"It's simple—I want you to test the waters." Rinjin's voice carried a seductive undertone as it echoed through the room.
"Think about it carefully. The Fourth Kazekage—he's among the most powerful figures in all Five Great Shinobi Villages! To sideline him and become the ultimate puppet master behind this village, the uncrowned king— don't you want to try such a once-in-a-century opportunity?"
Yes, he did! Danzo's heart raced with desire.
Compared to becoming a village's Kage, the feeling of secretly controlling a hidden village was equally intoxicating. More than that, this kind of behind-the-scenes manipulation felt even better. Just imagining a publicly glorious Kage being puppeteered by him in the shadows—Danzo nearly reached a mental climax. This feeling of looking down on everyone in the world, this intoxicating sense of being the only sober one among the drunk...
In that moment, Danzo was completely captivated.
However, upon further reflection, he realized Rinjin was simply unfathomable. Every time he felt like he was catching up, this guy would give him another shock. Thinking this way, a bold idea suddenly emerged in his mind.
This Rinjin fellow, who always disappeared for years at a time—could he have messed with all Five Great Villages?!
At this thought, cold sweat slowly seeped down his back. The possibility was extremely high! This bastard was naturally restless, had maxed out his spy skills, and might have really infiltrated all Five Great Villages.
But what did that have to do with him?! He was the gold-medal scapegoat king—whether it was the scheming Hiruzen Sarutobi or the fox-like Rinjin, they all needed his masterful blame-taking skills!
With this realization, Danzo immediately cast aside his surprise and sidled up to Rinjin with a sleazy grin.
"Brother Danzo, count me in! With us brothers working together, our strength can cut through metal!"
Seeing Danzo's lecherous smile, Rinjin also broke into laughter. He threw an arm around Danzo's shoulder, and the two old foxes whispered together, grinning wickedly.
"Danzo, I need to deploy some Root operatives as informants. After all, I'm not as cunning as you—I can't figure out situations just by reading human nature. I need intelligence and eyes everywhere. You'll have to help me with this."
Rinjin nodded with a smile and replied: "No problem, Brother Danzo, but three people maximum—no more. Sunagakure also has quite a few people with exceptional sensing abilities. When you have time, you should try to understand people's thoughts rather than relying too heavily on subordinates for intelligence."
Danzo nodded emphatically. Normally, he would scoff at such advice, but today he was facing Rinjin. This guy was a monster at reading people's minds—even his beloved teacher, the Second Hokage, praised him endlessly for this ability.
Seeing Danzo's humble and studious attitude, Rinjin smiled with satisfaction and began sharing some of his insights.
"Brother, I'm entrusting Sunagakure's affairs to you. Remember our core philosophy: Tempt with benefits, and everyone rises together. Sunagakure's class structure is already quite rigid—the elite remain elite, and their descendants are also elite. Meanwhile, those common villagers work their entire lives, and if their children don't have special talents, they remain at the bottom. So these middle and lower classes are our allies. Use benefits, sweet words, and faith to unite these middle and lower classes. Borrow their strength to launch wave after wave of attacks against the upper class, shaking their foundations.
Tell them: If you succeed, you'll achieve class mobility. If you fail, there's a massive support network ready to continue your work. So don't be afraid—just charge forward."
Danzo, deep in thought, frowned and said hesitantly: "You're right, but Sunagakure's upper echelons probably aren't much different from Konoha's—these people control powerful military forces! With force and resources at their disposal, dividing us would actually be quite simple."
Hearing Danzo's doubts, Rinjin felt gratified. Good, you old codger—you've learned to think critically. However, there was absolutely no need to worry about such things.
With this thought, Rinjin spoke calmly: "Brother Danzo, you underestimate the power of people. The greatest difference between humans and summoning beasts isn't strength—it's brains and emotions. Opposition breeds conflict, conflict creates hatred, and hatred escalates into boundless malice. Malice is like a seed that transforms into even more malice. Perhaps some people can make humans understand each other, but this understanding is built solely on that person's presence. Once that person dies or changes, this understanding instantly collapses. It's like a massive, precision instrument with all pressure concentrated on one small gear—no matter how sturdy that gear is, it can't withstand everything. Even if it could withstand the pressure, wouldn't it wear down? So people never need a savior, because everyone is their own savior!"
Listening to Rinjin's heretical, shocking words, even Danzo, who had weathered countless storms, was stunned.
However, Rinjin paid no attention to Danzo's surprise as his slightly fanatical voice continued: "We fear pain, yet we must drift in an ocean of suffering. But you must know that when we're about to drown, generation after generation will find a bright path for the future. People always find a way out. So there's no need to worry about the upper class's actions. Use momentum to completely crush them."
His resounding words fell, and the essence of dragon-slaying techniques was fully displayed before Danzo's increasingly bright eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, Danzo finally let out a long breath, the tomoe in his Sharingan beneath the bandages spinning rapidly.
"You... you mean: Create opportunities for Sunagakure's people, pave a visible path for them. Those who endure suffering and refuse to accept mediocrity will naturally struggle upward, smashing the obstacles in their way?!"
"Exactly!" Rinjin clapped his hands, increasingly impressed by Danzo's growing mental agility.
"We don't need to act directly. Make the cake—make more and more cakes, cultivate their appetites until they grow larger and larger! When the day comes that the chef can no longer make the delicacies they desire, these greedy people will turn their gaze to others' plates. Hunger will make them determine the victor! Just like the Eighteen Seats—even if these people realize they've become chess pieces, they won't stop. Because the vested interests behind them won't allow them to stop. At that point, they'll charge forward even more frantically and become puppet masters like us, guiding more people down this path of filling their bellies! We're using them, but aren't they also using even more people?"
Looking at Rinjin's gleaming eyes, Danzo suddenly began trembling uncontrollably. He seemed to see it! He saw this man's burning, manic soul! This guy appeared carefree on the surface, but his heart was darker than anyone's!
When an undercover agent with no bottom line manipulates human hearts, the feeling is ten thousand times more sinister and terrifying than the most frightening ninjutsu! Ninjutsu only kills, maims, or forces unconscious obedience. But these manipulators of human nature make people fear them from the very depths of their hearts.
At this moment, Danzo finally understood why Senju Tobirama had told their generation to stay away from Rinjin. This kid had gone too far down the path of being an undercover agent. So far that no one could see his background anymore.
With this realization, Danzo couldn't help but murmur silently: "So this is what a true undercover agent looks like?!"
However, Danzo was different from Kagami, different from Sakumo, different from Rii, different from everyone else. When it came to inner darkness, none of those people were worthy of tying his shoes. So when he heard Rinjin's shocking statements, he felt fear and terror in his heart, but more than that, he felt exhilaration.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
🔥 Want to read the next 95+chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/DarkGolds]