Inside Konoha's Hospital, medical staffs rushed toward an operating room one after another, appearing visibly agitated. The reason for their urgency was the grave condition of Jiraiya who had sustained severe injuries during a mission. He wasn't just a disciple of the previous Hokage but also the Sensei of the current Hokage. He had made significant contributions to Konoha, and his loss would be a major blow.
A crowd had gathered outside the operating room, anxiously waiting for any news.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Hokage Minato, had postponed his afternoon duties and rushed to the hospital to be by Jiraiya's side. As his disciple, he felt a deep sense of responsibility to support his Sensei during this crisis. After an unknown amount of time, the operating room's door finally swung open, Tsunade walked out from the room with a pale and tired face.
"Tsunade-sama, how is Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato stepped forward with an anxious expression on his face, wanting to know what was going on inside.
Tsunade turned her head..
"Oh... Minato. Don't worry. We've managed to stabilize Jiraiya for now, it won't continue to deteriorate further. But he will need more surgery to fully recover." Tsunade answered tiredly. She couldn't shake off the chill she felt about watching the surgery, even though she wasn't the one performing it. Jiraiya was her friend, and she was determined to do everything in her power to heal him.
"Is that so?"
Minato sighed in relief and earnestly thanked Tsunade, "Thank you very much, Tsunade-sama."
"No, this is what I should do."
In the past, She failed to save the life of her younger brother and lover. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she couldn't save Jiraiya this time.
"By the way, I will need ninjas from the Aburame and Hyuga clan to assist with the surgery."
"Aburame and Hyuga?"
"Yes. Jiraiya's injuries seem to be caused by some kind of special explosive bugs. I need the Aburame clan's knowledge about bugs, and the Byakugan's cooperation to ensure the surgery is safe."
While Tsunade was confident in her abilities, she wanted to utilize all available resources within Konoha to increase their chances of success.
"I understand."
Minato nodded and instructed the two Anbu beside him to go towards the Hyuga and Aburame clan respectively. Just as the Anbu left, Hiruzen arrived to visit Jiraiya. He had heard about Jiraiya's condition, so he put down his work and rushed over immediately.
"Minato, Tsunade, what happened to Jiraiya?"
"His condition has been stabilized, and we're preparing for the follow-up surgery."
Tsunade refrained from promising a 100% success rate because the explosive bugs inside Jiraiya's body were really strange. The bugs had already merged with his body and it wasn't going to be an easy task to safely remove them. This was the first time the well-informed Tsunade was seeing an injury like that. So she had to request for ninjas from the Aburame clan and the Hyuga clan to avoid more risks.
Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief. Afterwards, he turned to Minato
"By the way Minato, what led to Jiraiya's current state?"
Hiruzen only knew that Jiraiya was seriously injured, almost dying, but he didn't know the specific reason. Tsunade also looked curious, as she was curious to know who had hurt Jiraiya in such an unusual manner.
Among the famous ninjas of the five major nations, no one had previously used explosive bugs in the human body as a lethal weapon to kill an enemy. So, after treating Jiraiya, she will be recording this injury in Konoha's medical system, so as to not repeat the same thing again.
Minato disclosed without hesitation, "It was the underground market's bounty hunter group, Bug Men."
In the underworld, there were both solo bounty hunters and bounty hunting groups. These bounty hunters in groups were more difficult than the solo bounty hunters.
"Bug Men."
Hiruzen and Tsunade frowned upon hearing the name..If they recalled correctly, the group had appeared during their war with Iwagakure more than two years ago. At that time, they were hired by Iwagakure's Tsuchikage and had repeatedly attacked Konoha's supply points, causing a lot of trouble for Konoha. However, the injury Jiraiya had sustained were unlike anything their ninjas had experienced during the previous encounters with the Bug Men. Could it be that the they had hidden their true capabilities?
"Yes, the Bug Men, a group of five people, and while the bounties on each of them individually aren't exceptionally high, their combined bounty is one of the top in the underground market. According to the intelligence gathered, they first debuted about six or seven years ago. They hav3 become famous recently, earning them the nickname 'ninjas hunting ninjas' by several people."
Minato shared the information he had. Hiruzen nodded, showing his understanding.
"Five people causing such severe damage to Jiraiya is far beyond what ordinary bounty hunters can do." Tsunade said seriously.
