Minato shook his head: "Elder Danzo, I didn't lie to you. Kirigakure frontline army has already retreated. The Hokage has been wondering why you and Root lost contact. The Hokage was very angry."
Why did they lose contact? Was the signal bad in Hidden Rain Village?
No, it was because Amegakure was extremely xenophobic and very wary of Root's Ninja.
Hanzo demanded that Root's Ninja not cause trouble in the Land of Rain. All Root personnel were gathered in Amegakure and forbidden from any contact with the outside world, which led to the loss of contact with Konoha.
Also, Danzo had unilaterally decided to involve Amegakure in the war this time. He wanted to take all the credit for himself and didn't want anyone to know.
Danzo explained it clearly to Minato, and Minato didn't say anything. Even if Danzo and Root returned, it wouldn't make much difference.
It might even deepen the conflict, as Danzo was the one who least wanted to see the Uchiha rise to power.
If he were in the Village, he probably would have led his men to fight the Uchiha when they tried to depose the Hokage.
He might not emerge if Konoha was destroyed, but if the Uchiha became Hokage, he would be furious.
Danzo asked Minato to elaborate: "Minato, tell me in detail, especially about the reactions of those Uchiha."
"Alright!"
Then Minato told Danzo everything that had recently happened in the Village.
Minato and other righteous Ninja could not approve of Danzo's actions, but Danzo was, after all, working for Konoha.
For Konoha, Danzo severed all personal emotional ties. The Third Hokage, his peer, was almost a grandfather, yet Danzo remained alone.
So old, yet still without a wife or children, diligently working for Konoha his entire life.
Even if he did some foolish things, his fanatical love for Konoha must be acknowledged!
Danzo and Aburame Ryoma listened to Minato's intelligence.
Hearing about the great battle between the Sannin and Madara, Jiraiya's life hanging by a thread, Orochimaru's death, and Tsunade's capture, they couldn't help but be horrified.
It was true, Madara was truly resurrected!
The sky has fallen!
"Ryou, what a talent. I knew from the start he was an evil Uchiha."
"Those damned Uchiha, how dare they try to depose the Hokage at a time like this? Hiruzen, that weakling, actually bowed his head."
"Sarutobi is incompetent. It seems I have no choice but to emerge."
"Go, grab your weapons, let's go back to the Village and kill these evil Uchiha."
Ryoma and Minato quickly stopped the enraged Danzo.
"Lord Danzo, calm down."
"Elder Danzo, don't be impulsive. This is a critical period. The Village must concentrate all its strength to deal with Uchiha Madara."
Minato and Ryoma exchanged glances. Danzo was already old, yet still so hot-tempered.
Ryoma nodded to Minato, a greeting.
Minato suddenly paused. Who was this person?
Danzo was so angry he almost ground his teeth to dust.
Despite all precautions, the Uchiha still managed to get their hands on the Hokage's throne.
"Hmph, the Uchiha want to become Hokage! Even if Konoha is destroyed by Uchiha Madara, the Uchiha will never become Hokage."
Ryoma helped Danzo to a seat. Danzo slowly calmed down, and then a sense of joy actually rose in his heart.
Because Jiraiya's fate was unknown, Orochimaru was dead, and Tsunade was killed. The three most excellent Hokage candidates were thus eliminated.
This brought him one step closer to becoming Hokage.
What if the Uchiha received a high-level nomination?
By consensus of the Senju Clan and Konoha's high-level officials, no Uchiha would ever be allowed to become Hokage.
In that case, only this blond-haired youth in front of him could contend with him!
Danzo gazed at Minato with a sinister look, and slowly, a murderous intent arose in his heart.
But slowly, he suppressed that murderous intent.
No, Madara, the great enemy, was right before them. Minato, who mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, was the best candidate to deal with Madara.
Minato didn't realize that the Danzo in front of him had already mentally betrayed him. He asked, "Elder Danzo, can we win over Hanzo and Amegakure to fight Uchiha Madara together?"
Hanzo was, after all, the Demigod of the Ninja World, and Amegakure was the strongest Ninja Village outside of the Five Great Nations.
Konoha could not abandon this power and not form an alliance.
Moreover, compared to the other four Ninja Villages, Konoha's hatred with Amegakure stemmed from invading the Land of Rain during the Second Great Ninja War.
But even then, Hanzo had overestimated himself by challenging the Five Great Nations.
More than 10 years had passed, and that hatred had faded. He believed Hanzo would set aside his hostility towards the Great Nations in the face of Madara's threat.
Danzo shook his head: "No, Minato, you must understand one principle: Hanzo's objective from beginning to end is to lead the Land of Rain to become a great nation."
"Perhaps when he hears the news of Uchiha Madara's resurrection, he will defect to Uchiha Madara, break the existing political system of the Five Great Nations, and re-divide the Ninja World."
Minato fell silent.
Small nations and Great Nations are inherently hostile in terms of scale.
Small nations either become pawns of Great Nations or unite to resist them.
Madara might be the savior of small nations, because his appearance would challenge the existing Five Permanent Members.
Danzo then comforted Minato, saying, "But it's not absolute. Hanzo is also a Ninja who emerged from the Warring States Period. He should know that cooperating with someone like Uchiha Madara is like playing with fire."
"However, Hanzo's specific actions will still depend on his own thoughts."
Hanzo was almost 60, no longer the formidable Demigod he once was.
The current Hanzo sought stability more, was more greedy for power, and couldn't even tolerate a peace organization like the Akatsuki. What could he possibly achieve?
Perhaps upon hearing the news of Madara's resurrection, he would remain neutral, take the Amegakure elites to hide somewhere, and then emerge to signal his surrender to the victor after the two sides had decided the outcome.
Danzo then made a decision: "Later, we will tell Hanzo the news of Uchiha Madara's resurrection. If he has any intention of defecting to Uchiha Madara—"
Danzo made a throat-slitting gesture towards Minato.
Minato's Flying Thunder God was the fastest assassination technique; even the Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't perceive it, let alone the aging Hanzo.
Minato's expression was somewhat solemn. Killing the military leader of a nation would undoubtedly trigger war.
But Minato had to admit that Danzo's approach was correct. If Hanzo led Amegakure to defect to Madara, Madara would be even harder to deal with.
For the Village, all threats must be nipped in the bud—this was the Hokage's mindset.
Suddenly, with a 'poof', a cloud of summoning smoke burst open.
Minato's Summoning Toad immediately appeared before Minato, Danzo, and the others.
The Summoning Toad anxiously reported to Minato: "It's bad, Minato! Kakashi and the others ran into Ryou!"
"What?!"
"How is Ryou alive again—"
Minato's pupils contracted sharply. How many times was this?
The first time was when Ryou self-destructed at Kannabi Bridge. Everyone thought he was dead, after all, no one would dare to deceive the Sannin and the yellow flash in broad daylight.
But Ryou didn't die. In the end, he even resurrected Madara, plunging the entire Ninja World into crisis.
The second time was when Ryou self-destructed in front of the Third Hokage.
At that time, he alone displayed destructive power exceeding that of a Jonin. The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan confirmed Ryou's death, and it was definitely not a clone deceiving them.
Now Minato heard the news that Ryou was still alive again.
How could anyone be so resilient to death?