"The moment Azula leaves the village is our best shot to plant our people and build a foundation to fight her later," Danzō said, conviction burning in his voice.
There were three of them. Him, Hisashi, the former patriarch of the Hyūga clan, and Tenmo, a Senju.
It was a secret meeting, the kind that required decoys, false trails, and slipping through surveillance just to get here.
They couldn't be more than three because more people meant more chances of getting exposed, and getting exposed meant Azula.
Nobody wanted Azula.
But Danzō was satisfied. Hisashi's status as ex-patriarch of the Hyūga was, without a doubt, a massive win for his cause. That kind of backing carried weight.
As for Tenmo, he didn't hold any concrete title. But everyone in the village knew about his hatred for the Uchiha, the kind of grudge only the most extreme Senju in the clan's history could carry.
Danzō planned to use him to fracture the alliance between the Uchiha and Senju that had been forged after Uzushiogakure. A crack in that bond would be worth more than ten thousand men.
"And how exactly do you plan to pull that off, Danzō?" Hisashi asked the critical question because, truth be told, he had no clue what the man was thinking.
"Simple," Danzō said, oozing confidence. "I intend to secretly take control of most of her ANBU."
Hisashi and Tenmo stared at him, caught between surprise and the sudden, sinking question of whether allying themselves with Danzō was a mistake because his plan sounded completely foolish.
Danzō didn't miss the way they looked at him, so he pushed forward before they could voice their doubts.
"Given the Kage Summit, Azula hasn't had time to fully take control of the ANBU yet. The current commander is one of my men."
"So what?" Tenmo cut him off. "Just because he's 'your' man doesn't guarantee anything. Azula can replace him with her own people anytime she feels like it. And do you seriously think he'll stay loyal to you?"
He didn't like being interrupted, but Danzō kept it off his face. "That's exactly why I have a plan to control him completely, and the other ANBU as well, in a way that ensures they can never betray us."
"Allow me to introduce the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. A technique developed by Tobirama-sensei himself, based on the Hyūga clan's Caged Bird Seal."
Hisashi and Tenmo went quiet, absorbing what Danzō was laying out.
"Originally, this seal was intended for the ANBU, but Tobirama-sensei ultimately chose not to implement it. I don't know his reasons. I brought it to Hiruzen later, but he refused as well. Now, I believe this is our only option to guarantee one hundred percent control over our men." He could practically see himself controlling the ANBU from the shadows already.
Tenmo shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Danzō. Don't forget, Azula is Mito's disciple and has the backing of the Uzumaki. She can probably undo a technique like this without breaking a sweat."
"It doesn't matter," Danzō replied. "Unlike the Caged Bird Seal, which requires manual activation or triggers when someone tries to extract a Hyūga's eyes, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal's automatic activation is far simpler. The moment anyone tries to divulge information about us, the seal activates on its own. The same will apply to every ANBU we bring under our control."
Hisashi nodded unconsciously. If anyone understood the weight of a seal that controlled life and suffering, it was him.
Tenmo, on the other hand, couldn't shake the feeling that this was a bad idea, even if he couldn't quite pin down why. He struggled to put it into words, then finally landed on something.
"I don't think this is enough to confront Azula." He didn't like that Uchiha, but he had nothing to say against her abilities. "She fought two Kage at the same time and won. She beat the Third Raikage. And she's still growing. Controlling the ANBU won't mean a damn thing against someone like that."
When it came to Azula's capabilities, even Danzō didn't dare underestimate her. "Of course I know it's far from sufficient. But right now, our goal isn't to confront her directly. It's to gather every possible force that could be useful to us, to build the foundation for our success. And secretly controlling the ANBU is one of the best advantages we can secure."
He didn't need to spell out why because they all understood. Controlling the ANBU meant control over information, always knowing what she was scheming, delaying certain reports from reaching her, and a whole lot more.
With his "smooth tongue," it was easier for Danzō, not completely blinded by arrogance, to convince the two, making them believe as if it was easy to control Azula. They couldn't wait for her to leave the village.
And in fact, it didn't take long.
•••
•••
"Hey. So you're the guard Azula picked? What's with the whole mysterious vibe?" Tsunade stood at the village's main gate, eyeing the man in the rat mask, the kind usually reserved for ANBU.
But something about him was off.
For one, she couldn't get a read on his chakra. Not that she liked to brag, but as far as sensory ability went, she figured only Azula and her grandmother outclassed her inside the village.
She couldn't see chakra pathways as clearly as a Hyūga, but in almost every other way, she had them beat.
The guard in question was, naturally, Tobirama. And right now, he was doing everything in his power not to scream at his own grandniece.
'Uchiha. Every single one of them is insufferable.' He was fuming inside. 'If it weren't for her influence, my grandniece should've grown up to inherit her uncle's temperament. Properly. Instead of... this, not even like big brother.'
Tsunade, watching him stand there all pensive, took it as him flat-out ignoring her. "What, did you lose your voice or something?"
Off to the side, Azula was thoroughly entertained by the whole exchange. She'd pay real money to see the look on Tsunade's face if she ever found out the masked guard was Tobirama himself.
'Then again, knowing her, she'd probably just pretend nothing happened and move on with her day.'
Tobirama made the executive decision to ignore Tsunade entirely. Strangely enough, he found himself grateful for the Impure World Reincarnation. A living heart probably couldn't take a scene like this.
"Tsk." Tsunade wasn't thrilled about being ignored, but if Azula had picked him and signed off on his behavior, then the guy had her approval. She decided not to make it a problem.
The gate of Konoha was packed today. Word had spread that a Kage Summit was about to go down in Amegakure and that Azula would be leaving. It wasn't exactly a secret.
Pretty much every department head, their assistants, and a healthy crowd of curious civilians had shown up to watch the departure.
Azula caught her father's eye, then Orochimaru's, then Shikoku's. One nod. That was it. The village was in their hands, and she didn't need a speech to say it.
The exchange didn't go unnoticed, especially by the people who were paying very close attention. But what could they do about it? Nothing, that's what. So they just stood there, pretending they hadn't seen a thing.
(END OF THE CHAPTER)