Naruto: I am the Hokage

In Kyoto, the capital of the Land of Fire. Danzo held the intelligence report, twisting the paper back and forth, his face dark and uncertain. Over the past few months, the developments in the Land of Water had worried him. He had a feeling that the Guardian Shinobi system in the Land of Water, while appearing to be an internal conflict, actually had another cause.

Danzo stared at the map. If there was another reason, what was the goal of the manipulator behind the scenes? Also, who stood to gain? He calculated, and streams of intelligence surfaced in his mind, then he frowned. He felt something was missing!

"Wait a minute?" Danzo's gaze suddenly sharpened. He thought of a possibility. If the so-called Guardian Shinobi were actually being used by both sides to achieve their own goals, then… what would the other goal be?

To deal with me?!

In the current situation, who would deal with him? There was only one possibility. "Konoha, Konoha…" Danzo muttered to himself. If he were the one in power in Konoha and wanted to deal with someone nominally under the noble faction, what method would he use? Of course—first, ruin his reputation!

Danzo's gaze grew sharper. He had been puzzling over the chaos in the Land of Water, why he always felt like he was looking at flowers in a fog. Now, he understood. This was all aimed at him! At the same time, he also understood why he couldn't see through it—because someone under him had become a problem!

Danzo's face turned grim. "Masaru!"

"Danzo-sama." A figure instantly appeared beside him.

Danzo turned his head. In the lamplight, his face was cold and filled with killing intent, his tone as icy as frost. "Where is Yamanaka Shu?"

"Shu-sama said just now that with the turmoil in the Land of Water, every minute of intelligence is crucial, so he went personally," Fuma Masaru replied.

Danzo swept a cold glance at him. "Idiot!"

Fuma Masaru was bewildered. For no reason, why am I being scolded again? But facing Danzo, he didn't dare to talk back and could only obediently lower his head to be reprimanded.

Danzo took a deep breath but understood that this wasn't Fuma Masaru's fault. This person was just an idiot who helped with tasks. To be precise, the entire Fuma clan was like this. Apart from some meager strength, they were worthless. This was the drawback of only teaching techniques. Only knowing some combat skills, how to defend against spies and enemy infiltration could only be learned slowly through war and experience.

That little brat Kyohiko's strategy… can't say it's wrong. If you're strong, you can certainly allow genin to survive in more situations. Thinking of this, Danzo couldn't help but sigh again. If only Kyohiko were willing to help me! If so, he wouldn't have to worry about organizing manpower. But then he thought again and found his own idea laughable. Kyohiko… although not of the direct Senju lineage, after awakening the Wood Style, this guy was already fully qualified to inherit the "legacy" of the Senju clan. The current Tsunade was just keeping the seat warm for Kyohiko; the real future Hokage was that kid.

It was precisely because he recognized this that Danzo had given up on any ideas about Kyohiko. Originally, he had harbored the thought of assassinating Kyohiko. But the last time his shadow clone fought Kyohiko, he had completely given up on that idea. The current Kyohiko was no longer the same as before!

Danzo was silent for a moment, then said, "Go and do your work. These few days, you must strengthen the patrols to prevent any trouble in the city."

"Yes, your subordinate understands." Fuma Masaru withdrew. Outside, he mulled it over and began to understand. That Yamanaka Shu is a traitor? Thinking this, he suddenly felt a sense of unease. Yamanaka Shu was an important figure on their side. If even he had betrayed Danzo… No! Maybe that guy was never Danzo's man to begin with, but a spy sent by Konoha!

"Forget it."

"What does it have to do with me? Konoha should be reasonable. No matter what, they'll only deal with Danzo!" Fuma Masaru thought to himself. He wasn't completely without cunning, but working under Danzo, he didn't think being smart was a good thing. Besides… who knew how long Danzo would live? Their clan was just getting by, making money, not really selling their lives for Danzo. That was enough. Thinking of this, Fuma Masaru went to do his daily patrol work. No matter what, the work still had to be done!

---

Inside the Daimyo's mansion. Yoshi Enji knelt before the Daimyo, silent.

"My child, do you still think the Guardian Shinobi is the right path?"

"Father, then is it right to hand power over to Konoha? Are we the Daimyo, or are the Senju and Sarutobi the Daimyo?" Yoshi Enji raised his head, a trace of determination in his eyes. "My child still believes that the relationship with Konoha should not be as it is now."

