The Third Hokage's sarcasm didn't bother Danzo. He understood the Third's character well, and the fact that the Root was under Danzo's control was an open secret among the higher-ups of Konoha. Moreover, the Root was established with the tacit approval of the Third Hokage.
Thus, Danzo merely replied coldly, "Hiruzen, what brings you here?" The Third Hokage walked up to the Root's ninjas, casting a calm gaze upon them. The ninjas, who were ready to lay down their lives to protect Danzo, suddenly began to tremble.
They even took several steps back. Danzo frowned, "Hiruzen, what exactly are you trying to do?" The Third didn't answer Danzo directly. Instead, he addressed the ninjas in front of him, saying, "I have something to discuss with Elder Danzo. You all may leave."
His tone left no room for argument. The Root ninjas were already trembling uncontrollably, a far cry from their earlier resolve to die for their cause. Although the Third Hokage didn't explicitly reveal his power, the aura of a Kage-level ninja was not something these Root ninjas could withstand.
Moreover, the Third was the Hokage of Konoha. In theory, they were all under his jurisdiction. If they showed even a hint of defiance, no one would question the Third if he decided to eliminate them.
For the first time, the Root ninjas didn't seek Danzo's permission and disappeared immediately. Seeing this, Danzo's expression darkened. "Did you come here just to flaunt your Hokage status?" Danzo was furious, but he couldn't show it too openly in front of the Third.
He could tell that the Third was different from usual. After the Root ninjas vanished, the Third approached Danzo and said calmly, "Stop sending people to monitor that child. Otherwise, don't blame me for dismantling your Root." "I'm serious."
The Third's tone was unequivocal. Danzo was, of course, unwilling and even quite angry.
"Hiruzen, what right do you have to make me listen to you?" "Don't forget, I'm the leader of the Root. If I don't disband it, what can you do?" In an instant, the tension between the two escalated.
The Third was extremely angered by Danzo's words. In a very cold tone, he said, "It seems I've been too lenient with you in the past, giving you the illusion that you can bargain with me." Danzo retorted, "Are you really going to push me this far for the sake of a brat?"
"Everything I've done is for Konoha. That kid is a significant threat to the village." "I must keep an eye on him, and you should support me." As soon as Danzo finished speaking, the Third's chakra burst forth with intensity.
With a thunderous roar, Danzo was pushed back several steps by the Third's chakra explosion. The area around the Third was enveloped in blue chakra, solidifying into a tangible form. Although the Third was old, his chakra reserves were still substantial.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to unleash so many jutsus during his battle with Orochimaru. Danzo also wanted to unleash his chakra. But just as he was about to, he found his chakra becoming incredibly heavy.
"Hiruzen, are you really going to go this far for that kid?" Danzo realized that the Third was suppressing his chakra. Although he was also a Kage-level ninja, he wasn't as strong as the Third.
And most importantly, the Third was the Hokage. While Danzo was a high-ranking official in Konoha, he had neither the means nor the standing to oppose the Third.
How many people support him? Unless he plans to defect from Konoha, there's no way he could take action against the Third Hokage on his own. Even when he wanted to assassinate the Third, he couldn't do it personally and had to rely on manipulating Kakashi and Yamato to carry out the assassination.
The Third Hokage remained serious throughout. "He's different from the others. Konoha needs him to grow. Don't let your selfish desires ruin him." "I absolutely won't allow it," Danzo gritted his teeth. This move by the Third reminded him of the time when he was abandoned in favor of promoting Minato Namikaze, leaving both him and Orochimaru behind.
Back then, when he realized the Third didn't want him to become Hokage, he strongly advocated for Orochimaru as the Fourth Hokage, thinking Orochimaru was the Third's favorite disciple. Who would have thought the Third would go against all opposition and choose the youngest candidate, Minato Namikaze? It nearly drove him mad with anger.
Now, the Third was doing the same with Yoruha, bringing painful memories to the forefront. "Hiruzen, he's only 12 years old, are you crazy?" "Who knows what he'll become in the future? You're already showing such favoritism. If he doesn't turn out to be as exceptional as you hope, can you take responsibility for your mistake?"
Hearing this, the Third found it amusing. If he had any doubts before, they vanished once he learned that Yoruha had mastered the Four Symbols Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal.
Both the Four Symbols Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal require a vast amount of chakra to sustain, and mastering these sealing techniques indicates a very high level of ninjutsu talent. Coupled with Yoruha's defeat of Kurosuki Raiga and his suppression of a rampaging Naruto, Yoruha's current strength is undoubtedly at the Kage level. The only question is whether he's a top-tier Kage-level or an ordinary Kage-level.
Either way, Yoruha is only 12 years old. As long as he doesn't meet an untimely end, his future achievements will definitely not fall short of the Fourth Hokage. The Third was very confident about this.
The Third Hokage coldly laughed, "It's precisely because he's only 12 that I've decided to place Konoha's future on his shoulders." As soon as he said this, Danzo looked shocked, stepping back several paces.
"You, you, do you even know what you're saying!?" "You're placing Konoha's future on a mere 12-year-old brat? Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Konoha our teacher entrusted to you is not your toy. Choosing you as Hokage was a mistake, and Konoha's future will be ruined by your erroneous decision." Danzo was in disbelief; the Third wasn't hiding anything anymore.
To so blatantly say he was placing the future on Yoruha meant he was openly treating Yoruha as his successor. Yoruha was only 12, how could the Third be so rash?
Most importantly, the Third would rather choose a 12-year-old child than him. The Third looked at Danzo, speaking seriously, "It's because I value our teacher's instructions that I've chosen him." "Danzo, we're both old. The future doesn't belong to us."
The last thing Danzo wanted to hear was this. "Hiruzen, you're the one who's old and senile." "I might not have anyone watching him, but as long as I'm here, he'll never become Hokage."
"I'm the Hokage, and I know who the best candidate for Hokage is." Danzo was most infuriated by how the Third always used his Hokage status to suppress him. In his anger, he shouted, "No matter what you say, I refuse to believe a mere 12-year-old brat has the potential to become Hokage."
The Third knew Danzo had already retreated. Having achieved his goal, the Third no longer needed to stay. He simply said, "That's not something you need to worry about."
"Remember, I want to see him grow. If I find out you've done anything to him, Root will be disbanded. I'm not joking." With that, the Third didn't waste any more words with Danzo and turned to leave. Watching the Third's departing figure, Danzo was furious.
His hands gripping his cane were bulging with veins. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this."