The monkey looked like it was in a cage; I don't know if my gaze was that threatening, but I didn't care.
"I heard that the Whirlpool Village was attacked not long ago by the Land of Water, Thunder, and Hot Springs; that last one takes some nerve to do something like that, but what's done is done. Did you do anything about it?" I asked the monkey.
"That's information," he started, but I stopped him.
"Most likely, she's the next leader of the Senju clan after Nakawi's death, and we had an alliance, both village and clan; it's my duty to know what happened, not to mention I can get this from Uncle Danzo, so I think it's better to hear it from you than from someone else, don't you think? Now tell me, what did you do about the Whirlpool Village's attack?" I emphasized.
The old monkey could only sigh, walk to the table, and set down his Ultra brand pipe, purchased with village taxes.
"The village wasn't in a position for a major skirmish, so given the situation, I could only wait to gather some joni, from which we didn't get much," he finally replied.
"So, did you manage to recover anything valuable?" I asked, to which he shook his head.
"Did you seek out the other Uzumakis to keep them safe in the village?" I asked, to which he shook his head again.
"Then you just let the village be destroyed for the sake of potential losses, and I don't believe you didn't know something like this was going to happen; at the very least, they must have sent you a letter or something."
"Weren't you going to talk to me about Kushina's kidnapping?" The old monkey tried to change the subject.
"Partly, but this is important so you realize that your inaction on certain matters only destroys the village; the Will of Fire will never spread if the people where it lives just stay in the same place and don't change." I think I have to use metaphors about the Will of Fire with him, not only so he understands but also so he doesn't think I'm going to the dark side and that I'm still on his side, something that was never the case from the beginning.
At that moment, two ANBU arrived at the office.
"Third Hokage, we have news about the kidnapped jinchuriki," said the ANBU ninja.
Ignoring the jinchuriki's reference to Kushina and the fact that I was in the Hokage's chair, the old man spoke.
"Speak," he said simply.
"The Chunin Minato Namikaze managed to rescue her by following the trail of hair she left behind; several ninja from Kumogakure infiltrated and kidnapped her," replied the ANBU.
"Speak." "Ha," I just let out a dry laugh, which caught their eyes.
"What's so funny about all this?" the Hokage asked.
"Do you want me to say it now, or when your subordinate leaves?" I countered.
He thought for a few moments.
"Leave," he told the ANBU, who used a Shunshin technique, leaving us alone again.
"It's a good thing he left, because your image might be tarnished by what I'm about to tell you," and before he could say anything, I began to recount. "Foreign ninjas infiltrated the village during wartime and stole its most powerful weapon, demonstrating the village's lack of security. Tell me, how many ANBU were assigned to guard Kushina?"
"There were only two," he said honestly.
"And were both of them yours?" I asked.
He looked at me pitifully.
"One. The other was from Danzo's clan," he said reluctantly.
"I imagine your ANBU is dead, but Danzo isn't," he said mockingly. "This only shows the decline of your leadership, Uncle Hiruzen. The Will of Fire will eventually die out if things continue like this. You must do something."
The old monkey just sighed.
"You're right, but it's not as easy as you think." The old man spoke, his mind as sharp as Sarutobi's.
"Only someone who understands politics can govern a place, but a shinobi isn't a politician; he's a tool for the people's use; therefore, a shinobi can't be a governor. Tell me, Uncle Sarutobi, haven't you learned anything in all this time you've lived as Hokage?"
He said nothing.
"If things continue like this, you'll have to think about a new successor soon, and anyone is suitable at this point except Tsunade and Danzo. And speaking of my mother, what's she doing? Is she still alive?"
The old man frowned at what I said.
"Haven't you communicated at all this time?" the old man asked.
"We didn't have a problem, more on her side than mine, but given this, I haven't heard from her since my father's and Nakawi's funeral." I answered honestly.
"She's in Suna now, fighting, more specifically neutralizing the poisons of the Suna puppeteers," he said.
"Only treating poisons," I emphasized, at which the old monkey broke out in a cold sweat.
He went back to the table to get more weed and relight his pipe.
"I think you should know this too," he said, taking a drag from his pipe. "Currently, your mother suffers from hemophobia."
"Fear of emos?" I asked jokingly.
"No, fear of blood—that's why she's only treating the poison and not the wounded."
"Let's add to the list of weaknesses and mental problems; at this rate, you won't be able to pass the Hokage baton to any of your disciples. One has mental issues, another is practically a deserter, and the third also has mental problems, but he also conducts experiments. I know Danzo wants to do something with him; I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up on the dark side." I spoke to him rather mockingly, to which the Hokage simply remained silent.
"I think it's time for you to go check on Kushina," he said, taking another drag on his pipe.
"Well, I'm off. It was good talking to you, Uncle Hiruzen. Have a good night," I said, leaving the office.
...
"HUAAAAA; I WAS SO SCARED, MIYU," Kushina sobbed, practically on top of me. I was the third person she'd left covered in snot.
