radiothebook Chapter 227 This time it was Rope Tree, what if next time it's...?
Chapter 227 This time it was Rope Tree, what if next time it's...?
Chapter 227 This time it was Rope Tree, what if next time it's...?
The door to the Hokage's office was pushed open with a "ouch," and Jiraiya, who had just come out, immediately had his gaze fall on a figure not far from the door.
"Um?"
Jiraiya slightly.
Kakashi stood quietly on one side of the corridor, seemingly having been waiting for some time.
"Kakashi?"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, strode out the door, and closed the office door behind him.
Kakashi lowered his arms, which were crossed over his chest, and nodded, saying, "The morning's cleanup work has all been taken care of." Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's expression turned serious, and the joking tone on his face lessened.
"So, no one noticed anything unusual, right?"
"Yes."
Kakashi nodded.
"Because it was resolved before dawn, the commotion was minimal, and it was still early, there were no witnesses nearby."
"The secret service is always tight-lipped and won't let anything slip."
"That's good." Jiraiya nodded gently.
Before he could finish speaking, Kakashi seemed to still have some reservations. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Lord Jiraiya—shouldn't we investigate this matter further?"
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya turned to look at Kakashi. Seeing Kakashi's serious expression, he didn't interrupt him and gestured for him to continue.
Kakashi met Jiraiya's gaze, his expression growing increasingly serious as he said, "A figure from a dream—coming into reality. Just hearing that is unbelievable enough."
"This time it was a rope tree, thankfully the impact is still under control. But what if—something even more troublesome descends next?"
He recalled the scene he had witnessed that morning, and his anxiety rose again.
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya remained silent for a moment, without immediately replying.
He glanced back at the closed Hokage's office door and said in a low voice, "We've already spoken to him."
"In Nawaki's own perception, he possesses a complete, coherent, and self-consistent life memory."
Upon hearing this, Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief: "A complete life memory?"
"That's right." Jiraiya nodded. "The Orochimaru in his memory is completely different from the Orochimaru we know."
"Rope Tree's memories are very realistic, even including many specific details of the tasks and interpersonal interactions. Each segment is logically self-contained and interconnected."
He paused here, his eyes slightly lowered: "It doesn't seem like a figment of a dream at all."
"More importantly, as you can see, he not only possesses memories, but also real combat power. This morning, those ANBU who encountered him showed him absolutely no mercy."
As he pondered, Kakashi suddenly realized something. He noticed the details in Jiraiya's words, and his pupils contracted slightly.
"So, you haven't told Nawaki his true origins yet?"
Jiraiya met Kakashi's probing gaze and silently nodded.
"Let's wait until Tsunade calms down and tells him herself at a suitable time." He sighed softly and didn't continue.
Kakashi nodded in understanding.
The scene of their meeting that morning involuntarily flashed through his mind: Tsunade tightly hugging Nawaki, her eyes red-rimmed.
In that instant, even the strong-willed Tsunade revealed a rare moment of vulnerability.
Asking her to tell her brother right now, "You are not from this world, you come from a dream," is indeed asking too much.
It would be hard for anyone to accept.
Kakashi nodded; he understood Jiraiya and Tsunade's concerns.
Jiraiya glanced at Kakashi's slightly lowered face, then suddenly reached out and patted him hard on the shoulder: "Don't make that face! Just play it by ear, Kakashi. Keep an eye on things here, I'm going out for a bit."
Kakashi was taken aback, then looked up and met Jiraiya's suddenly brightened expression.
Jiraiya's worried expression vanished, replaced by a carefree and unrestrained smile, radiating a familiar confidence and boldness.
That's the kind of expression only Jiraiya, who was hailed as a "hero," would show.
Kakashi paused for a moment, as if he were seeing that legendary ninja again, full of vigor and fearlessness on the battlefield.
His doubts grew stronger.
At this critical juncture, what could be more important than figuring out the phenomenon of "dreams invading reality"?
