As for the second path, it was to obediently attend the meeting.
Anyway, no matter what happened, if his identity was exposed, he would definitely rat out that bastard Rinjin!
Yes!
Making him run away at the crucial moment!
He had to expose him in front of all of Hidden Sand Village's higher-ups!
Screw being the mastermind behind the scenes—he wanted to return to Konoha and never venture out again!
But...
If that bastard Rinjin didn't show up, his dream of becoming the Eighth Hokage would definitely be shattered!
No village would accept someone who had disgraced himself so thoroughly as their Kage.
Thinking of this, tears flowed freely in Danzō's heart.
Damn it, he'd been tricked again!
After a long while, Danzō finally let out a long sigh and nodded as if accepting his fate.
"Let's go. I happen to have some things to discuss with my grand-nephew anyway."
...
At ten o'clock in the morning, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa's daughter's birthday celebration began on schedule.
The gathering was held in a spacious open area behind the Kazekage building.
The area was surrounded by pristine white curtains characteristic of the Land of Wind, with a high platform set up at the back door of the Kazekage building.
Waiters carrying wine bottles were scattered throughout the venue, astutely refilling drinks for the guests.
All the prominent figures in the village had come.
They wore luxurious formal attire, with appropriate smiles on their faces, chatting in small groups.
The entire venue was filled with joy and harmony.
Danzō also stood among them holding a wine glass. Though his clothes were expensive, they weren't formal wear, making him appear somewhat discourteous.
It was clear that Rasa wasn't worried about Danzō violently resisting.
The people here were either wealthy or noble—no matter who died, it would be beneficial for Rasa.
Soon, accompanied by loud gongs and drums, the Fourth Kazekage walked onto the high platform with his beautiful wife holding their child.
Immediately, everyone respectfully stopped their conversations and gathered toward the platform.
Seeing everyone assemble, Rasa raised both hands and pressed them down slightly, speaking with a smile:
"Distinguished guests, welcome for taking time from your busy schedules to attend my daughter's birthday celebration. At the same time, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone. Since I took office as the Fourth Kazekage, I've received tremendous help from all of you.
"First, I thank the three esteemed senior advisory council members. Without their selfless guidance, I never could have grasped the responsibilities of a Kage so quickly.
"Second, I want to thank the clan leader of the Sand Clan. The Sand Clan has stood with the village since its founding, making outstanding contributions to Hidden Sand Village's development.
"At the same time, I must thank all the public officials. Without your diligent work, there would be no stable and rapid development of the village.
"Of course, all the merchants have also made indelible contributions to the village's prosperity."
As his words ended, the crowd below enthusiastically applauded.
Looking at the smiling faces below, Rasa smiled imperceptibly.
Honestly, he didn't mind saying some flattering words.
After all, next, he was going to make his move!
Having experienced previous political struggles, he had matured considerably.
Precisely because of this, he had learned a lesson from Kaza: when you have power in your hands, no matter how humble and modest you appear, these people won't dare underestimate you. When you have no power, no matter how forceful you act, you're just a laughingstock in their eyes.
Raising both hands again and pressing down slightly to signal for quiet, Rasa continued speaking.
"Alright, bring out the cake! Everyone, let's drink together!"
After speaking, Rasa took the wine glass his wife handed him and raised it toward the crowd.
Seeing this, everyone cooperatively raised their glasses and drank.
After drinking, the back door of the Kazekage building opened, and chefs wheeled out a massive eighteen-layer cake.
It was clear that Rasa had put real effort into this meeting.
The eighteen-layer cake was a full five meters high, decorated with various colorful fruits—just its appearance was intimidating.
Seeing everyone's slightly surprised expressions, Rasa smiled with satisfaction, a flash of cold light passing through his narrowed eyes.
"Ahem..."
Clearing his throat, Rasa bared his fangs.
"Everyone, this cake took quite a bit of my effort. Please be sure to taste it properly. Oh, before tasting, there's one more thing I'd like to say."
At this point, Rasa quickly scanned the crowd, his voice gradually becoming ominous.
