Konoha.
The Hokage Building.
"Hiruzen, why is it that every time you see me today, you start smiling...?"
Danzō's face darkened. "I always feel like whenever you smile like that, something bad is about to land on me..."
The last time Hiruzen had smiled at him like this, it had been about the wager with Kakuzu.
That time, Danzō had shamelessly wriggled out of it, because he had no intention of baring his teeth and striding through the whole village with a big grin while inspecting work...
"Are you thinking about Kakuzu again?"
"Stop fantasizing, Hiruzen. He definitely ran off with the money! Look, it's been so many days, and he still hasn't come to Konoha to deliver the next Earth Grudge Fear!"
"If you ask me, you, as Hokage, should write a self-criticism. This is a waste of the village's public funds!" Danzō smoothly chained his attacks together as usual: "You said he could work for Konoha? You're too naïve, Hiruzen! Without me keeping an eye on you, I think this village would run into serious trouble sooner or later!"
Strangely enough, as long as he stepped into the Hokage's office, and there were no outsiders around, Danzō simply could not stop himself from picking at Hiruzen.
Even though Danzō knew full well that what he was saying actually made no sense...
Danzō had long since set his sights on Kakuzu, but to his frustration, he had discovered...
Kakuzu really was no longer carrying out bounty hunter activities within the Land of Fire. Occasionally, traces of him could still be found, and judging by all the details, it really did seem as though he was gathering intelligence for Konoha...
That left Danzō with no move to make.
He had thought that if Kakuzu dared to work against them in public while betraying them in private, he would call in Sakumo and Hizashi.
The three giants of the Anbu would join forces and kill that undead monster!
But Kakuzu was carrying out the contract as agreed, so Danzō had no way to act...
Even when evil thoughts stirred in his heart, he had no confidence that he could take Kakuzu down alone.
And without the Hokage's approval or a clear reason, there was no way Sakumo and Hizashi would accompany Danzō on a private mission...
"Yes, yes, without you this village would fall apart sooner or later..."
"Look at how important you are. You're the Hokage's aide, the leader of the Anbu, the Root of Konoha, the Darkness of the Shinobi..." Hiruzen replied with a chuckle, not the least bit angry.
He had already seen it clearly.
In this shinobi world, ninjas were more or less all mentally unstable. Some were obsessive, some were violent, and there were far too few people capable of thinking like normal human beings...
Since that was the case, as long as they could do the job, that was enough. A couple of private complaints aimed at him meant nothing...
He could just treat it as meaningless self-advertising.
"You..." Danzō still wanted to say something, but when he saw Hiruzen's attitude, he suddenly did not know what to say after all.
He was the type who responded to softness rather than hardness.
Of course, that was only on the premise that the Hokage was not truly without a temper...
"Hiruzen, Iwagakure has been carrying out an internal purge recently..."
"The reason is that our military action against Kusagakure made them feel a sense of crisis."
"Our spy over there, Yakushi Nono, who used to be one of Root's agents, has requested extraction."
"But her mission is not yet complete. At present, she has only managed to steal the prototype of Earth Release: Weighted Rock Technique. She still has not gotten access to Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique."
Danzō reported this with a trace of reluctance.
In his view, Nono should have remained stationed in Iwagakure until the mission was completed...
She could just find a chance to send back Earth Release: Weighted Rock Technique. There was no need for the person herself to return.
Even if Iwagakure had gone into lockdown, could she not simply lie low where she was?
Danzō was deeply wary of Nono.
Because she was a ninja with ideas of her own. She was not under control.
And once a ninja was not under control, that meant they ought to die.
Especially an outstanding intelligence ninja like Nono—if she leaked secrets, the consequences would be unthinkable...
Viewed through Danzō's way of thinking, Uchiha Madara's opinion of the hidden village leadership was not wrong at all. It could even be called extremely accurate.
"Yakushi Nono?" Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.
He had heard that name before. She had rendered quite a few meritorious services to Konoha, and was known as the Wandering Miko.
"Since she has requested extraction, send people to bring her back."
"We must trust our own ninja. Her past record proves that Yakushi Nono is loyal to the village."
"If she is asking to be pulled out, then she has judged that the current Iwagakure offers no further possibility of acquiring intelligence."
"Meaningless exposure will only cause losses for the village," Hiruzen said in a stern tone.
Nono had already achieved a great deal...
Weighted Rock Technique and Light-Weight Rock Technique were not ordinary Earth Release. They were secret techniques passed down through the Tsuchikage's line.
Their strategic significance was immense.
Even though Nono had only obtained the prototype of Weighted Rock Technique, Hiruzen's title as the Professor of Ninjutsu was no empty boast.
Creating a ninjutsu from nothing was naturally difficult.
But if the framework already existed, then with some patching and refinement, Hiruzen had that much confidence.
Besides, was Orochimaru not there? And Senju Tobirama as well?
"Understood..." Danzō paused.
The sternness in Hiruzen's voice made him instinctively swallow back his rebuttal.
He had also become even more familiar with Hiruzen's current temperament...