"Lord Jiraiya, now you want to—?" Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, that—" Jiraiya scratched his head upon hearing this, "I'm planning to go out of the village and bring Orochimaru back!"
at the same time.
On the other side of Konoha Village, Danzo hurried along the street, leaning on his cane, his face ashen.
Early in the morning, the only sound in the quiet streets and alleys was the clattering of the wooden clogs worn by the monks.
Filled with resentment, Danzo hurried to Hiruzen Sarutobi's mansion.
He looked up and saw that the gate of Sarutobi's house was tightly closed.
Danzo snorted coldly and shouted in a deep voice, "Hiruzen! Come out here!" Before he finished speaking, a boy's voice came from inside the house: "Coming, coming!" Immediately afterwards, the door creaked open, and a fluffy brown head poked out.
Sarutobi Konohamaru blinked his round eyes, and when he saw the old man standing outside the door with a cane, he was stunned for a moment: "Uh—? Grandpa Danzo?"
Danzo's face darkened.
He had no liking for his mischievous grandson, Hiruzen Sarutobi, but still managed to suppress his temper and ask, "Where's Hiruzen? Where is he?"
"My grandpa—" Konohamaru rubbed his sleepy eyes and answered somewhat groggily, "He left early this morning, he's not home."
Danzo frowned upon hearing this: "What? Not home so early?"
He glared at Konohamaru. "Where did you go?"
Konohamaru shook his head blankly: "I don't know. When I woke up, my grandfather went out, saying he had something to do."
The little guy pouted, "Grandpa Danzo, what brings you to see my grandpa so early?"
"None of your business!" Danzo waved his hand impatiently.
The kid has limited information, so pressing him for more details won't help.
He frowned, even more puzzled: Where could he go so early in the morning?
Danzo was filled with doubts, but had nowhere to vent them.
He slammed his cane on the ground, then turned and left.
He strode out of the Sarutobi clan's courtyard and was about to return to the base to arrange for his men to investigate other clues when two figures in black suddenly darted out and landed silently in front of him.
Danzo paused, squinting at the person blocking his way.
Two fully armed secret agents blocked his path from the left and right.
One of them spoke in a deep voice: "Lord Danzo, the Third Hokage requests your presence. Please come with us."
The unexpected situation startled Danzo.
His face darkened. "Did Hiruzen send you to find me?" he said.
The two secret agents nodded slightly, but did not explain further.
The leader of the secret agents said coldly, "Please come with us immediately."
Danzo was stunned for a moment.
Immediately, his brows furrowed deeply; the unyielding tone of the secret service officer displeased him greatly.
He, a dignified elder of Konoha, is now being treated so rudely by even a few members of the Anbu.
He snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over the two masked ninjas from left to right.
They stood precisely on the left and right, blocking their own path.
Danzo felt a surge of anger and slammed his cane on the ground: "Hmph, I was just looking for Hiruzen, and he's the one who's come to invite me first."
"Lead the way!"
The two ANBU exchanged a glance, one of them nodded, and then turned to lead the way, while the other followed close to Danzo, half a step to his side, protecting him as he moved forward.
The three of them, one in front and two behind, hurried through the streets and alleys.
Danzo followed in silence, his brows furrowing more and more as they walked.
The surrounding scenery gradually changed from bustling streets to sparsely populated lanes, with familiar buildings and trees flashing past in the corner of my eye.
A thought suddenly flashed through Danzo's mind: This road... His one eye narrowed slightly, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart: This direction... why does it seem to lead to the Root organization's base?
"Halt!" Danzo abruptly stopped, demanding sharply, "Where are we going? Where is Hiruzen?"
The two secret agents seemed not to hear what they said, and continued to lead the way in silence without stopping.
They ignored Danzo's questions.
Danzo's face grew even uglier.
As he drew closer to his destination, his heart sank: what appeared before him was none other than the Root organization's base!
It really is here!
Danzo's pupils contracted, and he stopped abruptly in mid-air.
