To be honest, Danzo truly hoped that Orochimaru would stay.
After all, talents like him, with a scientific research mindset, were exceedingly rare in the shinobi world.
In Danzo's memory, aside from Orochimaru, there were only two others: Kabuto and Orochimaru's former teammate, Hiruko.
Therefore, if Orochimaru were to stay, Danzo would not hesitate to offer him the position of Root leader.
As for the Hokage position?
That was out of the question.
Orochimaru's heart was as dark as Danzo's original self.
Moreover, his mind was consumed with thoughts of immortality and transcendence, making him entirely unsuitable for the role of Hokage.
But regardless of Danzo's thoughts, the final decision rested with Orochimaru himself.
Someone like him would not easily be swayed by a few words from Danzo.
To each their own.
Orochimaru was not the type to be easily bound by others.
Of course, if he ultimately chose to defect, then the next time they met, it would be as enemies.
After leaving the research facility, an Anbu ninja found Danzo.
"Lord Danzo, the Hokage has requested your presence at the Hokage Building."
Danzo's expression remained unchanged as he replied indifferently, "Understood."
With that, he slowly made his way to the Hokage Building, leaning on his cane.
When he pushed open the door to the office, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two elder advisors were already waiting, fully prepared.
"Danzo, I have made my decision. I will resign as Hokage and take responsibility for Hiroko incident before the daimyo."
Sarutobi Hiruzen got straight to the point.
Danzo showed no surprise at this, merely nodding calmly and taking a seat on a chair.
His composed reaction left Sarutobi Hiruzen momentarily puzzled.
Shouldn't Danzo be ecstatic upon hearing that he was stepping down?
Why was he so calm?
Once seated, Danzo spoke in a calm voice, "You should have stepped down long ago. Clinging to power and monopolizing authority is not a good thing."
He held his cane, his expression serene.
"Since you're stepping down, it's perfect timing. I will take over as the Fourth Hokage."
Danzo's earth-shattering statement immediately caused Homura Mitokado to jump to his feet.
"No, absolutely not!"
Homura Mitokado was, of course, the first to oppose.
If Minato became Hokage, he might still have a chance to survive.
But if Danzo became Hokage, he would likely be purged immediately!
Facing Homura's opposition, Danzo's eyes instantly turned a deep crimson.
Mangekyō Sharingan, activate!
A terrifying pressure erupted from Danzo, causing a sudden whirlwind to form within the room.
Under this overwhelming intimidation, Homura felt as though an endless sea of blood was rising from Danzo's feet, threatening to engulf him.
It was only then that he remembered something.
All of Danzo's titles and reputation had been earned through his own blood and sweat.
He was a true Konoha war god, capable of single-handedly facing two Kage!
This was a far cry from someone like Homura, who spent his days in the village theorizing and strategizing.
Fortunately, Homura was not alone in the room.
"Enough, Danzo!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice boomed.
A powerful surge of chakra erupted from him, dispersing the oppressive aura Danzo had released.
Homura finally had a chance to catch his breath.
By now, his back was drenched in sweat.
At the same time, two masked ninja appeared at Homura's side.
These were his personal bodyguards, and they immediately placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.
Seeing this, Danzo did not hide his disdainful smile.
"Although my injuries are not fully healed, my Root is not to be underestimated."
In the next moment, four members of the Earth Branch squad, wearing animal masks, appeared behind Danzo.
Their intense killing intent locked onto all the high-ranking officials in the room.
Scorching flames churned within Pakura's body.
Amaterasu's eternal black flames simmered in Shisui's eyes.
The terrifying steam-infused kikaichū were ready to strike.
The surging lightning chakra was on the verge of unleashing its roar.
With a single command from Danzo, Konoha would immediately plunge into civil war!
"Do you think this is a battlefield?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer contain his anger, slamming his hand on the table and shattering it into pieces.
"Are you trying to tear Konoha apart?!"
"Get them out of here now!"
Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's scolding, Homura reluctantly waved his hand.
The two bodyguards quickly disappeared.
Seeing this, Danzo sneered.
"You may leave as well."
"Yes."