'Hiruzen now is more broad-minded, and he trusts me more than before.'
'But once he has made a judgment, unless I have sufficient reason, I can't forcibly argue against it.'
'Otherwise, I'll end up being made to look very bad...'
Danzō recalled the time Hiruzen had praised him at the First Training Ground...
It really had been an immense honor.
But a Hiruzen who could stir up the atmosphere like that and guide people's emotions so skillfully—if one day he decided to use public opinion to attack him...
Just the thought of it made Danzō shiver.
Although he believed Hiruzen would not treat him that way, out of awe, Danzō constantly warned himself not to go against the Hokage unless absolutely necessary.
This was the Darkness of the Shinobi—always able to see the reverse side of things.
"But, Hiruzen..."
Danzō chose his words carefully. "Yakushi Nono wants to withdraw from the spy roster. She has opened an orphanage within the Land of Fire and says she wants to go back and be its director."
"You should know about this, Hiruzen."
"You approved a bit of funding for her back then..." Danzō could not help adding,
"She also asked whether, when she comes back this time, the village might provide a bit more..."
A few years ago, Danzō had criticized Hiruzen over this very matter, saying he was soft-hearted like a woman...
The village's funds were not even sufficient, and yet he was still doing charity!
"I vaguely remember it..."
"Go bring me the orphanage's information, along with Yakushi Nono's full file," Hiruzen ordered.
A moment later, after receiving the materials, Hiruzen's eyes lit up.
This was talent!
"So you're saying that this Yakushi Nono not only did not embezzle the village's funds, but also poured all the mission payments she earned over the years into the orphanage?"
"Not only is she highly capable in intelligence work, she is also skilled in medical ninjutsu..."
"A makeshift operation put together from scratch, and yet under her guidance it has produced several employees proficient in medical ninjutsu..."
Danzō let out a sigh. "Yes, she is very talented."
"But the problem is that the obsession in her heart is no longer the village—it's this orphanage!"
"Even if those employees are all from the Land of Fire, who gave her the right to pass medical ninjutsu on to outsiders? Even if it's supposedly for treatment purposes, that can still be viewed as a precursor to leaking secrets!"
"Today she dares to disclose medical ninjutsu. Tomorrow she might sell out the village's intelligence!"
Danzō said seriously, "If I hadn't threatened her with the orphanage's subsidy, she would have refused to infiltrate Iwagakure."
This was not Danzō slapping a label on her. It was his genuine way of thinking.
The defining feature of the Darkness of the Shinobi was extremity.
"An obsession with the orphanage, hm?"
"With that system you used to push, how many ninjas ever truly endured it?"
"I've said this before, Danzō. Truly talented ninja are not so easily brainwashed. They all have beliefs and convictions of their own."
Hiruzen waved a hand. "You think she is hard to control, but I think she is easy to control."
"For the sake of a little subsidy for the orphanage, she was willing to go to Iwagakure and bring back an important ninjutsu..."
"And she even has the talent to train people in medical ninjutsu. It is only natural for a ninja like that to make requests."
"Danzō, we are respected because we can help ninja solve their problems—not because we hold the titles of Hokage and aide, so Konoha's ninja must obey our orders unconditionally."
"You must remember: ninja are people, and people ought to have minds and demands of their own."
"What we should do is find the greatest common divisor between the ninja's demands and the village's interests, so that both sides can be as satisfied as possible."
Hiruzen spoke to Danzō earnestly.
Of course, he was not counting on this old friend of his to actually listen.
When a person teaches another person, even a thousand times may not be enough; when circumstances teach a person, once is enough.
Still, the words had to be said properly. Whether Danzō listened was his own affair...
"You're even using mathematical terms now... Have you been setting exam questions for the Academy students lately?" As expected, Danzō immediately curled his lip and changed the subject.
On this point, Danzō still could not agree with Hiruzen...
"I've been setting questions on the Will of Fire, not mathematics."
Hiruzen coughed lightly. "By the way, you haven't done anything outrageous recently, have you?"
Danzō nodded with perfect confidence. "Of course not."
Because Danzō felt he had already become far gentler than before...
When he had recently gone to the various ninja clans to demand talented recruits for the Anbu, he had mostly relied on threats and inducements, and had hardly used his title as the Hokage's aide to pressure people directly anymore...
In the past, there would have been no inducements, only threats!
It was just that progress had not gone very smoothly. The ninja clans had grown smarter now. They would agree on the surface, then immediately shift tone and say they needed to report the matter to Lord Hokage...
Which left Danzō only able to fall silent in resentment.
He was not an honest man...
The taste of Root was something he could not forget. Under the current structure of the Anbu, Danzō had no way to cultivate private troops.
Because the vice leader and all the squad captains were Hiruzen's people.
But the Anbu was currently expanding, so quietly setting up a squad directly under the leader was perfectly reasonable, was it not?
It was just that progress had not gone very smoothly.
Besides, he had to be careful of Hizashi and Sakumo in this matter, so he had to move slowly...
Danzō had even begun to think: should he put together a Uchiha squad?
