(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic, Thanks and appreciate all who support me)
(T/N: Enjoy!!)
<><><><><><>
What's going on here isn't an escort, it's plain old surveillance.
In the entire village of Konoha, not a single person can pull off any shady moves under the watchful eyes of Konoha's ANBU Chief, White Fang of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake.
Not even the legendary Sannin Jiraiya could manage it, let alone someone like Danzo.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Upon arriving at the scene, sticking to the ANBU's style of observing more and saying less, Sakumo Hatake finally spoke up.
"Please, Lord Danzo."
After saying this, Sakumo Hatake gestured towards Danzo with a welcoming motion.
"Hmph!"
Danzo's face was dark at this moment. With a disdainful snort, he left without even turning his head.
As an "escort," Sakumo Hatake was very responsible. He followed closely behind Danzo, ensuring to escort him back to the Root headquarters without a single step astray.
It seems the Sannin had shared their intel with Jiraiya, but it appears that Danzo isn't quite clear about it?
With a calm expression, Asahi glanced at Jiraiya. Having gone through so much, Asahi had a rough idea of what had happened.
"Haha, Lord Asahi, right? I am the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Thank you for saving my three students earlier, and welcome to Konoha."
After Danzo left, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally had the time to properly greet Asahi.
It had to be said that he had a good way of speaking, expressing gratitude and welcome right from the start.
Due to the earlier unpleasantness between Konoha and Asahi over the Kushina incident, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose not to mention it, probably to avoid any misunderstandings.
However, even though he didn't bring it up, Asahi had to. Despite not caring much about Konoha's opinion, it was still necessary for the sake of Kushina Uzumaki.
"Lord Hokage, your kind words are appreciated. I also quite like the environment of Konoha. However, I hope Lord Hokage could consider Kushina Uzumaki's situation."
At these words, Hiruzen Sarutobi burst into laughter. The two seemed to have an understanding, a harmonious agreement.
"You're joking, Lord Asahi. Although Kushina is a ninja of Konoha, the choices she makes are her own freedom."
"Just as I said to Danzo earlier, as elders, our only duty is to protect them."
"So, the matter of Kushina becoming your disciple, as long as there are no objections from both sides, Konoha won't interfere."
Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Minato, the Sannin, and Kushina Uzumaki all breathed sighs of relief.
Fortunately, the old man didn't make any mistakes. This matter was handled quite cleanly.
"Haha, since that's the case, I'll thank you first, Lord Hokage."
Asahi bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi, expressing his gratitude.
Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly waved his hand, "No need to be so formal, it should be this way. Well, I have a lot of work to do, so I won't disturb your enjoyment. Please forgive me."
As soon as Asahi heard that Hiruzen Sarutobi was leaving, he felt relieved. Formalities were truly annoying, and the atmosphere was far from relaxed.
"No problem, Lord Hokage. Go ahead with your duties."
"Alright then. If you have any matters, just instruct my three students. Oh, by the way, tomorrow morning is the graduation day for the students of the Konoha Ninja Academy. I don't know if you're interested; if so, you can go take a look."
Hiruzen's thoughts were once again active. It would be great if Asahi could take on a few more disciples from these kids and cultivate some promising talents for Konoha.
Upon hearing that tomorrow was the graduation day for the ninja academy students, Asahi raised an eyebrow.
It seemed like the timing was just right. There were indeed quite a few promising talents among this batch of kids. Maybe he should consider taking on a few more disciples.
"Oh, really? Then I'll gladly accept the invitation. Honestly, I am quite interested."
"Haha, then I look forward to Lord Asahi's presence."
Having said that, Hiruzen bowed and left.
Asahi stroked his chin, starting to look forward to seeing those talented ninjas tomorrow.
The following events were quite ordinary. As he had just become a disciple, Kushina volunteered to take Asahi for a stroll around Konoha to familiarize him with the environment.
As her boyfriend, Minato naturally accompanied Kushina, serving as Asahi's guide.
With a guide in place, the Sannin bid farewell. After all, they were busy individuals, and activities like shopping and strolling weren't quite suitable for them.
In contrast to the joyful mood of Asahi and his companions, Danzo was about to explode.
Sitting in the underground base of Root, Danzo couldn't control his anger.
There was hardly anything intact around him; he had smashed everything in his fit of rage.
The Roots outside were trembling, unable to understand why Danzo was so furious.
Danzo couldn't understand why Hiruzen Sarutobi was so accommodating to an outsider like Asahi.
Even after Asahi extended his influence to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still treating him with kindness.
If we talk about formidable strength, all the information Danzo received indicated that Asahi was just a shadow-level powerhouse.
Even if he improved his strength, he would still be at the higher end of shadow-level. What's so frightening about that?
Could there be some hidden secrets that he doesn't know about? Danzo pondered in his mind.
"Root!"
Swoosh, a figure knelt before Danzo, awaiting his orders.
Danzo was about to speak, as if hesitating about something. He rubbed his forehead and said:
"Never mind, you can go down."
"Yes."
Like at the beginning, the figure instantly disappeared from the spot.
Danzo initially wanted the members of Root to monitor Asahi, but thinking about the attitude of Hiruzen Sarutobi just now, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
He didn't want to break ties with Hiruzen Sarutobi now; that would leave him with no chance of winning.
"Never mind, let it be. Let's see who will have the last laugh, Hiruzen!"
In the gloomy and spacious room, Danzo's murmuring voice echoed.
Danzo, now calmer, sat in the chair with closed eyes, pondering about who knows what.
Regardless of what Danzo was thinking, Asahi wouldn't care. At this moment, he was immersed in the bustle of Konoha.
People were bustling about everywhere, and it was quite different from the desolation outside.
Although the couple in front of him was a bit in the way, he didn't mind much.
After strolling around for a while, Asahi finally familiarized himself with Konoha.
Of course, he also saw many familiar buildings.
Things like the Hokage's office, the Hokage Rock, and the Ninja Academy, among others.
After a simple dinner, Asahi casually found a hot spring inn and relaxed in a hot spring.
Even though there were no battles today, fooling the Nine-Tails took a toll on his brain cells. It was time to rest early and prepare for tomorrow's Ninja Academy graduation ceremony.
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 10 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast