"Hmm, it seems to be growing quite well."
Danzo observed the cultivation tube in front of him, where the tissue of the Five-Tails had noticeably grown larger.
Orochimaru, the lead scientist of the project, smiled faintly at the remark.
"This is all thanks to your ingenious idea, Lord Danzo."
Previously, after rejecting Orochimaru's proposal to cultivate the tailed beast tissue through sacrificial killings, Danzo had come up with an alternative solution.
Since tailed beasts could grow by absorbing the chakra released after the death of living beings, why not place the tailed beast tissue in locations where death was frequent?
Thus, Danzo had ordered several cultivation tubes containing tailed beast tissue to be placed in mortuaries, crematoriums, and cemeteries.
After all, these places dealt with death daily, and it would be a waste not to utilize them.
The results proved that this method was indeed effective.
Compared to the tailed beast tissue left idle in the laboratory, the samples placed in these locations grew much faster.
The fastest growth occurred in the mortuary.
Danzo speculated that this was related to the timing of death.
In Konoha, the deceased were sent to the mortuary immediately after passing.
Therefore, the chakra released from these recently deceased bodies was the most abundant.
Additionally, Danzo's research revealed that both ninja and ordinary people could produce a certain energy that promoted the growth of tailed beasts after death.
However, ordinary people, who had not learned to refine chakra through meditation, should not have chakra in their bodies.
This led Danzo to propose a new hypothesis.
Perhaps tailed beasts did not only absorb chakra but also a special energy unique to humans and other living beings.
For example, physical energy.
Danzo recalled that in the original lore, physical energy was a mixture of bodily energy and mental energy produced by the 130 trillion cells in the human body.
Ninja chakra was refined from this physical energy.
Therefore, could it be that the tailed beasts were absorbing the physical energy released from the corpses of ordinary villagers?
And then, through some mechanism, converting it into the chakra that composed their bodies?
Hearing Danzo's hypothesis, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
"That's entirely possible."
"However, to confirm this, we would need to conduct experiments."
He licked his lips, clearly intrigued by Danzo's idea.
At the same time, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel curious about Danzo himself.
This man was not only full of secrets but also brimming with innovative ideas in research.
Often, even Orochimaru felt a bit inferior. He couldn't help but wonder how this old man's brain worked.
He really wanted to cut it open and study it!
If Danzo knew what Orochimaru was thinking, he would probably comfort him.
After all, most of these ideas weren't his own.
They were things he had read online in his previous life—merely the crystallization of netizens' thoughts.
Suddenly, Orochimaru paused his experiment and looked at the calm Danzo.
"Lord Danzo, there's something I've always been curious about."
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Danzo turned his head and said indifferently, "Speak."
Orochimaru stared into Danzo's eyes, a faint, eerie smile on his lips.
"I want to know, Lord Danzo, what are your thoughts and plans regarding the current situation in the village?"
"The situation? You mean the monkey's little schemes?"
Danzo raised an eyebrow, as if the question was of no concern to him.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his golden snake-like pupils revealing a hint of surprise.
"So, in Lord Danzo's eyes, my teacher's plans are merely 'little schemes'?"
"As expected of the 'Darkness of the Shinobi.' It seems Lord Danzo is confident of victory this time."
Orochimaru continued to probe.
However, Danzo had no intention of wasting time with him.
Rather than engaging in this back-and-forth, he would rather conduct a few more experiments.
Perhaps he could even develop a few new food varieties and feed a few more mouths!
So, he cut straight to the point.
"Orochimaru, what do you think the monkey is so desperately trying to achieve?"
"The Hokage position, of course."
Orochimaru answered without hesitation.
Anyone with eyes could see that Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of voluntarily stepping down from the Hokage position.
Yet, the village needed someone to take responsibility for recent events.
That someone was either him or Danzo.
This was the root of the conflict.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen were willing to take responsibility and relinquish the Hokage position, none of this would have happened.
Of course, in the past, Danzo would have had no choice but to take the blame and let Sarutobi Hiruzen have his way.
But now, Danzo was no longer the same.
From being the despised "Darkness of the Shinobi," he had transformed into a hero of Konoha.
With his impressive military achievements and prestige, he had become a figure on par with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
It was the combination of these factors that had led to the current tense situation in the village.
"Then, what kind of person do you think should take the Hokage position?"
Before Orochimaru could answer, Danzo continued.
"Orochimaru, your teacher Sarutobi Hiruzen has always misunderstood one thing."
"Being Hokage isn't about gaining the villagers' love after becoming Hokage."
