Danzo faced Shen Mo's gaze, then looked at the items from the cans.
A strange feeling hit him.
He wasn't dumb. Shen Mo's words made him realize these things might truly aid a Hokage, help Konoha, maybe even work wonders.
But…
He felt stifled.
Should he just say it—I want power, the First Hokage's kind, to crush all ninja villages!
Danzo took a slow breath, staring at Shen Mo. "If these cans can make me Hokage, they shouldn't be weak, right?"
"Like the First Hokage?" Shen Mo crossed his arms, chuckling as if seeing through Danzo's thoughts.
"Exactly!" Danzo didn't hide it, stating bluntly, "Strength! With the greatest strength, I'd naturally become Hokage."
That was his craving.
Ultimate power, in his hands.
Or destroyed!
Shen Mo looked at Danzo, sighing inwardly.
As expected.
A control freak's stance clashed with his can-selling profit motive. This guy wouldn't trust or rally stronger allies—just control them, or ruin them if he couldn't.
Good thing…
Shen Mo was ready to con him.
"Ignorant!" he said, tone heavier, brow raised, seeming disappointed. "Your view of 'strength' is so narrow."
"…"
Danzo said nothing, just waiting.
Let's see what this guy spins.
"Your strength now isn't much less than Sarutobi's, is it?" Shen Mo said lightly, making Danzo's face twitch—he knew what was coming.
Sure enough.
Shen Mo continued.
"Why's Sarutobi Hokage, not you?"
"…"
Danzo's heart stung.
Can we not bring up Sarutobi!
Even back then, his strength wasn't far behind Sarutobi's, yet his teacher picked Sarutobi.
"That means…" Danzo glared gloomily, "I'm not strong enough."
"Was Uchiha Madara strong?" Shen Mo asked.
Danzo had no reply. Madara was strong—defeated by the First, sure, but the First was gravely wounded.
"If Madara beat the First Hokage, uniting the ninja world with unmatched strength, what would you do? What would the world do?" Shen Mo pressed.
"…" Danzo stayed silent.
He wouldn't submit. With Madara's methods, the First's allies, like him, would likely be wiped out.
And Madara's iron fist…
The ninja world would face endless strife.
"Strength matters," Shen Mo said calmly, looking at Danzo. "But it's not just the narrow power you see. A king gathers the world's momentum. Sarutobi's momentum dwarfs yours. In Konoha, how many back him? How many back you? Isn't that strength too?"
"…"
Danzo's heart ached, but he had to admit Shen Mo was right.
Sarutobi was a master at gathering momentum.
One after another, people supported him.
While he lived…
Danzo had no shot at Hokage.
"Look at this," Shen Mo said, flicking a finger. A small bag floated over, spilling plant seeds. "Know what these are?"
Danzo eyed them—some grain, it seemed.
"High-yield crops from another world," Shen Mo said, chuckling. "Didn't expect these. Their yield's at least ten times your world's."
"Ten times?" Tsunade's eyes widened, her gaze on the bag shifting.
She'd traveled widely.
Outside towns, many commoners struggled to eat.
Danzo's look shifted too.
He knew…
How much Konoha spent on food. Ninjas ate more than civilians.
"And this," Shen Mo said, floating a book over. "Postpartum Sow Care? Tch, shame it's incomplete. Once, a king got the full version, made a fortune pig-farming before conquering."
Pure bluff, of course.
But Danzo didn't know.
Gulp.
Danzo's throat bobbed.
Not Hokage, but a Konoha elite, he knew money's weight.
Wars bled cash.
"And this," Shen Mo said, holding a tattered blueprint, eyeing Danzo. "A more efficient steel-refining method. Cuts blade-making costs, boosts quality. If you brought these to Konoha, reaping huge gains, forget villagers—wouldn't clans see you differently?"
More than differently!
Danzo, more than most, grasped the power of profit.
Even if clans stayed loyal to Sarutobi…
Once he died…
"Try absorbing a light orb," Shen Mo urged, seeing Danzo's interest.
Danzo glanced.
But didn't absorb, signaling a subordinate instead.
The man absorbed it, closed his eyes, then opened them.
"Lord, I've gained knowledge… called The Power of Capital," he said, tone awed, even fearful.
"That's a gem," Shen Mo said, smiling at Danzo. "A king must grasp capital's power. Fame, profit, authority—it's all its form. It's everywhere, all-reaching, vast, far better at controlling hearts than your hidden secret."
The ninja nearby nodded at Shen Mo's words.
His orb had concisely, vividly shown capital's applications.
It scared him.
Silently breaking wills, brutally effective.
Danzo seemed swayed. After a pause, he reached for an orb.
Instantly…
Knowledge flooded his mind.
King's Required Course IV: Economic Warfare Basics, Lecture Three.
Just a fragment.
But it opened his eyes. War could be fought like this!
Using economics to choke a foe's lifelines.
Even sparking civil war within them.
Danzo opened his eyes, absorbing more orbs, one after another.
Shen Mo just watched.
He knew it was done.
With Danzo's nature, preaching morals or benevolence wouldn't sway him.
But talk profit, power's use, and ways to seize it?
That hit his sweet spot, hooking him. These were real statecraft tactics, mostly open strategies with grand scope, keeping him from petty scheming against Shen Mo or his other clients.
After a while…
Danzo absorbed all the orbs, paused to digest, then sighed long.
"The king's curriculum… so profound."
He now truly felt the cans' magic.
And vaguely saw why Shen Mo called his vision small.
A true king…
Even their methods were bold, righteous strategies. They spoke of grand justice, yet trapped you subtly, unable to resist, even grateful—not like him, entangled and stripped of his post.
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