Yoruha wanted to refuse, but seeing Tsunade's fierce gaze, he had no choice but to say, "Alright, but I can't guarantee that I'll manage the Anbu well." Yoruha agreed, and naturally, Tsunade had nothing more to say. She simply hoped that Yoruha would take on more responsibilities within the village.
She felt that she had been too lenient with Yoruha before, and considering his abilities, merely serving as the Hokage's guard was a waste of his talent. For others, Tsunade might worry that controlling the Anbu could be detrimental to her. But whether Yoruha had the Anbu or not, if he wished, no one in Konoha could stand against him.
Of course, if he didn't want to, he was completely trustworthy. She had been clear about this three years ago. Moreover, handing the Anbu over to Yoruha had its advantages; the Anbu would finally live up to the reputation of being the Hokage's direct unit, with strength befitting that title.
Tsunade issued the order swiftly, as if fearing Yoruha might change his mind. When many clans in the village learned of the order, they weren't surprised. Especially those clans already aligned with Yoruha, like the Ino-Shika-Cho and the Sarutobi clan.
They were well aware of Yoruha's significance. Meanwhile, deep underground in the Root organization's headquarters, Danzo was seething with hatred upon learning of Pain's failure and Sasuke's intervention to save Konoha Village.
He crushed his cane in his grip. "Damn Uchiha clan, why do they keep emerging even after being wiped out?" "Damn Uchiha Sasuke, if you don't want peace, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Danzo was contemplating how to frame Sasuke. He would never allow anyone to disrupt his plans to become Hokage, especially not someone from the Uchiha clan. If Danzo knew of Yoruha's existence, he would realize that he had become a mere clown in Konoha, no longer even considered part of the village's upper echelon.
Any clan with a bit of standing knew of Yoruha's existence and understood that his influence on Konoha was crucial. Yet Danzo was oblivious, still thinking of Yoruha as just a slightly talented ninja, a misjudgment by the Third Hokage. Over the past three years, Yoruha hadn't completed any high-profile missions and remained relatively unknown in the ninja world.
Even in Konoha, he was known for his medical ninjutsu. Danzo felt Yoruha had squandered the Third Hokage's expectations, once viewing him as a threat, but now considering him a waste of talent. He didn't even regard Yoruha as a person of interest anymore.
In his eyes, Yoruha didn't exist. The title of Hokage's guard might sound prestigious, but Danzo knew better than anyone what it really entailed. It was merely a group of special jounin, and sometimes even chunin; such a level of ninja wasn't worth his attention.
Now, the people he feared most were Sasuke, and perhaps Naruto. Meanwhile, Yamato, attending an Anbu meeting, wasn't surprised to hear that Yoruha was about to become the Anbu leader. To him, it seemed only natural.
Strange occurrences. If he hadn't heard some things about Yoruha from Kakashi, he would have thought Yoruha had disappeared over the years. However, some members of the Anbu were resistant to Yoruha taking on the role of their leader.
After all, Yoruha was primarily known in Konoha for his medical ninjutsu over the years. Many people were unaware of his true strength. To the Anbu, Yoruha's appointment as their leader seemed like a result of pulling strings to get the position.
Yamato naturally noticed this sentiment, but he didn't intervene. It wasn't that he didn't want to clear Yoruha's name, but rather that the best way to silence these doubts was for Yoruha to demonstrate his true abilities. The news of Yoruha becoming the Anbu leader didn't cause much of a stir.
This was because the influential families in Konoha were well aware of Yoruha's capabilities, and many of them were already on his side. They knew the strength of the person they supported. However, just because they understood didn't mean Danzo did.
Upon learning that Tsunade had handed over command of the Anbu to Yoruha, Danzo couldn't sit still. To him, Tsunade's decision was an insult. He considered himself a senior figure in Konoha, on par with the Hokage in terms of status.
Someone like him, whose Root organization had been disbanded by Tsunade through various means, was now witnessing Tsunade casually handing over such a critical department to someone he looked down upon. Tsunade wasn't just insulting him; she was being reckless with the distribution of the Hokage's power.
Before Yoruha could lead a team to the Root organization to arrest Danzo, Danzo had already come to the Hokage's office to protest. With a new cane, Danzo, accompanied by two trusted ninja, pushed open the door to the Hokage's office, his face dark as he looked at Tsunade, who was busy with official duties. Tsunade had been expecting him.
She looked up, her expression calm. "Danzo, what brings you here? Not hiding anymore?"
Tsunade's words made Danzo pause. He could clearly hear the mockery in her tone. His already grim face turned icy cold.
"Tsunade, why would you hand such an important department like the Anbu over to a kid? You should know how crucial the Anbu is. Is it just because he's your bodyguard? I demand that the Hokage's advisors reconsider this decision. Konoha's power isn't yours to squander."
Tsunade crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair, looking at Danzo with interest. "You have objections to my decision?" Danzo replied coldly, "Your decision was too impulsive. The Anbu cannot be handed over casually, especially not to someone so young. I can't stand by and watch you destroy the Anbu and Konoha."
Tsunade clapped her hands. "Oh, you can't stand by, can you? Yet during Pain's invasion of Konoha, you, the loyal Konoha servant, along with your subordinates, were nowhere to be seen.
"Why is that? Was it because you didn't have time, or were you locked underground?"
Tsunade's voice was cold. Danzo knew he was at a disadvantage, but he stubbornly said, "That's a separate issue. Right now, we're discussing your decision to hand the Anbu over to a kid." Tsunade glanced at the two trusted aides behind Danzo.
Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune, both of whom were Jonin, but during Pain's invasion of Konoha, they were absent. "The Yamanaka and Aburame clans probably wouldn't be proud of you two, considering you don't even know what kind of person Yoruha is." Tsunade said something seemingly nonsensical.