Chapter 43: Minato vs Danzo

Lu Mingfei spoke without the slightest hint of fear.

"Looking at Danzo's life—he was all bark and no bite, scheming but indecisive. He wanted to do great things but feared for his own safety. He chased small gains yet risked his life for them."

Ren Asakura was speechless.

"Are you seriously giving me a 'Heroes Over Wine' speech right now?"

Saitama scratched his head.

"They keep flashing around so much."

Lu Mingfei smirked confidently.

"I already know the winner of this fight. I've listed ten reasons Danzo will lose and ten reasons Minato will win."

Ren looked at Lu Mingfei's projection.

In real life, this guy was timid and cautious. But online? Heavy blows, nonstop attacks.

"Why don't you teleport over here and say that to Danzo's face? I bet he'd kill you on the spot."

Danzo might be weak compared to real powerhouses, but he was still Kage-level.

"Pfft, Danzo? I could crush him with a flick of my finger! Just give me six months… No, three years! Never underestimate the young! That clown Danzo is nothing!"

Three years? By then, Danzo's grave would have weeds growing all over it.

Lu Mingfei continued,

"As the leader of Root, he was obsessed with power. His biggest flaw? Instead of eliminating threats to the village, he saw every danger as a chance to climb higher."

This was the power of internet warriors.

All it took was a screen, and suddenly, he was an expert.

Ren Asakura was stunned.

"Whose general is this? Whose damn general is this?! Oh wait—he's mine."

Lu Mingfei, far from feeling any shame, looked rather proud of himself.

This was the same guy who once catfished his own brother on the net, pretending to be a girl just to mess with him.

Even used a secret name.

He'd post all sorts of cryptic, poetic nonsense, then send messages right when his little brother, the round and chubby Lu Mingze, was in the middle of piano lessons.

Had the poor kid feeling heartbreak he didn't even understand.

Yoriichi, watching all of this unfold, didn't know what to say.

He finally spoke while observing the fight below.

"They are both very strong. I read Naruto before… Danzo spent his entire life chasing the Hokage seat, using every means possible. And in the end…"

Lu Mingfei, eyes full of disdain, watched as Danzo reached for the bandages on his arm.

"A mere clown."

"The world has eight measures of blame; Danzo alone takes one. And throughout history, he still owes two more."

Ren Asakura looked at Lu Mingfei.

"Talk big while you can. When your little brother sets you up, I guarantee you won't be acting tough anymore."

Minato Namikaze wasn't just speaking to Danzo—he was making it clear to Fugaku Uchiha who had been targeting the Uchiha clan all along.

If Danzo didn't die, he would never stop.

You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against one forever.

The reason the Uchiha clan was wiped out in the future? It was basically all Danzo's fault.

When Fugaku realized that everything happening in the village lately had been orchestrated by Danzo, he developed the intent to kill.

But given the fragile situation of the Uchiha clan, he hesitated.

Fugaku had both talent and strength, but he was too indecisive.

Hesitation leads to downfall—and in the end, that's exactly what happened to the Uchiha clan.

But if he was still uncertain at this moment, he wouldn't be for much longer.

The surrounding Root ninjas weren't even close to being a match for Minato. They couldn't even touch him.

The title Yellow Flash wasn't just for show.

Minato wanted to kill Danzo.

Danzo, in turn, wanted Minato dead.

His reason? The Hokage seat.

He still remembered when Hiruzen Sarutobi patted him on the shoulder and said:

"The great tree of Konoha cannot survive without its roots. When I grow old and retire, the Hokage seat will be yours."

But Danzo had done too much shady stuff. And with Root operating in total secrecy, barely anyone knew what he had actually contributed to Konoha.

So no one supported him.

And the Hokage position naturally fell into the hands of Minato Namikaze—the hero of the Third Great Ninja War.

Handsome, kind, powerful, intelligent, and fiercely protective of his comrades.

Minato embodied everything people imagined a great leader should be.

"That Hokage seat should have been mine! If you die, the Fifth Hokage will definitely be me!"

Danzo's eyes flashed sharply.

He was ready to use his trump card.

Danzo was determined to kill Minato Namikaze.

But he never expected that his old friend, the Third Hokage, would refuse to relinquish power.

When the Fourth Hokage died, Konoha didn't even elect a Fifth Hokage. Instead, Hiruzen Sarutobi held onto control for over a decade.

The taste of power was truly intoxicating.

Minato looked at Danzo's crazed expression and easily saw through his schemes.

"Does power and politics really fascinate you that much?"

"What do you know? For the sake of the Hokage seat, I was willing to become Konoha's darkness, doing the dirtiest and most exhausting work! But no one acknowledges my contributions. I, Danzo, am the true hero of Konoha!"

Ren Asakura was speechless.

A mere clown actually believed himself to be a hero.

If he hadn't been stirring up chaos behind the scenes, Sakumo Hatake wouldn't have died. The Uchiha clan—the strongest clan in Konoha—wouldn't have been wiped out. The Three Sannin wouldn't have abandoned the village one after another. And in the future, Pain never would have invaded Konoha.

That's right. It was all Danzo's fault.

Oh, and let's not forget—it was also Danzo who sabotaged relations between the Akatsuki and Amegakure, leading to Yahiko's death and Nagato's descent into darkness.

Because of him, the Akatsuki transformed into a militant group collecting tailed beasts—eventually resurrecting the Ten-Tails and nearly destroying the entire ninja world.

Again—it was all Danzo's fault.

Danzo slowly unwrapped the white bandages around his right arm, revealing his secret.

Even though Minato had already seen it before, he still couldn't help but frown.

That arm of Danzo's truly pushed the limits of human decency.

The pale, wrinkled limb was embedded with countless Sharingan, each one shifting and staring in different directions—undeniably alive.

"What the hell have you done? The Uchiha clan is part of this village!" Minato's voice was cold.

Danzo was unbothered—after all, he had already exposed his arm.

"The so-called Uchiha are nothing but a cursed existence. Without them, Konoha will be much better off."

Sharingan weren't just ordinary eyes. If a non-Uchiha used them, they consumed an absurd amount of chakra and couldn't be deactivated, meaning they were always draining energy.

Take Kakashi Hatake—son of the White Fang, a genius who became a Jonin at age 12, creator of the S-rank jutsu Chidori, future Sixth Hokage, and an outstanding battlefield commander.

Yet after receiving Obito's Sharingan, he was constantly out of chakra.

"I'm out of chakra."

"I can't go on."

"My chakra's all used up."

Sure, his self-loathing played a role, but this also highlighted just how unmanageable the Sharingan was for non-Uchiha users.

Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan had terrifying genjutsu capabilities. During the anime's flashback to the night of the Uchiha massacre, he directly suppressed Itachi's Mangekyō and revealed the truth about the Nine-Tails attack.

His other eye was rumored to have the ability to foresee the future.

°°°

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