Disappointment appeared in the Daimyo's eyes. "Sigh!" He sighed softly, stood up, and walked before him. Yoshi Enji knelt on the ground.

The Daimyo sighed. "My child, you are still too young, you haven't experienced much turmoil. If you had lived through that period, you would understand why the Land of Fire was the first to ally with Senju Hashirama and the others." He recalled the past. After a few seconds, the Daimyo said, "Do you know that the Land of Fire occupies the most fertile land in the entire shinobi world?"

"This…" Yoshi Enji was silent for a moment, then lowered his head. "Yes, your child knows."

"Do you know that among the Five Great Nations, our funding for Konoha is the lowest in terms of percentage? Do you understand? Percentage!" the Daimyo said. Then, "The Land of Lightning has the highest expenditure, so Kumogakure is now very powerful, and their ninjas are also ambitious, causing no small amount of trouble since the Second Raikage's era. The Land of Earth… The Land of Wind…" He gave examples one by one.

Yoshi Enji looked up, his face filled with astonishment, an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart. What my father said… I really hadn't considered it.

"You do the math. Does our Land of Fire pay a lot?"

"This… it really isn't much." Yoshi Enji was also talented, so with a little calculation, he understood his father was right. In terms of percentage of expenditure, the Land of Fire actually paid the least. Then, he thought again. "But if we could hold this power in our hands…"

"On what grounds?" The Daimyo was amused. He bent down and beckoned him to get up. "Stand up and talk. Today, we are not lord and subject, but father and son." He sat back down.

After a moment's hesitation, Yoshi Enji stood up. "Father, we can take it into our hands, turn them into vassals and generals, instead of how it is now."

"You have been too deeply poisoned by Danzo." The Daimyo smiled helplessly. "Think about it, is the power of the Guardian Shinobi in your hands?"

"Of course it's in my hands!" Yoshi Enji said.

The Daimyo leaned back. "Can you command Danzo?"

"Of course!" Yoshi Enji swore confidently.

The Daimyo nodded. "Then call him over. I'll talk to him face to face."

"Alright." Yoshi Enji nodded and immediately went out to send someone.

Half an hour. An hour… After an hour and a half, Yoshi Enji finally felt something was wrong. No matter what, even if Danzo had gone out on business, he should have been back by now. Did something happen? He was pondering this. The Daimyo, sleepy-eyed, looked at his child pacing back and forth outside. He beckoned a guard to call him in. After a moment, Yoshi Enji hurried in. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he said hastily, "Father, there might be a problem. I'll send someone to check again…"

"Don't send anyone." The Daimyo rose from his chair, wearily pounding his back, then waved his hand to dismiss the guards. When there was no one around, he said seriously, "My child, you've gotten one thing wrong."

"Yes, please instruct me." Yoshi Enji had come to his senses by now.

The Daimyo said, "First, Danzo respects your money and status, but whether he listens to your orders is his business. It's not that he will definitely obey just because you pay him." Speaking of which, he smiled. "If paying money made people obedient, then the country would be too easy to govern. But now, of so many families, few are truly loyal to me."

"Second, the nobles egged you on to do this because they could benefit from it. You still think you did something great? Wake up!" he sighed. "What's the difference between you with Danzo and the Guardian Shinobi, and me with Konoha Village?"

"I'm not that old yet. In these ten, twenty years, I can hold on and give you enough time to gain experience. Look at this, and think carefully!" The Daimyo took a scroll, patted his shoulder, and walked into the inner room with his hands behind his back. After talking for so long, he was indeed tired.

Yoshi Enji stood in the hall, looking at the scroll in his hand. On the scroll was information about what had happened in the Land of Water. The Land of Water's Guardian Shinobi era was over. Kirigakure hadn't even used many ninjas, only deploying elites and their Jinchuriki, and had directly annihilated the two great clans. The power gap was too great! And after that? The nobles didn't hesitate at all, directly siding with Kirigakure, forcing the Daimyo to step out and take the blame. In the end, it was the Daimyo who had to apologize and re-establish cooperation with Kirigakure.

