"Damn Sakumo, I think he wants to destroy Konoha! First, he took away my ROOT, and now he has severely injured Tatsuma! Sarutobi, list Sakumo as an S-rank rogue ninja!"
In the Hokage's office, Shimura Danzo did not receive the appointment letter for the leader of ROOT. Instead, he learned that Tatsuma had returned from a mission severely injured and was taken away by Tsunade for treatment.
In an instant, he was like a cat with its fur bristling, venting his frustration in the Hokage's office.
"Danzo, I am the Hokage, and it is up to me to decide who should be listed as a rogue ninja! This time it was an accident, an accident that no one wanted to see, and it is not your place to recklessly blame others!"
Hiruzen's expression was also quite grim. He had initially thought that Sakumo's description of Tatsuma's injuries was a standard level of severity. He ordered someone to find Tsunade to inquire about Tatsuma's condition.
However, Tsunade could not be found, and it was only when he went to Orochimaru that he learned Tatsuma's injuries were far more serious than imagined. Even Tsunade and Orochimaru were at a loss for how to handle the situation and could only take him to Shikkotsu Forest for help.
Upon learning this, Hiruzen, already quite troubled, called Danzo with the intention of asking if he had any solutions. However, Danzo arrived and immediately began venting his emotions, which only made Hiruzen more frustrated.
Danzo, having been yelled at by Hiruzen, managed to calm down somewhat but still insisted, "An accident?! I think Sakumo did it on purpose. Just look at what he has done over the years. He plotted to take away my ROOT, and stationed ROOT members outside for extended periods, causing a decrease in their numbers. That was all the result of my and the village's hard work!
Now he's harmed Tatsuma so severely. Tatsuma is the future of the village! He's just a young kid, and what did Sakumo send him to do?"
"Going to fight the Eight-Tails and the Raikage! Is that what Tatsuma should be doing?! He's just trying to destroy the village's future!"
Seeing Danzo repeat his viewpoint, Hiruzen's irritation grew. He said, "It was I who assigned Tatsuma to the Land of Lightning. According to your logic, does that mean I am also trying to destroy Konoha's future?!"
"Hmph!"
Danzo snorted and fell silent. While he was willing to criticize Sakumo and even Hiruzen on minor issues, he would not challenge him on major matters.
Hiruzen took a deep breath to calm his frustration and said, "The immediate priority is to cover up the news. Hidden Cloud Village has disclosed this matter; we must not provide them with further evidence. Sakumo will be temporarily sidelined for now, and I will remind him to stay active within the village. I have also halted Jiraiya's travel plans and will have him and Minato make more public appearances. As for Tatsuma, it will not be possible for him to appear in person, but I will have people create signs that suggest he is still active within the village."
Although it's no longer possible to clear suspicion from the timeline, other villages might still firmly believe that Sakumo attacked the Eight-Tails host. But if the "culprit" remains so active after the crime, it will be the Hidden Cloud Village that is embarrassed.
"Sakumo sidelined?"
Danzo immediately grasped the key point. Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes, that's his own idea. However, the ROOT that he was originally in charge of…"
Hiruzen gave Danzo a meaningful look. Danzo's face darkened as he understood what Hiruzen meant. The ROOT could be returned to him, but the price was that he had to refrain from causing trouble, especially using this incident as a pretext to target Sakumo.
Moreover, once this matter has passed, Danzo would have missed the best opportunity to investigate, not only this incident but also the previous one where Sakumo took away his ROOT. After losing ROOT for more than three years, Hiruzen hoped to brush it off with a few words, which naturally left Danzo unhappy.
However, if Danzo didn't agree, Hiruzen might just assign someone else to manage it. Danzo knew his old friend too well.
He pondered with a serious expression for a while before saying, "Hmph! I've had enough rest. It's time for me to fully focus on reorganizing ROOT and turn it back into Konoha's blade in the shadows."
This could be considered an agreement. He would dedicate all his energy to ROOT, and thus wouldn't have the time or inclination to target Sakumo. Although if he wanted to, he could still find time and effort for it, this was a transaction, and Danzo wouldn't go back on his word so soon after regaining ROOT.
Hiruzen, who was also familiar with Danzo, understood this. He nodded and said, "That's the best outcome. Although the great war has ended for three years, conflicts continue everywhere among the villages. As Konoha ninjas, we must unite our hearts and efforts. Only through internal solidarity can we resist external threats."
Danzo took a deep breath. He greatly disliked Hiruzen's lofty words because only those in the spotlight had the right to speak such things, and he envied and resented that!
Suppressing his emotions, Danzo said, "Tsunade went to Shikkotsu Forest. Can we contact her from here? If Shikkotsu Forest can't resolve Tatsuma's issues, it would be best to bring him back to the village as soon as possible and come up with a solution together."
Hiruzen shook his head and said, "For now, there's no way. I will ask Jiraiya and Orochimaru to see if there are any means of communication between the three great sage lands."
"Tatsuma absolutely must not come to harm, or I will make Sakumo pay the price!" Danzo said with hatred.
