Chapter 36: Old Age, Young Heart
Konoha, Root Headquarters.
The dim candlelight illuminated the darkness, providing just enough light for Danzō to clearly read the intelligence report in his hands.
His twisted, emotionless face revealed his foul mood.
The paper was clenched tightly in his grasp, a clear sign of his frustration.
"The Daimyō... that damned Daimyō. I've already prepared to bow my head in submission, yet he still refuses to let me become Hokage. Does he really think I, Danzō, have no temper?!"
There was no need to guess—the report in his hands was the information sent back from Root's operatives stationed in the Daimyō's residence.
"Tsunade has arrived, yet the Daimyō refuses to meet her. Instead, he sends a message to me, telling me to come up with better terms. Does he think I'm his lapdog?!"
To Danzō, the title of Hokage was sacred.
What he sought was the same level of absolute authority the Second Hokage wielded—where his word was law, and no one dared to oppose him. Not the kind of half-puppet position Hiruzen had, which disgusted him to no end.
Unlike the Third Hokage, who mastered the art of political maneuvering, Danzō had no patience for superficial pleasantries. He ruled with an iron fist and refused to tolerate dissent.
He wanted to shape Konoha into an extension of Root.