Chapter 575: Danzo’s Inflated Ego

Chapter 575: Chapter 575: Danzo’s Inflated Ego

Root Base.

Inside a dimly lit secret conference room, Danzo sat at the head of the table, wearing the Hokage’s hat and robes. His face bore the unmistakable air of someone accustomed to wielding authority.

Seated on the other two sides of the triangular conference table were Orochimaru, looking completely at ease, and Hyuga Kagami, who was controlling his Fire Release clone and dressed as Homura of Kamigami.

This was the first secret meeting between the three since Danzo had successfully risen to power and become Konoha’s Acting Hokage.

At that moment, Danzo fixed Orochimaru with a cold gaze and questioned him in an authoritative tone, "Orochimaru, what’s going on with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? What exactly did you do to him?"

Although Danzo had not personally attended yesterday’s entrance ceremony, now that he was the village’s Acting Hokage, nothing that happened within the village could escape his surveillance.

Unlike everyone else, Danzo had not dismissed Naruto’s claim that he had learned senjutsu as a childish joke. Thus, the moment they met, he immediately began questioning Orochimaru.

Kagami, wearing his flame-patterned mask, also turned his head toward Orochimaru. Beneath the mask, however, his expression remained perfectly calm.

After realizing that Naruto might genuinely have come into contact with senjutsu during the period when Orochimaru had abducted him, Kagami had privately sought out Hinata, who had been kidnapped alongside Naruto.

Initially, Hinata had been unwilling to reveal Naruto’s secret.

However, the little girl was no match for Kagami’s skillful questioning. When Kagami casually brought up the words ’Ryuchi Cave,’ she was so astonished that she ended up telling him everything they had experienced there.

Upon learning that Naruto had genuinely practiced senjutsu in Ryuchi Cave, even Kagami had been visibly surprised.

Because both the timing and location of Naruto’s senjutsu training were completely different from the original timeline.

In the original timeline, Naruto had only learned senjutsu around the time Pain attacked Konoha. By then, he was already sixteen or seventeen years old, and the senjutsu he had cultivated was that of Mount Myoboku.

Beyond his initial surprise, Kagami gradually became vigilant.

This change demonstrated that his influence on this timeline was becoming increasingly profound. It would be difficult for him to use the original timeline as a reference for what might happen in the future. Therefore, he could no longer allow his preconceived notions to constrain his thinking or interfere with his judgment.

Faced with Danzo’s questioning, Orochimaru merely shrugged casually. "Just a little accident."

"A little accident?!"

Danzo frowned and stared sinisterly at Orochimaru, waiting for him to elaborate.

Orochimaru glanced at Danzo.

Undoubtedly, after becoming Acting Hokage, Danzo’s imposing presence had grown considerably, and the pressure he exuded was far greater than before. Even Orochimaru could not completely ignore it.

After weighing his options, Orochimaru offered a half-truth.

"Previously, while evading Akatsuki’s pursuit, my subordinate accidentally wandered into a secret realm with Naruto. It seems Naruto came into contact with something inside that realm."

"A secret realm?" Danzo narrowed his eyes. As he scrutinized Orochimaru, he pressed further. "Did Naruto really learn senjutsu?"

All his previous questioning had been leading up to this single question.

There was only one thing Danzo truly cared about: whether Naruto had genuinely mastered senjutsu, and whether he could discover a method of mastering senjutsu through Naruto.

Orochimaru smiled and looked at Danzo with a teasing expression.

Bang...

Danzo immediately slammed his hand against the conference table in displeasure and shouted, "Orochimaru, answer my question!"

Kagami interjected calmly, "If Naruto had truly mastered senjutsu, he wouldn’t have lost to Sasuke. Your question is unnecessary."

Orochimaru glanced at Kagami before nodding in agreement. "If senjutsu were that easy to master, Jiraiya wouldn’t need to summon the two Toad Sages every time he enters Sage Mode."

After several consecutive major battles, the fact that Jiraiya could enter Sage Mode was no longer a secret among Konoha’s higher-ups. Furthermore, those who had been paying attention had noticed that Jiraiya needed to summon the two Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, before entering Sage Mode each time.

Danzo swept his cold gaze across Kagami and Orochimaru. "You two had better not try any tricks with me!"

Deep down, Danzo did not really believe that a mere brat could master senjutsu either. However, his personality, which compelled him to control everything, had made him accustomed to meddling in every matter.

Seeing that Danzo’s suspicions had been temporarily dispelled, Kagami and Orochimaru exchanged an imperceptible glance before each withdrawing their gaze.

Regardless of whether Naruto had mastered senjutsu, Kagami did not want Danzo getting distracted by other matters at this critical juncture.

What he needed was for Danzo to obediently and dutifully serve as his guinea pig. That was precisely why he had covered for Orochimaru this time.

However, judging by Danzo’s current behavior, successfully rising to power and becoming Acting Hokage seemed to have gone to his head.

At that moment, Danzo turned to Orochimaru again.

"You’ve probably heard about the recent dispute between the Hyuga and Uchiha clans in the village, haven’t you? If I’m not mistaken, that Hyuga Kagami should be one of your men, correct?"

Orochimaru remained silent, his expression darkening.

Kagami’s gaze sharpened, but fortunately, his mask concealed the subtle change in his expression, preventing anyone from noticing.

Danzo continued leisurely, "Defeating eight members of the Uchiha Police Force single-handedly... This Hyuga Kagami’s strength is somewhat beyond my expectations. And he has also earned Hiruzen’s considerable trust. Orochimaru, I never imagined you had such a trump card hidden away in the village!"

Orochimaru asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Danzo glanced at Orochimaru and declared in a commanding tone, "Konoha belongs to me! I will never allow the position of Ninja Academy Principal to remain in the hands of a spy. So tell your subordinate to voluntarily resign from his position!"

Kagami’s expression turned cold.

In truth, he did not particularly care about the position of Ninja Academy Principal. It was simply Danzo’s arrogance that had begun to disgust him.

He was still merely an Acting Hokage, and his face had not even been carved onto the Hokage Rock yet.

Instead of thinking about how to win over allies and consolidate his still-unstable position, he was already impatiently asserting his authority over his own partners.

Such shortsighted behavior was utterly foolish, and his increasingly inflated ego was even more repulsive.

Orochimaru gave Danzo a long, penetrating look before shaking his head.

"I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. Hyuga Kagami and I parted ways long ago. I no longer have any authority to order him around."

"Orochimaru, this is not a discussion. It’s an order!"

Adjusting the Hokage’s hat on his head, Danzo continued, "I will give you one month at most. I don’t care what methods you use. One month from now, I expect Hyuga Kagami’s resignation letter to be sitting on my desk!"