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Danzo was the kind of man who acted the moment an idea came to him.
Almost the next morning, he stormed into the Hokage's office to confront his old friend.
But before coming, he had already prepared himself mentally for the inevitable argument.
He knew he might not win but needed to vent his frustrations. He had been holding back for far too long!
"Hm? What brings you here?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, startled as Danzo pushed the door open without knocking.
The ANBU hiding in the shadows didn't dare to interfere. The abrupt entrance even gave the Hokage a slight shock.
Forcing himself to remain composed, Hiruzen closed the crystal ball on his desk before speaking.
"What do you need?" Danzo glanced around the room and immediately understood what his old friend had been doing.
That only fueled his irritation further. Damn it, no wonder he managed to teach a guy like Jiraiya!
This was on me—if I had acted just a second faster, I could have stopped our teacher from making the wrong decision.
Although his mind was full of complaints, Danzo maintained a blank expression and said, "This is about the Chunin Exams."
"The Chunin Exams?" Hiruzen's thoughts immediately went to Uchiha Itachi, though he kept his composure.
"Why are you suddenly interested in this matter?"
"Drop the act, Hiruzen." Danzo had no patience for the pointless back-and-forth. Without hesitation, he exposed the real issue.
"Uchiha Itachi is taking the exam, isn't he?"
So that's what this is about. Hiruzen felt a headache coming on. He knew how deep his old friend's prejudice against the Uchiha ran.
At times, even he found the Uchiha clan's arrogance grating. But he wanted them to integrate into Konoha rather than remain isolated.
"That's right," Hiruzen admitted with a sigh, shaking his head. "Itachi is an exceptional talent. His age and strength qualify him for the Chunin Exams."
"But his teammate is dead," Danzo stated flatly.
"His squad is incomplete. Forming a temporary team is meaningless, and allowing him to take the exam alone violates the rules."
"People make rules," Hiruzen countered, rubbing his temples.
"Besides, this is an internal Konoha exam. Even if he participates alone, it won't be an issue."
"That makes it even worse!" Danzo seized on the flaw immediately and rebutted without hesitation.
"Rules may be man-made, but changing them for one person is unfair to everyone else! And don't forget—he's an Uchiha."
"His strength is undeniable, and the Uchiha have always been destabilizing."
"If he takes the exam alone and passes, it will create a huge stir. It could embolden the Uchiha—"
"The Uchiha are also part of Konoha!" Hiruzen finally lost his patience. 'Unfair? Do you think everything you've done is fair to others? Now you come here to lecture me? The hypocrisy was astounding!'
"I know your grievances, but the Uchiha are not beyond redemption. Don't forget Uchiha Kagami."
"Kagami was an exception. After his death, the Uchiha produced more radicals like Uchiha Setsuna," Danzo shot back, unyielding.
He knew his old friend was getting angry, but that was exactly why he was here—to argue! And he wasn't wrong, either.
Thanks to his manipulations, the Uchiha had grown increasingly extreme. Setsuna's ideology influenced the entire clan.
That man—Uchiha Setsuna—had once attempted to assassinate their teacher.
He was personally named as a dangerous extremist and thrown into prison.
If not for the need to unite the Uchiha during wartime and secure their manpower for Konoha, that man would have rotted in a cell until he "repented" by hanging himself.
"We should have followed our teacher's will and eradicated the evil that is the Uchiha, not shown them the mercy you insist on," Danzo pressed.
"You've overstepped, Danzo!" Hiruzen finally snapped, his face darkening as he glared at his old friend.
"I'm only stating the facts," Danzo replied, his expression unreadable.
"Enough! I am the Hokage!"
Hearing that, Danzo nearly cursed Hiruzen for his shamelessness. Using his title as leverage?
That was low. He wanted nothing more than to storm out of the office. But he gritted his teeth and restrained himself—he still had unfinished business here.
"You'll regret this one day!" he spat.
"Whether I do or not is a matter for the future." Hiruzen realized he had spoken harshly.
Danzo was a good man, but his petty, vindictive nature was undeniable. He needed to soften the tension.
"As Hokage, my duty is to unite the village. I will not pass up any opportunity for peace."
"Hmph!" Danzo snorted but knew this was his chance to bring up his proposal. "Fine. If he must participate, then I have a condition."
"Oh?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, sensing that this was Danzo's true objective. "Let's hear it."
"I want to assign Uchiha Itachi a specific examiner," Danzo stated outright.
"The boy's abilities are exceptional. He defeated a Root ninja at the age of eight. If we use an ordinary proctor, we won't be able to test his limits."