Hiruzen frowned and replied, "Even if Tatsuma truly encounters misfortune, the perpetrator is Hidden Cloud Village. Why do you keep clinging to Sakumo?"
Hearing this, Danzo gritted his teeth. He wanted to target Hidden Cloud Village, but there weren't many methods available, and their effectiveness wouldn't be very high, making it unlikely to serve as real revenge. However, if Tatsuma did come to harm, his anger would need to be directed somewhere.
Danzo did not respond and left with a flick of his sleeve. Hiruzen took a deep breath, shook his head, reached for his pipe, and said into the darkness, "Mandrill."
A figure appeared, bowed to Hiruzen, and asked, "Hokage-sama?"
"What do you think Danzo will do?"
Upon hearing Hiruzen's question, Mandrill did not answer immediately. After a moment, he said, "Although I cannot speak for Elder Danzo, based on my past experience, Elder Danzo will not stop here."
He is likely to attack Sakumo through public opinion, especially now that Tatsuma's identity has been revealed. Some Senju clan members who take pride in their heritage might be swayed. With both Tsunade and Tatsuma absent, no one can stop those discussions.
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Have your people keep a close watch. If Danzo makes any moves, make sure to inform me immediately."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Mandrill was about to leave when Hiruzen raised his hand. Seeing this, Mandrill stopped and looked back at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen said, "How are the arrangements for the ANBU retirement proceeding?"
"Hmm, I've already contacted Master Shinnosuke. His talent is quite good, and he will surely become an outstanding ANBU in the future, helping the village develop."
Hearing this, Hiruzen's expression darkened. Mandrill had been with him for many years and was willing to speak truths that others would avoid. For example, his evaluation of Hiruzen's son. If it were someone else, they would not dare to speak as candidly as Mandrill. They would say flattering things about his son to please the Hokage.
Even though he knew Mandrill's evaluation was honest and objective, Hiruzen was still deeply disappointed and regretful to hear that his son was merely seen as an aide.
Hiruzen knew that while his son's talent was decent, it could not compare to that of Tatsuma, who was several years older, or even Minato. He had heard that the four-year-old child of Sakumo could already use Ninjutsu and had even started learning real ninja skills from Sakumo.
Hiruzen tried to convince himself that his son might be a late bloomer, but any person with extraordinary talent would inevitably show remarkable traits from a young age. These traits might not necessarily be in terms of strength, but could manifest in vision, thinking, social skills, or strategy. Unfortunately, his eldest son did not meet these criteria.
Even possessing one of these traits would have led Hiruzen to attempt to nurture his eldest son, but he had none. Meanwhile, within the village, there was a child who had all of them.
'Perhaps, as Danzo said, Tatsuma is indeed the future of the village.'
With a sense of reflection, Hiruzen smiled gently. The burden he had been carrying seemed to have been lifted, and he looked at Mandrill with a smile and said:
"Mandrill, I am entrusting Shinnosuke to you. I hope you can teach him well and help him become a ninja who benefits the village."
Mandrill, who had been somewhat apprehensive, nodded firmly upon hearing Hiruzen's words and said, "I will not fail the mission."
Afterward, Mandrill hesitated for a moment and did not turn to leave. Instead, he asked, "Hokage-sama, you mentioned arranging someone to transfer the Hokage Guard duties to . I'm wondering…"
As Shinnosuke's graduation day approached, Mandrill had not yet seen anyone come to transfer the Hokage Guard duties to him, so he inquired.
Hiruzen, who was in a good mood after coming to terms with things, did not fault Mandrill for his inquiry and smiled as he replied, "Tatsuma and Minato have stirred the parents of their peers. Recently, my home has been visited daily by those hoping the village would strengthen its supervision over their children. I have already selected someone, a child of Shikato. In a few days, he will be arranged to transfer your duties ."
Upon hearing this, Mandrill raised his eyebrows beneath his mask. "Shikato's child, Nara Shikaku. That child's strength and disposition are somewhat lacking, but being in the Hokage's office is indeed quite suitable for him."
Mandrill knew that the reason Hiruzen kept thinking about Tatsuma, who had not been in the position of Hokage Guard for long, was because he was excellent at handling administrative duties.
As for protection, whether it was Tatsuma or Mandrill himself, they did not serve that function very well. Replacing them with that child named Shikaku would not be too difficult.
After all, every member of the Nara family is intelligent, and handling administrative duties could be said to be a family tradition.
Compared to the well-organized village managed by Hiruzen, Shikkotsu Forest was currently in chaos, with both people and slugs still in a state of confusion.
In a small pond, Tatsuma lay flat on the water, almost completely submerged except for his mouth and nose. The thick water flowed slowly, seemingly glowing with flowing light, but it was difficult to capture clearly.
He had been lying here for a whole day. Tsunade squatted beside him, her head hanging down. Suddenly, she snapped back to reality, looked at the still motionless Tatsuma, and couldn't help but look up toward the direction of the Slug Sage, asking:
"Slug Sage, how is it?"
The Slug Sage was silent for a long time before slowly saying, "It failed."
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