This Danzo Is Weird!

Danzo wasn't too bothered by Tsunade's refusal.

After all, he hadn't really planned on getting the chance to train in sage techniques from her.

He had a lot on his plate—developing new wind-style jutsu, creating new seeds, learning industrial technology, and more...

It would be hard to find the peace of mind needed to train in sage techniques.

Besides, with Jiraiya around, he might still get a chance to freeload...

Jiraiya, Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and even Ryūchi Cave were all potential sources for him to mooch off.

As for proposing the idea of going to Shikkotsu Forest to train in sage techniques, it was mainly to "drive up the price."

If he had directly suggested that he wanted Kabuto to learn sage techniques, Tsunade might have made excuses to refuse and only teach him medical ninjutsu.

But if both he and Kabuto expressed interest in learning sage techniques, Tsunade might only reject him, the so-called "Darkness of the Shinobi," and allow the more pure-hearted Kabuto to learn.

This was a psychological game.

And as it turned out, Danzo's choice was correct.

Tsunade did agree to let Kabuto try Shikkotsu Forest after he mastered medical ninjutsu.

As for whether Kabuto could gain the approval of the Slug Sage and master sage techniques, that would depend on his own talent.

All Danzo could do was provide more opportunities for his disciples, not hand-hold them through everything and turn them into fragile flowers.

After completing his backroom deal with Tsunade, Danzo had just left the hospital when Ryoma appeared beside him.

"Lord Hiruzen, the Hokage building has called for a jonin meeting."

Hearing this, Danzo showed little reaction, merely saying indifferently:

"So that old monkey is finally going to reward the deserving, huh?"

This was almost expected.

After all, Konoha had achieved so much on the battlefield this time, and there were so many ninjas who had distinguished themselves.

This jonin meeting was necessary to fairly distribute the spoils of war.

Some outstanding ninjas needed promotions and more resources.

Those who didn't meet the criteria for promotion needed rewards, such as money, jutsu scrolls, or ninja tools.

Additionally, what each clan would gain was also a key point of distribution.

This wasn't so much a meeting as it was a feast.

A feast of points.

"Let them fight over it first. We'll go over later."

Hiruzen wore a calm expression.

Then, leaning on his cane, he leisurely strolled toward the Hokage building.

——————

In the Hokage building.

The spacious meeting room was already buzzing with noise.

As the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally sat at the head of the room.

In front of him was a long rectangular table, with representatives from various ninja clans seated on either side.

Most were clan heads themselves.

For example, Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan; Hyūga Hiashi, head of the Hyūga clan; Nara Shikasa, head of the Nara clan; and so on.

The rest were mostly well-known jonin from the battlefield.

The most typical example was Namikaze Minato, who had earned great military merit in recent battles and was hailed as the "Yellow Flash."

Only a young talent like him could sit alongside these clan heads and share in the spoils.

Of course, the main character of this meeting, the man everyone was most curious about, had yet to arrive.

Many people argued passionately while occasionally glancing at the empty seat beside Hiruzen and the meeting room door to see if it had been pushed open.

Meetings like this were always chaotic.

Everyone wanted to fight for more resources for themselves and their clans.

However, the forces present were roughly divided into four factions.

First was the Hokage faction, centered around Sarutobi Hiruzen.

This included the clans of the two advisors.

And the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, who were staunch supporters of the Hokage.

Among them, the Ino-Shika-Chō clans were loyal to the Hokage, not necessarily to Hiruzen himself.

In simpler terms, they supported the position of Hokage.

Not any specific individual.

If Hiruzen was Hokage, they supported him.

If someone else became Hokage, they would support that person too.

Next was the clan faction, made up of ninja clans outside the Hokage faction.

This faction was loosely allied, more like a coalition.

It included the Hyūga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans, among others.

Then there was the commoner faction.

As the name suggests, this faction was mainly composed of civilian jonin, led by the currently most prominent figure, Namikaze Minato.

What?

You're asking about the fourth faction?

