While Ge Liang was selling magic sword and Daoist robes in the internet cafe, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting in the Hokage Office, looked quite melancholy.
There was nothing he could do; Danzo had been "dead" for so many days, and he still hadn't found a suitable scapegoat, so Root had been without a leader for days.
Currently, Root's operations had practically stalled. Without Root's assistance, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't carry out many clandestine matters.
This made him very unhappy.
"Damn Homura Mitokado, I asked him to be the leader of Root, and he actually refused."
"And Utatane Koharu too. She acted as if she feared I would harm her. She refused me directly before I could even finish speaking."
"Sigh, it seems these two old partners no longer possess their former ambition. They've become so conservative now."
"People like this can no longer serve as Hokage Advisors. It looks like I need to scout for new candidates."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was extremely displeased by the repeated refusals from both Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu.
It's just being a scapegoat occasionally. We're all doing it for Konoha's benefit, so what's wrong with asking you to take the blame?
Didn't you see how happy Danzo was to take the blame back then?
Why is it a problem when it comes to you?
At this moment, besides continuing to look for a leader for Root, Hiruzen Sarutobi also wanted to replace the two Advisors.
Since they were no longer wholeheartedly dedicated, there was no need to keep them around to frustrate him.
They needed to be replaced.
"But who should take over Root?"
Replacing the Advisors could wait, but the matter of Root truly could not be postponed any longer.
At this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind was racing, and Ninja who were qualified to inherit Root flashed through his thoughts one by one.
After a brainstorming session, he felt that besides his two old partners, everyone else either lacked seniority or lacked sufficient strength.
"What exactly should I do?"
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was contemplating the problem, the office door was suddenly flung open.
A child wearing goggles and a long scarf around his neck rushed in and shouted loudly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Old Man, take this!"
After speaking, the child waved his right hand and threw a shuriken toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Oh... Konohamaru, you're at it again."
That's right, this child was Hiruzen Sarutobi's grandson, Konohamaru Sarutobi.
Facing his grandson's attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked helpless.
In order not to crush his grandson's confidence, he could only "laboriously" dodge the attack.
Next, he was already prepared for Konohamaru to continue his "throwing" attack, as Konohamaru always "played" this way before.
Unexpectedly, Konohamaru had a new trick this time.
He didn't continue the attack; instead, he formed hand signs and said, "Old Man, watch the Ninjutsu I just learned."
"Naruto Big Brother's Ninjutsu Profound Truth: Sexy Jutsu."
With a *bang*, Konohamaru instantly transformed from a little brat into a completely naked beauty shrouded in mist.
"Mmhmm~ Grandpa, come play with me!"
(๑＞ڡ＜)☆
"Wow~"
Caught completely off guard by Konohamaru's shameless "attack," Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately spurted "a liter" of nosebleed as a sign of respect.
"Wahahaha, did you see that, Old Man? This is my Konohamaru's invincible attack!"
Seeing that the Third Hokage was already "bleeding and injured," Konohamaru immediately dispelled the Sexy Jutsu and pointed at his grandfather, mocking him relentlessly.
"Idiot."
After losing some nosebleed, Hiruzen Sarutobi managed to "sober up" and immediately delivered a punch to Konohamaru's head.
"Ugh... that hurts."
Konohamaru covered his head and crouched down, unable to get back up.
"Ebisu, Konohamaru is yours."
As Konohamaru's private tutor, Ebisu naturally followed Konohamaru here.
However, Konohamaru attacking his own grandfather was a regular routine for the two of them, and as an outsider, he felt awkward interrupting.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Now that the "attack routine" was over, as the private tutor, he naturally had to take Konohamaru out of the office and continue his Ninja education.
"That guy Naruto is truly mischievous."
Due to his status, Konohamaru didn't have many friends in the Village besides Ise Udon and Moegi.
Therefore, when he learned that Konohamaru was interacting with Naruto, he didn't stop it.
He never expected that little rascal Naruto would actually teach Konohamaru the Sexy Jutsu, and that he himself would be used by Konohamaru as a practice target.
What a disaster.
"Wait, Sexy Jutsu?... Hmm... Transformation Jutsu?"
To put it plainly, the Sexy Jutsu is simply another application of the Transformation Jutsu, and anyone who can become a Ninja can basically learn it.
However, knowing the technique is one thing, and actually using it is another.
After all, these people still have a sense of shame.
"Why didn't I think of using the Transformation Jutsu?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was originally focused on the matter of Root, but Konohamaru's interruption immediately made him think of the Transformation Jutsu.
"Using the Transformation Jutsu, I can directly have my Shadow Clone transform into Danzo's appearance and take over Root."
"Furthermore, given Danzo's prestige, no Ninja in Root would dare use Sensing Ninjutsu on him."
"In this way, I won't have to worry about being exposed."
The more he thought about it, the more feasible Hiruzen Sarutobi found the plan.
He and Danzo had been close friends for decades; he knew Danzo's personality inside and out.
Even if he was just imitating him, he was confident he could get about eighty percent of it right.
Therefore, instead of painstakingly searching for a scapegoat, it was better for him to do it himself.
I'll be my own scapegoat... If Ge Liang knew about this maneuver, he would probably have to exclaim: Awesome!
Deciding to act immediately, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave instructions to the Anbu hidden in the office, telling them not to follow him, and then he departed for a secluded spot in Konoha Village.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Transformation Jutsu."
Once the two techniques were complete, a brand new 'Danzo' appeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hiruzen, long time no see."
Looking at the 'Danzo' in front of him, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and replied, "Danzo, you've worked hard these past few days. Welcome back to the Village."
That day, 'Danzo' reappeared and successfully returned to the position of Root leader.
At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi explained to certain individuals that Danzo had merely been away on a secret mission, and he couldn't disclose details until the mission was complete to prevent leaks. Now that Danzo's mission was finished, he had naturally returned.
This explanation managed to silence certain people.
Even if Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado felt there was something wrong with this Danzo, they dared not voice their doubts.
Having known him for so many years, they were well aware that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not as benevolent as he appeared on the surface.
They only needed to look at what happened to the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan during Hiruzen Sarutobi's tenure.
The two founding Families of Konoha Village no longer existed.
Conversely, the Sarutobi Family had grown increasingly powerful.
Undoubtedly, the key figure responsible for this could only be the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Therefore, even if the two still harbored suspicions about this Danzo, they could only protect themselves and their Families by keeping their thoughts to themselves.