The four Earth Branch members vanished as well.
Watching them disappear, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a deep sense of unease.
As a seasoned and experienced shinobi, he could sense the immense power radiating from those four.
While they might not yet be at the Kage level, they were certainly on the cusp of it.
Coupled with the support of Fugaku Uchiha, who had clearly sided with Danzo, and Danzo's own terrifying strength capable of facing two Kage, Danzo truly had the power to establish his own faction!
This realization sent shivers down Sarutobi Hiruzen's spine.
When had Danzo amassed such a formidable force?
But despite his apprehension, the negotiations had to continue.
"Danzo, you carry too much darkness. You cannot become Hokage!"
"Koharu, Homura, and I are willing to cede more power to you."
"But as for the Hokage position, I have a better candidate in mind."
Danzo remained seated in his chair.
From beginning to end, his posture had not changed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's words were quite explicit.
He was essentially saying, "I have evidence of all the dark deeds you've committed. If you insist on becoming Hokage, we'll both go down together. But if you're willing to compromise, I can give you more power in exchange for your support of the new Hokage."
That was the gist of it.
Danzo raised an eyebrow slightly and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Tell me, who do you plan to appoint as Hokage?"
"Minato Namikaze."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said seriously.
"Minato comes from a civilian background, has achieved remarkable feats in this war, and has earned the trust of the villagers. Making him Hokage will surely lead Konoha to prosperity!"
"Moreover, he has been your subordinate in these wars, hasn't he?"
"Someone like him can balance the various factions. What do you think?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Danzo, seemingly eager for his approval.
Surprisingly, Danzo did not haggle much and accepted the proposal.
"Fine."
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others could rejoice, Danzo made an audacious demand.
"However, I want full control over the Finance Ministry, Commerce Ministry, Education Ministry, and Foreign Affairs Ministry."
"All personnel appointments in these departments will be decided by me, and you are not to interfere."
With this, Danzo demanded control over five of Konoha's key departments.
In Konoha's current political structure, the two departments representing military power were the Anbu and the Shinobi Forces.
The Anbu was further divided into the regular Anbu and the Root.
Among these, the Shinobi Forces and the regular Anbu were directly under the Hokage's control.
Of course, many affairs within the Shinobi Forces were handled by the Jonin Commander.
The Anbu was assisted by the Anbu Commander, who was Sarutobi Hiruzen's son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Aside from the military departments, the most important was the Finance Ministry.
This department had always been under Koharu Utatane's control.
It was responsible for budgeting funds for various village departments, issuing mission rewards, and distributing compensation, among other things.
In addition, Koharu also oversaw the Medical Department and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Homura Mitokado controlled the Education Ministry, Commerce Ministry, and Logistics Department.
Now, Danzo was demanding control over so many departments at once, which naturally drew strong opposition from the two elders.
In response, Danzo simply looked at his old friends with disdain.
"Sorry, but I'm not here to negotiate. I'm here to inform you."
He slowly stood up, leaning on his cane as he walked toward the door.
"If you don't agree, you can either hand over the Hokage position to me willingly."
"Or, you can try to kill me here."
"Otherwise, prepare for war."
Danzo left no room for negotiation.
For him, if he wanted to reform Konoha and even the Land of Fire, he needed to seize these powers.
While he could have played along temporarily and slowly worked toward his goals, he was too lazy for that.
He was too lazy to negotiate and compromise bit by bit with these people.
He had already given up the Hokage position. If he couldn't get what he wanted, he wouldn't mind unleashing a storm of bloodshed.
By then, it would be uncertain whether these old men could continue to sit in their decaying positions of power.
Of course, based on Danzo's understanding of the Konoha elders, they would likely compromise as long as he gave up the Hokage position.
Sure enough, when Danzo mentioned the word "war," Koharu and Homura's faces turned pale.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, on the other hand, wore an expression that seemed to say, "Why must it come to this?"
To prevent the village from descending into chaos and to compensate Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately made a decision.
"I agree to your terms, Danzo."
He looked at Danzo's retreating figure.
"But I hope you will honor our agreement and not cause any more trouble!"
_
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