Chapter 37 — Danzō Makes Another Move
With his packs stuffed full of specialties from the Land of Water, Namikaze Yami set out on the road back to Konoha.
He had arrived lightly equipped; now he returned weighed down with bundles and crates, every inch the image of a merchant coming home loaded with profits.
At the Water Country border checkpoint, he once again ran into the same Kirigakure patrol squad as before.
"Gentlemen, we meet again. Hard at work as always," Yami greeted them warmly, his face arranged into the familiar, practiced smile of a businessman.
The Kirigakure jōnin leading the team glanced at Yami's bulging packs, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
"Business must've been good. Heading back already?"
"All thanks to you," Yami said with a chuckle, rubbing his hands together.
"Small trade—once it's sold out, I head home. I'll be back again before long, and I'll be counting on you gentlemen to look after me then too."
The Mist ninja waved it off casually.
"No need for that. We welcome legitimate merchants."
As if suddenly remembering something, Yami reached into his pack and produced an exquisitely crafted porcelain bottle.
"This is the very last bottle of the special edition Sidankang. You absolutely must accept it," he said with a meaningful smile.
"As for the effects… well, you'll know once you've used it."
As he handed the bottle over, his fingers pressed lightly—almost imperceptibly—against its base.
The jōnin received it, feeling the faint extra weight at the bottom, and immediately understood. Something was hidden inside. Without changing his expression, he slipped the bottle away.
He cleared his throat lightly and gave a small nod.
"That won't be necessary. Travel safely—things haven't been too peaceful along the border lately."
"Much appreciated, sir," Yami replied, perfectly in tune with the unspoken exchange, and passed through the checkpoint without issue.
The entire interaction clearly established his identity, smoothed relations, and quietly paved the way for future trips.
---
The journey back was smooth and uneventful.
Before he even reached Konoha, most of the Land of Water goods he carried had already been sold along the way.
Upon entering the village, the gate guards merely performed a routine check of his documents before waving him through.
Instead of setting up another stall, Yami sold off the remaining merchandise to a shop at a fair price.
Thanks to the economic disruption left in the wake of war, items with an exotic flair—Water Country handicrafts and specialty dried seafood—were in extremely high demand.
Business was brisk, profits steady, and Yami's return appeared, on the surface, to be nothing more than the successful end of a merchant's journey.
But beneath that calm surface, new currents were already beginning to stir.
Making another hefty profit, Yami looked at how a single round trip had left him rolling in money and couldn't help questioning his future as a ninja.
On this mission, he hadn't just completed the intelligence-gathering objectives—by buying low and selling high across borders, he'd earned far more than any ordinary assignment would ever pay.
In high spirits, he even began to wonder whether this "cross-border trade" might be worth developing as a long-term side business.
Turning into a quiet side alley and confirming no one was around, Yami shed his traveling-merchant disguise and altered his appearance once more.
Resuming the identity of a Konoha chūnin, he headed to the Hokage Tower to submit his report. As a long-term assignment, the mission wasn't officially complete yet—but the intelligence he'd brought back was more than sufficient for Konoha's analysts to work with.
Naturally, these movements didn't escape certain watchful eyes.
---
"Outrageous!"
Inside the Root headquarters, Danzō slammed his palm against the desk, his voice cold with fury.
"That brat—what does he think a ninja mission is? A merchant's game?"
A Root operative knelt on one knee, reporting cautiously.
"Our investigation confirms that Namikaze Yami completed the intelligence-gathering task, and… his profits were considerable."
"Profits?" Danzō sneered.
"A ninja's duty is the mission. And he turns it into a business venture? Preposterous!"
Root, Konoha's most spy-heavy organization, treated ninjas as tools—summoned at will, discarded just as easily. There was no room for personal agendas.
Yami's actions struck Danzō as dangerously unorthodox. Worse still, Danzō's original intention had been to humiliate him—or better yet, see him die on the mission.
What infuriated him most was the report from his informants within Kirigakure: none of them had detected how Yami obtained the intelligence at all.
A method that defied standard logic—something Danzō loathed.
"He needs to be taught a lesson," Danzō muttered darkly, his single eye flashing with malice.
"He must learn that anyone who defies Root's will in Konoha won't enjoy a peaceful life."
Just then, another Root operative hurried in and whispered something into his ear.
Danzō's expression shifted from green to white, then flushed red in rapid succession.
It turned out that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, upon hearing the full report, not only refrained from criticizing Yami—but openly praised him for his "flexibility and ingenuity," even calling his actions "a new way of thinking for the village."
A new plan quickly took shape in Danzō's mind.
He summoned a trusted subordinate and issued a few quiet instructions—snippets like "Kirigakure" and "leak" barely audible.
---
At the same time, Yami was at home, happily counting his money.
He suddenly sneezed, rubbing his nose.
"Strange… who's talking about me?"
Shrugging the thought aside, he let his mind wander, already plotting how to maximize profits on his next trip to the Land of Water.
The following day at noon, lingering travel fatigue allowed him the rare luxury of sleeping in.
As he prepared to head out, he pulled a small, exquisitely crafted box from his pack and tucked it into his robe.
"It's been a while," he murmured to himself. "Time to remind her I exist."
He set off toward the Senju compound.
After knocking for some time with no response, a middle-aged woman next door—busy hanging laundry—poked her head out.
"Looking for Tsunade?" she asked.
"She left early this morning. Lots of injured patients lately."
Thanking her, Yami turned and made his way toward Konoha Hospital.
He even found himself humming lightly, fingers unconsciously brushing the small box in his pocket.
The familiar scent of disinfectant filled the hospital halls as he walked with practiced ease toward Tsunade's usual office.
Through the half-open door, he saw her absorbed in reviewing medical charts. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her golden hair and casting soft highlights along her profile—beautiful enough to stop him in his tracks.
Yami tapped lightly on the door.
Already aware of his presence, Tsunade looked up. A flicker of flustered surprise crossed her eyes before she regained her usual composure.
"You're back? Everything go smoothly?"
"Yeah. Just got in," Yami replied with a smile, stepping inside and casually taking a seat beside her.
"When I was in the Land of Water, I saw something that made me think of you."
He slid the small box across the desk.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, then opened it. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Inside lay a bracelet strung with deep-sea pearls and a single blue crystal. Each pearl was round and lustrous, perfectly complementing the crystal's cool glow.
"Good taste," she said evenly—though Yami caught the slight upward curve of her lips.
"Want me to put it on for you?" he asked, half-testing, half-hoping.
She didn't answer. Instead, she extended her wrist.
Carefully, Yami fastened the bracelet around it. Their fingertips brushed by accident—just briefly—yet neither of them acknowledged it aloud, both pretending nothing had happened.