Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 61 The Cornerstone of Konoha - Danzo Shimura

As they left the Hyuga clan's territory, it was already getting dark.

Danzo and Uchiha Kagami did not return directly to the Root base, but instead took a detour to the newly established Konoha Hospital.

The research department on the top floor of the hospital was still brightly lit by candlelight.

When the two pushed open the laboratory door, a strong smell of alcohol mixed with various herbs hit them.

In the laboratory, Tsunade was performing a precise titration operation in front of a row of test tubes, her forehead covered in sweat, her expression focused.

Orochimaru, meanwhile, lay motionless in front of a microscope, muttering something about an "antigen-antibody binding model."

"Ahem." Uchiha Kagami coughed lightly.

"Who is it! Can't you see I'm busy?!"

Tsunade didn't even look up, and shouted impatiently.

"It's us," Danzo's somber voice rang out.

Both Tsunade and Orochimaru paused in their movements.

They looked up and were somewhat surprised to see Danzo and Kagami standing at the door.

"Danzo-senpai... and Kagami-senpai, what brings you here so late?"

Tsunade put down the test tube in her hand and asked with some doubt.

"There's something I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Danzo got straight to the point; he never liked beating around the bush.

He briefly explained the situation of the Hyuga clan to the two of them.

"...That's how it is. The Hyuga clan has agreed to abolish the Caged Bird Seal, but we need a new cursed seal to protect their Byakugan."

Danzo's gaze fell on Orochimaru and Tsunade. "You two are the village's top experts. Hiruzen and I are too busy with construction to get away, so only you two can handle this."

Upon hearing the words "Byakugan," Orochimaru's usually indifferent face revealed a hint of interest.

A protective seal for the Byakugan?

That's so challenging!

"no problem."

Orochimaru agreed almost without hesitation, his golden snake eyes gleaming with the brilliance characteristic of a research fanatic. "Give me some time, and I'll devise a preliminary plan. But the Hyuga clan..."

"Don't worry."

Danzo chuckled softly a few times and assured them, "The Hyuga clan will fully cooperate with you."

Orochimaru and Tsunade exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of understanding in each other's eyes.

"OK."

"I'm fine with it too."

Orochimaru nodded; he couldn't wait to begin this new research.

With the matter settled, Danzo and Kagami didn't linger and turned to leave the hospital.

On the way back, Uchiha Kagami looked at his silent companion beside him and couldn't help but ask, "Danzo, you seem to be getting more and more different from what you used to be..."

"Is that so?" Danzo did not stop walking.

Uchiha Kagami's tone carried a hint of emotion, "I used to think..."

"What did you think?"

Danzo interrupted him, his voice softening, "You think I'm jealous of Hiruzen and want to take his Hokage position?"

Uchiha Kagami remained silent.

"Oh."

Danzo suddenly stopped. He didn't look at Uchiha Kagami beside him, but instead looked up at the bright full moon.

His voice was soft, and his tone was one of relief.

"At first, I was indeed unconvinced."

"But now, I have to admit that Hiruzen... is indeed more suitable to be Hokage than I am. His vision is farther than mine, and his methods are more sophisticated."

The two walked in silence, their footsteps echoing in the street.

Only when another ray of moonlight shone down did Danzo stop and look up at the bright, full moon hanging in the night sky.

The moonlight shone unhindered on the entire village, just like the light of a sun piercing the sky.

"mirror,"

In Danzo's voice, that long-held stubbornness seemed to be crumbling, "I probably won't become Hokage in this lifetime. But..."

The moonlight was reflected in his eyes, but so was an even deeper darkness.

A brand new, unbreakable will coalesced in his eyes.

"This is not the only path."

"I can be the most solid foundation supporting him as Hokage."

"Hiruzen is the towering tree that shelters the village from the wind and rain, and I, Shimura Danzo, will be the foundation buried underground, silently bearing all the weight and supporting this prosperity for him."

"This is my way of the ninja, Shimura Danzo."

Uchiha Kagami, who had been silent all along, turned his head upon hearing this and gave him a deep look.

On that always gentle face, the corners of his mouth turned up very slightly, then disappeared.

"The path to becoming a cornerstone will be very difficult."

Danzo stepped forward again to greet the moonlight, saying, "But a ninja's life has never required an easy path."

"..."

The two returned to the underground base at the root.

Deep within the base, in the training room belonging to the Uchiha Special Response Team, Uchiha Tokumitsu and his team members were quietly waiting.

Upon seeing Danzo and Kagami appear, they immediately knelt on one knee.

"grown ups."

Danzo looked at them, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

These people were chosen by Hiruzen himself, the sharpest sword.

"I've already reached an agreement with Orochimaru and the others regarding the Hyuga clan."

Danzo's voice echoed in the empty training room.

"If...they do anything unusual..."

A flash of murderous intent crossed Danzo's eyes.

"You know what to do, right?"

Uchiha Kagami stood to the side, saying nothing, but simply nodding silently.

"clear!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu and several of his teammates bowed in unison.

Then, several figures retreated into the darkness at the same time, disappearing without a trace.

--------

The matter concerning the Hyuga clan was resolved in a swift and decisive manner.

The next morning, the old Hyuga clan patriarch personally delivered a "Reform Agreement" signed by all the clan elders to the Hokage's office with a humble attitude.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the consent form with a face full of question marks. His gaze swept over it, and he couldn't hide the surprise on his face.

He raised his head and looked at Danzo, who stood silently to the side.

His expression remained tense as always, but his eyes revealed an undisguised arrogance, as if to say: This is what I should do.

Hiruzen was filled with mixed emotions, but in the end, it all turned into a sigh of relief.

He chuckled and patted Danzo on the shoulder hard: "Danzo, your efficiency is much higher than mine as Hokage."

"Um."

Danzo's response was only one word, but the corners of his stiff mouth twitched upwards for once.

The smile was faint, almost fleeting, but it wasn't feigned.

Having dealt with the major problem of the Hyuga clan, Danzo's Konoha construction team has also gained a powerful boost.

From then on, a peculiar sight appeared at various construction sites in Konoha Village.

A group of ninjas dressed in Hyuga clan attire, with their Byakugan activated, patrolled the construction site like the most sophisticated scanners.

"At the southeast corner of foundation number three, three meters underground, there is a rock crack approximately one centimeter in diameter that needs reinforcement!"

"The newly laid sewer pipe has a 0.5-millimeter misalignment at the joint between the seventeenth and eighteenth sections. It needs to be redone immediately!"

"You over there, yes, you! The wall you built is off-center by one degree! Tear it down and rebuild it!"

With the penetrating vision and millimeter-level precision of the white-eyed observer, no construction flaw can escape its notice.

The construction team's workers were tormented by this group of suddenly appearing "quality inspectors."

But the results are also obvious.

The quality of infrastructure construction in Konoha Village improved at a rocket-like speed.

Danzo was very satisfied with this.

He even specially awarded the Hyuga quality inspection team a scroll recognizing them as "Outstanding Workers of the Konoha Construction Team of the Year," and personally inscribed a line of large characters on the scroll in his powerful calligraphy—

"The eagle eye of the oversight world, the nemesis of the flaw world."

This led to a surge in the Hyuga clan's prestige among the villagers.

As the clansmen walked down the street, they could feel the heartfelt respect in the eyes of the villagers.

This was the first time they experienced how fulfilling it was to contribute to the village with their own abilities.