to shield him from all unfavorable public opinion.
Allowing him to be timely removed from the core discussion of this matter.
And what he had to give up?
It was merely a light, yet-to-be-confirmed promise.
"Since you have it in mind, I won't say more."
"I will handle the negotiations with the Daimyo."
"However! Regarding Jiraiya, I think the Village must take a stand!"
"After all! Jiraiya is not just your disciple! He is also the deputy commander of the front-line camp!"
"To just abandon the front-line command and get involved with three brats from the Land of Rain! The impact is simply too negative!"
"And! That brat from the Fujiwara Clan!"
"Saying he's monitoring Jiraiya for a period of time!"
"In my opinion! This is clearly an excuse for him and Uchiha Mikoto to be lazy!"
To some extent,
Utatane Koharu indeed possessed the ability to see the bigger picture.
When faced with a situation, she truly dared to rush forward.
No matter who you were! A comrade, a Higher-Up, or even the Hokage!
As long as you made a mistake,
you couldn't escape the full force of Utatane Koharu's criticism.
"Cough~"
"Koharu! I will personally handle the matters of Jiraiya and the brat Tetsuya!"
"You don't need to worry about this matter!"
"What you need to do now is to quickly secure the Daimyo's support!"
"No matter what! The war with the Hidden Rain Village should come to an end!"
After sending Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado away,
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed helplessly.
He took a puff from his pipe and sat down again.
One, two, three, four!
None of them gave him peace of mind.
Jiraiya! Have even you fallen into confusion?
...Danzo's actions were swift.
As if fearing Hiruzen Sarutobi would change his mind,
he led dozens of Root members to the border front that very night.
After a brief meeting with Orochimaru, Tsunade, and others,
and understanding the movements of the Rain Ninja in recent days,
Danzo and the Root members did not linger.
They headed directly towards the Hidden Rain Village.
Meanwhile, Hanzō, Saito, and other Hidden Rain Village Higher-Ups,
after Danzo left the Konoha Camp,
obtained certain specific intelligence through some secret channels.
"Is the one coming Danzo?"
Hidden Rain Village! Amekage (Rain Shadow) Building!
No! It should be called the temporarily designated Amekage (Rain Shadow) Building!
Inside the spacious room, numerous Hidden Rain Jonin and Elite Jonin-level experts stood.
"Lord Hanzō! Do you need me to go ahead and probe their intentions?"
After Hanzō decided to negotiate a ceasefire,
he basically left many of the Hidden Rain Village's miscellaneous affairs to Saito.
Although he was much busier than before,
it also allowed Saito's influence in the Hidden Rain Village to continuously increase.
At least, in front of Hanzō, he possessed a considerable say.
"No! The relationship between Danzo and Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi is not simple!"
"It seems! My guess was correct!"
"The Konoha Higher-Ups, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, indeed have the intention to cease hostilities!"
"Saito!"
"Yes! Lord Hanzō!"
"Danzo is our future benefactor!"
"Whether the Hidden Rain Village, and even the entire Land of Rain, can extract higher benefits from this war!"
"All depends on Danzo's attitude!"
"You go personally! Be sure to entertain Danzo and the accompanying Konoha Ninja well!"
"Also! Try to find a suitable opportunity to sound out Danzo's intentions!"
"And! That inherently gloomy fellow Danzo! Although he's blind in one eye!"
"He is, after all, a Kage-level expert!"
"In front of him! Put away your petty schemes! Don't play those underhanded tricks!"
Perhaps!
He had already understood the attitude of the Konoha Higher-Ups.
In short!
After many days of silence,
Hanzō's spirit had clearly recovered considerably.
"Understood! Please rest assured, Lord Hanzō!"
"I will handle all of this!"
...On the way to the Hidden Rain Village,
Danzo and the Root members,
encountered many Hidden Rain squads along the way.
Perhaps the Hidden Rain Higher-Ups had already made arrangements,
the Hidden Rain squads along the way did not rashly attack.
They merely followed from a distance, monitoring Danzo and the Root members' every move.
"You must be Lord Danzo!"
"My name is Saito! Lord Hanzō ordered us to come and meet you!"
"Saito Yamada, the Reversing Current?"
"I've heard of you!"
Scanning the Hidden Rain elites in front of him,
Danzo's expression gradually darkened.
As Orochimaru and Tsunade had said,
although the Hidden Rain Village had suffered heavy losses in the past year-long war,
its foundation remained.
If the fighting continued,
it might once again fall into a months-long war of attrition.
"Since you have arrived, then let those tails behind you disperse!"
"This old man has a bad temper! I don't like being watched!"
"Of course!"
"It's getting late today! We've found a few courtyards in the Village ahead!"
"If you have no other arrangements, then we will rest there for tonight and depart for the Hidden Rain Village tomorrow morning!"
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