"Look what you've done!"
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi angrily slammed a document onto his desk, glaring at Danzō Shimura opposite him, his face so grim it seemed about to drip water.
Danzō's eyes were half-closed, and he merely glanced at the document's cover without reaching for it.
He looked up at Hiruzen, a faint smile playing on his lips, choosing to remain silent.
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe. Only after exhaling all the smoke from his lungs did he speak in a low voice: "Why did you betray your comrades? I need an explanation."
"Betray... comrades?" Danzō countered.
Hiruzen's voice was cold: "The Amegakure Alliance Plan. On the night I dispatched Jiraiya to Amegakure to contact Hanzo, you sent a Root ninja squad to leak this information to both Suna and Iwa, causing Jiraiya to be ambushed. Do you really think I know nothing?"
"Oh, and what of it?" Danzō's tone was indifferent, as if completely unfazed.
"You!!!" Hiruzen slapped the desk, and the marble surface instantly cracked into pieces.
Danzō chuckled lightly, "Is Jiraiya dead?"
"My disciple isn't that pathetic! But the impact of this incident goes beyond that!"
Hiruzen tried to calm himself. "Don't you know that this will not only cause the alliance plan to fail, but also lead to Sunagakure and Iwagakure joining forces, putting all our comrades in our bases in danger! This is extremely unfavorable for the coming war!"
Danzō clasped his hands within his sleeves. "Just tell me what you intend to do with me."
Hiruzen stared into his eyes, a twitch in his temple. "Deprive you of your high-level council rights, disband Root. For the sake of our years of working together, you'll retain your empty position as a senior elder. Hmph, you can just retire peacefully at the Shimura household!"
He looked up at the window. "From now on, Konoha will only have one voice!"
The air was silent for a few seconds, then Danzō suddenly burst into laughter.
Hiruzen immediately flared up: "What are you laughing at?"
"I only find it ridiculous."
"What's so ridiculous?"
Danzō stretched his neck, maintaining a calm tone. "War is coming, and peace is about to shatter. In these turbulent times, you choose not to seize the opportunity to expand, but to strive to maintain the pre-peace status quo. Instead of devouring Amegakure, you choose to help Amegakure repel the other two great ninja villages..."
His eyes held unconcealed derision. "I must say, as the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, you are truly mediocre and cowardly to the extreme!"
For some reason, he emphasized the word "Third."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed into a (river) shape. He said discontentedly, "We have already discussed this in a meeting. Facing three enemies simultaneously, the chances of success are too low. I cannot risk the lives of our comrades for the selfish desire of invasion!"
"Your so-called discussion was merely using your position as Hokage to suppress all dissenting voices and declare a definitive conclusion," Danzō retorted sharply. "Cowardly and blind, that is the real you!"
"Danzō, I am the Hokage!"
"Mmm, mmm, and then what?"
Danzō picked at his ear. "You don't actually believe that your alliance plan will be adopted by Hanzo, do you?"
Hiruzen's words faltered, and he instantly calmed down. "What do you mean?"
"Heh heh, your cowardly way of seeking an alliance is utterly foolish. Hanzo will never agree. He would rather stand up and declare war on all three great ninja villages simultaneously than agree to ally with you."
"Why?" Hiruzen frowned and asked, "Has he gone mad? Even we in Konoha don't have the confidence to directly declare war on all enemies. Where does his small Amegakure get such courage? Compared to facing three great ninja villages simultaneously, allying with us is the best strategy."
"The reason you think this way is because you haven't considered the problem from Amegakure's perspective at all," Danzō shook his head and chuckled lightly.
"With powerful enemies surrounding them, as the weaker party, only by maintaining neutrality and treating all enemies equally can they barely survive in the cracks. Because once the powerful enemies begin to join forces, they will never have a chance to rise again."
Hiruzen questioned, "I don't understand. With us, Konoha, as a strong ally, does Amegakure still need to fear the other two great ninja villages?"
"You overestimate yourself, Hiruzen." Danzō slowly stood up, his voice gradually lowering. "From Hanzo's perspective, all you great nations who arbitrarily invade the Land of Rain are scoundrels. Why should he trust you, just based on a piece of alliance paper?"
Saying this, he picked up the document from the desk, a look of disdain on his face. "Please, Amegakure is facing a war for its very existence, the destruction of its village and its nation. How can this simple piece of paper bind two countries together?"
Hiruzen fell silent.
"Especially at times like these, one cannot trust others. Declaring war on the three great ninja villages simultaneously can ensure that they attack each other and don't dedicate too many troops to attack Amegakure. But if he genuinely allies with you, he will not only face the wrath of the other two great ninja villages but also have to guard against your constant backstabbing."
With a "rip," Danzō tore the contract in his hands into two. Hiruzen looked up in astonishment, met by Danzō's nonchalant words:
"So, I deliberately leaked this information to Suna and Iwa. They will naturally temporarily put aside their differences and tacitly form a united front against Konoha and Amegakure, to disrupt your alliance plan... At the same time, when they truly join forces, Amegakure will have no choice but to join us to resist the strong enemies."
Danzō sneered, "Even if Hanzo guesses our intention, he'll still have to cooperate with us. This is the charm of... an overt scheme. It's much more reliable than your tattered piece of paper."
Hiruzen took a deep breath, looking at his old friend with a hint of dawning realization.
"So, when the war ends, Amegakure will still be Amegakure..."
"Rip."
"No." Danzō continued to tear the contract, his movements unhurried. "Once we truly defeat Suna and Iwa, we will then deploy all our forces, turn the tables, and completely destroy Amegakure."
"You..." Hiruzen suddenly froze.
"We don't need a conservative Hokage, but a Hokage who seizes chaos to gain more benefits for his village."
Danzō met his gaze, his eyes as deep as caverns: "Hiruzen, chaos is not a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many have tried to climb it and failed, never to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but they refuse."
He waved his hand, and the shredded paper fluttered like snow. "They are just like you, clinging to the village, clinging to the villagers, clinging to the illusion of peace. All of it is an illusion. Only the ladder is real. We don't have the unparalleled power of the First Hokage. Only by slowly climbing is life's full meaning!"
"Hiruzen, if you don't learn to climb, you will forever be the coward who Kamihane Uchiha pinned to the ground, unable to raise his head..." He turned to leave, mimicking Hiruzen's tone from earlier: "Konoha only needs... one voice? Heh heh heh..."
The shredded paper floated down and scattered. Hiruzen stood alone, staring blankly, allowing the white flakes to land on his Hokage hat.
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