Generally, bounty hunters weren't held in high regard, but there were also powerful rogue ninjas and samurais not affiliated with the official ninja village systems who engaged in underground activities. Obviously, the Bug Men clearly fell into this category.
"Yes."
Minato sighed, acknowledging the gravity of the situation..His sensei was one of the Sannin, one of the most powerful ninjas in the world. While there might have been some carelessness, being able to defeat Jiraiya indicated the exceptional threat Bug Men posed.
The Bug Men was undoubtedly an extraordinary ninja mercenary, and the combined strength of the five members surpassed that of even a Sannin.
It was an eye-opener for Minato, revealing the hidden dangers within the underground market. While there might not be many bounty hunters as powerful as the Bug Men, there were undoubtedly many capable individuals operating there.
"Besides, I'm more worried about Kakashi's safety than Jiraiya-sensei."
Hiruzen frowned, wondering, "Kakashi? What happened to him?"
"In order to ensure Jiraiya-sensei's escaped safely, Kakashi took it upon himself to lead away the pursuers from the group. We haven't received any updates from him yet."
Hiruzen and Tsunade both fell into silent. If Jiraiya was seriously injured at the time, it made sense for Kakashi to lead the pursuers away, allowing the rest of the Anbu to safely escort Jiraiya back to Konoha. However, facing such powerful enemies, Kakashi's safety was a significant concern.
Tsunade sighed, while Hiruzen had a look of both concern and guilt. Both him and Konoha owed a great deal to the Hatake name.
Soon after, the two Anbu returned with the ninjas from the Hyuga and the Aburame clan. The Anbu had brought Hyuga Hizashi and Aburame Shimo, who were from the Hyuga and Aburame clans, respectively, to assist Tsunade with the surgery. Tsunade led the two inside the operating room to start the follow-up surgery.
After seeing Tsunade and the twwo enter the operating room, only Minato, Hiruzen, and the Anbu remained in the corridor.
"Hokage-sama, I have something to discuss with you. Can you come with me?" Minato said to Hiruzen surprisingly.
"Huh?.. Sure." Hiruzen followed Minato as they left the corridor outside the operating room and found a secluded spot to speak.
"You can talk here, Minato."
Hiruzen was curious about what Minato would say to him..Minato didn't speak immediately instead he handed a scroll to Hiruzen.
"This contains the information brought back by Jiraiya-sensei and the Anbu. And I've also sent people to investigate the location mentioned in the report. I believe there will be results soon."
Minato's words left Hiruzen puzzled. Hiruzen, still confused, accepted the scroll and began to read its contents. His expression at the beginning was normal, but as he continued, his face contorted with anger that he couldn't even speak.
The atmosphere became exceedingly tense, and after a long pause. Finally, Hiruzen closed his eyes trembling, heclosed the scroll and clenched his fists tightly.
"I won't ask about matters regarding Root, but I believe Elder Danzo needs to be restrained."
In essence, if Hiruzen chose not to intervene due to their shared history, Minato, as the Fourth Hokage, was willing to take action. In that case, Danzo would not merely face reprimand, but a life sentence in prison, stripping him of all political influence. Minato's message was unmistakably clear.
Hiruzen took a deep breath and assured Minato, "There's no need. Leave this matter to me, and I'll provide you with a satisfactory answer, Minato." He knew that Minato was gradually amassing power, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. Furthermore, Minato had collected enough evidence and, rather than dealing with the issue personally, he handed it over to him the former Hokage.
Hiruzen couldn't help but marvel at Minato's capabilities. He thought to himself "I underestimated him. Minato is far more better than I imagined. It's just that his other talents have been overshadowed by his unparalleled strength."
...
After bidding his farewell to Minato, Hiruzen led the Anbu under his command and swiftly made his way towards Root stronghold.
Deep within the lowest chamber of the stronghold, researchers in white medical uniforms and masks diligently conducted Wood Release experiments in a lab equipped with advanced research equipment.
These experiments involved exceptionally excellent babies and children with a high probability of awakening the Wood Release.
Danzo stood before a transparent cylinder filled with a Wood Release solution, his eyes filled with fanatical intensity as he focused on the long-haired boy within, who appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old.
This boy was currently the closest to achieving success as a Wood Release experiment subject. What set this child apart was that even Orochimaru remained unaware of his existence. Danzo had intentionally hidden the boy, keeping him in isolation.
