Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 447 Above and Underground

The moment the explosion began, many ninjas heard the commotion. Some chose to run to report the news, some chose to immediately find their teammates, and some chose to charge straight in.

The main city of Konoha, which had not been evacuated at all, was not suitable to be used as a battlefield, but war does not give people time to be picky. Three years later, the place was once again filled with smoke and screams, just like the Konoha Collapse Plan, except that this time the attackers appeared to be six people, but in reality there was only one.

"This way! Quickly, get to the shelter!"

"Are there any medical ninjas? More wounded soldiers are coming from the front lines!"

"Why are you all back? Who's holding the line at the front?"

"It's two ANBU and a newly arrived team from the Inuzuka clan. They're very strong; they easily suppressed the strange ninjas that we couldn't handle!"

"That's good. Quickly get the wounded to the nearest hospital!"

"Wait...look what's that?"

The road, buried under rubble, was dissolved by a corrosive liquid, and a white and green slug, bigger than a person... squeezed out of the road.

"Please don't be afraid, I am Lady Tsunade's summoned beast, and I can heal your injuries." This slug actually spoke in human language, and its voice was exceptionally gentle, completely inconsistent with its appearance. However, it did indeed quickly split into many more, and as soon as they crawled onto the wounds of the injured, they began to emit an emerald green light, the unique color of medical ninjutsu.

"Please continue to evacuate the surrounding civilians. Pain will be held back by specific ninjas. This is Lady Tsunade's order."

"Yes, slug... sir! We promise not to abandon anyone!"

In stark contrast to the unity on the surface, somewhere underground, ninjas knelt in a row.

A distinctive, rhythmic thud sounded—the sound of a cane striking the ground. Danzo had just moved here from the underground passage of the Hokage Building. He had specifically gone to the Hokage's office to confirm that Tsunade didn't currently intend to recall the Nine-Tails directly. Originally, he had brought Yan and Koharu along, intending to use his authority to suppress Tsunade if she tried to do so, and then use his backup plan. Fortunately, the woman still had some self-awareness regarding the village's well-being; his initial plan wasn't needed, but his backup plan still came in handy.

This was to ensure that Kurama (the Nine-Tails) couldn't learn anything about the village. He was willing to kill even a human for this, let alone a mere toad. Although Jiraiya was still a major loophole in the village, Tsunade hadn't given any orders, so he probably wouldn't act on his own.

"In this way, Tsunade's era will come to an end."

He had waited far too long for this opportunity. Akatsuki's attack was overwhelming, and Tsunade and Jiraiya would undoubtedly fight with all their might. Even if they survived, they wouldn't be able to seize power in Konoha anytime soon. Once the Sannin fell, the remaining Hokage candidates would be no match for him, and he could immediately fulfill his greatest wish: to stand in the Hokage's seat and transform Konoha into the place he desired. He even hoped the battle would be more intense and thorough, ideally completely stripping Tsunade of her power.

But this terrifying desire must never be spoken aloud; his ambition is something that cannot be exposed to the light of day and must be packaged in words.

"But we can't hand the Nine-Tails over to Akatsuki, so that possibility is currently ruled out. Until the unrest on the surface calms down, we'll remain underground for now."

Different voices arose from the group of ANBU members. One of them asked, "Shouldn't we also go and reinforce them? Even if Lord Danzo can lead the village in the future, Konoha will be meaningless if it's empty."

Danzo had long anticipated this possibility. He had considered it very thoroughly, and he knew that someone would do everything in their power to preserve his manpower.

“The princess is already a woman who has become Hokage. As long as he uses the Slug Technique, they won’t be wiped out. Although there will still be many casualties, for me, they are necessary sacrifices.”

"So that I can become Hokage."

"Because the Hokage can save people, you stand by and watch them sacrifice themselves. Is this what you mean by protecting Konoha?" Another voice rang out. This voice was so familiar that it caused Danzo's expression to change slightly.

Aburame Torune stood up from the first row of the Anbu. Every minute and second he spent lying in wait here felt so long. When Konoha was attacked in front of him for the second time, he finally could no longer endure it.

"This is to preserve enough elite forces for Konoha to deal with the crisis following the attack." Although Danzo was somewhat surprised by his most trusted subordinate's sudden attack, he was good at persuasion. Stabilizing Torune was the most important thing right now; the Aburame family's unique ability was extremely rare, and he didn't want to lose it.

"Are you going to say that the other four kingdoms will take advantage of Konoha's vulnerability after the attack to launch a war?" However, Torune was too close to him and even guessed what he was going to say. "But what remains here are Konoha's most elite forces, a third of the Anbu! If we go to the battlefield, can we defeat the enemy more quickly and minimize Konoha's losses?"

"You keep claiming to protect Konoha, yet you retreated underground when Konoha needed protection the most! Twice! After the Third Hokage's death, you expanded Root at lightning speed before the Hokage returned. A year ago, you even collaborated with the murderer who killed the Third Hokage to obtain that hand covered in eyes. Now, you want to seize the Hokage position after the Fifth Hokage defeats the enemy. Is it Konoha you're protecting, or just your own ambition?!"

Torane's questions echoed in the empty underground space, shaking the minds of some of the skeptical Anbu members. The things Torane spoke of were things only his closest confidants knew. Some of the other ninjas had been raised by Danzo since childhood, while others had been fooled by his rhetoric. They had never truly witnessed Danzo's most unknown side.

"Torone, what are you saying?" Danzo hadn't expected Torone to say something like that so directly. His eyes, hidden beneath his bandages, began to dart around. This was a challenge to his authority, and he no longer had time to consider whether he would waste Kotoamatsukami.

"I did that to lull Orochimaru into a false sense of security. Didn't we fight Orochimaru later? It's just that he's too good at running away."

Toru laughed out loud. He knew Danzo was shameless, but he hadn't expected him to be this outrageous. But it didn't matter; he was fully prepared, and the evidence was already there.

"Go ahead and try to argue your way out of it. I have already reported your itinerary that day to the Hokage. I have all the information, videos, and conversations between you."

Under Danzo's shocked gaze, Torune, clinging to his last hope, said, "Lord Danzo, it's not too late to turn back now. I have never forgotten your nurturing of me, but Konoha is my home. I cannot stand by and watch it be destroyed again while doing nothing."