"Who are you?"
"Wait, those eyes!"
Danzo finally noticed Lux.
Previously, he had been whipped by his teacher and howled so loudly that he had no intention of observing anyone else.
At the same time, he was immediately shocked by the Rinnegan.
Nagato's Pain dolls left a deep impression on him. Now, when he saw the Rinnegan, he couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart.
"This is the Immortal Blessing, just call him Sir. He is the one who brought me here."
Danzo was shocked.
To be called Immortal is no simple matter.
Aside from the Sage of Six Paths, only the founders of several major spiritual sanctuaries have this qualification.
Who is this person?
"Immortal?!"
Tobirama did not hide anything and simply explained to Danzo Lux's identity and that he had traveled from 34 years ago.
Danzo did not believe it after hearing this, feeling that his entire worldview had shattered.
But his teacher was right in front of him, and the intense pain in his torn body was undeniable!
The other party might truly be Immortal.
"Wait a minute... Tobirama-sensei, have you met Hiruzen?"
Danzo seemed to think of something and quickly asked.
"Yes. I met him once more than half a month ago, on the night of the Kyuubi Rebellion."
"Ah?!!"
Danzo was stunned and began to curse Hiruzen in his heart.
No wonder when Minato surrendered, Hiruzen did not take over the Hokage position.
It turned out their teacher had punished him a long time ago!
Danzo wailed in his heart.
If he had known his teacher was still here, he could have traveled through space and time to visit him.
How dare he show off?
At most, the bravest thing he could do was to make small moves quietly...
Of course, Danzo knew it in his heart.
If he had not seen it with his own eyes, even if Hiruzen told him, he would not have believed it.
"Alright, do you have anything else you want to ask?" Tobirama asked with a flat expression.
Almost half an hour had passed, and he didn't have much time to stay in this world.
Danzo paused and said hesitantly:
"Sensei, in your eyes, am I bad?"
"Yes."
"..."
Danzo's face was like arsenic; nothing could embarrass him more than Tobirama's rejection.
Tobirama was not good at comforting people; he was better at blaming people, especially the Uchiha Clan.
Truly, if it weren't for Danzo being his student, and the young Danzo beside him doing well, Tobirama would have killed this man.
He even wondered if Danzo had gotten lost along the way?
"Sensei, I have one last question."
"Ask."
"If, if I were the first to speak up to hold back the enemy, could I become Hokage?"
Seizing the opportunity, Danzo asked about the knot that had been buried in his heart for decades.
He had always held a grudge because of this stalemate.
He always thought it was his own cowardice.
By placing himself behind Hiruzen, he lost his best chance to succeed as Hokage.
This regret tormented him for decades.
In the following decade, when he took over the roots, he was always very aggressive and cruel, and he also had a compensatory mentality in this regard.
Even until death, it was hard to let go.
And now, his teacher had traveled through space and time and appeared in front of him; this was just the opportunity to release this bond!
Danzo knew he would go to Sunagakure to work secretly and narrowly escape death.
That's why he wanted to ask for an answer before he died!
"Impossible!"
Tobirama replied directly.
"Ah?"
Danzo froze in place, feeling completely confused.
Wasn't he defeated there? Didn't he lose the chance to become Hokage because he wasn't the first to take the initiative?
"Why..."
Tobirama sighed and asked in a very disappointed tone:
"Danzo, what do you think is needed to become Hokage?"
"I..."
Danzo felt his throat choke and didn't know how to answer. After hesitating for a long time, he asked hesitantly:
"Is it absolute power?"
"Power is important, but it's not the most important. Besides, do you have absolute power?"
Does Danzo have absolute power?
Moreover, even if someone has absolute power, they may not be able to become Hokage.
That was Uchiha Madara back then.
Looking at the entire ninja world, few dared to say they were stronger than Madara.
"That's power! As long as you have enough power, you can sit in the Hokage position!"
Danzo was slightly dazed, still addicted to the amazing life-and-death power that existed within his roots.
But Tobirama whipped him again, waking him up.
CRACK
"Ah!!!"
"I formed Anbu to strengthen the Hokage's power and weaken the ninja system, bringing a more stable and peaceful environment to the village. Rather than letting you greedily ask for more power before you become Hokage!"
Tobirama cursed loudly and inevitably whipped him several times.
His good intentions had actually been turned into this with Hiruzen and Danzo.
Danzo even established the roots nonsense to destroy ANBU's reputation...
On his side, all the ninjas in the village proudly joined the Second Hokage's Special Tactical Assassination Force.
But now here, Konoha almost equated Anbu and Roots with the Demon Cave.
It could even be said that Danzo would become like this. It was Hiruzen who specifically separated the roots to make Danzo the darkness hidden behind the shadows of Konoha.