"Only those who are loved by the villagers can become Hokage!"
"He got this wrong from the very beginning."
"Therefore, the fate of the Hokage position was sealed the moment he dared not charge into battle and became entangled in politics."
Danzo's tone grew colder, eventually becoming icy and severe.
"Hiruzen has forgotten his original intentions and mission. He has become detached from the masses and the shinobi who once elevated him to the position of Hokage!"
"Thus, his failure is inevitable!"
"The people of Konoha can lift him high, and they can also cast him down!"
Danzo's words struck like thunder, leaving Orochimaru momentarily stunned.
"The key to becoming Hokage lies with the people... is that it?"
This was a path Orochimaru had never considered.
In his view, the Hokage position was merely a political game among Konoha's elite.
Through constant exchanges of interests and compromises, the next Hokage was decided.
As for the people?
While they nominally had the right to vote, in reality, they simply believed whatever the higher-ups told them.
Thus, when Danzo placed the people on such a high pedestal, Orochimaru found it difficult to comprehend.
However, he quickly suppressed his confusion and stared at Danzo, asking an even more important question.
"If the old man decides to step down as Hokage, will you become the next Hokage, Lord Danzo?"
For the village and Orochimaru, this was the truly crucial question.
But seeing Orochimaru's serious expression, Danzo couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
Orochimaru had not broken free from the constraints of conventional thinking and was still fixated on the small matter of the Hokage position.
Of course, this wasn't his fault.
After all, this was the ingrained mindset of the shinobi world.
Even though Orochimaru was highly talented in research, he was still limited in philosophy and ideology.
Indeed, it was necessary to start shaping minds from a young age...
Danzo reined in his wandering thoughts and returned to Orochimaru's question.
Would he become the next Hokage?
His answer was—
"You might not believe it, but I have no intention of becoming the next Hokage."
Orochimaru was once again shocked and surprised.
As Danzo's long-time collaborator, he knew full well how deeply this man desired the Hokage position.
Now, with such a golden opportunity before him, he was going to give it up?
How could that be?!
Seeing the undisguised doubt on Orochimaru's face, Danzo chuckled lightly.
"Orochimaru, I hope you understand one thing. The Hokage is not about the position itself, nor is it about the face carved on the Hokage Rock."
"The true Hokage exists only in the hearts of the people."
"Anyone can be Hokage."
Orochimaru admitted that he couldn't fully grasp the meaning of these words.
He only felt that the mist surrounding this man was growing thicker.
If it had been a thin veil before, now it was a dense fog!
Seeing this, Danzo didn't press Orochimaru further. Instead, he took the rare opportunity to share his thoughts.
"The Hokage position belongs to the young."
"Both Sarutobi Hiruzen and I are old men now."
"A true Hokage should shine like the sun, leading Konoha forward with courage."
"If an old man like me were to become Hokage, how would I be any different from Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
Danzo rephrased his thoughts, speaking candidly.
In truth, this was exactly how he felt.
After observing for so long, he had come to understand Minato's character well.
Minato was not as rigid as Sarutobi Hiruzen, nor was he as carefree as Jiraiya.
He could be as warm as sunlight to the villagers and his comrades, but he was also ruthless when it came to dealing with enemies!
Most importantly, Minato was young.
To many, youth might seem like a disadvantage.
But to Danzo, youth was the greatest advantage.
Because the world always belongs to the young!
Only the young have the courage and drive to break through all the constraints and shatter all the rules!
This was the key reason Danzo was willing to compromise.
He didn't want to see a stagnant, lifeless shinobi world.
Thus, he was willing to let Minato become the sword that pierced through the gloom of the shinobi world.
As for him, the old man, he would continue to bear the darkness and occasionally guide the direction of the sword.
After all, he had already shouldered so much blame; a little more wouldn't hurt.
Moreover, the position of Root leader was somewhat freer than that of Hokage.
It would be more convenient for him to carry out certain tasks.
After saying all this, he looked at Orochimaru with an unusually serious expression.
"If I withdraw from the race for Hokage, and Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't pass the position to you, what will you do?"
Orochimaru was taken aback once more.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Danzo to ask such a direct question.
"I'm not sure."
Perhaps moved by Danzo's sincerity, Orochimaru didn't spout any nonsense about not caring for the Hokage position. Instead, he spoke his true thoughts.
For once, his eyes showed hesitation.
Danzo didn't press further. Instead, as he left, he left Orochimaru with one final remark.
"If you don't become Hokage, you can join the Root."
"I can promise you the position of the next 'Darkness of the Shinobi.'"
_
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