Chapter 223: The Buried Truth!

The cold wind blew through the forest, rustling the leaves.

On the ground, blood slowly solidified. Uzumaki stepped over countless corpses, walked slowly toward Orochimaru, and gazed at Shimura Danzo's lifeless body.

To be honest, although he had communicated with Orochimaru beforehand, he had still been prepared to fight against multiple opponents—including Orochimaru himself.

However, what Uzumaki Raiden didn't expect was that Orochimaru had actually taken care of Danzo by himself. Initially, Raiden couldn't figure out Orochimaru's motives and thought it might be an act of kindness. But when he got closer and examined Danzo's body, he understood why Orochimaru had done it.

Shimura Danzo had already lost his breath, his right arm—previously wrapped—was gone, and the bandages on his face had been removed. The right eye socket was empty, with no eyeball remaining. Seeing this, Uzumaki Raiden immediately realized what had happened—Orochimaru had likely taken the strange things that had been hidden within Danzo.

"In recent years, many Uchiha clan members have fallen on the battlefield. However, whenever their bodies were retrieved, their eyes were always missing," Raiden remarked.

"At first, everyone thought the enemies were responsible, but now it seems that's not entirely the case."

Raiden glanced at Danzo's corpse but refrained from insulting it. Instead, he turned to Orochimaru and spoke in a manner seemingly unrelated to the battle.

"Hehehe, many ninjas in the world covet the Uchiha clan's bloodline. It's quite a common thing," Orochimaru chuckled, feigning ignorance.

"The Uchiha clan will never allow their bloodline to fall into the hands of others. Every Uchiha who dies with their eyes open will have them destroyed."

"If they're not found, I'll search every corner. Even if they're in an enemy nation, I'll retrieve them myself."

"Brother Orochimaru, you'll help me when the time comes, won't you?"

After speaking, Raiden ignored Orochimaru, approached Danzo's body, searched it briefly, but found nothing. At that moment, several figures swiftly approached through the forest.

The Anbu, arranged by Raiden, had arrived. A dozen of them quickly surrounded him, one kneeling down and shouting, "Lord Hokage!"

"Perfect timing," Raiden said. "Elder Danzo and his subordinates were killed by an unknown enemy while on a mission outside the village. The enemy fled by the time Brother Orochimaru and I arrived."

"Seal off this area immediately. No one is allowed to enter without my authorization. Have the area thoroughly investigated, and report all findings directly to me. No personnel are to be spared."

"I won't allow one of Konoha's heroes to pass away so quietly—we must take revenge!"

After issuing the orders, Raiden patted an Anbu member lightly on the shoulder and walked back toward the village.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the Anbu responded firmly.

The scene was swiftly locked down. The Anbu tasked with handling the corpses were veterans who had fought alongside Raiden against the Land of Earth. After Raiden became Hokage, he placed many of his most trusted elite members into Anbu.

These individuals were his closest confidants.

Once Raiden and Orochimaru left, the Anbu began processing the corpses. Any identifiable wounds were obscured using jutsu, and those that couldn't be concealed were melted away using secret techniques, leaving no traces behind.

However, Shimura Danzo's body was largely left untouched, as the Anbu had already determined that their beloved Hokage-sama had not inflicted the fatal wound.

With a dozen men handling over 20 corpses, they worked swiftly and efficiently.

Back in his office, Raiden focused on his official duties. To ease his workload, he had appointed two secretaries: Namikaze Minato, known as the Golden Flash, and Shikaku Nara, a strategic genius from the Nara clan.

As they worked together at noon, the office door was suddenly slammed open.

Bang!

The impact startled Shikaku, who flinched visibly, while Minato simply looked toward the door with a calm expression.

Seated behind his desk, Raiden frowned slightly as three elders of Konoha entered.

Leading them was Mitokadu Homura, his face contorted in anger. Behind him, Koharu Utatane wore an indifferent expression, staring at Raiden, while Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, his face dark.

"Elder Homura? Sensei Sarutobi and Elder Koharu, what brings you all here in such a hurry?" Raiden greeted them with a polite smile, rising from his seat.

"Hokage! What happened to Danzo? I've received word that he's dead!" Homura asked angrily without pretense.

Raiden had not been Hokage for long, and since taking office, his reforms and power restructuring had kept him occupied. Despite this, Homura and Koharu still held influence within Anbu.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, having commanded Konoha for decades, had plenty of informants in the village. Raiden had never intended to conceal Danzo's death from them.

From the moment Anbu delivered Danzo's body to the intelligence division, Raiden had been expecting the elders to confront him.

"About Elder Danzo?" Raiden replied calmly. "I only just received news of the incident myself and have already ordered Anbu to investigate."

"I planned to inform you once the truth was uncovered, but Elder Homura, you're quite well-informed."

"I know Elder Danzo was your longtime comrade. I deeply regret his passing. Please accept my condolences."

"Sensei Sarutobi, please take care of yourself."

Raiden spoke softly, bowing slightly toward Hiruzen. His words caused the elders' expressions to darken. They had initially come to confirm the rumor, but now that Raiden had confirmed it, they struggled to accept it.

Minato and Shikaku exchanged glances. They had been in the office the whole time and hadn't received any prior information about Danzo's death. However, sensing the weight of the situation, they kept their heads down and continued working, silently paying close attention to the conversation.

"Dead?! He's really dead?" Homura staggered slightly, and Raiden quickly supported him.

"Raiden, who killed Danzo?" Hiruzen asked in a low voice, his expression stern.

"I don't know yet," Raiden responded solemnly. "His body and those of his subordinates are undergoing examination, and the results will reach me soon."

"Rest assured, I will find the culprit."

Hearing this, the elders immediately left the office. Once they were gone, Raiden shook his head slightly and sat back down.

"Raiden, do you know the truth about Danzo's death?" Minato asked quietly after setting up a barrier to ensure privacy.

Minato and Raiden were more than just colleagues; they would soon become family, so Minato wasn't shy about asking directly.

"Danzo... Orochimaru killed him when he tried to assassinate me," Raiden replied.

(End of chapter)