The "Konoha Crush" orchestrated by the joint forces of Sand and Sound.
The core organizer was, of course, Orochimaru.
But Danzo Shimura also played a crucial role. Without his assistance, thousands of Sand ninja and hundreds of Sound ninja could never have slipped past Konoha's massive border defense forces and infiltrated the outskirts of the village unnoticed.
To put it bluntly, Danzo was the "third ally" in the plan. Intelligence support, covering tracks, erasing evidence, and finally, holding his forces back. While Root didn't have a massive number of personnel, every single one was an elite, at least at the Chunin level.
The fact that such a force was not deployed to resist the foreign invaders spoke volumes about Danzo's intentions.
He was hoping Hiruzen Sarutobi would die in this war. Even if Konoha had to pay a certain price for it, it didn't matter. In Danzo's view, Konoha was a great power with decades of accumulated strength. Even with some losses, they could still sit securely on the throne of the number one ninja village. The decline over the years wasn't due to a weakening of the village's strength, but solely due to Hiruzen's weakness.
Danzo believed that as long as he successfully ascended to the position of Hokage, he could sweep away all of Konoha's enemies. That was his "confidence"!
Therefore, the deaths of some Konoha ninja and civilians, and the destruction of some buildings, were acceptable losses to Danzo—sacrifices necessary for the "greater good."
But this absolutely did not include the defection of Menma, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
That was a strategic weapon Danzo considered vital.
So, upon hearing that Menma had been lured away by Orochimaru, the Darkness of Shinobi could no longer maintain his calm façade.
"Bastard! Send someone to contact Orochimaru immediately. Tell him to send the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki back at once. Otherwise, he will bear all the consequences, and this old man will certainly not let him off!"
Danzo stared coldly at the Root subordinate kneeling below him, his voice icy.
With his ego inflated to the extreme, Danzo couldn't tolerate Orochimaru playing him like this.
"Yes!"
"Lord Danzo, Elder Mitokado has sent word. An emergency high-level meeting is being convened. Please head over immediately!"
Just as the first subordinate responded, a figure flickered in from the left side, kneeling on one knee to report to Danzo.
Hearing this, Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly. He nodded gently. "Mhm, I understand. Handle the matter I just assigned to you immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
After giving his orders, Danzo leaned on his cane and walked out of the Root base. He headed straight for the building beneath the Hokage Rock. Looking up at the four stone faces, a hidden, fervent desire flashed deep within his eyes.
'Soon... very soon, it will be my turn!'
Danzo whispered to himself.
He then strode towards the top floor of the building.
When Danzo arrived at the Hokage's office, four figures were already there.
Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Jiraiya, and Shikaku Nara, the Hokage's strategic advisor.
Seeing them, Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly.
Just as he slowly sat down on the sofa to the left...
Homura Mitokado, sitting opposite him, spoke up.
"Danzo, you came just in time. We were just discussing the key issue. With Hiruzen dead in battle, although there are many problems the village needs to address, the priority is to decide on a candidate for Hokage. Koharu and I both feel that Jiraiya is the most suitable choice. We plan to submit his name directly to the Daimyo. You should sign it as well."
Although the succession of a Kage in the Five Great Ninja Villages required the approval of their respective Daimyo and a formal appointment process, everyone knew it was just a formality. Over the decades, which Kage had truly been chosen by a Daimyo?
The so-called leader and monarch of the country was merely a figurehead to the ninja villages.
Daimyo could not truly interfere in the internal affairs of a hidden village.
Especially regarding the selection of a Kage. As long as the village reached a consensus, the Daimyo and the national government would never dare to object.
They could only agree.
In the original story, the only time a Kage selection was obstructed and changed was when Tsunade was in a coma and Kakashi was set to succeed as the Sixth Hokage. But the critical factor wasn't the Fire Daimyo; it was Danzo's interference and manipulation.
Otherwise, with the approval of the vast majority, Kakashi would absolutely have succeeded as the Sixth Hokage.
Regardless of whether it was the original story or this timeline, with Hiruzen now dead, Danzo clearly had his sights set on the position of the Fifth Hokage.
But the moment his old friend Homura spoke those words...
Danzo's heart sank.
"Mhm. My view aligns with Homura's. Jiraiya is currently the suitable candidate. Danzo, you should feel the same, right?"
Koharu opened her eyes slightly, staring straight at Danzo opposite her, speaking in a low voice.
As longtime friends of Danzo Shimura, both Homura and Koharu knew his personality all too well. Although Hiruzen hadn't explicitly spoken about everything Danzo had done in the past, as his advisors, they were well aware.
However, they shared Hiruzen's view that Konoha needed Danzo to handle certain "special" tasks—but he also needed to be kept in check at all times.
They could not let Danzo run wild with major village affairs.
For instance, regarding the position of the Fifth Hokage, both advisors felt Jiraiya was the most suitable candidate for Konoha right now.
In terms of strength, prestige, and identity!
He was the correct choice to stabilize the Hidden Leaf. Konoha needed a powerful Hokage to lead it now.
Although this was somewhat expected...
Hearing both of his old friends express the same opinion...
Danzo's expression turned extremely dark.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop abruptly.
A second later...
Danzo seemed to compose himself. He glanced indifferently at Jiraiya, let out a sound that was half-snort, half-sigh, and said casually, "Since you think it's acceptable, then let it be so."
His words were plain.
But the rage within his heart was something only Danzo knew.
Standing to the side, Shikaku kept his expression neutral, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.