In the evening, Mutsuki did not go to the main area of Konoha, but instead studied Sealing Jutsu inside a house in the southern forest.
Sensing someone swiftly moving nearby, Mutsuki temporarily stopped practicing and went outside.
"Night, Danzo-sama is looking for you," a Root Ninja said lightly.
"Do I need to change into uniform?" Mutsuki asked.
Although he wasn't formally in Root, he still had Root's uniform and mask.
"No need, just follow me," the Root Ninja shook his head.
Mutsuki silently followed behind the Root Ninja, vaguely guessing what was happening.
The day before, he was warned to be careful not to expose his identity, yet today, he was openly escorted to the Root base.
Obviously, his identity no longer needed to be concealed.
Without surprises, perhaps today or yesterday, someone experienced a 'you will regret it momement with Danzo'
Although the next stop was the Root headquarters, Mutsuki wasn't overly nervous.
Just a few days ago, he had just reported to Danzo's side, telling him all about the rewards Third gave him, showing his utmost loyalty.
Now, he was important for Hiruzen, and in Root, he also portrayed an image of loyalty, emphasizing stability.
"Danzo-sama." After arriving at the Root base, Mutsuki respectfully greeted Danzo.
"Night, you're excellent," Danzo suddenly said.
"It's all thanks to Danzo-sama's nurturing. Without your guidance, I would just be an ordinary orphan," Mutsuki respectfully replied.
"Do you know, the Third Hokage values you greatly," Danzo continued.
"Perhaps so. On the day the special training ended, he praised me many times and gave me two ninjutsu and three hundred thousand ryo," Mutsuki answered according to the report he had previously written.
"By the way, today I also got promoted to a position at the Academy, becoming the first-year grade director, probably also promoted by the Third," Mutsuki added.
Danzo nodded, showing a thoughtful expression.
Danzo was probing to see if Mutsuki knew about Sarutobi Hiruzen's plan for him.
After some probing, along with the mission reports from the past few days, and confidence in his own brainwashing techniques, Danzo tentatively concluded that Mutsuki was loyal to him.
"I discussed it with the Third and we both think that your talent should be used to cultivate ninjas at the Academy, rather than staying in Root," Danzo said after some thought.
"Tomorrow, I will go to the Hokage's office to help you remove the Root Cursed Seal from your body. From then on, you will no longer be a Root ninja."
"Danzo-sama, did I do something wrong? Why are you expelling me from Root?" Mutsuki said with a worried expression.
"Danzo-sama, I want to protect Konoha with you!"
At this moment, Mutsuki was extremely calm internally. He certainly didn't believe Danzo's nonsense. Discussing with Sarutobi Hiruzen about better utilizing his talent likely meant he was being forced to leave.
Since Danzo was acting, he would play along with him.
Danzo, in letting go of his capable subordinates to harness their abilities, was a good leader, while Mutsuki was a loyal subordinate to Root.
Watching Mutsuki's performance, Danzo nodded satisfactorily. Regardless, Mutsuki was now loyal to Root, loyal to him, Shimura Danzo.
"No, you've done well, it's just that now you have a more important mission," Danzo said slowly.
"Although you are no longer a member of the Root organization, if one day my orders come to you again, will you still carry them out?"
"Of course, I will. Danzo-sama's missions are all crucial tasks to protect Konoha," Mutsuki said without hesitation.
Danzo smiled and then handed Mutsuki two scrolls.
"Inside, there's an advanced Fire Release Ninjutsu from the village, and one is a secret potion for cultivation. Keep working hard in the future. When I need you, I will notify you," Danzo said.
Danzo wasn't worried about his investment falling through. Even if Mutsuki's loyalty waned in the future, Danzo had ways to ensure his loyalty. The resources of his Root organization weren't easily acquired.
"I will definitely not disappoint Danzo-sama's painstaking efforts," Mutsuki said, deeply moved.
"If Root had more ninjas like you, Mutsuki, I wouldn't worry about finding people to protect Konoha," Danzo said, satisfied.
"Go back now, practice well, and await my summons."
Mutsuki finally left with reluctance, but not before casting an apraisal on Danzo!
[Name: Shimura Danzo]
[Chakra: 69000]
[Skills: Wind Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 4400/15000), Wind Release: Vacuum Wave (Mastery: 300/15000)...]
[Potential: S (Basic Talent + Sharingan)]
Similar to what he thought, Danzo should have the strength of a Kage. But it's not particularly outstanding.
Compared to his old classmate Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo's abilities are lacking. He falls short by more than a hundred thousand in Chakra, and his skills are inferior.
Unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen, who has mastery-level proficiency in all five basic Nature Transformations, Danzo's skills are not on par. His proficiency in mastery-level skills also falls far behind Sarutobi Hiruzen's.
While Danzo doesn't have many mastery-level Ninjutsu, he has mastered several forbidden techniques and wind release ninjutsu. In actual combat, he's quite formidable. Judging from his battle with Mangekyo Sasuke, it's evident that without Obito's help, Sasuke might have been defeated.
After walking a distance away from the Root base, Mutsuki's expression gradually returned to normal.
"Even after being wanted by the Third, he's still unwilling to let go. Being overly persistent can be annoying," Mutsuki sighed softly.
He really wanted to grow peacefully, to develop to a certain level of strength and then do things within his capabilities. But Danzo always seemed unwilling to let him be.
Suddenly, Root ninjas would appear in the yard, still reluctant to let him go, calling Mutsuki back to the Root base. Mutsuki was very dissatisfied with Danzo and with Root. He was also dissatisfied with this dangerously neurotic world.
If in the future his strength could reach a level sufficient to suppress everything, Mutsuki wouldn't mind standing above the heavens once, to make this world a bit more normal.
After returning home, Mutsuki took out the scroll Danzo had given him and glanced at it. He found that the so-called advanced Fire Release Ninjutsu was the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, which he had already mastered.
Mutsuki lost interest immediately. As for the cultivation potion, Mutsuki didn't even bother to look at it and tossed it directly into the corner. Mutsuki continued to study Sealing Jutsu.
Given the current situation, Danzo seemed to want to use him as a wedge to infiltrate the Third's inner circle. Therefore, research into Sealing Jutsu couldn't be stopped. Perhaps one day Danzo would suddenly want to give him another cursed seal. Mutsuki didn't think it would happen on the day it was removed; that would be too embarrassing if Sarutobi Hiruzen found out.
"Finally mastered it," Mutsuki nodded to himself as he looked at the newly acquired Beginner Proficiency Five Elements Seal. Then, he directly smashed a Proficient scroll onto it, and a wealth of Sealing Jutsu knowledge flooded into his mind.
In a world where strength reigns supreme, one's own power is the most reliable!
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