That would be our famous, number one ninja clan in the ninja world—the Uchiha clan!

Due to the hostility of Konoha's higher-ups and the traditional arrogance of the Uchiha clan, this top clan had always been isolated.

After all, no one knew if the Uchiha would rebel, when they would rebel, or if they could succeed.

No clan wanted to take that gamble.

So they could only watch from the sidelines, not deliberately targeting the Uchiha, but forming an alliance with them?

No way, no way!

It's better for the noble Uchiha to remain isolated.

Thus, the meeting room was roughly divided into these four factions, all passionately arguing.

Of course, in many cases, it was the Uchiha clan against everyone else...

As for the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, he remained silent, simply watching the chaos unfold.

No matter how things were divided, his Hokage faction would never lose out.

Just as the heated debate was reaching its peak, the sound of a wooden cane tapping the ground suddenly echoed.

The entire meeting room instantly fell silent.

Then, with a creak, as everyone turned to look at the door, the long-awaited Shimura Danzō finally appeared.

Seeing Danzō, Minato, Fugaku, and a few others stood up first.

Then more ninjas who had served under Danzō in the recent battles stood up.

The rest of the ninjas looked at each other and eventually stood up as well.

Only Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, and a couple of old-timers remained seated.

"No need for such a grand gesture. I'm just here to hear what you all have planned."

Danzō casually waved his hand and, leaning on his cane, walked straight to the first empty seat on Hiruzen's left and sat down.

No one was surprised, as if that "second most important" seat in the room had been reserved specifically for him.

Even Koharu and Homura couldn't deny this.

Only after Danzō sat down did the younger ninjas slowly take their seats.

Seeing the meeting suddenly quiet down, Hiruzen, sitting at the head of the table, coughed.

"Now that Elder Danzō has arrived, let's continue the meeting."

At his signal, the meeting resumed.

The first to speak was Nara Shikasa, head of the Nara clan.

As part of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio from the same generation as Danzō, his opening words were earth-shattering.

A major position.

It nominally held the authority to command and mobilize all jonin.

Apart from the Hokage, only the jonin commander had this power.

The importance of this position was self-evident.

"Shikasa has dedicated so many years to Konoha. It's time for him to rest."

Hiruzen's tone was filled with regret.

"But now, during these turbulent times, the position of jonin commander is crucial. We need someone who can mediate conflicts between all sides."

At this point, everyone already understood.

After all, those present were all major figures in Konoha. They could read between the lines.

Since Nara Shikasa had chosen this moment to resign, it must have been discussed with Hiruzen beforehand.

The goal was to make room for someone who had distinguished themselves in the recent war.

So, who was the most suitable candidate for the jonin commander position now?

Normally, this position would go to someone from the Nara clan.

After all, they were known for their intelligence, adept at mediation and strategy, essentially the Hokage's external brain.

But currently, no one from the Nara clan had made significant contributions in the recent battles, so they were out of the running.

Additionally, the ideal candidate should be amiable, have a strong reputation and achievements, and be able to balance the interests of both clans and civilians...

As they pondered, almost everyone's gaze settled on one person—

Namikaze Minato!

As the rising star whose contributions were second only to Danzō's, Minato became the top candidate.

After all, he was a genius, had good relations with many clans, and had earned great merit in the recent battles.

This position seemed tailor-made for him.

Most importantly, by continuously emphasizing Minato's importance and guiding the narrative, Hiruzen could downplay Danzō's heroic image.

Creating a sense that Minato was the real MVP, making others feel like they could have done the same with such a teammate.

This would also help win over Minato's favor.

This was a bit of Hiruzen's own cunning.

Just as Hiruzen was about to nominate Minato and reap some goodwill, Danzō spoke.

The elder, who had arrived several minutes late, slowly opened his eyes.

"I recommend Minato for the position of jonin commander. Who agrees, who opposes?"

Hiruzen was stunned.

This old fox is stealing my lines!!

__

This Danzo Is Weird 350 advanced chapters: (5-10 ch updates everyday)

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