Scared by Konoha's Friendship
# Chapter 222: Scared by Konoha's Friendship
[It seems you have a great prejudice against me, junior of Konoha Village.]
A composed voice pulled Lin Ke into a private chat.
[Second Hokage-sama, I never expected to meet you.] He quickly identified the other party's identity.
Then, he swiftly canceled the Summoning Jutsu and fell into deep thought.
Why would the Second Hokage suddenly contact me? Is it the story, or some other factor? In his thoughts, his shadow came over to change him into presentable clothes, tidy up the room, and gather together anything that shouldn't be seen, sealing them into a Scroll. He even specially put on his Konoha Village Forehead Protector.
"Come out, Senju Tobirama!" Lin Ke clapped his hands together, and the semi-transparent Second Hokage appeared in the living room.
"..." X2 The two sized each other up. Senju Tobirama crossed his arms, frowning. "When I was last summoned using the Impure World Reincarnation, I seem to have seen your face."
If he remembered correctly, it should have been a large fellow? And he was holding strange ninja tools? Was it a Ninjutsu similar to the Akimichi Clan's?
The shadow on the ground, is that also a special Ninjutsu? Ino-Shika-Cho? My current body seems to be in a soul state, no, it's more like a body simulated by Chakra. A living person can see it. Hmm, this should be…
A thousand thoughts raced through his mind.
"Konoha Village Special Jonin Lin Ke." Lin Ke introduced himself, about to say a few more words to get closer.
"I understand."
Senju Tobirama nodded, jumped out the window on his own, and disappeared into the night.
This guy's independent consciousness is too strong.
Lin Ke sighed silently. Great, this is probably going to be troublesome again. Last time, Nawaki's appearance almost plunged Konoha into a state of war, and now the already deceased Second Hokage has come out.
He sat quietly in his room for about half an hour, and the Anbu arrived as scheduled.
[It's the Anbu who have been following me all along, their Chakra is very familiar.] He followed the Anbu all the way to the Hokage Office.
The Hokage Building was brightly lit at night.
Lin Ke even saw Shimura Danzo outside the office door. The old boy was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his face full of suppressed frustration, his discontent overflowing.
It was really the first time he had seen him looking so miserable.
But his arm-crossing posture seemed very familiar. Oh right, it was almost exactly the same as Senju Tobirama's just now.
He learned it well.
As soon as he entered, he saw Senju Tobirama sitting in the Hokage's seat behind the Hokage's desk, the desk filled with all kinds of Scrolls. The three old guys stood in front of him, each with their heads lowered like quails.
"Your Summoning Jutsu is about to end, can you summon me again?" He looked over at the sound and asked.
"No problem." Lin Ke gave a definite answer.
[This guy can even sense when the Summoning Jutsu is about to end?] He wondered in his heart.
About half a minute later, Senju Tobirama was gone, and then Senju Tobirama was back again.
Lin Ke used an extremely large amount of Chakra, estimating that it could last for two or three hours.
As soon as he was summoned, Senju Tobirama very politely invited him out and closed the door.
The soundproofing of the Hokage Office was quite good. No sound could be heard from the outside. He also leaned against the wall on the other side of the door like Danzo, looking sideways.
Shimura Danzo's expression was uncertain, not knowing what he was thinking.
After nearly three more hours, the sky began to turn white. During this time, the Anbu ran back and forth, not knowing what kind of messy orders they were relaying.
Nara Shikaku, Hatake Kakashi, and Sasuke were also invited over.
So the number of people staring at Danzo became four.
Lin Ke was soon invited back into the room.
"...Do you have anything to say? Say it now."
"Nothing?" His expression was okay, but his tone was quite stern. "If not, let Danzo in."
After speaking, he nodded to Lin Ke, signaling the kid to wait to the side.
Shimura Danzo restrained the discontent on his face, lowered his head, and walked in, feeling like his breathing had become much lighter.
The Third Hokage looked up and gave Lin Ke a comforting look, which earned him a glance from Senju Tobirama.
It felt like a homeroom teacher privately talking to a few bad students.
Lin Ke had originally thought that Danzo would also be scolded upon entering—
Looking at the two Advisors and the Third Hokage, it was clear they had been scolded a lot. This wasn't the war-torn state of the Fourth Shinobi World War. If the Second Hokage could speak kindly after seeing the changes in the village over the years, that would be strange.
Unexpectedly, Senju Tobirama looked at Danzo for a long while, then just sighed and said nothing.
"!"
Shimura Danzo seemed to be stimulated, stiffening his neck and raising his head to meet the gaze opposite him.
"Danzo, I know you always like to argue with Sarutobi, but..." Through the information and the accounts of others, Senju Tobirama roughly knew what good deeds Danzo had done over the years, and he understood what his student was thinking.
What he hated most was bringing personal feelings into matters concerning the village and everyone.
