Danzō Shimura's expression was grim.
At this moment, he felt as though he had been betrayed!
He wasn't sure when it started, but he had noticed that Hiruzen Sarutobi had been coming to him less and less frequently.
Even the intelligence reports he submitted didn't seem to carry the same weight they once did.
This situation left Danzō feeling uneasy. He even began to suspect that after Konoha's visit to Amegakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have established direct contact with Hanzō of the Salamander.
This was a critical blow to him. After losing his connection to Orochimaru, Hanzō was his only remaining lifeline.
The sudden loss of trust made Danzō deeply anxious, especially when he realized that his old friend was now secretly investigating him!
"What could be the reason? Did Hanzō say something, or is it something else entirely?"
Danzō felt a tightness in his chest. He couldn't make sense of the situation. The unexpected investigation left him at a loss.
True, he was slowly regaining power over Root, but how could that compare to the authority of the Hokage?
And now, with this investigation bringing everything to a halt, how was he supposed to pursue his dream of becoming Hokage?!
"This won't do. I can't let this continue."
Danzō slammed his fist onto the table, determined to take action.
If things went on like this, he would end up with nothing. How could he possibly achieve his Hokage dream then?
"Especially now that Hiruzen Sarutobi has not only brought Jiraiya back but also Tsunade..."
The mere thought of those two individuals made Danzō's scalp tingle.
Initially, he had believed Jiraiya to be his greatest rival, so he had been doing everything he could to delay Jiraiya's progress.
But to his surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed "influenced" yet didn't even glance in his direction. Instead, he brought Tsunade back.
"Perhaps I should meet with Hanzō of the Salamander, or even have a face-to-face talk with Orochimaru."
Danzō made up his mind. He had considered discussing matters directly with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But upon discovering that his old friend had begun investigating him in secret, he couldn't help but feel deeply disappointed.
Although he had done many questionable things—such as attempting to assassinate his old friend—weren't those matters already in the past?
"This clearly shows his lack of trust. And with Tsunade and Jiraiya around, it's obvious he has no intention of letting me become Hokage."
"So, I have no choice but to resort to... special measures."
Whatever decision Danzō ultimately made, it had little to do with Kitagawa Minamoto.
For now, Minamoto was living quite comfortably. In fact, he had recently tested his new technique, the "Chakra Spirit Orb."
"The results are pretty good. Although Kisame's willpower is exceptionally strong, this technique's effectiveness seems to depend on the strength of one's Chakra."
Minamoto's participation in Kisame's interrogation wasn't a big deal. Yamanaka Inoichi was quite accommodating toward him—probably because Minamoto was a frequent customer of the Yamanaka family's flower shop.
Moreover, since Minamoto was the one who had defeated Kisame, the process was even smoother. His request to have a private conversation with Kisame was easily approved.
"But why did they go so far as to proactively turn off the surveillance cameras for me?"
The technological advancements in the ninja world were somewhat absurd. Many odd inventions existed, and surveillance cameras were one of them.
If he remembered correctly, the Uchiha clan's territory used to be surrounded by surveillance cameras.
Although Minamoto had planned to avoid the cameras during his private conversation with Kisame, having them turned off proactively felt a bit excessive. Were they treating him as someone untrustworthy?
"Still, their judgment is spot on."
Without the restriction of surveillance, Minamoto's actions became much simpler. He effortlessly implanted the "Chakra Spirit Orb" into Kisame's body.
He could clearly sense that Kisame's will had indeed fallen under his control!
As for whether this technique qualified as Genjutsu, even Minamoto wasn't entirely sure.
"Regardless, as long as I want to, I can control Kisame—even access his thoughts."
This technique was far more intriguing than traditional puppet control. Although he wasn't sure about its range limitations, there didn't seem to be any issues for now.
"The Akatsuki is truly interesting. They're planning to stir up trouble in Konoha. But that works perfectly for me..."
Minamoto stroked his chin, amused by the situation. He had been considering activating "Minamoto-shiki," and now the Akatsuki was delivering themselves to his doorstep.
"Although Obito Uchiha is still cautious and hasn't revealed much, it seems they've set their sights on Danzō?"
Using Danzō as a pretext was somewhat baffling, but Konoha had been making all sorts of preparations anyway.
"Also, the planetary Chakra is becoming increasingly distinct. I can start making some moves as well."
Minamoto had always been interested in the planetary Chakra, but extracting it was proving to be far more challenging than he had anticipated.
He had even tried using "Ketsu Chi Refining Technique" for extraction, but the results were negligible.
"Maybe it's due to the bloodline development level, or perhaps it's related to the Divine Tree Source. Either way, it won't be long now."
Minamoto was full of confidence. However, just a few weeks later, he found himself less than thrilled.
"What are you two doing here?"
At Minamoto's home, he stared at Naruto and Sasuke, who had shown up uninvited, feeling a headache coming on.
"Aren't you supposed to be doing missions with Kakashi-sensei or training with the Pervy Sage?"
"Tch, don't even mention that pervy old man. He's so annoying."
Naruto pouted, clearly displeased.
"He keeps pestering me about Chakra research. It's driving me crazy, and there's been no progress so far."
"Since you've temporarily stepped back, Kakashi-sensei has been assigning us very simple missions."