"And who do you have in mind? It's not a suggestion—I intend to assign Shigenari Shuuzawa for the role!"
Hiruzen stared at Danzo in silence. Testing Itachi's limits? This was nothing more than blatant suppression and retaliation!
It was true that Itachi was a prodigy. He had awakened the Sharingan at a young age and had already defeated a Root operative by eight.
But Shuuzawa was no ordinary shinobi, either. That man had caused major upheaval in Sunagakure and escaped unscathed.
Assigning him as Itachi's examiner? Hiruzen couldn't help but suspect ulterior motives.
"This matter—"
After a brief contemplation, Hiruzen realized this wasn't necessarily a bad idea.
Danzo had read him well—he had indeed considered recruiting Itachi into the ANBU.
The boy was intelligent, had close ties with Shisui, and—most importantly—was the son of Uchiha Fugaku.
If Shisui could influence Itachi's thinking and guide him toward a different perspective, it would be a win for both Konoha and the Uchiha.
Moreover, Shuuzawa and Shisui were teammates. If he gave Shisui a subtle push, encouraging him to sway Itachi, then—
"Fine," Hiruzen nodded.
"Itachi is indeed highly skilled, and an average proctor might not be able to gauge his full potential. Shuuzawa is strong enough to handle the role, and his ANBU status makes scheduling flexible."
Danzo shot Hiruzen a blank stare. Did he have to bring up Shuuzawa's position in the ANBU?
He was starting to regret placing the man there in the first place. But what's done is done. His goal had been achieved, so this trip wasn't wasted.
"If you value him so much, then I'll make sure he suffers a humiliating defeat. Even if he passes, he won't have an easy time!"
Somewhere in Konoha, inside a training ground—
Yakushi Kabuto stood frozen in place, his entire body tense. Behind him, Shuuzawa's figure loomed, his presence sudden and overwhelming.
Enhanced with Wind Release, a kunai was pressed against Kabuto's throat.
At that moment, Kabuto Yakushi's mind was completely blank. He knew he wasn't a match for Shuuzawa.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been beaten so badly during their training at the Root base that he started questioning his life choices.
But to be defeated in an instant? That was completely beyond his expectations!
"You lost." Shuuzawa, however, didn't seem to care much. Retracting his kunai, he looked at Kabuto with a smile.
"Honestly, it's kind of disappointing. You're even weaker than I thought. If you suddenly get exposed while infiltrating, how do you plan to survive?"
Kabuto silently stared at Shuuzawa. After a long moment, he took a deep breath, shook his head, and spoke.
"Compared to the Flying Thunder God Technique, I doubt even stronger shinobi could last long against it. But when did you learn it?"
At this point, Kabuto felt numb, though it was understandable.
Just as he had said, even more powerful shinobi would likely feel helpless against the Flying Thunder God.
What puzzled him was—when Shuuzawa suddenly mastered it.
"It was a reward from my mission in Sunagakure. I spent several months researching and slowly figuring it out."
Shuuzawa shrugged and smiled. Of course, that was a joke.
It had taken him less than a second to master the Flying Thunder God at a decent level.
The price? Using up a one-time ability called [Ninja World Scholar]. But Shuuzawa didn't feel like he had lost out.
After all, now that he had mastered the technique, his ability to escape dangerous situations dramatically improved!
Strength can be built up over time, but a person only has one life, especially in a world where a single kunai to the back could be fatal.
However, Shuuzawa was cautious by nature. Even after learning the technique, he didn't immediately reveal it.
Since he hadn't been on any missions recently, he broke down the Flying Thunder God into its components and trained in front of Shisui and Yuugao, creating the illusion that he had been slowly mastering it.
Now, he figured it was about time to start using it. After all, the Chūnin Exams were approaching.
"Besides, the Flying Thunder God isn't as invincible as you make it out to be. There are people who can react in time and counter it with a mutual destruction strategy."
"Learning it in just a few months… you really are…" Kabuto was initially amazed, but he found the latter part of the statement hard to believe.
"But the speed of the Flying Thunder God is so fast. I doubt anyone could keep up with it."
Shuuzawa glanced at him—this guy still didn't fully understand the world they lived in.
Forget Obito, who could avoid the technique entirely using Kamui. Even the brothers from Kumogakure could keep up with it.
The weakness of the Flying Thunder God was that it required marked seals for teleportation.
If an opponent avoided the marked areas in advance, it wasn't impossible to counter.
When Minato Namikaze ambushed Killer Bee, he had already positioned his blade against the Hokage's stomach!
Of course, his head was also being targeted by Minato's kunai. But still, it was an example of a mutual destruction scenario.
