"Damn it!!" Danzo directly tore apart the intelligence report handed to him by his subordinate, his face dark with anger as he shouted, "What a bunch of useless trash!"
He looked down at the ninja kneeling on one knee before him.
"Is there anything else to report?"
"The Hokage demands that you quickly gather the money owed!"
"..."
Hearing this, Danzo's face turned even more livid. His own men had been killed, and now he was being forced to pay? This... this was simply...
"Utterly humiliating!!"
But as he looked at the kneeling jonin before him, Danzo regained his composure. With an expressionless face, he turned to the ninja standing beside him and said, "Order the subordinates to deliver the money to the Hokage immediately."
This money...
He would pay!!
"Yes!!" the ninja responded.
As for Uzushiogakure...
Danzo narrowed his eyes. He knew he could no longer send troops. So many jonin, even elite jonin, had been wiped out in exchange for just one Uzu-nin. No matter how he calculated it, the losses were far too great.
"A seven-year-old Kage-level?" Danzo muttered. "How terrifying!"
But what exactly were the Uzumaki planning? Were they really just recruiting people?
And they were even offering such good treatment to those worthless refugees?
Moreover...
Why were they constantly spreading propaganda in Konoha, specifically targeting scum?
Danzo couldn't make sense of any of it, but it was precisely because of this that he felt uneasy...
Uzushiogakure definitely had a scheme!
"Continue monitoring Uzushiogakure, but do not take action," Danzo said sinisterly. "If you discover anything unusual, report it immediately!"
"And make sure to retrieve the bodies of the Root ninja."
"Have the Interrogation Unit examine them to see what information can be extracted," Danzo said, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.
Hiruzen had refused to return the Root ninja's bodies, which meant he must have found something on them!
"Yes!!" the Root ninja replied.
...
Uzumaki Jun had no idea that his Magnet Release had led Konoha to suspect an alliance between Uzushiogakure and Sunagakure. If he had known, he would have immediately clarified his stance, declaring with absolute determination and unwavering loyalty...
"Uzushiogakure is Konoha's most faithful ally!!"
At least for now...
As for Danzo's underhanded tactics, Jun had no intention of crushing him at this time. Having a fool like Danzo in Konoha was a rare blessing!
If it weren't for his relentless habit of betraying his allies, would the other villages even have a chance to catch up?
A high-ranking Konoha official who could shout "Everything is for Konoha!" while simultaneously sabotaging the village's interests—there was probably only one such person!
If Danzo were killed now, would the White Fang still die? Would the Sannin still leave? Would Shisui still be killed? Would Itachi still defect? And what about Yoroi...
Oh, Yoroi was already part of Uzushiogakure now...
In any case, Danzo couldn't die yet!
The other villages needed him to catch up to Konoha!
If he died, and Konoha's strongest united under one banner... pushing forward with unwavering determination, what then?
The other villages would be left in despair!
At the very least, Danzo couldn't be killed until Uzushiogakure's reforms were complete and Minato took office. For now, Danzo was practically a friend to the other villages!
He had dedicated himself to weakening Konoha, giving the other villages hope of catching up...
In a way, he was also carrying on Hashirama's ideals!
Working tirelessly to maintain balance among the villages by betraying his own allies...
How could such a good person be sacrificed?
The only problem was that he was too meddlesome, always eyeing Uzushiogakure with ill intent. That part wasn't good!!
So...
For now, the best option was to scare him into not acting rashly.
Otherwise, this old schemer would keep plotting against Uzushiogakure.
"Sigh...!" Jun sighed helplessly. He just wanted to borrow Konoha's influence for a while. Konoha had been exploiting Uzushiogakure for years, so wasn't it only fair for Uzushiogakure to borrow their reputation now...
Besides, in another sense, Danzo embodied a universally acknowledged spirit—
Perseverance!!
Just think about how many years Danzo had struggled to become Hokage...
Even in his sixties or seventies, he remained vigorous, fighting tirelessly for the dreams of his youth...
In the end, he became the shortest-serving Hokage in Konoha's history—a Hokage whose face wasn't even carved into the Hokage Monument before he died!!
If there were a "Top Ten Most Touching Figures in the Shinobi World" list, setting aside all other factors and focusing solely on inspiring perseverance, Black Zetsu, Madara, and Danzo would undoubtedly rank at the top.
One struggled for a thousand years, another sought to maintain world peace even past a hundred years old, and the last fought for decades just to become village leader...
Such spirit deserved recognition!
Young people these days were too impatient, always wanting to awaken the Sharingan with both eyes already at two tomoe, and then unlocking the Mangekyō to dominate the shinobi world the moment someone they loved died...
"Lord Jun," Kai said cautiously, noticing that Jun had spaced out again. "The Uzu-nin have returned with the refugees."
"They're back?" Jun snapped out of his thoughts and asked, "Were there any problems?"
"Not exactly, but the refugees were terrified when they saw the ninja," Uzumaki Kai replied after a moment's thought. "They didn't seem to believe our promises."
"It's fine, we'll take it slow," Jun said casually. "We'll use love and courage to win them over!"
"..."
Kai had long grown accustomed to Jun's nonsensical remarks, so he remained silent.
"Oh, and remember, we absolutely cannot take in any talent suited for Konoha," Jun said seriously. "They've already been kind enough to lend us their land, so we shouldn't steal their talent!!"
"..."
The Konoha-nin listening in nearly rolled up their sleeves in anger, but after some consideration, they decided against it. They couldn't win this fight.
They could only continue glaring with dark expressions.
"Understood," Kai nodded in acknowledgment.
"Assign the work to the subordinates over the next two days," Jun stretched lazily. "We'll prepare to leave for Konoha."
"Just the two of us?" Kai frowned. "The clan head said..."
"Two is enough," Jun interrupted. "If we need to escape, the two of us can manage. Otherwise, who knows who'd end up saving whom?"
"Understood," Kai thought for a moment and agreed. After all...
No matter what, he would protect Jun.
"And if any shinobi want to join Uzushiogakure, remember to seal their chakra and explain the situation clearly to them!"
"Understood!"
Recruiting shinobi was necessary for Uzushiogakure, as the village was severely lacking in manpower. However, they had to be cautious—they couldn't afford to bring in a group of arrogant troublemakers who might disrupt the village's peace.
They also had to watch out for spies from other villages!
If they weren't careful, the enemy might infiltrate from within!
Moreover, once the refugees entered Uzushiogakure, the communal food policy would need to be adjusted. Otherwise, productivity would suffer. So...
"We need to find something for them to do!" Jun muttered to himself.