Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the scroll of seals on the ground, now recovered, and then at his treacherous disciple, whose breath was faint. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
At the same time.
Deep beneath Konoha, in the dark Root base.
Shimura Danzo listened to his subordinate's report, and a cold, greedy light flickered in his single eye.
"Sarutobi... you are still too naive."
"That man's power... must be used for Konoha!"
...The roof of the Hokage Residence Building was a mess.
Broken tiles and wood chips were scattered everywhere, bearing witness to the earth-shattering battle that had just taken place.
When Hansen threw the half-dead Orochimaru and the recovered scroll of seals in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi like two pieces of trash, the Third Hokage's expression was complex.
Shock, relief, anger, humiliation... all sorts of emotions intertwined on his wrinkled face, like an overturned paint shop with red, white, green, and purple mixing together.
In the end, only a helpless sigh remained in his heart.
As the top politician among Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi adjusted his emotions in a breath, and a gentle smile appeared on his old face.
However, before he could thank Hansen, an unexpected change occurred.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
Several figures instantly appeared on the roof, subtly surrounding Hansen.
The one leading them had the right side of his face wrapped in bandages, and his exposed left eye gleamed with a cold and vigilant light.
It was none other than Konoha's Darkness, Shimura Danzo.
Behind him were several Root ninjas wearing masks, each exuding a chilling aura that warned others to stay away.
Danzo's gaze first swept over the unconscious Orochimaru on the ground, a flicker of imperceptible regret in his eyes, then he fixed his stare on Hansen, his look like a venomous snake eyeing its prey, full of greed and scrutiny.
"Sarutobi! Is this how you handle problems?!" Danzo's voice was hoarse and cold, completely ignoring Hiruzen Sarutobi's grim expression as he self-righteously questioned, "Allowing such a dangerous individual to act recklessly in the village, you, as Hokage, are too derelict in your duty!"
His tone was full of accusation, as if he were the hero who had painstakingly worked for the village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyelids twitched wildly, and he angrily said, "Danzo! What are you saying?! Mr. Hansen is an honored guest of Konoha! He just helped us deal with Orochimaru!"
"Honored guest? Sarutobi, you truly are senile! Then why did his arrival lead to such a serious enemy invasion?"
"I think he and Orochimaru had already colluded, planning to use this to deceive your trust!"
Danzo interrupted him unceremoniously, his cane thudding heavily on the ground with a dull "dong."
His single eye turned to Hansen, openly revealing the ambition and desire within: "This man, of unknown origin and strange power, is a huge threat to Konoha!"
"He must be immediately apprehended and handed over to my Root for interrogation!"
He had already witnessed everything that had just happened through Root's widespread informants in the village.
Annihilating the enemy with a tsunami, shattering a giant with a punch, capturing Orochimaru alive... that god-like power sent shivers down Danzo's soul, and an unparalleled craving!
If he could use the trump card he had long treasured to control this man, let alone the position of Hokage, even unifying the entire ninja world might not be impossible!
Hiruzen Sarutobi trembled with anger.
This old bastard, what else was in his head besides power, strength, and his dream of being Hokage?
Couldn't he see what a terrifying existence this man before them was?
And he still wanted to interrogate him?
"Danzo, shut up!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sharply commanded, "By the name of Hokage, I order you to immediately apologize to Mr. Hansen!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Danzo narrowed his eyes, and after a long moment, sneered, "Sarutobi, your judgment is no longer sufficient to hold the position of Hokage! Don't worry, when I succeed as Hokage, I will let you know—"
"Such uncontrolled power is only reliable when held in one's own hands!"
With that, he no longer paid attention to Hiruzen Sarutobi, his single eye fixed on Hansen, and he spoke in an unquestionable, commanding tone: "Surrender, do not offer futile resistance. This is your best option."
The Root ninjas behind him understood, quietly fanning out, their hands gripping kunai, blocking all of Hansen's escape routes.
The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point.
Kurenai Yūhi watched this scene nervously, her palms sweating.
She wanted to say something but realized her voice was utterly insignificant in the confrontation between these powerful figures.
However, Hansen, at the center of the event, showed no sign of tension.
He even found it a little amusing.
Was this one-eyed old man serious?
He observed Danzo with interest, as if watching a clown.
"I wasn't going to kill you, Shimura Danzo," Hansen said slowly, picking his ear, "After all, crushing a bug like you would only dirty my hands."
"You said... what?" Danzo's face instantly darkened.
"I said," Hansen's gaze suddenly turned cold, and a terrifying, god-like pressure abruptly descended, "What are you barking about?"
Boom!
Invisible pressure, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami raging, instantly enveloped the entire rooftop.
The several Root elites behind Danzo, without even a chance to scream, rolled their eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and fell straight down under this pressure, instantly passing out.
And Danzo himself was struck as if by lightning!
He felt as if an invisible giant hand had clutched his heart, all the bones in his body groaned, and even breathing became incredibly difficult.
That right arm, transplanted with ten Sharingan and Hashirama's cells, at this moment, let alone activating Izanagi, couldn't even be lifted!
"You..."
He looked at Hansen with extreme horror, his single eye filled with disbelief.
What kind of power was this? Just his aura alone made him unable to even conceive of resistance!
"It seems you still haven't understood the situation," Hansen's figure flickered, instantly appearing in front of Danzo.
Too fast!
So fast that Danzo's eyes, even his ten Sharingan, were completely unable to capture the other's movements!
"You want to control my power?" Hansen tilted his head, a playful smile on his face, "That's a good idea, I approve."
"But to get something, you always have to pay a price, right?"
"You... what do you want to do?!" Danzo finally felt fear from the bottom of his heart. He wanted to retreat but found his body completely unresponsive.
"Don't be nervous, I just want to ask you." Hansen extended a finger, gently pointing it at Danzo's forehead, his voice as soft as a demon's whisper.
"Danzo, how do you want to die?"
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