Given that Orochimaru lost the position of the Fourth Hokage, he had had become less relevant to Danzo's plans, there was no need to share this valuable resource. If Orochimaru knew there was a success among the experimental subjects, some unpleasant things will definitely happen.
Orochimaru's genius mind was still needed for cultivating more Wood Release ninjas, so a falling out with Orochimaru at this point would not be advisable. And as for when he no longer needed him... he would be kicking him out right away. The Sannin was a stepping stone for his goals of becoming the Hokage. Regarding his goal, he believed it won't be long before it will be achieved.
Hiruzen was getting old, and while Namikaze Minato was strong, he was merely a puppet being manipulated into the front by Hiruzen. As long as he can trip up Hiruzen, Konoha will fall into his hands.
The Fifth Hokage will be none other than him., Shimura Danzo.
"Danzo-sama." A researcher approached.
"What's the matter?"
"The remaining test subjects are all dead. Do you want to start another round?"
"All dead?"
Danzo was clearly displeased with this result. Although one success made him happy, he didn't think there was any problem having too many Wood release ninjas. The more the better. Despite the risks and huge investment of resources, there was only a single successful Wood Release experiment subject.
"Yes. And there's not enough experimental subjects."
"A new batch of experimental subjects will be sent over soon, which will be enough resources for your research. You only need to focus on cultivating the new subjects, and leave the rest to me."
"Yes." The researcher replied before returning to his station to begin the next round of experiments.
'Truly useless!'
Danzo inwardly voiced his dissatisfaction towards the researchers. He believed that in the hands of Orochimaru, with these resources, there could have been more fruitful results. However, he couldn't allow Orochimaru access to too much power. He hoped to secure Orochimaru's assistance without letting him gain too much influence.
For Danzo, Orochimaru's threat was far greater than that of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Orochimaru was proficient in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, as well as being a creator of original jutsu and outstanding research skills. He was a powerful ninja capable of leading battles, powerful fighting alone as one man, and even his political skills.
Except for his cold appearance and temperament which scared children, Orochimaru can be said to be an all-round perfect existence.
Danzo feared Orochimaru for these very reasons.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the research room, with panicked researchers and cries of distress. This abrupt disturbance snapped Danzo out of his thoughts. He turned to find a large number of Anbu appearing out of nowhere, surrounding the researchers. Instantly, they had restrained the researchers and knocked them down to the ground.
"Hiruzen..."
Danzo finally realized something when he saw this scene. His secret Wood Release experiments behind Hirizen's back had been exposed once again, but he fored himself to remain composed.
It didn't matter because Hiruzen will definitely remember their relationship.He expected Hiruzen to reprimand him for his actions, which was an acceptable consequence given the potential success of his experiments. Yet, to his surprise, Hiruzen, surrounded by Anbu, gave a cold order without acknowledging Danzo's presence:
"From now on, ninjas from Root aren't allowed to leave Konoha, not even half a step, or they will be executed."
The words "executed" left Danzo momentarily stunned..What did this imply? His subordinates would be killed for stepping outside of Konoha? What about the Wood Release experiments? What about Amegakure?
"Hiruzen..."
"Silence!"
This was the first firs time Danzo really felt Hiruzen's anger. The stern tone and cold glare silenced Danzo, who inexplicably felt a shiver of fear.
"From now on, I will assign Anbu from the three squads to monitor your every move. Your every move, including sleeping and eating will be under surveillance by the Anbu. Whoever you meet, whatever you say, and anything you do will be recorded, and you will be monitored 24 hours a day."
Danzo was left speechless.
"The Doot's basic living expenses will be maintained, but the management of Amegakure's affairs will be entrusted to other people. Danzo, it's time for you to rest."
With these final words, Hiruzen walked outside scene. As he left, he issued one more order to the Anbu "Retrieve all the experimental subjects from this facility."
Danzo's lips moved twice, but in the end, he chose to remain silent.
All the experimental subjects in the laboratory, regardless of their condition, were retrieved one by one by the Anbu. In the end, a total of twelve Anbu members, three from each squad followed Danzo.
"Danzo-sama, from today onwards, we'll be at your side during all your activities, including when you sleep and eat. Take care of us."
Danzo remained silent. He knew that his fate was sealed after witnessing Hiruzen's determination.
Even Orochimaru wouldn't escape Hiruzen's surveillance. While Orochimaru's monitoring was less strict due to the limited number of Anbu under Hiruzen's command, it still restricted his actions.It seemed that the organization known as "Root" was now in name only. Hiruzen's words had decided the fate of this secret group.
