"Who is weak?"
"Who lacks ability?"
"Even this can be used to slander this old man?"
Danzo was furious.
At first, he had thought that such rumors appearing around Hiruzen Sarutobi were something worth celebrating.
After all, the more rumors gathered around Hiruzen Sarutobi, the sooner he would have to step down from the Hokage position.
Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi himself did not care and stubbornly refused to give up his seat…
The village's dissatisfaction and doubt toward Hiruzen Sarutobi would continue to grow.
Just like with the Uchiha.
Had the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha reached an irreconcilable state in a single day?
Of course not.
At first, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha had been excellent. After all, they were one of the two great founding clans.
The relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha had worsened little by little, intensifying step by step.
And now, Danzo could indeed sense it.
With the outbreak of the Nine-Tails incident, the rumors surrounding Minato Namikaze's death, and the discussions about the Will of Fire, Hiruzen Sarutobi's prestige in Konoha had already declined considerably.
The previous image of Hiruzen Sarutobi had practically been that of a perfect Hokage.
The Professor.
A hero of Konoha.
Teacher of the Sannin.
The successor appointed by the Second Hokage.
Aside from the title of the strongest Hokage in history, which many people questioned, no one had doubted Hiruzen Sarutobi's character, his diligent attitude toward work, or his heart that placed Konoha first.
But now, many people felt that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not so perfect after all.
Yet Danzo had never expected that even this could be used to belittle him.
They said Hiruzen Sarutobi had targeted Sakumo Hatake and Minato Namikaze because they threatened his position.
And that Hiruzen Sarutobi did not target him because he was too weak.
"In terms of personal strength, I may indeed be inferior to Minato."
"But Sakumo Hatake may not necessarily be stronger than this old man!"
"It was only swordsmanship. This old man's Wind Release is not necessarily inferior!"
"And in terms of political ability, even Minato Namikaze and Sakumo Hatake combined would not be this old man's match."
"Over the years, Hiruzen has made far too many mistakes. This old man has been the one cleaning up his mess."
An ANBU shinobi arrived before Danzo.
"Danzo-sama, Hokage-sama requests that you go to the Hokage Building."
Danzo nodded.
"I understand."
Before long, Danzo arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Danzo, I need you to go to the Land of Wind again."
"To spread rumors?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.
"That brat Rasa has gone too far. He keeps using these despicable methods. Once they stick, they become troublesome. Since he wants to play this kind of game, we will accompany him to the end."
"This time, spread the rumor we discussed before about the Third Kazekage."
Danzo thought for a moment.
"Hiruzen, I naturally have no problem spreading that rumor. It's just that the effect may not be very good. After all, there are no suspicious points in the Third Kazekage's disappearance that can be connected to Rasa."
"I think if Konoha wants to solve the recent rumor problem, there is actually one method."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo, raising an eyebrow.
"What method?"
Danzo said, "That is for you, Hiruzen, to step down from the Hokage position."
"The rumors Sunagakure spreads about you are all related to the Hokage seat. They say you are greedy for power. As long as you step down from the Hokage position, those rumors will collapse on their own."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression sharpened.
"Danzo, you are confused."
"If I step down from the Hokage position, won't Sunagakure be able to say that they hit the mark? Would that not confirm their rumors as true? At the same time, it would mean I surrendered to their rumors."
"Absolutely not!"
Danzo froze for a moment, confusion flashing in his eyes. He had clearly not expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to answer like this.
Yet it seemed to make a certain amount of sense.
Danzo left the Hokage Building in a daze.
A cold wind blew past.
Danzo shuddered and suddenly came back to his senses.
"Well done, Hiruzen!"
"If you don't want to step down, then say you don't want to step down. Yet you still put it in such high-sounding terms!"
"No matter how bad stepping down is, it would definitely be better than you continuing to sit in the Hokage's seat. That was nothing but sophistry. You are simply clinging to the Hokage position, clinging to power."
"This time, I have truly seen through you."
Danzo turned back and cast a deep look at the Hokage Building.
"Hiruzen, one day, you will pay the price for this."
Before the Konoha shinobi sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi could arrive at the border of the Land of Wind…
The Sunagakure shinobi sent by Rasa had already found Kakashi first.
At that time, Kakashi was still unsettled and uncertain.
On one hand, Kakashi was not very willing to believe the information Sunagakure had revealed.
He was still loyal to Konoha.
His impression of Hiruzen Sarutobi was also very good.
But the reactions of the Konoha shinobi around him had made Kakashi deeply uncomfortable.
"They all think I'll believe what Sunagakure says?"
"They all think I'll betray Konoha?"
"Is it that they don't trust me… or that they know something?"
Two shinobi approached Kakashi, dressed in Konoha ANBU uniforms and wearing Konoha ANBU masks.
"Kakashi, by order of the Hokage, you are to return to the village immediately."
Kakashi nodded. He understood this order.
After all, the rumor currently spreading through the shinobi world was too strongly connected to him. Leaving him on the battlefield was not good for him or for Konoha.
"Alright."
Kakashi stood and followed behind the two ANBU shinobi.
But as they walked, Kakashi suddenly felt that something was wrong.
The direction the two people ahead were taking him did not seem right.
"This isn't the road back to the village, is it?"
Kakashi felt suspicious.
One ANBU shinobi explained, "This is Hokage-sama's order. The fewer people who know about your return to the village, the better. We cannot allow Sunagakure's people to find out."
"Hokage-sama hopes to use this opportunity to create some trouble for Sunagakure."
"That is why we need to take a detour and avoid being seen even by Konoha's people as much as possible."
Create trouble for Sunagakure?
Kakashi thought about it, but could not figure out how that would work.
His suspicion deepened.
"No… this isn't right. Nine parts out of ten, something is wrong."
Kakashi stopped and looked at the two people ahead, vigilance appearing in his eyes.
"This isn't right. Even if we're taking a detour, there's no reason to go this far. Who exactly are you?"
Rasa turned his head and looked at Kakashi, speaking in a disguised voice.
"As expected of our Konoha genius, Kakashi. How perceptive. Since you've already noticed something is wrong, this old man will give you two choices."
"One, return to Konoha."
"The other… be killed by me here."
Kakashi's pupils shrank violently. He immediately flickered backward.
But Rasa had already made his move.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
A vacuum wave swept toward Kakashi.