"Anyway, let's drop this topic. How have things been on your end?" Shuuzawa shrugged, changing the subject.
"What's the situation in Root? And have you had a chance to check on the orphanage?"
"Root… things haven't been great for anyone recently." The moment Kabuto mentioned Root, his mouth twitched involuntarily.
He shot Shuuzawa a glare but hesitated to speak further.
Lately, the training intensity had been insane—so much so that Kabuto even suspected Danzo was trying to train them to death.
Its sheer brutality was mind-numbing, and the main culprit behind it was standing right in front of him, still acting so nonchalantly!
Shaking his head, he skipped over that topic and grew more serious.
"As for the orphanage, I did some investigating. The director has been gone for several years."
"My biggest concern now is whether my suspicions are correct." Shuuzawa nodded.
He trusted Kabuto's ability to investigate in secret. In the original timeline, he hadn't interfered because he believed in Danzo.
But things were different now. "Has Danzo assigned you a mission yet? Like infiltrating another village?"
"There are plans for it, but nothing specific has been decided yet." Kabuto sighed in frustration, then looked at Shuuzawa seriously.
"Last time, you didn't finish your explanation. What exactly are you planning to do?"
"What I plan to do is quite simple." Shuuzawa carefully glanced around before speaking a little more seriously.
"Naturally, it's to make Lord Danzo famous across the entire ninja world—to ensure that his name echoes in everyone's ears."
Kabuto's expression stiffened, but he was smart. After thinking for a moment, he seemed to grasp the meaning behind Shuuzawa's words.
"You mean… like what you did in the Land of Wind?"
"Looks like you've grown quite a bit." Shuuzawa nodded approvingly. Kabuto had always been sharp.
"Danzo dreams of becoming Hokage, which makes that a perfect angle for us to exploit."
"In the Land of Wind, what you did was beneficial to Konoha, but all the hatred ended up directed at Danzo."
Kabuto naturally picked up the conversation, his expression turning more serious.
"No matter what happens in the future or how Sunagakure changes, they will always bear a grudge against him."
"This could even affect Konoha's relationship with them. And the bigger Danzo's reputation gets, the more ambitious he'll become. But within Konoha…"
"The Hokage may tolerate him, but I doubt he would allow something completely uncontrollable to unfold." Shuuzawa concluded.
Of course, whether things would truly play out that way was uncertain.
After all, Danzo had attempted to assassinate the Hokage and remained unscathed.
But even so, the assassination had its consequences. After the Uchiha massacre, Danzo's authority within Root had been temporarily reined in.
And it wasn't as if Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely blind to what Danzo was doing—at the very least, Shuuzawa wouldn't let him be completely ignorant!
What would happen when the time came? That was hard to predict. "So, we just need to add a little more weight onto Lord Danzo's shoulders."
Shuuzawa patted Kabuto on the shoulder, grinning. "After all, we're members of Root. Naturally, we must serve Lord Danzo well."
"You are evil…" Kabuto couldn't help but mutter. But Shuuzawa looked displeased.
This was coming from a guy who was obsessed with grave robbing, extracting every ounce of value from the dead, and was practically worthy of being hung from a lamppost?
Did he dare to call him evil? "What about the director? What's the plan?" Kabuto thought for a moment before asking.
"First, let's figure out exactly where the director is. But I still believe your next infiltration mission will be connected to it."
Shuuzawa didn't bother arguing with him and got straight to the point.
"To ensure accuracy, you should keep up your usual act—emphasize that you plan to leave Root after completing your final mission and express a strong desire to see the director. Understood?"
"Yes, I got it." Kabuto nodded. At this point, he was already too deep to turn back. But he had no regrets.
Whether it was the grand vision Shuuzawa had painted for him or their bond from growing up in the orphanage.
Or the possibility that Danzo had truly deceived their director—especially that last point—his heart had already changed. He had to go against Danzo!
"Don't worry." Seeing that Kabuto was still a little tense, Shuuzawa patted his shoulder again. "Danzo's fate will ultimately be in our hands."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, calming himself before letting out a chuckle.
"For now, though, our fate is still in his hands. The Chūnin Exams are about to start, and you've been assigned as a proctor, haven't you?"
Shuuzawa pressed his lips together but then smirked as he had a thought.
"Yeah, gotta gain some experience. Who knows? When you leave Root and take the exam yourself, I might be the one grading you."
Kabuto froze. Now that he thought about it… that was entirely possible!
"So if you don't want to stay a Genin forever, you'd better show some respect." Shuuzawa grinned.
"Now do you understand why power demands respect?"
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