Chapter 521: The Urge to Bully Was Growing Stronger
Danzo was successfully convinced by Obito.
In the real world, Danzo had repeatedly suggested that the Third Hokage hand Naruto, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, over to him so he could raise and train Naruto as a living weapon.
Naturally, the Third Hokage had always refused, resulting in countless rounds of "You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Even if the Third Hokage had accepted Danzo's reasoning, there was no way he would have handed Naruto over to Danzo. He would have trained Naruto himself.
After all, if Konoha's ultimate weapon ended up in Danzo's hands, then who would really be in charge of the village—him, or Danzo?
For the same reason, Danzo was now willing to cooperate with Obito and turn Rin into the Three-Tails' jinchūriki.
Whether Danzo truly wanted to make Konoha great again was beside the point. One thing was certain: he intended to use the Three-Tails as a bargaining chip on his path to becoming Hokage. That guaranteed he would assist Obito.
There was, however, an even deeper force at work—one that ordinary people could never perceive.
It was fate itself.
After all, this wasn't the real ninja world. It was merely a world created by genjutsu—a test server.
Unlike the open world of the real one, this test server had a fixed main storyline based on the events that had happened in reality.
So whenever Obito chose to do something that matched what had happened in the real ninja world, it was as though heaven and earth themselves helped him. But if he tried to change anything, even a hero would find himself powerless against fate.
Naturally, Obito had no idea any of this was happening. He simply believed it was all thanks to his brilliant planning and political maneuvering.
And so, without lifting a finger himself, Danzo dispatched Root operatives to infiltrate the Land of Water and search for the Three-Tails based on the intelligence they had gathered.
After locating the Three-Tails and confirming its position, Danzo went to the Third Hokage. He reported that Kirigakure had been making suspicious moves and suggested sending Hatake Sakumo to lead a reconnaissance squad to gather intelligence.
Preferably, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin should accompany him.
The Third Hokage sensed that something wasn't quite right. However, without any reliable intelligence on what was happening in Kirigakure, and after reviewing the "evidence" Danzo presented, he hesitated repeatedly before finally agreeing.
In his view, this wasn't wartime. With the White Fang leading the mission, there shouldn't be any real danger.
He simply reminded Sakumo to be extra careful.
Besides, perhaps going out on a mission would help ease Kakashi's and Obito's emotional trauma.
Thus, the group headed toward the Land of Water.
Danzo secretly followed as well.
After all, their target was a Tailed Beast. No matter how powerful the White Fang was, there was no guarantee he could defeat one.
Danzo's scheme was insidious.
He deliberately concealed the existence of the Three-Tails. Once Sakumo encountered it, the Root members hiding nearby would intentionally provoke the beast, forcing it into battle with him.
To protect his son, Sakumo would undoubtedly fight the Three-Tails with everything he had.
If he couldn't win, Danzo and the other Root members could step in to help.
Afterward, Sakumo would have no grounds to blame him. On the contrary, he ought to be grateful.
After all, Danzo's report to the Third Hokage had been intentionally vague. Now that they had actually found a wild Three-Tails, didn't that prove his intelligence had been accurate?
Just as Danzo had predicted, Sakumo barely managed to defeat the Three-Tails.
The moment the battle ended, Danzo emerged from hiding and directed the Root members to restrain the Three-Tails, preparing to seal it.
"You three, come over here. I'll examine you and see whether any of you have the potential to become a jinchūriki."
Danzo casually addressed the three young ninja.
"Danzo, you..."
Sakumo, gravely wounded and currently receiving treatment, was furious.
He had never imagined Danzo intended to use these three children as vessels for the Three-Tails.
"Calm down, White Fang."
Danzo waved dismissively.
The so-called examination was merely a formality.
In the end, the choice was fixed on Nohara Rin.
"Are you willing to become the Three-Tails' jinchūriki for the sake of the village?"
Danzo looked at Rin and asked.
"I am!"
Rin clenched her fists, her expression resolute.
"No, Danzo! You can't do this!"
Sakumo still tried to stop him.
His objection wasn't only because he was worried about Kakashi.
"White Fang!"
Danzo barked.
"Think carefully. You defeated the Three-Tails, and the commotion just now has surely alerted Kirigakure. They'll be here soon."
"If we simply retreat without sealing the Three-Tails into one of our own, what does that mean?"
"It means that you, Hatake Sakumo, betrayed Konoha! You helped Kirigakure subdue the Three-Tails and allowed them to reclaim control of it!"
"If Kirigakure declares war on Konoha in the future, then every Konoha shinobi the Three-Tails kills on the battlefield will be your responsibility!"
Danzo unleashed the argument he had prepared long ago, leaving Sakumo completely speechless beneath the weight of the accusation.
Sakumo wanted to volunteer himself.
But he was seriously injured. Even if he had the aptitude to become a jinchūriki, there was no guarantee his body could withstand the sealing.
"Danzo-sama. Let me do it."
Seeing Danzo about to use his cheap sealing technique, Obito hurried forward.
Even if this Rin only existed inside the genjutsu world, he still couldn't bear to watch her suffer. Better to make it quick.
If they were sealing a Tailed Beast, they should use the best sealing technique available.
"You?"
"I secretly learned a few techniques."
Obito said nothing more.
Taking a deep breath, he gathered the limited chakra remaining in his body and forcibly activated the Four Symbols Seal.
As for the Eight Trigrams Seal, which required two Four Symbols Seals layered together, he simply didn't have enough chakra.
Still, the Eight Trigrams Seal had been designed for the Nine-Tails.
This was only the Three-Tails.
The Four Symbols Seal was more than sufficient.
"Heh. An Uzumaki sealing technique."
Danzo recognized it immediately.
In his mind, he had just gained leverage over Kakashi.
Meanwhile, when Sakumo saw his own son working hand in hand with Danzo and mercilessly sealing a Tailed Beast into his companion's body without the slightest hesitation, his heart broke.
Just like that, they returned to Konoha.
Following Danzo's and Obito's plan, they made sure everyone knew about their return.
According to Obito, if Rin was going to willingly serve Danzo-sama, then she first had to become completely disappointed in everyone else.
The villagers' fear of the Tailed Beast would make them reject the kind-hearted Rin, pushing her into the darkness of Root.
Danzo thought it made perfect sense, so he carried out the plan.
The problem was that Obito had merely summarized a pattern.
The pattern was about as meaningful as saying, "Whenever the alarm clock rings, breakfast appears." The two things seemed connected, but in reality had nothing to do with each other.
The villagers of Konoha would bully anyone equally.
A jinchūriki simply made bullying them feel even more satisfying.
After the Three-Tails was sealed inside her, Rin's original outfit transformed into a midriff-baring one, exposing the ring-shaped Four Symbols Seal on her stomach.
An ordinary person might have found it rather alluring, almost like decorative body markings.
But when the villagers of Konoha saw Rin's exposed stomach, they felt no excitement whatsoever.
Instead, their desire to bully her surged higher than ever.
(End of this chapter)