Looking around, one could see many masked figures of the Dark Guard standing around the base, each concealing their aura and firmly guarding each exit.
Danzo felt a tightness in his chest, and his breath hitched for a beat.
His face was ashen as he surveyed his surroundings, a surge of anger rising within him: "What do you mean by this?!"
He stopped in his tracks, slammed his cane heavily on the ground, and questioned the two secret agents blocking the entrance.
One of the ANBU members, who was already standing at the base entrance, simply made a "please" gesture upon hearing this: "Lord Danzo, please come in. The Third Hokage is waiting for you inside."
At this moment, they were positioned on the left and right, subtly blocking Danzo's retreat.
Danzo glanced sideways and noticed that the path behind him was also blocked by several ANBU members.
He was now completely surrounded by these people!
Danzo's face was extremely grim, but he could only force himself to remain calm.
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again with an angry expression, coldly snorting, "Hmph! What the hell is Hiruzen Sarutobi up to, summoning me here and putting on this show—."
As he spoke, he leaned on his cane, strode across the threshold, and entered the old lair he had painstakingly built up over decades.
As the scene inside the base came into view, Danzo's pupils contracted sharply, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.
He stopped in his tracks, his whole body instantly frozen in place.
In his former office, his most trusted right-hand man, Ryoma Aburame, was kneeling on the ground in a very wolfish manner!
All that could be seen was that Longma's entire body was tightly bound and restrained by countless thick tree branches, his arms were tied behind his back, as if he were being tied to the ground by a tree, and his mouth was also sealed with a sturdy wooden strip.
"Screech! Screech—" Aburame Ryoma also saw Danzo arrive and began to struggle fiercely.
He shook his head frantically, making muffled warning sounds, as if trying to remind Danzo to escape quickly.
Unfortunately, the wooden strip sealed his mouth, preventing him from uttering a single clear word.
Danzo was in a state of turmoil. He forced himself to calm down, suppressed the urge to turn around and retreat, and walked forward step by step.
Looking past the wolf-fox's subordinates, I saw a figure standing quietly at the other end of the hall, with his back to me.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He stood with his back to the entrance, behind the large desk, head down, holding a scroll and slowly turning the pages.
Scattered around his feet and on the table were numerous files, some even fallen to the ground, indicating they had been hastily searched.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked taller than usual, and his back exuded a heavy sense of fatigue.
The atmosphere in the room was stagnant and oppressive, so heavy that it was almost suffocating.
Danzo stopped in his tracks, feeling his heart pounding.
His heart sank: This is bad!
Without a doubt, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already led a search party for the Root organization without his knowledge.
Danzo's gaze swept quickly over the scrolls and torn pages of documents on the ground.
Although he never left any written record of many of the most important deeds, such as the attack on Uchiha Shisui and the deal with the Uchiha.
But many of the things recorded on these scrolls within the root organization are things that cannot be brought to light.
If this were made public, it would be enough to ruin him forever!
Why did Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly break into Root's base?
Hasn't he always turned a blind eye to these dirty and tiring jobs?
When Danzo's gaze shifted back to Hiruzen Sarutobi's slender back, his eyes instantly turned sinister: This guy usually acts all high and mighty, but he values his reputation above all else.
Danzo clenched his teeth, knowing that his opponent would show no mercy.
He knew Hiruzen Sarutobi too well.
This old buddy may be flexible and unpredictable in his methods, but deep down he values the image of the "Will of Fire" and the "light" of the village to an extreme degree.
To maintain the outward harmony of Konoha and his reputation as a "ninja hero," he had tolerated forcing Sakumo to commit suicide back then, and was even more ruthless to himself, even turning the assassination attempt on him into a thing of the past. But today, he was clearly planning to settle old scores, and Hiruzen would not let him off easily.
In an instant, Danzo's mind raced.
At this moment, he couldn't care less about complaining.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's display of force clearly indicates that he's targeting me.