If so, that would count as a great achievement on his part too.
Given the Uchiha's special nature, placing them directly under him as the leader of the Anbu would be entirely justifiable.
And the conflict between him and the Uchiha would also numb Hizashi's and Sakumo's vigilance...
Danzō felt that if Hiruzen could earn a good name among the Uchiha, then he too could brainwash the Uchiha!
"That's good, then..." Hiruzen smiled inwardly. If Danzō had another episode and Tobirama-sensei caught him at it, then with Tobirama-sensei's skill in political struggle, even as nothing more than an Academy student right now, he would probably still be enough to make Danzō suffer badly...
After all, this time Hiruzen would not step in to pull Danzō out.
"Ninja, especially outstanding ninja, always have obsessions..."
"If we satisfy those obsessions through public institutions, and use the Will of Fire to interpret them, then the ninja will naturally devote themselves wholeheartedly to the village..."
"That is my philosophy as Hokage. I am teaching it to you, Danzō," Hiruzen said.
Putting his own method into words Danzō could somewhat understand also counted as compensation to him...
After all, there was a real possibility that he would have to face Tobirama-sensei across the ring...
"Mm-hm, yes, yes, I got it, I got it..." Danzō answered, but did not take it seriously.
It was one thing to say this sort of thing to the rank-and-file ninja—why was Hiruzen saying it to him too?
"Arrange reliable personnel to escort Yakushi Nono back to the village."
"Once she returns, have her come see me," Hiruzen ordered.
It was not just Yakushi Nono herself who was talented. Hiruzen also attached great importance to the orphanage she had founded...
Konoha was currently short on population.
But population was not something that could simply be replenished however one pleased.
Once the no-threshold welfare system had been established, they naturally had to choose the best of the best, and even more importantly, ensure the loyalty of the incoming population.
And the orphanage was clearly an excellent source. There was no need to doubt the discernment of the Wandering Miko.
War-orphaned children, combined with Nono's talent for nurturing others, were naturally the best vessels for the Will of Fire.
As long as they were given appropriate education, those orphans would all remain fanatically devoted to Hiruzen as Hokage, much like Hyūga Hizashi...
"Oh, right. When the time comes, Hizashi could go to the orphanage and fill in as a sensei..." The thought of that scene made Hiruzen smile unconsciously.
Some debts of gratitude really did exist.
"Hiruzen, you're not thinking of supporting Yakushi Nono, are you? What about the money..." Danzō asked suspiciously.
"There has to be at least some income from attacking Kusagakure. The Iburi and Tsuchigumo Clans are also providing tax revenue to the village. If there's a shortfall, I'll think of a solution."
Hiruzen waved a hand.
"In a little while, the second batch of orders for Sage Region Pills will come in. Once Tsunade and Orochimaru make even a slight breakthrough in their research on chakra sustained-release technology, I'll launch a new project."
Danzō let out a sigh.
That was his mistake...
He should not have tried to argue with Hiruzen about making money.
"What do you think about Kirigakure's peace agreement with us, Hiruzen?"
"At first they only sent a few ninja over to take away the Kusagakure captives, but they dragged it out for more than three months."
"They used up quite a lot of our grain!"
"And now they've sent that old bastard Genji and their higher-ups, saying they want to offer a precious treasure in compensation and apology, and also sign a further peace agreement with us."
"They even brought along a few genin and Academy students, saying they want to plant the seeds of peace in advance in the hearts of Kirigakure's and Konoha's next generation..."
Danzō changed the subject again and sneered.
"I say it's all bullshit! What precious treasure could Kirigakure possibly have? Would they really be willing to hand over one of the Seven Ninja Swords?"
"And peace... there's something wrong with Kirigakure to the bone. Back in the First Shinobi World War, for the sake of a little spoils, Hōzuki Gengetsu went and fought Mū to the death. That lunatic was even less normal than the Uchiha!"
"And now they're pulling this isolationist nonsense again. One look tells you there's a scheme behind it! As for those so-called Academy students and genin, it's obvious at a glance they just found a few elite shinobi who look young and sent them here to intimidate us!"
Hiruzen nodded.
Danzō was not without reason. When it came to outside villages, the Darkness of the Shinobi still carried authority...
"We'll deal with whatever comes."
"They sent fake Academy students and genin, but our children are no worse than theirs. There's no need for us to imitate them and engage in the same kind of deception."
Something stirred in Hiruzen's heart.
Then again, what deception could be more outrageous than placing a former Hokage in the Academy...
And letting Kirigakure's young elites come into contact early with Konoha's present culture and way of life really did, in a certain sense, plant the seeds of peace in their hearts.
In Hiruzen's view, the Third Mizukage was also a classic lunatic, one of those old relics from the Warring States era...
So whatever he was doing probably had little to do with peace. Most likely, he had come to stir up trouble on every front...
But Hiruzen did not care.
The Will of Fire was not only meant for Konoha's ninja.
It was meant for every ninja who could no longer endure this hellish shinobi world and wished to seek some light.
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