Danzo couldn't help but think. 'Is this the power of a Hokage? If I can gain such power, Konoha will definitely be stronger under my leadership!' He lowered his head, his body trembled, and his eyes showed unprecedented desire and ambition. He realized that the matter wasn't over, and as long as he was alive, there remained a possibility of turning the tide.
A temporary failure wouldn't be enough to defeat Shimura Danzo.
...
The change within Root went unnoticed by most of Konoha.
The Root's domain was the deep, shadowed woods, and stepping into the light meant the fall of the great Konoha tree. The silence extended even to the council members, who were restrained at that same time.
As a result of this, Minato's workload had increased significantly.
Recruiting Anbu, training loyal subordinates, and establishing his authority in Konoha required both time and resources. Even though Minato wanted to complete everything quickly, he understood that these changes wouldn't take effect overnight and would require two or three years at least.
At the same time, Minato dispatched Anbu to go search for Kakashi, who had been missing for a week.
While the chances of Kakashi's survival were slim, they couldn't give up so easily.
Konoha also kept an eye on the underground black market, as Kakashi's body, if unfortunate, would likely be sold by his captors for the hefty bounty on his head.
Kakashi's price tag on the underground market was 15 million ryo, and the bounty hunters wouldn't easily let go of such a huge reward.
There was, however, some good news; after Tsunade's surgery, the worm-like mass had successfully been removed from Jiraiya, and he was now out of danger. He remained in the hospital, bedridden and unable to leave for at least half a month.
Not only that, Tsunade had begun researching the explosive bugs in order to develop a countermeasure against them.
While regular ninjas might not require such a measure, high-value Jonins who could fetch considerable rewards on the underground market would need it when meeting that group.
For this reason, Minato generously allocated funds to support Tsunade's drug research.
The Bug Men, a group of lunatics who were willing to risk their lives for money, may pose a future threat to Konoha.
The drugs being researched at that time are expected to have a huge impact.
Among them, both the Nara clan and the Aburame clan made great contributions. The Nara clan supplied medicinal materials, and the Aburame clan provided their invaluable knowledge on bugs and insects, greatly assisting Tsunade's research.
This also increased Minato's influence within the village.
...
"Namikaze Minato...Namikaze Minato..."
In a remote corner of the Uchiha Clan, while listening to the news gathered by Rindo, Uchiha Sora muttered to himself.
In his plans, the appearance of this character was entirely unexpected.
The war had endex so abruptly that this Yellow Flash seemed to pop out of nowhere.
After reviewing Namikaze Minato's records, Elder Sora was also amazed by this young man, who was as old as Ruri.
But because Minato had only recently gained power, Elder Sora was uncertain about the path Konoha would be led down by this young Fourth Hokage in the future.
However, one thing was certain: if the Third Hokage continued to rule, the Uchiha clan in Konoha would eventually meet its end, and this was something Elder Sora was convinced of.
"What is your opinion of him?" Elder Sora asked, looking at Rindo.
Rindo, not young anymore and sporting a few wrinkles on his face, thought for a moment before replying, "In my opinion, he's a pretty perfect ninja. He is decisive and kiils in one blow. A completely different person from the Third Hokage."
"I never expected such a ninja to emerge from the Senju faction." Elder Sora said with a strange expression.
"Yes, he's a monster, just like Ruri."
"Then, who do you think is stronger, him or Ruri?"
"..eh... i can't make that judgment. But, in terms of speed, Namikaze Minato is undoubtedly better. "
Wih Minato's control with the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, if he couldn't gain the upper hand in speed, then the so called space-time ninjutsu would be completely useless.
"By the way, there's one more thing."
"Please explain."
"The Third approached Fugaku earlier, and they communicated for about three to four hours. I'm not sure about the details." Rindo shared.
"Are they plotting something?"
"After all, it was our Uchiha clan that suffered the defeat."
"Failure can be overcome with hardwork. There's no one who doesn't fail. Only those who survive until the end have a chance to win. The Senju clan is now dead in name only, and the Uchiha...it all depends on how the Fourth Hokage handles things." Elder Sora spoke calmly.
Silence settled over the room. Not long after, a maid camer.
"Elder, Fugaku-sama is here to see you."
"Let him in." Elder Sora nodded.
The maid departed, and shortly after, Fugaku entered, accompanied by a child -
Uchiha Itachi.
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