"Hmph!" Danzo suddenly let out a heavy snort, his face showing annoyance.
He took two large strides forward, leaning on his cane, forcefully breaking the tense atmosphere, and shouted, "Hiruzen! You summoned me to this place so early in the morning and even tied up my men, what exactly do you want?!"
Relying on his seniority, Danzo decided to turn the tables and try to overwhelm his opponent with a preemptive strike.
However, to Danzo's surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained with his back to him, neither turning around nor answering immediately.
The air around us seemed to freeze.
After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally stopped what he was doing and let out a long sigh.
At that moment, Orochimaru's mockery on the rooftop suddenly echoed in his mind.
Is it really true, as Orochimaru said, that he is not suitable to be Hokage?
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a hoarse voice, as if talking to himself, "Konoha Orphanage—what's going on?"
He didn't look at Danzo, but stared straight ahead at the empty space.
The orphanage was for this?
Danzo calmed down a bit, his tense facial muscles relaxed slightly for a moment, and a hint of mockery even appeared on his face.
Oh, I see. Is that all you're asking?
"Oh, so it's because of this trivial matter?"
"What?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was clearly stunned for a moment, then slowly came to his senses and looked in Danzo's direction, his face half-turned, his gaze uncertain.
Seeing this, Danzo raised his head and even sneered disdainfully, "Those kids weren't even from Konoha! Letting them contribute their final value to Konoha's strength is already a great blessing for them!"
Danzo spoke with righteous indignation, a hint of passionate conviction on his face: "Raising these unknown orphans from other villages is the real danger! Who knows if they'll be found by their former masters and betray Konoha? It's better to eliminate them now than let them cause trouble later. Everything I've done is for the village! For Konoha to become stronger!"
Upon hearing these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, which had been slightly lowered, suddenly widened.
He slammed his hand on the table: "Shut up!"
With a muffled "crack," the heavy wooden table trembled violently, and the scrolls and books on it jumped up.
Danzo paused, speechless, after being shouted at.
He shut his mouth again, stood there with his neck stiff and not uttering a word, a stubborn and arrogant smile still lingering on his lips.
He has no reason to deny it.
after all.
He did nothing wrong!
Whether it was the orphanage incident or other dark choices, everything he did was to remove hidden dangers for Konoha.
If no one did these dirty, shady things, how could Konoha be at peace today?
It's ridiculous that Hiruzen Sarutobi enjoys the light in the village, yet in the blink of an eye, he's about to settle accounts with his own dark methods!
How shameless!
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his expression was one of deep sorrow.
He seemed to age ten years in an instant. His lips moved a few times, and finally he waved his hand weakly and said, "--Put Danzo in the dungeon."
He paused, then added, "A special investigation team will be established to thoroughly investigate everything related to the 'Root' organization."
As soon as he finished speaking, several members of the Anbu who had been waiting nearby suddenly appeared and rushed to Danzo's side in a few steps.
Two of them grabbed Danzo's shoulders, one on each side.
"You—!?" Danzo was horrified.
To his utter surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't bother to say another word and immediately tried to arrest him!
"What do you mean, Hiruzen!"
"You've already abdicated, what right do you have to arrest me?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly glanced at his old friend's face, flushed with anger, and slowly said, "If you're not satisfied, I can ask the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, to handle this case entirely. What do you say?"
Upon hearing the name "Tsunade," Danzo instantly fell silent.
On her very first day in office, Tsunade dared to embarrass him in public. If he were to fall into her hands, he would likely suffer even more!
Higanbana still cherishes some of their past friendship.
"Drag him away." Seeing that he no longer wanted to talk back, Hiruzen Sarutobi simply waved his hand wearily.
At his command, several secret agents immediately stepped forward to carry out the order.
"Stop!" Danzo roared. "Hiruzen Sarutobi! You can't do this to me! Everything I've done is for Konoha!"
"You'll regret this! I've shed blood for Konoha, I've rendered service to Konoha!"