Sasuke, unusually respectful in Minamoto's presence, explained seriously,
"There's no real challenge. Today, he even gave us the day off, so we thought we'd invite you to hang out."
"Huh?"
Minamoto was momentarily stunned, looking at them in confusion.
"Today? Hang out? Why?"
"We never celebrated after completing our first mission. You and Kakashi-sensei were busy handling other matters."
Naruto pursed his lips, clearly displeased. Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"So, Naruto and I decided to invite our former classmates and you to hang out. They should be arriving later."
"I see. Not bad."
Minamoto nodded in understanding. So that's what it was about.
It was customary to have a celebration after completing the first mission.
However, Minamoto had been occupied with other matters, and Kakashi had just been reprimanded, so the celebration had been skipped.
Later, Naruto had his own training, and Minamoto temporarily left the team, so the event had been delayed until now.
"Naruto's training must be about the Chakra from his parents, right?"
Minamoto hadn't forgotten his brief mention of this to Hiruzen Sarutobi. He hadn't expected them to act so quickly.
"Alright, but why are you gathering at my place?"
"Tch, Karin is coming too, isn't she? She'll probably stop by here first."
Naruto grumbled, clearly annoyed. He and Karin often bickered, but his curiosity quickly took over.
"Minamoto, can you tell us about your mission experiences?"
"Huh?"
Minamoto was baffled. Why ask that? Sasuke, too, was wide-eyed with curiosity.
"I heard from the Pervy Sage that you're incredibly strong. But when I asked him about it, he told me to ask you directly."
Naruto scratched his head, speaking honestly.
"So, can you tell us about it?"
"And how do you train, Senpai?"
Even Sasuke couldn't hold back, asking in a low voice.
"I've always dreamed of killing Itachi Uchiha. I—"
"I've been training with Kakashi-sensei. If you don't believe me, just ask anyone."
Before Sasuke could finish, Minamoto interrupted him.
"Actually, Kakashi-sensei is very reliable. You won't go wrong learning from him. You've just graduated, after all, while I've been out of the Academy for quite a while."
These weren't secrets. It was well-known that Minamoto had been "coasting" under Kakashi's guidance.
"As for my record, you can ask the Hokage. I've almost forgotten what I've done myself."
Over the years, he had experienced so much that he could barely recall his own mission history.
After all...
None of it seemed particularly difficult?
"Really?"
Naruto and Sasuke looked a bit disappointed but quickly perked up.
Minamoto had a point—they had just graduated. Who's to say they wouldn't become stronger in the future?
Besides, Minamoto was part of their team.
"Just waiting around like this is boring. Oh, I just remembered..."
Minamoto stroked his chin, suddenly struck with an idea.
"Karin left some clothes here because her washing machine broke. Want to try them on?"
"W-What?"
"Hey, that's way too perverted!"
Naruto and Sasuke immediately protested, clearly unwilling. But Minamoto simply pulled out three dresses with a grin.
"What's the big deal? Ninja often rely on disguises, not just Transformation Jutsu. Didn't they teach you that in school?"
"I feel like you're up to no good."
Naruto was skeptical, and Sasuke looked conflicted. But Minamoto remained unfazed.
"Come on, don't be so uptight. Besides, learning to dress like this will help you better understand how to disguise yourselves as girls."
"No way."
"Are you sure? Don't you want to see Sasuke in one of these?"
"Huh?!"
Naruto froze, his eyes lighting up, while Sasuke's face darkened.
He realized that while Minamoto was undoubtedly strong, he was equally mischievous.
"Fine, fine! Let's do it together!"
This time, Naruto took the initiative, grabbing a dress with a mischievous grin.
"I've always wanted to see Sasuke use the Sexy Jutsu, but he couldn't pull it off. Let's work on this instead!"
"You idiot."
Sasuke's face turned red as he hesitated over the short dress Minamoto handed him. Eventually, he sighed and took it.
"Find a room and change."
Minamoto stood up and headed to the bathroom. Naruto, grinning, glanced at Sasuke before heading to another room.
Sasuke sighed, clutching the dress, and reluctantly entered a random room.
A gentle breeze rustled the curtains in Minamoto's home.
"Are you done changing?"
Minamoto's voice rang out, and Sasuke's embarrassed reply quickly followed.
"More or less."
"Then come out!"
Naruto was the most excited. Hearing the sound of a door opening, he immediately flung his own door open.
In that moment, the three of them stepped out together.
But...
Only Naruto had actually changed. Minamoto and Sasuke were staring at him intently.
For a moment, the room fell into an awkward silence.
"Go to hell!"
Naruto grabbed a chair from Minamoto's home, his face red with anger, and swung it at the two of them. He felt utterly betrayed!
"Calm down, calm down. I just didn't think it suited me."
Minamoto grinned as he tried to pacify Naruto, while Sasuke struggled to suppress his laughter.
"Minamoto! I'm here!"
Just then, a voice rang out from outside the window, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps.
Turning to look, they saw Deidara standing outside the window, flanked by several members of the Anbu.
"Huh? What are you guys... hmm."
But the moment Deidara saw the scene inside Minamoto's house, he fell silent.
Not just him—the Anbu members behind him were equally stunned. For a moment, everyone stared at each other, unsure of what to say.
Only Minamoto's expression turned a bit peculiar. With a helpless sigh, he muttered,
"Damn it, that blondie is here again."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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