Naruto: Awakening Eternal Power with My Eye Techniques

The situations of the Shimura and Sarutobi clans were similar; due to their deeper family foundations, they had developed even better. Upon hearing these words, Sarutobi Hiruzen found them highly convincing.

Deep within his heart, his desire for power and self-deception led him to believe that this was the result of Hatake Sumao harboring ambitions for the Hokage position and secretly plotting against him. He felt furious, convinced that Hatake Sumao had betrayed his trust and support, never once questioning whether the accusation of corruption had any real basis.

Later, the group reexamined the entire sequence of events, interpreting every action Hatake Sumao had taken as part of a sinister plan. They also realized that Sumao's reputation was at its peak, and due to his consistently spotless conduct, it was nearly impossible to find any flaws in him.

Even as Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen would need a sufficient reason to remove Hatake Sumao from the position of Anbu commander. This realization only intensified Sarutobi's fury, making him feel that his absolute authority as Hokage was being threatened.

In reality, this was merely the manifestation of deep-seated fear within him. Hiruzen could not accept the possibility that Hatake Sumao might be more suitable than himself to serve as Hokage.

He had never imagined that just a few short years after Mito Uzumaki's death, someone else would rise to such an alarming level of strength, once again threatening his sense of complete control over power. Therefore, he resolved to remove Hatake Sumao from office—even if it meant fabricating a flaw to justify it.

Gathered with like-minded allies, after long discussions and secret plotting, Danzo Shimura—who was closest to Sarutobi Hiruzen's thinking—perfectly grasped the Hokage's intentions and quickly began devising a plan targeting Hatake Sumao.

Yet deep inside, Danzo privately despised Sarutobi Hiruzen for wanting to engage in immoral actions while still maintaining a noble reputation. Yet in truth, Danzo was far from virtuous—he too harbored hidden motives and sought to extract the greatest possible advantage from the situation.

Soon, a conspiracy aimed directly at Hatake Sumao took shape. The four of them—including Sarutobi Hiruzen—assigned him a series of arduous and high-risk missions, intending to send him and the elite members of the Anbu unit loyal to him out of the village and into a war of attrition.

This way, Hatake Sumao and his close followers would face tremendous pressure and danger.

Meanwhile, they also planned to eliminate all traces of misappropriated funds during Sumao's absence to ensure nothing could come to light.

Moreover, they intended to neutralize the remaining members of the Anbu unit loyal to Sumao in order to eliminate any potential threats.

In Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, the best solution was to transfer these individuals to Root. The organization was known both for solving problems and for silencing dissent before it could spread.

Through these means, they hoped to completely eliminate Hatake Sumao and his supporters, thereby consolidating their own positions of power.

Should Hatake Sumao dare to defy these orders, the four conspirators believed they would then possess sufficient justification and authority to punish him severely.

If Hatake Sumao dared to resist, they had the full authority to have him executed on the spot. At this time, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was at his peak—immensely powerful. Furthermore, the Sannin had all reached Kage-level, placing them among the top-tier experts.

Also backing them up was Danzo Shimura, who had recently attained Kage-level power, along with many Anbu and Root division members. Thus, even facing Hatake Sumao and the entire Hatake Clan, they could easily wipe them out.

However, if Sumao chose to obey the orders, he would face a large number of exhausting missions that would wear him down constantly, possibly leading to death during mission execution. Even if he survived by luck, he might still suffer serious consequences from mission failures.

At that point, they'd take full advantage, deliberately blowing mission failures out of proportion to damage Sumao's reputation further.

In short, no matter what, control remained firmly in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands. As long as he wished, he could assign new tasks to Hatake Sumao anytime, forcing Sumao to passively accept them. Therefore, from any perspective, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in an unbeatable position.

In this way, a flawed man would no longer be so fearsome. Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi could appear before him as a hypocrite, shaping him into a qualified sharp blade for his own use.

But for this step forward, Danzo Shimura had a different plan—to take this sharp blade into his own hands and wield it to carve a direct path to the Hokage seat.

At this moment, the four of them had already forgotten their original intentions, forgetting how the Second Hokage had once practiced the Will of Fire, sacrificing himself to protect the six of them and return safely to Konoha.

Now, these four had gradually strayed from the Will of Fire, becoming corrupt elements within Konoha. They never expected that Hatake Sumao would eventually walk that path—preferring death rather than allowing anyone to defile his belief in the Will of Fire.

The four never imagined the outcome would turn out like this, so much so that they had even prepared themselves for Hatake Sumao's resistance.

Finally, Danzo Shimura harshly concluded, "We need to suppress Hatake Sumao's reputation. He has started seizing things that don't belong to him. And once he rises to power, he will certainly heavily favor the Uchiha Clan. We cannot allow the Uchiha Clan to threaten Konoha. This is the will of our late sensei."

Danzo Shimura shamelessly raised the banner of Tobirama Senju, extending evil accusations even toward the Uchiha Clan, cloaking his personal ambitions in righteousness. This greatly pleased Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, who mistook their selfish desires for selfless duty, turning together toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Reflecting on the bond between Shiyu Uchiha and Hatake Sumao, suspicion grew stronger in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart. Finally, he spoke, "For the stability of Konoha, we absolutely cannot allow such a possibility. For now, we must ask Sumao to endure some unjust hardship—for Konoha's good. If we do wrongly accuse him, we can clear his name afterward."

If he ends up in charge, he'll definitely side with the Uchiha Clan, which could seriously threaten Konoha's stability.

"This was Lord Tobirama Senju's will. We cannot let the Uchiha Clan endanger Konoha's safety and stability." Danzo Shimura shamelessly used Tobirama Senju's legacy as a shield, even twisting it to paint the Uchiha Clan as a threat and justify his own goals.

This act received strong approval from Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. They masked their selfish motives as concern for the village and turned their eyes to Hiruzen Sarutobi together.

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