"Are you awake?"
"Awake!"
Danzo nodded quickly, not daring to argue at all.
Seeing that he still did not understand clearly, Tobirama spoke frankly:
"Power, diligence, character, fame, etc... all are necessary conditions to become Hokage."
"But the essence is, if you want to become Hokage, you must represent the interests of the majority of the villagers and bring a better future for most people!"
Tobirama, skilled in the art of politics, understood the key and essence of this better than any generation of Hokage.
"Only with the approval of everyone can you become Hokage!"
"Rather than becoming Hokage and then gaining everyone's approval."
"Danzo, you have the wrong mindset! Once you step onto the wrong path, you will only walk further down the road to Hokage."
"What you have done cannot be recognized by everyone!"
Tobirama revealed the root of Danzo's mistakes in one sentence.
These two choices, two paths.
They looked the same, yet were actually very different.
The first: Before becoming Hokage, he gained enough recognition, uniting most of the power, and representing the interests of the majority. Being able to sit in the Hokage position is normal, and it would be very stable.
But the latter: reversing the purpose and cause and effect, and making Hokage the first goal. He could easily become selfish and would do anything to become Hokage. Before becoming Hokage, he would violate the interests of many and thus antagonize the entire village and bring suffering to the village.
For example, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hizashi, etc., why did they choose Minato over Danzo?
What were the benefits of choosing him?
What did people want from him?
Could Danzo lead Konoha to victory? Could he refuse the coalition of four nations? Or did he want to make the Shimura Clan prosperous and suppress the living space of other clans?
A man who only likes to hide behind others, enjoys bullying fellow villagers based on their origins, and likes to gamble with the lives of others.
Who would choose him?
Hearing this, Danzo's face showed strong bitterness, and he fundamentally understood.
Yet there was still a glimmer of hope left in his heart:
"Sensei, if I had become Hokage back then, would the outcome have been different?"
"No. Even if I appointed you as Hokage, you could not become Hokage."
"Impossible! Everyone respects you so much. As long as you ask, I will definitely become Hokage!"
"You still don't understand! Saru is able to become the next Hokage because he has been recognized by most people and represents the interests of most people."
"That's not something I can state with just one word."
"If you had to do it again, choose again; even if you are willing to stay in front of Saru, I will not let you inherit the position of Hokage."
"That's cruel, but I can tell you."
"Danzo, you are not qualified then or now!"
Tobirama's words were like a sharp, cruel knife, ruthlessly tearing apart the last layer of flesh and blood in Danzo's heart and shattering all his fantasies into pieces!
Lies are harmless, but the truth from his teacher is the deadliest!
This nearly caused Danzo to collapse on the spot!
However, what Tobirama said also had its truth.
That period was not used at all to determine the Hokage position.
Hiruzen stepped forward and proved it, then beat Danzo, so that the six of them could unite more when fleeing back.
Was Minato the Fourth Hokage appointed by Hiruzen?
Actually not...
Long before Minato ascended the throne, he was already known by most of Konoha's ninjas.
In other words, he could represent the interests and future of all ordinary ninjas who were not clan descendants, and would not threaten the original clans of Konoha, and could protect Konoha from external dangers with his strength.
Thus, he could rise to the top.
Only in this way could he be recognized by everyone and become the Fourth Hokage!
Hiruzen was able to represent all the ninjas who joined Konoha and gained support from Koharu and others, allowing him to sit on the throne of the Third Hokage.
He could hold firm for several decades.
However, when Hiruzen betrayed the Hyuga Clan and let Danzo kill the Uchiha Clan, he gradually lost the recognition of everyone and came to be at odds with the village and various ninja clans.
As a result, he lost support from most of the populace.
Even when he was killed alone by Orochimaru, not many Konoha ninjas were willing to save him.
❀❀❀
Danzo froze in place, feeling numb from the pain in his body, and the regret in his heart became increasingly unspeakable.
"Was I wrong?"
"Have I been wrong all this time?"
"But, bringing darkness to the village is also a virtue!"
"Without me, who would do that dirty work for Hokage?"
Danzo asked passionately.
Tobirama stopped him with just one sentence:
"Danzo, do you think my brother, I, and Minato need to do that dirty work?"
"I..."
"Even if we did it, do you think we lack the courage and awareness to bear this evil?"
"I…"
"Don't mistakenly think that you are the only one capable of bringing darkness!"
"Darkness is not scary. What's scary is being in darkness and being swallowed by the pollution of darkness..."
Moreover, as long as its vitality is strong enough, Konoha's roots do not even need to take root in dark soil; they can still thrive even when soaked in water!
Danzo could not speak and almost fainted mentally.
His whole body collapsed to the ground as if he had turned into a mud ball.