Yoshi Enji felt his worldview being shattered. If even Kirigakure was like this, how powerful must Konoha be? He was silent for a long time, looking outside. Until dawn, Danzo still hadn't come. Later, his guard told him… Danzo had fled. As for his previous subordinates, he had only found one corpse.

Yoshi Enji knew. His father was right. Danzo obeyed his orders only because he was willing to before; in reality, he had no respect for him. He and the Guardian Shinobi were just a miniature version of the Land of Fire and Konoha.

"Sir, should we send someone to investigate what happened to Danzo?"

"No need." Yoshi Enji waved his hand. "Since he killed my subordinate, there's nothing more to talk about. It doesn't matter where he goes, as long as he doesn't come back."

"Yes! Then, what about the others?" The guard hesitated. Those ninjas were not easy to deal with. If they, the samurai, were to manage them, it would definitely not work.

Yoshi Enji was about to give an order, but after thinking about it, he was speechless. He had never had any contact with Danzo's subordinates; how could he command them?

---

In the outskirts, Danzo fled in a hurry. When he figured everything out, he knew the Land of Fire could no longer protect him. The Daimyo was not Yoshi Enji. On matters of great right and wrong, the Daimyo saw things very clearly and would never do anything foolish. So, when he heard the message from Yoshi Enji's guard, his first reaction was—the Daimyo was going to ally with Konoha to trick him and have him killed! From Danzo's perspective, he felt this kind of operation was commonplace. If he were planning it, he would definitely do the same.

However, he hadn't expected… As he fled north with the Body Flicker Technique, in the forest ahead, a figure flickered in and out of view. That is—Namikaze Minato?!

Danzo's expression turned grave. Namikaze Minato's strength might not be equal to Kyohiko's now, but he wasn't far behind. In Konoha, he was definitely one of the most difficult opponents to deal with. Mainly because of that Flying Thunder God… a space-time ninjutsu. Created by his teacher, it was the most difficult and bizarre ninjutsu to counter.

"Kyohiko said you would run. I didn't quite believe it at first. With your abilities, how could you run?" Namikaze Minato sighed. "As it turns out, he was right again!"

Danzo's face was grim. "Where is he?" As he spoke, he secretly tore the palm of his hand with his fingernail, and a drop of blood appeared. At the same time… Danzo instantly retreated, running to the other side. Reaching a rocky area, he slapped the ground—Summoning Technique! Baku.

Namikaze Minato's eyes narrowed. He knew a little about this summoning beast. It could absorb and crush anything; the Flying Thunder God technique would be countered in its presence. Danzo was well-prepared! But Namikaze Minato's mouth curved up. "Danzo, the Flying Thunder God isn't the only thing I know."

"Heh." Danzo sneered. However, the next moment, a figure with an ashen face drilled out of the ground. This land… was covered with special vegetation; he couldn't use Earth Style to travel underground for too long.

"A Wood Style barrier?" Danzo realized that Kyohiko had already arrived and had been hiding in the dark, planning to deal him a fatal blow. He glanced around. "Konoha's two strongest masters moving out together, more than enough to deal with the Third Raikage, and it's all just to deal with me? You really think highly of me!" Danzo looked like he wasn't planning to run anymore, but was actually constantly thinking of a solution. But there were trees all around… If he had known, he would have stayed in the city. In the city, he could at least pull a group of people to deal with them together, even use the Daimyo and the others as leverage to force Konoha to let him go. He secretly regretted it.

"I know what you're thinking. Actually, if it weren't to prevent you from getting desperate and lashing out, we could have used a simpler method." Kyohiko emerged from the ground. "Stop running. You can't escape." His face was covered with fine black lines, sage markings crisscrossing his face. Although it was night, Danzo could see clearly.

"This is… the kind of power Shodaime-sama had?" He was astonished. This kid, how does he have Senju Hashirama's sage power!

Kyohiko said, "Yes, but also no." The chakra in his body quietly spread outwards, strengthening the surrounding vegetation barrier—for this reason, he was willing to talk more with Danzo. Anyway, time was on his side.

After his shock, Danzo also realized his desperate situation. The more time dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. Now was not the time to think about those things… Danzo took a deep breath. Then—Baku opened its mouth wide, and after a roar, a fierce wind howled, sucking everything around into its mouth.

Danzo attacked first, his target was clearly Namikaze Minato!