"Everyone says my cousin Kaza is particularly good at making cakes. Honestly speaking, I'm quite skilled at it too. Take the recent water, electricity, and food shortages in the village—if it weren't for my unlimited Gold Dust supporting us, the village would have had problems long ago."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was startled.
What day was today?! It was a birthday celebration—Rasa's daughter's birthday celebration!
So why would the Fourth Kazekage say such mood-killing things?!
You had to know that when the village had water, food, and electricity shortages, none of these people had clean hands—they were all waiting to see Rasa make a fool of himself!
Was it appropriate to bring up such things that everyone tacitly agreed to cover up at this kind of occasion?
Below the platform, the three elderly senior advisors sensed something amiss, frowning as they exchanged glances and silently groaned.
Glancing discreetly around, the three exchanged another look and collectively sighed.
Outside the curtains surrounding the venue, numerous ANBU figures lurked, having already surrounded the entire venue.
"The situation is hopeless. Let's observe and wait. This probably isn't aimed at us!" one bald senior advisor said in a low voice.
Hearing this, the other two nodded and subtly moved closer to each other.
In the center of the crowd, Danzō's brow was tightly furrowed.
His premonition had come true!
This Rasa had definitely discovered his identity.
However, what made Danzō very uneasy was that he actually didn't know when he had been exposed.
Thinking of this, Danzō immediately felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
If he had been unconvinced before, now he was completely convinced.
Rinjin's capabilities were completely beyond his comparison.
How ridiculous that he had actually thought Rinjin was only good at grasping the big picture, while he himself was a hundred times better at detailed management.
Ridiculous...
Just as everyone harbored their own thoughts, Rasa's planted accomplice in the crowd spoke up loudly:
"Fourth Kazekage-sama, what exactly happened with the water, electricity, and food shortages back then?"
At the front of the crowd on the other side, the Sand Clan leader frowned and glanced toward where the voice came from, then looked at Rasa with subtle dissatisfaction.
Hadn't they agreed that Kaza would transfer power after five years? Why bring up past events today?!
Was he really not giving this old man any face at all?
Obviously, he still didn't know that the Kaza here was fake.
"Ahem..." The old man's heavy coughing sounded.
The Sand Clan leader looked up at Rasa fearlessly and spoke in a deep voice:
"Fourth... sama..."
Though he didn't say much, his warning was obvious.
Seeing this, Rasa suddenly laughed and then spoke loudly:
"The water, food, and electricity shortages back then were naturally... Hidden Rain Village's exploitation! Back then, my cousin Kaza managed the village finances very well, as everyone witnessed.
"But!"
With a loud shout, Rasa pointed at Danzō disguised as Kaza in the crowd.
"Recently! My diligent cousin has already been murdered! The one now wearing my cousin's skin is a spy from another village!"
Instantly, even the howling wind stopped.
Everyone turned to look at Danzō in the center of the crowd, instinctively stepping backward.
In a moment, a large empty space appeared around Danzō, with everyone staring at him in shock.
Faced with this scene, Danzō's back broke out in cold sweat as he cursed inwardly.
Rinjin, you bastard, come save me!
If you don't come out, I'm going to expose everything!
Just when it was extremely quiet, a sudden clapping sound rang out.
Instinctively, everyone turned toward where the applause came from.
They saw a chef in pristine white chef's clothing slowly emerge from behind the massive five-meter-tall cake, elegantly removing his chef's hat.
His right hand pressed against his chest as he bowed slightly.
Then the man revealed a handsome, rugged face with a faint smile.
His gaze was sharp as a blade, with the fierce look of a wolf and the keen sight of an eagle.
His sharp gaze swept over the crowd, and quite a few people instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
At the back of the crowd, Toda stared intently at the man's young face, trembling all over, muttering in agitation:
"It can't be wrong! It can't be wrong! It can't be wrong! When Lord Kaza was displeased, his gaze would give people exactly this feeling of a blade scraping across skin! It can't be wrong! Lord Kaza isn't dead! He is Lord Kaza!"
As everyone remained speechless, the man's mature voice broke the silence.
"Everyone, I am Rinjin of the Northern Lands. Or... you may also call me... Lord Daimyō."
As his words fell, boundless pitch-black iron sand shot skyward, savagely shrouding the entire sky.
...
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