160. Are You Ready to Face the Wrath of the Darkness of the Shinobi?

As one of Konoha's most prestigious clans, the Hyuga clan possessed immense strategic value.

Their Byakugan, a powerful kekkei genkai, was an essential reconnaissance tool for Konoha. With its 360-degree vision and over one-kilometer range, it could effortlessly penetrate enemy disguises and ambushes.

To control the Byakugan was to hold a network of living radars, allowing one to anticipate enemy movements and seize the initiative in battle.

Danzo's recent overwhelming victory against enemy forces had been largely due to the enhanced Byakugan implanted in his forehead. This alone demonstrated the immense strategic significance of the Byakugan.

But in Danzo's eyes, the Hyuga clan's importance extended far beyond reconnaissance.

As descendants of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the Hyuga—like the Uchiha with their Sharingan—held the potential for evolution.

That evolution led to a legendary dōjutsu, one said to rival the Rinnegan—

The Tenseigan.

As a reincarnated individual, Danzo still vaguely remembered the conditions for unlocking the Tenseigan—

The fusion of an Ōtsutsuki's chakra with the Byakugan of the Hyuga's main family would lead to its awakening.

In the original story, Ōtsutsuki Toneri achieved this by transplanting the Byakugan of Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi, into himself, awakening the Tenseigan's god-like power.

This terrifying dōjutsu granted its wielder a chakra mode, the ability to manipulate Yin-Yang Release, forge Truth-Seeking Orbs, and even control attraction and repulsion forces.

A power that was utterly broken.

The Tenseigan also had another unique variant—

The Giant Tenseigan.

This required the fusion of multiple Byakugan, ultimately forming a massive Tenseigan.

This version boasted immense offensive capabilities and could create autonomous puppets, though it was far more limited compared to Toneri's personal Tenseigan.

After all, the Giant Tenseigan was immobile, functioning more like a stationary superweapon, used to launch devastating attacks and manufacture puppet armies.

Given the Byakugan's untapped potential, bringing the Hyuga Clan under his control had always been a crucial part of Danzo's plan.

He simply couldn't stand watching such a valuable force waste away under a decayed system.

The Caged Bird Seal not only hindered the Byakugan's true power but also crippled the minds and spirits of all Hyuga branch members.

From birth, branch family members were indoctrinated—

They existed only to serve the main family.

They lived and died for the main family.

Even worse, they were denied access to advanced Gentle Fist techniques, forced to rely on inferior martial arts, nothing more than disposable tools.

Danzo found this utterly unacceptable.

A clan bound by stagnation would never reach its true potential.

Danzo envisioned a Konoha where every ninja could thrive, where the Hyuga Clan's power wouldn't be wasted under outdated traditions.

The evidence was clear just by comparing the Hyuga and the Uchiha clans.

Both were prestigious bloodlines, yet—

How many Kage-level ninjas had emerged from the Uchiha Clan?

How many elite jōnin and high-ranking shinobi bore the Sharingan?

And the Hyuga?

They prided themselves on being Konoha's strongest clan, yet they had produced barely any elite jōnin, let alone a Kage-level warrior.

The root cause was their system.

Yes, the Caged Bird Seal ensured that power remained concentrated within the main family, preventing any threats to their rule.

But at the same time, it choked the Hyuga Clan's potential before it could ever bloom.

Because under this system, only the main family could produce true masters.

And how many members did the main family even have?

Too few.

Now, thanks to an unexpected development, Danzo's Byakugan had been accidentally exposed during his medical treatment.

And Hyuga Hizashi, the man who—despite being born just minutes later than his twin brother—was doomed to servitude as a branch family member, was the perfect pawn to help Danzo seize control of the Hyuga Clan.

The reason for his submission to Danzo?

First, it was due to Danzo's overwhelming strength.

Second, it was because of his deep longing for freedom.

After all, the chance for freedom was right in front of him—who wouldn't be tempted?

Of course, at this point, Hizashi had merely reached a cooperative agreement with Danzo.

To truly win him over, Danzo still needed to find a safe method to remove the Caged Bird Seal.

Only by showing the branch family a real hope for freedom would they rise up and rebel against the tyranny of the main family.

Otherwise, why would they risk following him?

Danzo had some confidence in achieving this.

At worst, he would simply invest more skill points into upgrading his sealing jutsu expertise.

With his chakra-absorbing sealing techniques, Danzo refused to believe he couldn't break something as insignificant as the Caged Bird Seal!

With that in mind, Danzo was just about to visit two injured subordinates when a piece of news filled him with uncontrollable rage.

"What?!"

"The Daimyō and the Hokage have reached a truce with Iwagakure? They're ordering an immediate retreat?!"

If not for his injuries, Danzo would have shattered the table before him.

He had anticipated that Konoha's leadership might try to end the war quickly, but never in his worst expectations did he think Hiruzen Sarutobi would be so blatantly weak!

"Fools! Worthless cowards!"

"That short-sighted imbecile—Hiruzen Sarutobi!!"

