CHAPTER 244: 244. HIRUZEN STEPS DOWN, TSUNADE ASCENDS

Late at Night

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was just about to go to sleep when he heard a knock at the door.

He walked to the door and opened it.

Standing outside was Kazuma, one of his Twelve Guardian Ninja.

In the original story, Sarutobi Asuma had joined the Twelve Guardian Ninja, which led to them splitting into two factions.

One was the radical faction, led by Kazuma, who believed that the Land of Fire did not need a Hokage, only a Daimyo.

The other was the moderate faction, led by Sarutobi Asuma, who believed that both a Hokage and a Daimyo were necessary for the Land of Fire.

However, due to Hanekawa’s butterfly effect, Sarutobi Asuma never joined the Twelve Guardian Ninja, preventing their division.

"Daimyo."

Kazuma bowed slightly and said, "Shimura Danzo is outside, requesting an audience."

"Danzo?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire asked in confusion, "Wasn’t he captured?"

"He probably escaped and is now seeking your help."

Kazuma speculated.

"Well, we’ve known each other for a long time. Let him in."

The Daimyo chuckled lightly.

"Yes."

Kazuma turned and left.

A moment later, another knock sounded.

"Come in."

The Daimyo raised his head and looked toward the door.

"Daimyo, long time no see."

Shimura Danzo stepped inside, forcing a stiff smile.

"What do you want from me?"

The Daimyo asked in a calm tone.

"I would like your support in becoming Hokage."

Danzo got straight to the point.

"Hokage?"

The Daimyo narrowed his eyes. "Then you should go see Hiruzen."

"Hiruzen may be the Hokage, but he still has to listen to you."

Danzo flattered him. "With just one word from you, I can become Hokage."

"Tsunade is more suited for the position than you."

The Daimyo shook his head. "You should leave."

"You too?"

Danzo’s face darkened, his entire demeanor exuding a sinister aura.

"What?"

The Daimyo remained unfazed. "Are you thinking of attacking me?"

Outside the room stood the Twelve Guardian Ninja, all of whom were Jonin-level.

Moreover, they were in Konoha. If Danzo dared to make a move, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others would arrive in an instant.

"Of course not."

Danzo suddenly softened his attitude.

"Then leave, Danzo."

The Daimyo waved his hand impatiently.

"Daimyo."

Danzo removed the bandages from his right eye, revealing a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

The Daimyo instantly fell into a daze.

"Hmph, good thing I prepared for this!"

Seeing this, Danzo smirked with satisfaction.

This Sharingan came from the battlefield in the Land of Frost.

He and Orochimaru had divided up a number of Sharingan between them.

"Go to the Hokage building."

Danzo ordered.

The Daimyo stood up and began walking outside.

"Daimyo."

Kazuma and the others standing outside immediately stepped forward.

"You all stay here. I am going to the Hokage building with Danzo."

The Daimyo said casually.

"Yes."

Kazuma and the others did not question it.

After all, they did not believe that anyone in Konoha would dare harm the Daimyo.

"A Sharingan, huh?"

From the rooftop, Hanekawa quickly formed hand seals and created a shadow clone.

"You go find Hyuga Hizashi."

Although it was troublesome, Danzo was still acting according to Hanekawa’s plan.

The only difference was that instead of directly attacking the Daimyo, he was now controlling him with the Sharingan.

Hanekawa jumped down from the rooftop, transforming into the most loyal of the Root ninjas.

"Ox, go inform the other Root members to assemble at the Hokage building."

Danzo ordered Hanekawa.

"Yes, Lord Danzo."

Hanekawa vanished on the spot.

The Root ninja he had transformed into actually existed, codenamed "Ox."

Moreover, since Danzo had previously been affected by Uchiha Shisui’s genjutsu, he was desperate to become Hokage and did not question whether Hanekawa was real or fake.

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Hokage Building

Since it was late at night, most of the ninjas had gone off duty, leaving only the ANBU on watch.

When Danzo and the Daimyo arrived, four ANBU immediately blocked their path.

"Lord Danzo, what are you doing?"

Haru glanced at the Daimyo and asked.

"Shimura Danzo is rebelling!"

A voice called out from nearby—it was Hyuga Hizashi.

Danzo was taken aback.

How did he get here so fast?

"Hyuga Hizashi, you shouldn’t make baseless accusations."

Danzo said coldly. "The Daimyo is right here. How could this be a rebellion?"

"You used the Sharingan to control the Daimyo."

Hyuga Hizashi stated bluntly.

"Absurd!"

Danzo’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained composed.

