Naruto: Reincarnated as Danzo, Successfully Survived the Bridge

Konoha Village, Root Division

In a hall as dark as ink, a lone candle cast a faint light.

A middle-aged man sat straight-backed on a wooden chair, his right eye and hand wrapped in bandages, his left hand holding a cane as he remained as still as a statue.

A hint of bewilderment, mixed with disbelief, glimmered in his single visible eye.

Liu Yan was processing the memories in his mind, finally reaching a conclusion: he had transmigrated—into the world of Naruto.

It was supposed to be a stormy night, and he had been huddled in bed, secretly reading a Naruto manga on his phone, fully engrossed until his phone warned him it was out of battery.

As he plugged it in, a flash of lightning and a deafening thunderclap from outside, and the phone exploded.

When he opened his eyes again, he was here...

Liu Yan looked around. The darkness was so thick he couldn't see a thing.

The memories in his mind flooded in like a downloaded movie, along with unfamiliar emotions.

In the dim light of the candle, he glanced at his cane-holding left hand, covered with scars, its skin slightly wrinkled.

The feel of the chair beneath him and the sensation in his hands both told him: this was real. He had really transmigrated.

Images flashed through his mind as if he had experienced them himself.

Naruto...Konoha...Root...

Oh no, I'm Danzo now!

Damn it!

If there were a ranking of the most hated characters in Naruto, Danzo would easily take second place, and no one would dare claim first.

Thinking about the anime's storyline from his previous life, Liu Yan's expression twisted, like he had swallowed a bug.

Danzo, the "Darkness of the Leaf," Hokage's dubious friend, the 5.5th Hokage, destroyer of bridges.

His life was full of misdeeds—if something bad happened with no culprit, it was probably Danzo's doing.

The worst part? He didn't even make it to the finale. In the end, at the Five Kage Summit, he got impaled by Susanoo and was taken down by Sasuke, perishing in bitter defeat.

Fortunately, the sinister and ruthless Danzo trusted no one, marking his Root members with the "Curse Mark of Absolute Silence," so there was no risk of them exposing him.

Recalling this "Curse Mark of Absolute Silence" from his memories, Liu Yan realized it wasn't just a secrecy tool; it could also be used to punish or even kill, rivaling the Caged Bird Seal.

He practiced a few hand signs, gradually familiarizing himself with activating the seal.

It was simple enough to use; even in his current state, he could manage it.

Like swallowing a reassurance pill, Liu Yan finally calmed down.

"Well... it's not so bad," Liu Yan muttered, a faint bitter smile on his lips.

What will be, will be. Liu Yan's gaze grew resolute. If I have to be Danzo, then so be it.

In Konoha, I'm still someone who can do as he pleases, with a good friend in the Hokage to cover for me. What's there to fear?

As for leaving Konoha... no way. Only a fool would do that. The Naruto world is far too dangerous—just look at all those S-rank missing-nin constantly on the run.

In Danzo's position as Root's leader and one of the Konoha elders, as long as he didn't do anything reckless, he had nothing to worry about.

With that decision, Liu Yan mentally psyched himself up, repeating, I am Danzo. I am Danzo, while recalling Danzo's mannerisms and expressions.

"Someone, come here."

Whoosh.

From the darkness stepped one of Danzo's trusted subordinates, Torune Aburame…

He was a loyal follower, joining Root in its early days and wielding his clan's unique secret jutsu.

With a respectful half-kneel, he didn't dare meet Danzo's gaze.

Under the dim light, Danzo impassively asked, "How's Hiruzen doing lately...?"

"Everything's normal, sir."

"Hmm... very well. Keep monitoring him, and report any changes immediately."

"Yes, sir."

Danzo tapped his cane on the ground. "Dismissed."

"Yes." Torune responded respectfully, retreating into the shadows until he disappeared from sight.

Reflecting on the scene just now, Danzo felt reassured that his tone and demeanor had been convincing. From his memories, he knew that he had instructed a long-term surveillance of the Hokage.

To be safe, he decided to stay within Root's headquarters for a while.

He also arranged for the Root member handling his daily needs to be reassigned to the training base, replacing them with newly trained subordinates.

Before he knew it, more than half a month had passed. Each day he focused on familiarizing himself with the chakra within his body and the memories in his mind, gradually getting a sense of the timeline.

At this moment, Root had only been established a few months prior, and the Second Shinobi World War had yet to break out. While tensions among the hidden villages remained low-key, the underlying friction was palpable, creating a heavy sense of impending conflict.

Danzo took the initiative to summon Torune, listening to his report on the Hokage's recent decisions.

"Hiruzen is too soft. He'll drag Konoha into war," Danzo muttered darkly, showing no respect by addressing the Hokage by name. He added, "Take Nono Yakushi with your team, head to the Land of Earth, and start preparing for the upcoming conflict. Establish a Root base there."

This task would indeed require some jonin support, and it was an ideal opportunity to dispatch his trusted subordinate.

"Yes, sir."

Watching Torune vanish with the Body Flicker Technique, Danzo quietly breathed a sigh of relief. With all uncertainties removed from his side, he didn't need to worry about slipping up or being discovered. After all, he was a transmigrant, not the real Danzo. Spending extended time with trusted subordinates would inevitably expose discrepancies.

Surviving to the end of this world's story and achieving his ambitions in the Naruto world wouldn't be easy with his current strength.

Fortunately, he was now in Konoha's golden age, a period of rising geniuses.

During this time, Konoha's top talents included "Konoha's White Fang," Sakumo Hatake, and the emerging "Three Legendary Sannin."

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru... they hadn't yet earned those titles. (PS: At this point, Orochimaru was still in a normal phase, right?)

Perhaps I could pull Orochimaru away from Hiruzen, guide his mindset to avoid that obsession, at least keeping him from becoming so... twisted.

Then there's the Uchiha clan…

"Heheheh…"

Danzo's mouth curled into a smile he could barely contain.

In the dimly lit hall of Konoha's Root Division, his laughter echoed in the dark.

Just now, he'd come up with a very interesting idea.