Danzo roared in fury, his rage burning so fiercely that it felt as though it might erupt from his very eyes.

His violent movements pulled at his chest wound, sending a sharp pain through his body, forcing him to suck in a cold breath.

Standing nearby, Shisui had grown accustomed to his teacher's outbursts against the Hokage.

At this point, he was even starting to accept them.

Choosing to shift the topic, he spoke up:

"Sensei, according to Root's intelligence, this peace negotiation might not have been fully orchestrated by the Hokage."

"Hmm?"

Danzo glanced at him.

"Alright then, as acting leader of Root, tell me—what have you uncovered?"

To train his disciple and also to recover from his injuries, Danzo had delegated most of Root's operations to Shisui in recent days.

Now was the perfect time to test his progress.

Shisui scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed by the title of acting leader.

But since his teacher had asked, he had no choice but to present his findings:

"Sensei, our spies in the capital report that three days ago, the Daimyō of the Land of Earth sent a massive tribute of gold and treasures to the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, urging him to pressure Konoha into ending the war."

"The next day, a fierce argument erupted within the Daimyō's palace. Many ministers blamed Konoha's handling of the war, claiming that our failures led to the devastation of the northern noble families and crippling financial losses."

"Furthermore, some nobles accused you directly—saying that your initial inaction allowed the enemy to pillage and slaughter unchecked. They demanded the Hokage punish you and force you to issue a formal apology."

"Shortly after, the Daimyō took an unusually firm stance, ordering the Hokage to immediately withdraw the troops and end the war—or else he would cut off all funding to Konoha."

Hearing this, Danzo let out a cold, disdainful laugh.

His narrowed eyes glowed with dangerous intent.

"Those damn nobles again… always jumping around like pests."

Danzo had never had any respect for the aristocracy, and at this moment, he made no effort to hide his disgust.

"It seems they've forgotten something."

"They've forgotten my title."

Danzo's anger faded, replaced by a chilling calmness—

But Shisui, standing beside him, could feel the suffocating, bone-deep cold that now radiated from his teacher.

It seemed that his teacher was preparing to remind those nobles what it truly meant to face the darkness of the shinobi.

"Sensei, I feel like something is off with the village's reaction," Shisui suddenly said.

This piqued Danzo's interest.

"Go on."

Shisui shared his thoughts.

"I feel like the village is a little too eager to comply with the Daimyō's orders.

Almost as if… they wanted this to happen."

Danzo raised an eyebrow and asked,

"Then why do you think the village is cooperating with the Daimyō's orders?"

Shisui had already thought this through. The moment Danzo asked, he responded without hesitation:

"First, the village is suffering from severe financial shortages and needs funding from the Daimyō."

"Second, anti-war sentiment is rising within the village, and the leadership is simply going along with the tide."

"Third… perhaps the Hokage and the two elders don't want you to keep winning, Sensei.

Otherwise, they might be… afraid."

Shisui didn't finish his sentence, but Danzo suddenly burst into laughter.

"Excellent! Excellent!"

It was rare for Danzo to express his emotions so openly, to the point where Shisui felt his teacher was genuinely pleased.

It even seemed like this joy had completely overshadowed his earlier anger at the Hokage and the Daimyō.

And that was exactly the case.

Seeing Shisui develop political awareness under his guidance made Danzo truly satisfied.

At the very least, this boy wouldn't grow up to be the kind of fool who gets tricked and still thanks his deceivers.

"Sensei, are you really that happy?" Shisui couldn't help but ask.

After all, Danzo had once told him—if you don't understand something, ask.

Danzo looked at him and said,

"It's nothing. I'm just pleased to see your growth."

Shisui let out a breath of relief and said,

"I'm glad I didn't disappoint you, Sensei."

Danzo shook his head with a slight smile and said,

"You're still young. Go out and act freely—even if you fail, I will be here to support you."

Hearing this, Shisui was deeply moved. Without hesitation, he declared,

"I will do my best not to let you down!"

Danzo patted his shoulder before giving his next instruction:

"As for Hiruzen Sarutobi and those three old fools, don't worry about them. Let them jump around for a little while longer."

"Go contact Minato and relay the order to withdraw the troops."

"And remember—it must be delivered in the name of the Hokage and the Daimyō."

Shisui nodded. "Understood."

After Shisui left, Danzo gazed at the war map and let out a sigh of regret.

If they had just held out a little longer, pressuring Iwagakure a bit more, they could have gained far greater benefits.

Perhaps even forced land concessions and war reparations, just like they had done to the Land of Wind and the Land of Water.

But because of internal power struggles, such a golden opportunity was wasted.

What a pity.

But even Danzo had his limits.

Without logistical support, even he—with all his influence and cunning—could not continue the war.

So, he had no choice but to redirect his focus from external enemies to internal ones.

"The Daimyō, the Hokage, the higher-ups…"

Danzo turned his gaze toward Konoha and the capital.

"I wonder… are you all ready to endure my wrath?"

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