"I am not even an Uchiha. How could I have a Sharingan?"

Hyuga Hizashi did not hesitate and attacked immediately.

Whether it was for Hanekawa or for the Daimyo, stopping Danzo would be a tremendous achievement.

"Are you insane?"

Danzo was completely caught off guard.

This was completely unlike the usual cautious approach of the Hyuga clan.

"Damn it!"

Shimura Danzo stepped back, narrowly avoiding Hyuga Hizashi’s Gentle Fist.

At this point, there was no choice but to end the fight quickly.

Danzo swiftly formed hand seals.

Hizashi closed in again, throwing a punch.

But in the next second, Danzo caught his fist with both hands.

Hizashi instinctively tried to pull his hand back, only to realize that his body was completely immobilized.

From his fist, countless black sealing markings spread across his arm.

This was the Curse Sealing Bind.

In the original story, Danzo had used this sealing technique to restrain Uchiha Sasuke.

Ninja battles were battles of intelligence.

Even Uchiha Sasuke, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, had fallen victim to this technique—let alone Hyuga Hizashi.

At that moment, a dense mist suddenly spread across the area.

Wind Release: Gale Palm!

Danzo reacted quickly, clapping his hands together to generate a violent gust of wind, blowing the mist away.

A sharp whistling sound followed.

Danzo turned to see a powerful water jet rushing toward him.

This is Tobirama’s Water Release: Water Severing Wave?!

Danzo’s heart pounded in shock, and he immediately wrapped his body in wind chakra, fleeing at full speed.

The water jet slashed through the ground, leaving a deep cut in its wake.

"Hanekawa!"

Danzo scanned the surroundings, shouting, "Come out!"

In all of Konoha, only Hanekawa could use the Hidden Mist Technique and the Water Severing Wave.

He suddenly looked down—two hands had emerged from the ground, gripping his ankles.

Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!

Danzo took a deep breath and exhaled a compressed ball of wind chakra.

Boom!

The wind sphere exploded like a cannonball, creating a deep crater in the ground.

Inside the crater lay an unconscious Hanekawa.

"So much for the so-called ’Dragon of Konoha’!"

Danzo smirked.

But two seconds later, Hanekawa’s body crumbled into a humanoid-shaped rock.

Danzo’s smile froze as he instantly became alert.

A piercing sound like chirping birds echoed.

Danzo instinctively turned around—only to see a streak of lightning rushing toward him.

He leaped back, forming hand seals.

Boom!

His seals were abruptly interrupted as he crashed into a stone wall.

How is his jutsu execution so fast?!

Wind Release: Wind Shuriken!

Danzo hurled two shuriken infused with wind chakra.

Hanekawa did not dodge.

The shuriken struck his body—

Boom!

But he vanished on the spot.

"A shadow clone?"

Danzo was momentarily stunned.

"Over here."

Hanekawa’s voice came from his left.

Danzo instinctively turned his head.

Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!

Danzo was instantly caught in a genjutsu, his face contorted in fear.

A flash of light.

Hanekawa’s Thunderflame Sword pierced Danzo’s heart.

Blood gushed out.

Danzo broke free from the illusion, screaming in agony.

"Y-You... dare to kill me?"

Danzo stared in disbelief.

"Why wouldn’t I?"

Hanekawa pulled out his sword and swung.

Danzo saw nothing but a flash of dazzling lightning—then his head fell.

His consciousness faded, his final vision being the sight of his own neck spraying blood like a fountain.

At that moment, black sealing markings surfaced on Danzo’s body.

His entire bloodstream turned inky black and sprayed outward as chakra swelled into a sphere.

This was the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing.

By engraving the sealing formula inside his body beforehand, Danzo could activate it upon death, dragging everything nearby into the afterlife with him.

But Hanekawa had already prepared for this.

The moment he struck Danzo down, he used the Body Flicker Technique to escape the seal’s range.

The black chakra produced a powerful suction force.

Danzo’s corpse became a vortex, pulling in everything around it.

However, besides the air, only the floor was nearby.

In the end, Danzo sealed nothing but the ground.

The chakra dissipated, and silence returned.

"H-He’s... dead?!"

Hyuga Hizashi was dumbfounded.

His goal had never been to kill Danzo—only to capture him and undo the Daimyo’s genjutsu.

"No Izanagi?"

Hanekawa stood before Danzo’s corpse, waiting in silence.

Izanagi required hand seals.

Danzo hadn’t had a single chance to form them during their fight—but it was best to be cautious.

Hanekawa suddenly let out a small hum of surprise.

