Enjoy doouble release today!
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Danzo walked into the Hokage's office without knocking.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was standing by the huge windows in the Hokage's office, overlooking Konoha.
The Hokage Tower was tall enough that one could stand on it and see the entire main area of Konoha.
"Hiruzen, is there something to discuss?" Danzo spoke up.
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around and nodded, saying, "Take a look at the documents on my desk."
Danzo walked up to the desk, picked up the documents, and began to flip through them. The words "Mutsuki Yumi" instantly caught his eye.
Seeing Mutsuki's name, Danzo squinted his eyes, and immediately a guess flashed through his mind.
'Just reminded him not to expose his identity, and he's already been discovered. Truly incompetent' Danzo thought to himself.
However, as an experienced actor, Danzo's expression remained unchanged. He quickly finished reading the documents, which contained nothing else but some information about Mutsuki.
"Just because a Special Jonin with outstanding educational abilities has been newly promoted, do we really need both of us to confirm it?" Danzo said casually.
Since Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't make it explicit, he pretended not to know anything either.
Upon hearing Danzo's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen burst into laughter.
"Haha, Danzo, are you sure this is just an ordinary Special Jonin?" Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled as he stared at Danzo.
"Does he have any other special qualities besides the strong teaching abilities recorded in the documents?" Danzo continued to play dumb.
He would never admit to sending someone to the Academy on his own initiative.
Sarutobi Hiruzen put his pipe in his mouth, puffing out smoke as he said, "Danzo, you don't have to pretend with me here. I know he's a Root member you've been grooming against regulations."
Sarutobi Hiruzen then threw some more documents at Danzo.
After reading them, Danzo's face changed drastically. Not only did these documents contain information about his secret cultivation of Mutsuki, but also details about the cultivation of other hidden assets.
'How could he know?' Danzo was puzzled. He never expected his so-called hidden assets to be transparent in front of the Third.
Although Danzo established another ANBU, known as Root, under the pretext of training ANBU, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't foolish. He couldn't let Danzo's power expand indefinitely, so he limited the number of Root members.
This was why Danzo chose to cultivate these hidden assets. Since he couldn't openly recruit, he had to cultivate additional members secretly.
"I did all this to protect Konoha. With the limited number of Root members you set, we can't ensure Konoha's safety," Danzo not only refused to admit his mistake but also tried to persuade Sarutobi Hiruzen to loosen the restrictions on Root.
"Now that a major war is brewing, Konoha needs more Root members to protect itself. Hiruzen, don't tell me you believe Konoha can stay out of it."
Danzo attempted to shift the conversation from the irregular cultivation to whether Konoha would be drawn into the war and how to protect Konoha.
But Danzo was sharp, yet Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been Hokage for decades, was even sharper. He understood Danzo's intentions and wasn't swayed by his words. He knocked on the table and said:
"Leaving other matters aside for now, let's discuss your unauthorized cultivation of additional members."
"There are a total of five individuals involved, three of whom are descendants of war heroes. How dare you target them, Danzo? Are you trying to destroy the Will of Fire in Konoha!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze became sharp and imposing as he stared at Danzo.
The so-called war heroes are the ninjas who sacrificed themselves in wars. For example, Mutsuki's parents, who died in battle, are considered war heroes.
Danzo remained silent. Normal children aren't so easily manipulated or targeted. Ninja descendants like Mutsuki usually have considerable talent.
"I am also cultivating talent for Konoha," Danzo tried to justify himself after a moment of contemplation.
"Isn't Mutsuki Yumi being promoted to Special Jonin by you a talent?" Danzo said without reservation.
"Perhaps he would be even more outstanding if you didn't intervene," Sarutobi Hiruzen said bluntly.
In his view, Mutsuki was indeed a remarkable individual. He possessed outstanding teaching abilities, considerable talent in Sealing Jutsu, decent proficiency in Water Release and Fire Release, and handled interpersonal relationships quite well.
"Mutsuki is not suited to stay in Root. Tomorrow, you will come to the Hokage Tower and remove the Cursed Seal from him," Sarutobi Hiruzen stated his ultimate goal.
Getting hold of Mutsuki was his primary objective today; admonishing Danzo was secondary.
"What do you mean, Hiruzen? I've invested effort in cultivating him. I am the leader of Root," Danzo clenched his fists and said.
Though Mutsuki wasn't a Root member he valued highly, having him taken away felt like having the fruit of his labor plucked by someone else — it was frustrating!
"If you refuse me, you will regret it," Sarutobi Hiruzen said lightly.
Danzo's expression was unsettled, and he did not immediately respond to Sarutobi Hiruzen's words.
"What about the resources I've invested in him?" Danzo spoke up.
Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed out smoke and pointed to the documents on the table.
Danzo instantly understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's meaning: there would be no compensation for the irregular cultivation.
Danzo took a deep breath and coldly replied, "I will come tomorrow."
After saying that, Danzo turned and walked away. When he reached the door, he spoke again, "Hiruzen, you will regret this."
"I am the Hokage," Sarutobi Hiruzen reminded him as he sat in his chair.
Bang!
The wooden door of the office was forcefully shut.
As soon as he left the office, Danzo's expression returned to normal. Being asked to relinquish a Special Jonin might have left him feeling irritated, but he wouldn't be particularly angry. His extreme display of anger in the office was simply meant to express his frustration and prompt Sarutobi Hiruzen to offer compensation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of offering compensation. However, in return, except for Mutsuki, Sarutobi Hiruzen could pretend he hadn't seen the other four individuals who were cultivated irregularly.
This was the implicit message conveyed by Sarutobi Hiruzen pointing to the documents on the table. Therefore, apart from Mutsuki, they didn't discuss the others.
Except for Mutsuki's four companions, they would essentially be considered members of the Root organization in the future, though they wouldn't be formally listed as Root members.
"It's fortunate that my Wood Release Ninja hasn't been discovered," Danzo thought to himself.
When he saw the list of covert operatives, Danzo's heart skipped a beat, thinking that his concealed Wood Release Ninja had been uncovered.
As long as his Wood Release Ninja remained undiscovered, the exposure of the other covert operatives wasn't a significant loss in Danzo's view. He believed in the power of Wood Release.
As long as he could develop his Wood Release Ninja, there was no telling who would hold sway in Konoha in the future.
However, on his way back to the Root, Danzo still felt somewhat aggrieved. Just yesterday, he had been considering the increased influence he would have in Konoha with Mutsuki as a Jonin and member of the Elders, yet today Mutsuki was directly taken away.
"After returning to the Root base, instruct Yoru to come over," Danzo ordered his subordinate.
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