There were only 24 hours left until Shimura Danzō's public trial and 30 hours had passed since his 'dear friend' Hiruzen's last visit to the prison.
Minato, who was in charge of guarding the prisoner, now had dark circles under his eyes. Anyone who saw him might have assumed his exhaustion was due to Kushina, After all, the Uzumaki clan's stamina had been legendary since the time of Hashirama and Mito but that wasn't the case.
Since the third Hokage's visit, Shimura Danzō had been incessantly calling out to Minato from his cell, demanding to see Hatake Tatsuya. Initially, Minato refused. He wasn't foolish; he knew that bothering Tatsuya over this matter would likely result in a severe reprimand, if not worse.
However, in the 30 hours since Hiruzen left, Danzō had repeated his request no less than sixty times—averaging once every thirty minutes. Minato, despite his patience, could only endure so much. The constant buzzing in his ears was driving him to the brink of madness.
Minato was also becoming curious. Why was Danzō so desperate to meet Tatsuya? Could there be something significant behind his persistence?
Driven by this curiosity and the desire to stop Danzō's constant pleas, Minato gritted his teeth and created a shadow clone to leave the prison and seek out Tatsuya.
Tatsuya was accustomed to being shirtless and dripping with sweat during his training sessions. When he received Minato's report, he had just finished his basic exercises and was about to start training with Ryūjin Jakka. Raising his eyebrows puzzling, he asked, "Danzo wants to see me?"
"Yes," replied Minato's shadow clone. "From yesterday until now, he's repeated it more than fifty times. He started demanding to see you after Third Hokage's visit. Maybe Third Hokage said something and something shady is going on?"
Tatsuya's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't expect Danzo, known for his scheming and manipulation, to bring any surprises at this point. But Minato's report about Danzo's unusual persistence intrigued him. Could it be more than just a desperate plea for freedom?
"Interesting. Old monkey visited you? I thought no one was allowed to visit the prison," Tatsuya said, turning his gaze to Minato, who was responsible for the guard duty.
Minato gulped, feeling a chill run down his spine. "I'll deal with you later," Tatsuya said. Minato had already reported about Third Hokage's visit to Tatsuya and still felt goosebumps rise on his skin.
Tatsuya couldn't help but smile at the thought. If Danzo was merely begging for his life, it would only confirm his low opinion of him. "Alright, it doesn't hurt to go and see him. He won't live past 24 hours anyway."
Tatsuya tidied up and called out, "Rin, bring me a towel!"
A few seconds later, two young girls with flushed cheeks appeared—one with a towel and the other with a basin. Another followed with a tea tray.
"Wow, Hatake-sama knows how to enjoy himself," Minato murmured inwardly. If I tried to form a shinobi team just with girls like this, Kushina would kill me. By the way, who's scarier, Tsunade-sama or Kushina? Hope he never has to find out.
In the solitary cell at the deepest part of Konoha Prison, Danzo looked at the three kunoichis accompanying Tatsuya with a frown.
"If you have something to say, say it," Tatsuya said impatiently. "I interrupted my training to come see you, an old relic. If you don't give me a good reason, you'll regret it before tomorrow's trial. Believe it or not?"
Though irritated by Tatsuya's choice to bring three young kunoichi, clearly a display of contempt, Danzo knew he had no leverage to argue. He got straight to the point, "I hope you can let me out."
Tatsuya nearly laughed out loud. Danzo was even more foolish than he had thought. No wonder Konoha ended up in such a state under his and Sarutobi Hiruzen's leadership in Naruto's timeline.
Tatsuya showed his disdain and turned to leave. But Danzo's next words made him pause: "I don't want just to escape. I want to settle the score with Hiruzen!"
"Oh?" Tatsuya's interest was piqued, and the three girls perked up as well, eager for any juicy secrets. Who doesn't love to gossip?
"Just the day before yesterday, Hiruzen came to see me," Danzo continued.
The tension in the cell was palpable, and everyone waited to see what Tatsuya would decide.
Danzo continued, "He wants me to commit suicide in prison to keep secret all the underhanded things he's done to secure the Hokage position over the years."
Everyone present was stunned by this revelation. They had already known from following Tatsuya that the Third Hokage was not the benevolent grandfather they once thought. However, forcing someone to commit suicide was beyond what Rin Nohara and the duo had imagined.
Even Tatsuya showed a bit of surprise. Forcing someone to commit suicide was within Sarutobi Hiruzen's capabilities—Hatake Sakumo was a prime example. But he didn't expect the old man would push Danzo to such lengths to keep his secrets.
"It seems he wants you to play your role as the scapegoat until the bitter end," Tatsuya said, his surprise giving way to a mocking smile. "So, what's your plan? Are you going to go through with it?"
Danzo's face twisted with fury. "Of course not! I did everything for Hiruzen, taking on all the dirty work. Yet, when I needed help the most, he abandoned me without a second thought!"
Danzo's voice grew hoarse as he shouted, "He is the tree bathed in sunlight, and I am the root buried in the ground. Why? Why is it always me?!"
Danzo's outburst startled everyone, even Minato. The raw anger and betrayal in Danzo's voice couldn't be faked. The depth of his love for Sarutobi Hiruzen had turned into deep hatred.
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