Hearing Byakuya's blatant mockery, Danzo clenched his fists but could only stare intensely at Byakuya's back.
Byakuya knew very well that Danzo wanted to become the Hokage, but Byakuya constantly used this to taunt him, rubbing salt into his wounds repeatedly, even going so far as to encourage him to launch a military coup.
Danzo admitted that when he first heard Byakuya was willing to assist him in a coup, he was somewhat tempted.
But such actions, while easy to talk about, are incredibly difficult to accomplish. With his current strength, let alone dealing with all the village's ninjas, even facing Hiruzen alone would be extremely challenging.
As for secretly seeking allies, that was out of the question.
Byakuya's promises were not to be trusted. If word got out that he was colluding with ninjas from other villages, he might not even be able to keep his position as a senior advisor.
As for Orochimaru, he was also highly unreliable and could very well betray him at any moment.
Thinking of this, Danzo looked at Orochimaru beside him and slowly said, "Orochimaru, weren't you quite interested in Byakuya? Why didn't you make a move to keep him just now?"
Orochimaru glanced at Danzo and then said, "Lord Danzo, why didn't you make a move yourself? If you had struck first, I would have certainly gone to support you. Besides, during the day, I already gathered enough information.
Byakuya is definitely not the kind of ninja that can be easily taken down. I suspect that the one who came here was just a clone, and the real body is probably still with the exchange delegation. If we had really made a move, it would have been difficult to clean up the mess."
Hearing these words, Danzo's face showed a hint of displeasure, but he still accepted Orochimaru's reasoning. He knew it would have been pointless, but he still needed to vent his frustration.
After all, nothing had gone his way since last year.
Failing to become Hokage and facing the disbanding crisis of the Root Division was bad enough, but Byakuya even went out of his way to provoke his fragile nerves. Wasn't he afraid that they would completely fall out?
However, this time inviting Byakuya over wasn't entirely without gain.
At least he learned that Amegakure had no immediate plans to attack the Land of Grass. The Land of Grass is a crucial strategic point for Konoha since by controlling its leadership, they could curb the expansion of the Land of Wind, Earth, and Rain.
But, while Danzo was deep in thought, Orochimaru's gaze was fixed on the distance.
Although he didn't make a move against Byakuya, he was extremely interested in Byakuya's body. What kind of ninjutsu had he learned, and what kind of bloodline did he possess?
How could he have the strength to defeat Hanzo of the Salamander at such a young age?
Unfortunately, the one who came this time was just a shadow clone. If it had been the real body, Orochimaru might not have been able to resist making a move, but there would be other opportunities in the future.
Seemingly sensing Orochimaru's gaze, Byakuya, in the distance, turned to glance at the Root base.
From the moment he accepted the invitation, Byakuya never intended to make any deals with Danzo. Ninjas like Danzo are simply delusional as companions but can become excellent enemies.
As long as he would continue to bring up the matter of the coup, Danzo would eventually strike against Konoha's ninjas.
Perhaps in Konoha's prime, the idea of a coup would have been completely suppressed, but once Konoha enters a period of decline, everything will change.
And it seems that Orochimaru has also taken an interest in him. Should he find an opportunity to reveal his Wood Release?
---
After pondering for a moment, Byakuya returned to the exchange delegation's residence.
After casually chatting with Yahiko and Konan about the day's events, Byakuya began to perform the Summoning Jutsu to work remotely.
During the days that he and Yahiko and Konan had been away, quite a bit of government work had piled up in the village.
Although his Wood Clone had been diligently handling it, its efficiency was certainly not on par with Yahiko's. Yahiko was a workaholic, practically living in the office of Amegakure.
He didn't mind that his strength in the core group was inferior to Nagato's or Konan's, but even Karin was surpassing him.
Sometimes, he wondered if Yahiko could even defeat a Special Jōnin anymore, but this was the price of being the leader of a ninja village. Staying in a comfortable environment for long periods dulls one's sharp senses, which is detrimental to combat ability.
Seeing Byakuya working remotely, Yahiko paused for a moment but then began to take over the work.
"Byakuya, you always have good ideas. Can you lend me one?"
Yahiko was also concerned about the village. The basic infrastructure and educational reforms required strict supervision or, there was a high risk of corner-cutting.
This kind of thing was almost a norm during Hanzo's time, but the situation improved significantly after Byakuya sent a few Jōnin to the Pure Land for retirement.
In response to Yahiko's praise, Byakuya nodded lightly, only urging him to quickly handle the work. At the same time, he mentioned a few things about remote communication, hoping to promote it within Amegakure.
The remote communication method Byakuya mentioned was, of course, not the "Den Den Mushi" but the laying of proper communication lines.
From what he had learned about the ninja world over the past year, the chakra technology in the ninja world is not weak. Not only do they have technological products like refrigerators and computers, but also modern weapons like pistols and cannons.
The reason they haven't been widely used in wars is actually due to the presence of ninjas.
Ninjas are simply too fast. Although they can't outrun bullets, they can move faster than the aiming of a gun, and various ninjutsu and genjutsu make them difficult to defend against.
The method of using artillery for widespread destruction is also countered by the deployment patterns of ninja teams.
And most importantly, the cost of modern weapons is far higher than that of training ninjas.
And communication methods like telephones had already appeared within the ninja villages, but due to years of war, basic infrastructure couldn't be developed. Currently, it's likely that only Amegakure has the conditions to implement this.
However, the Akatsuki organization has its own ultra-long-distance communication method: the Projection Jutsu!
As long as there are Rinnegan and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, a remote communication system can be established. In the original timeline, the Akatsuki relied on this ability to communicate across the ninja world.
Unfortunately, Nagato has not yet attempted to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Just then, an electronic notification sounded in Byakuya's ear:
[Nagato's strength has been upgraded to Kage level. You have acquired Puppet Manipulation Jutsu, and gained the Human Path, Hell Path, and Animal Path abilities.]
Hearing the system notification, Byakuya secretly muttered to himself, "What a coincidence."
However, it wasn't surprising, as his Wood Clone had been guiding Nagato in creating the Six Paths of Pain these past few days. It made sense that the Six Paths of Pain would be completed around this time.
After all, the Six Paths of Pain are essentially just six puppets, created to maximize the abilities of the Rinnegan.
They greatly enhance Nagato's strength.
After all, Nagato's combat aptitude is difficult to assess. Although he didn't lose his legs to explosive tags this time, he still hasn't fully maximized the abilities of the Rinnegan.
The Six Paths of Pain also have the abilities of resurrection and immunity to death, which Nagato's true body does not possess.
Still, isn't a Kage-level evaluation of Nagato's strength a bit too low? After all, he does possess the Rinnegan.