The tit-for-tat drama between Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately caused a stir across the entire ninja world.
Could this be the relationship between the top management of Konoha Village? How should this relationship be described?
It always felt a bit outrageous. In other ninja villages, when they faced a major issue, their leaders gathered for a meeting. The content of such a meeting would revolve around solving the village's problems, with discussions and compromises to reach an optimal solution.
But seeing Danzo confront his "shadow" Hokage face-to-face was a first.
Onoki: "I feel like it's good to be old. These two are putting on quite a show."
Uchiha Obito: "It doesn't matter. People can still see it even after they die."
Hatake Kakashi: "Obito, you're still the same—no understanding and just causing trouble."
Obito wanted nothing more than to strangle Hatake Kakashi with a mouthful of salt water. What did Kakashi know about the drama going on? If it weren't for his disguise, Obito would have understood everything tenfold. What he was orchestrating now was a thousand times more exciting than anything Kakashi had ever seen.
Black Zetsu, in silence, could only watch the chaotic scene unfold.
Senju Tobirama: "Ah, Monkey... Danzo... No, Koharu and Yan... Are they really the same in this world as in ours?"
Mitokado Homura: "..."
Utatane Koharu: "No, teacher. Danzo and Hiruzen here have a very good relationship."
Orochimaru: "Is it really so good? I heard Danzo tried to assassinate Sarutobi-sensei. Sarutobi-sensei must have had a rough time."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Tobirama-sensei, don't listen to my traitor's nonsense."
Shimura Danzō: "Yes, Orochimaru is the traitor of Konoha. Speaking of which..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Huh?"
Shimura Danzō: "No, nothing."
Uchiha Madara: "So, what's this about Danzo saying he was 'one step late'? Was he supposed to be Hokage if he'd been a little earlier?"
Senju Tobirama raised a hand to his forehead, troubled. He hadn't expected his choices to lead to such a mess with Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō.
If he had known, he would have taken Danzo along to deal with the Golden Horn and Silver Horn pursuit.
Back on the high platform, Orochimaru let out a wicked smile. "It must be tough to protect Konoha's reputation, Mr. Sarutobi."
Sarutobi Hiruzen glared darkly at him. "Orochimaru, if not for the mysterious force suppressing the ninja world, I would've finished you off by now."
"You know we can't do anything, so stop talking nonsense."
"There's another piece of good news I want to share," Hiruzen continued. "It's about the war against Konoha. Not only do I want you dead, but there are others who want you dead even more than I do."
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't pay much attention to Orochimaru's words. He knew what Shimura Danzō was like. As long as there were issues, with his qualifications, few could compete with him for the Hokage position.
Thankfully, Sarutobi Hiruzen had stripped Danzo of some of his rights years ago. Even if something happened to him, Danzo becoming Hokage wasn't a high possibility.
Uzumaki Naruto and the other new-generation Genin were watching with mixed reactions.
Aside from Uchiha Sasuke, whose face was clouded with anger, the others didn't seem to grasp the depth of the power struggle.
Sasuke's anger stemmed from Uchiha Itachi. Something in this conversation made him suspect there was more going on beneath the surface than he understood.
Although the power struggle wasn't clear to the Genin, one piece of information stood out: Sarutobi Hiruzen and the high-level Konoha officials were fighting fiercely for Uzumaki Naruto's future.
This alone showed how important Naruto was to them. In fact, Shimura Danzō even suggested that Naruto could receive better spiritual guidance if placed under his control. It was clear that Danzo wanted to help Naruto grow stronger.
Nara Shikamaru: "So, our Naruto is missing something important?"
Yamanaka Ino: "At least that Naruto seems much more mature than our Naruto."
Haruno Sakura: "Naruto there seems to be more focused on becoming stronger."
Inuzuka Kiba: "Our Naruto spends his time pulling pranks, turning the entire Konoha Village into his canvas, wasting resources."
Aburame Shino: "Actually, the Naruto we know has done well for our generation of Genin. He even defeated Hyuga Neji. If..."
Tenten: "If the Naruto from that world had focused on training since he was young, and had better resources..."
The group fell silent, stunned. They realized the potential of the Naruto in that world, whose future was likely to shine brighter than theirs.
Uzumaki Naruto, however, felt a little lost. "But I just play pranks to get people to notice me. Could it be that the Naruto in the other world really doesn't care about that?"
Uchiha Sasuke, still frowning, looked at Naruto, who seemed unaffected by the situation. It was becoming clear that Naruto in the other world didn't care at all what the people of Konoha thought of him—or what his classmates thought.
This Naruto wasn't obsessed with the recognition of others. His focus was entirely on becoming stronger, regardless of how others viewed him.
The difference between Naruto's world and the other world was becoming increasingly obvious.
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