This happened after we arrived because, mesmerized by Minato's face, she hadn't really processed what had happened, but now that she was in the village, she was finally able to let out the rest of her feelings.
First she got Minato's snot, but I don't think he cared much; then Mikoto, which made her cry a little too, thinking she'd almost lost her friend because of her; now it's my turn, my hair getting covered in snot.
"Stay away from me; you're getting me all dirty. Go throw your snot at that ladybug over there; I think she likes it." I said, pointing at Minato, who only managed a single bead of sweat.
Kushina just stared, her tears welling up again.
"Whoa, Mikoto, Miyu's being mean to me!" he exclaimed, jumping into Mikoto's arms.
While all this was happening, I approached Minato.
"So, how did it go?" I asked him.
"Three Chunin and one Jonin," he replied.
"Phew, this will be good for your merits," I said.
"I didn't do it for merits," he retorted.
"I know; I already knew you liked Kushina. I remember when you were still at the academy and you were secretly spying on her. Do you think I didn't notice?" I said mockingly.
Minato's face turned completely red with embarrassment, but he chose not to say anything, since silence was the best response he had to my teasing.
Kushina saw this, and since she hadn't heard what we were saying, she thought Minato was blushing because of me, so she started pouting. How amusing to see her jealous.
...
"I didn't think you'd come back here after last time," the old mummy said from his seat in Root.
"If I don't come to talk to you, you might forget how, since arguments with Hiruxen don't count," I said, sitting down in his office.
"How disrespectful of me. I don't remember you being like this last time," he said, tapping his cane on the floor.
"Last time we weren't fighting, and war changes people. You should know that better than anyone, right?" I replied curtly.
Danzo didn't say anything about that; he just stared at me.
"So what brings you here now?" he asked.
"I just wanted to know what your plan was regarding Kushina. I'm curious to know what was going through your mind." I said, gesturing with my hands.
The old mummy stared at me for a moment before speaking.
"My idea was to seize the village's weapon and make it loyal to me, but that brat of a partner of yours managed to rescue it before the meta, where my men were waiting to rescue it," the old mummy said.
"Wow, a plan riddled with flaws, and the best proof of that is that it didn't work out," I said, glancing at a Root ninja. "Bring me a lemon pie, now."
And with that, the tool went to fulfill my order. I saw Danzo frown at this.
"I don't recall my tools having so much power," he said dryly.
"I remember you saying I was your successor, whether you became Hokage or died, and I know that at this rate neither is going to happen, but all your tools already know that, which is why they treat me like royalty here, and you know I've given your tools missions, so I don't know what's so strange about it," I said.
"That those actions were with my consent," he replied.
I simply dismissed his words with a few gestures of my hand, as if they were unimportant.
"Yes, but let's talk about what's important, about why I came here," I said to the old man.
"And that would be?" he asked.
"To join your Root, at least informally," I said, opening my hands.
"Explain yourself," he said, since he knew I wouldn't join as an ANBU and get the seal on my tongue.
"Give me some of your men, and I'll be their commander; I'll have some, I'll somehow manage some missions you have lying around." I explained my idea.
"And what would all that be for?" he asked.
"With this, I'll practice to become the Root's second-in-command, so when you leave your post, I can take charge more effectively, and I'll have enough experience not to accidentally ruin or change anything," I said, trying to convince him.
Danzo stared at me, lost in thought. Just then, the stool arrived with my foot attached, so I started eating it right there.
(Note: I'll refer to the Root Anbu as tools, since they were trained to be that way; that's how I differentiate them from regular Anbu.)
"I'm still not convinced. I'm just wasting potential tools that could be used more effectively." I figured as much, but I still had something up my sleeve to discuss.
"Right now, I'm studying fuinjutsu. Any findings I make from that, I can share with you to help you, whether it's creating new seals or improving the ones you already have, like the tongue seal on your tools. Not to mention, I'm studying human anatomy for something that might help you with your experiments, and from what I understand, you're looking to recruit Orochimaru for something big, where I might be able to help."
Danzo returned to his meditative state; I just watched as his face made a few gestures.
After about five minutes of silence, the old mummy spoke.
"Very well, in three days I will give you a squad to protect you and to whom you can give orders, as long as they don't harm the integrity of Konoha or Root; in return, you will work to become a better successor." He delivered his verdict.
"Understood, Uncle Danzo," I said, giving him a sweet, innocent smile.
I didn't care that he was watching me with his tools; if they did anything, he had more to lose than I did.
So my plan to control this village as I pleased was progressing little by little.
First step, join Root as a commander, second only to Danzo, done.
Second step, undermine his authority and make him make mistakes so I can later blackmail him and prevent him from becoming Hokage. In progress.
There are many more things I have to do, like officially becoming the clan leader or becoming a jonin, but those are steps that will happen no matter what I do.
For now, everything is on track; all that remains is for me to increase my own strength, at least for now.
------------------------------------------------------------
If Miyu is starting to resemble a mafia boss from a ninja village, it's pure imagination. Or in this case, she'll resemble a yakuza leader with ninjas under her command.