Clearly, this student was still competing with Sarutobi.
Whether it was the argument during the rearguard action back then, or the many things he had done over the years in an attempt to become Hokage, it all placed personal feelings above more important matters.
Senju Tobirama shook his head and said in a calm tone, "Danzo, you will never become Hokage."
He was generally satisfied with Sarutobi, Homura, and Koharu. He took responsibility for many unresolved or poorly handled issues. He had died too hastily back then, so he could barely accept the current Konoha. Saying a few more words was out of disappointment that iron cannot become steel.
He felt more disappointment and helplessness towards Danzo.
But what could he say?
The Shimura Clan, Danzo's father and grandfather, had all died on the battlefield for Konoha early on. For other descendants, they were just unknown names on a memorial tablet, but for him, they were comrades who seemed to still be before his eyes.
"Can your Chakra still support it? If so, summon me again."
Senju Tobirama's tone remained the same. He was a very calm person and would never let personal feelings influence his decisions. Even after experiencing the war with the Uchiha and genuinely hating that clan possessed by demonic power, he would not take any inappropriate actions because some people wanted to rebel.
"No problem," Lin Ke said quickly.
The Summoning Jutsu didn't consume much Chakra at all, and he had even taken the time to eat Soldier Pills. Sustaining it for twenty-four hours wouldn't be a problem.
Soon, Senju Tobirama disappeared again and then reappeared.
[This guy really grasped the duration of the Jutsu. How did he figure it out?]
Lin Ke thought to himself, using even more Chakra. Even he, who was used to consuming large amounts of Chakra, began to sweat on his forehead.
"Thank you for your hard work," Senju Tobirama's tone was much gentler than when he had first appeared.
Shimura Danzo, who was standing next to him, looked as if his bones had been removed, with not much expression on his face and a heart filled with despair.
What did it matter how strong he was, or how ambitious he was to change The World? Could he gain his teacher's approval and surpass the monkey? If he couldn't surpass the monkey, then he might as well be dead.
Refute and scold his teacher? He was an ambitious man, not an idiot, much less a madman. The more he did that, the further he would be from the future he wanted.
But... what difference did it make now?
"Danzo," the Third Hokage—no, Sarutobi Hiruzen—tried to put his hand on his old friend's shoulder to comfort him, just like he did when he was young, but it was slapped away.
"Shut up!"
Shimura Danzo trembled all over. "I don't need your sympathy!"
"You must be pitying me, the loser!"
"Ha, you are the leaves illuminated by the light, and I am just the root that exists in the darkness. Seeing my failure, knowing that I can never catch up to you, does it make you feel very proud? I—"
"Slap!"
Mitokado Homura, at Senju Tobirama's signal, ended the roar with a slap.
"Go cool down for a bit."
Senju Tobirama's tone was still so calm.
Shimura Danzo walked to the side with a heavy atmosphere and sat down, no longer speaking.
[So... is that how you see me, Danzo?]
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked over with a bit of melancholy. [Then, what am I to you?]
He was somewhat saddened, but his tears had long since dried up from so many years of sorrow, leaving behind only a chill in his bones.
What a farce, Lin Ke thought as he watched, refraining from showing any expression or inappropriate glances.
Danzo and Hiruzen had competed their entire lives, losing everything. In the end, he failed to catch up to his friend. Yet, unlike in the manga, he couldn't even give himself a reason to protect the World and Konoha before committing suicide, only living with pain and utter failure.
He felt that if Senju Tobirama weren't here, this guy would probably have gone insane.
He was truly a bit frightened by this twisted Konoha friendship.
Mitokado Homura's expression was very serious. Among all of the Second Hokage's former guards, he was the only one who had inherited some of the Second Hokage's personality, calmly assessing countermeasures and prioritizing the protection of the Hokage's power.
In his view, Danzo, who had spoken those words earlier, was no longer fit to stay in the Hokage Office.
He might even find someone to replace Danzo as the head of Root and discuss eliminating Danzo.
Having such strong opinions against the Hokage, knowing too much classified information, possessing a certain level of strength, and possibly still secretly controlling other subordinates, the Shadow of Shinobi whose influence once spanned the ninja world…
Selfishly speaking, he should have died long ago.
It wasn't just about eliminating hidden dangers, but also about making the village appear brighter. As for Root, it would be easy enough to support another one. If Danzo died at the hands of Uchiha Sasuke, given Lin Ke's relationship with that kid, he might be able to support the formation of another 'Root'.
Utatane Koharu, however, looked pained. She was a very sentimental person. Once, when the Uchiha attempted a rebellion, she had harbored a strong aversion to the Uchiha ever since, and her feelings for her old friend were beyond doubt.
Seeing Danzo act this way, she couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
Senju Tobirama's gaze swept across everyone's expressions, observing their thoughts, and he sighed silently as he opened the Scroll.
I didn't expect to have to worry even after death.
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