A new system entry had appeared.

[S-Rank Talent Entry: Darkness of the Shinobi World]

[Trigger Condition: Kill Shimura Danzo]

[Effect: Increases base defense by 200%. Enhances all sealing techniques by 100%.]

Hanekawa pondered in silence.

Since the system granted him a new entry, it confirmed that Shimura Danzo was dead.

Though, the effect was rather odd.

The enhancement to sealing techniques made sense to Hanekawa.

After all, Danzo was skilled in sealing techniques, especially the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing, which was an S-rank jutsu.

But why did his defense increase?

Danzo had nothing to do with defense.

Was it because of his nickname, "Kage of Taking the Blame"?

To bear the blame, one naturally needed a high defense.

Hanekawa smirked.

Regardless, it was a profit. Just the 100% increase in sealing jutsu power alone made this trip worthwhile.

At that moment, the sound of cutting wind echoed.

Hanekawa sheathed his Thunderflame Sword and looked toward the approaching figures—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, and the others.

His fight with Danzo had been brief, lasting less than thirty seconds.

Plus, it was late at night, and everyone had already gone home to sleep.

It was normal for them to arrive only now.

Most of those who had come were ninjas from noble clans.

"This... What happened here?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes widened in shock.

"Hanekawa."

Tsunade hurried to Hanekawa’s side and asked with a frown, "Why didn’t you notify me?"

She didn’t know what had happened, but it was obvious that Hanekawa had killed Danzo.

After all, no one else here could have done it—not Hyuga Hizashi, nor the ANBU members.

"Hanekawa!"

Sarutobi scanned Danzo’s corpse, his expression full of disbelief. "Did you kill him?"

As a veteran shinobi, he could tell at a glance that the wounds on Danzo’s body were caused by Hanekawa’s sword.

"Yes, I did."

Hanekawa admitted.

"How dare you!"

Koharu Utatane roared, "Do you even know what you’ve done?!"

"You murdered a comrade!"

Homura Mitokado added, his voice full of condemnation.

But in truth, both of them sensed danger—Hanekawa was too powerful.

If he dared to kill Danzo, what about them?

"Shut up!"

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire glared at them angrily.

With Danzo’s death, the genjutsu control from the Sharingan had been lifted.

He now understood exactly what had happened.

"Lord Daimyo?"

Hiruzen finally noticed the Daimyo’s presence, and a sense of dread gripped his heart.

"Konoha sure is something else!"

The Daimyo stepped forward, sneering at Sarutobi. "Were you the one who ordered Danzo to assassinate me?"

"N-No! Absolutely not!"

Hiruzen broke into a cold sweat. "This must be a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding?"

The Daimyo bent down and removed the bandages from Danzo’s head.

His right eye was now exposed for all to see.

"A Three-Tomoe Sharingan?!"

The crowd erupted in shock.

Hiruzen instinctively took a step back.

In that moment, he realized the full extent of Danzo’s crimes—and he wished he could tear him apart.

"Lord Hokage!"

Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward, his voice grim and cold.

"The Uchiha Clan demands an explanation!"

He recalled the devastating losses their clan had suffered in the Land of Frost.

Now, a terrifying thought entered his mind—had Orochimaru and Danzo orchestrated everything just to steal Uchiha eyes?

"Hanekawa saved me."

The Daimyo spoke, still shaken. "If not for him, I might not be standing here right now."

Hiruzen opened his mouth but had no words to argue.

Even if he suspected Hanekawa had manipulated the situation, without evidence, it would be nothing but slander.

"Hiruzen, as Hokage, you must take responsibility for this."

The Daimyo’s voice was firm.

"...Understood."

Hiruzen sighed, accepting his fate.

Konoha had already lost Danzo.

They couldn’t afford to lose Tsunade and Hanekawa as well.

"Lord Daimyo."

Hiruzen bowed slightly. "I am old and have failed in my duties. I hereby resign as Hokage."

"Hiruzen!"

Koharu and Homura panicked.

Without Hiruzen, how could they keep their power as Hokage Advisors?

Meanwhile, the rest of the shinobi were stunned—but then excitement began to spread.

Especially among the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans.

The Hyuga had proven themselves by standing against Danzo.

The Uchiha—with Danzo dead—would finally see a shift in their status.

"Approved."

The Daimyo nodded.

"For the next Hokage, I recommend Tsunade."

Hiruzen spoke first.

Despite his grievances over tonight’s events, he knew that Tsunade was the most suitable choice for Konoha’s future.

"Agreed."

The Daimyo nodded once more.

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