Inside Konoha Village.
On the top floor of the Hokage Building, the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, silently held the battle report from the frontlines in the Land of Earth.
Bang!
Just as his pipe burned out and he took the final puff, the door was violently pushed open.
Danzō strode in with aggressive momentum, completely shedding his usual disguise of slow and measured movement.
At this moment, Danzō was like an enraged old lion. The cane that was usually by his side was nowhere to be seen as he walked directly up to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen was unsurprised by his arrival. After receiving the report, he had mentally prepared himself. In fact, he thought Danzō came later than expected.
"Hiruzen, I need an explanation."
Danzō stared coldly with his single eye. "You better not be behind this... or else…"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Hiruzen interrupted, visibly annoyed. "Are you accusing me of plotting against Yami, that I leaked information to Iwa shinobi?"
Danzō chuckled. "You wouldn't do that, but do you think I don't know you? Standing by and doing nothing is also a form of enabling."
He knew Hiruzen too well.
Like during the fall of the former Land of Whirlpools or the death of White Fang, Hiruzen had never interfered. Sitting atop the Hokage throne, withholding his stance or opinion, and simply waiting for events to unfold had always been his strategy—and it had served him well.
"I knew nothing!"
Hiruzen's expression darkened. "Why would I harm Yami? He's your grandson and a future hope of the village. Danzō, am I that despicable in your eyes?"
"That mission was chosen by Hizashi on a whim. Intelligence on the Land of Earth is Root's jurisdiction. Danzō, I haven't even held you accountable yet!"
Hiruzen's voice grew stronger and sharper. "Two jōnin, three special jōnin, and a team of chūnin were nearly ambushed, and your Root didn't detect a thing. I gave you full authority to operate Root independently, and this is how you repay me?"
"If anything had happened to Yami and the village lost a genius, the fault would lie with you!"
"Blame me?"
Danzō's one eye widened, filled with disbelief. "You think I'd harm my own grandson?"
Hiruzen shouted, "It was your incompetence that put him in danger!"
"Fine, fine." Danzō laughed angrily. "I'm incompetent. I put Yami at risk. Then let me handle the investigation into the information leak to make up for it."
"No!" Hiruzen rejected flatly. "I've already sent Anbu to investigate. This isn't within your authority!"
"He's my grandson!"
"Danzō, I am—"
Bang!
Before Hiruzen could finish, Danzō had slammed the door and left.
After what had happened to Yami, he had no intention of continuing the argument. If Hiruzen wouldn't let him investigate, then fine, he'd do it his way.
No matter who was involved, no matter their clan or status, they would pay the price.
After Danzō left, Hiruzen remained half-angry, feeling caught in a situation where he couldn't move forward or retreat.
It took a long time for him to calm down and begin pondering the ambush again.
More specifically, he was thinking about Yami.
The strength Yami had displayed far exceeded expectations. He could now be considered the most promising talent in Konoha since Namikaze Minato.
Hiruzen wasn't afraid of Yami. After all, the boy came from a good background and had been evaluated by Jiraiya, who confirmed his character was solid.
But what Hiruzen wanted was a Shimura who would grow under his guidance—not another Root leader twisted by Danzō's extremism.
He couldn't push too hard, though, or he'd worsen his relationship with Danzō.
So far, Hiruzen had opted for a more subtle approach, nurturing connections through Uchiha Izumi at the academy, and through Uzuki Yugao and Yuhi Kurenai in Yami's team.
These three were Yami's emotional bonds in the village.
Originally, Hiruzen believed there was still time before Yami matured, allowing for gradual influence. But Yami's rate of growth was too fast. There was no time left to delay.
He needed a legitimate reason to bring Yami under his command and slowly steer him away from Danzō's influence.
Border of the Land of Fire.
After a night's rest, Hizashi's team prepared to leave the camp.
As the commander, Hayama Shirakumo came to see them off personally.
Ordinarily, teams would part ways at this point, since the escort mission was complete.
However, to ensure the safety of the three chūnin teams and to guard against any remaining Iwa shinobi in the Land of Fire, Hizashi decided they should travel together, which slowed their pace.
"Yami-kun."
Just before departure, Hayama stopped Yami.
Yami turned, a little puzzled. "Is something wrong, Hayama-jōnin?"
"This is for you."
Hayama smiled and handed him a scroll from his ninja pouch. "Hizashi told me about your outstanding performance. Although the village will raise the mission reward, you also helped the front lines tremendously. This is my personal gift to you."
"It contains my insights on combining swordsmanship with Wind Release, and techniques for the Body Flicker Technique. I believe it will be useful to you."
"Thank you, Hayama-jōnin. Then I'll accept it politely."
Yami smiled and took the scroll without hesitation.
Though Hayama only appeared once in the anime, he had left a strong impression on Yami.
The Body Flicker Technique and swordsmanship he displayed were definitely top-tier among jōnin. In an era when power levels hadn't inflated, Hayama's strength was on par with Kakashi's at the time.
But that wasn't the most important part.
The key was... Hayama was handsome.
Being strong is temporary. Being handsome is forever.
There were no incidents on the way back. The group returned to Konoha three days later.
"Kurenai, Yami-kun, I'm going to find Kakashi first!"
After handing in his report, Might Guy flashed his dazzling smile and teeth, gave them a thumbs-up, and disappeared in a few leaps.
As for calling Yami's name wrong, Yami didn't even want to complain. Arguing with Guy would only exhaust him.
Watching Guy leave with a blank expression, Yami narrowed his eyes at the two girls snickering beside him. "Is it funny?"
"Not funny at all, Yami-kun," Kurenai said, suppressing her laughter and teasing him again.
"Yugao, don't let Kurenai eat for free next week."
"Yugao, you're not actually going to listen to him, are you?"
"Sorry, Kurenai."
"No! Yugao! I thought we were sisters!"
"Sorry, we're not anymore."
While the three were messing around, an Anbu appeared and led them to the Hokage's office. Hiruzen looked at Yami and the others with a kind smile.
"Hizashi, you and your subordinates did an excellent job. If your team hadn't taken this mission, the front line's supplies would've been jeopardized, and there might have been casualties."
Hiruzen started by praising them, as if Yami and the others were the pillars holding Konoha together. Without them, the whole village would fall apart.
Hizashi and the others blushed.
Only Yami remained unfazed. He yawned out of boredom, interrupting Hiruzen.
"Old Third, you owe us an explanation." His voice was casual. "No one said anything about elite Iwa shinobi attacking during this mission, but more than twenty ambushed us."
"If I weren't so outrageously talented, we would've died."
Hiruzen's smile froze, and his heart sank.
Why is this brat so sly? He thought a few flattering words would do the trick, but it didn't work on him at all.
Helpless, Hiruzen sighed and said seriously, "Don't worry, Yami. I've already assigned Anbu to investigate. Don't act rashly. I promise you'll get an answer."
"Alright."
Yami replied half-heartedly. "Do what you want."
"But if you can't find the culprit, I'll just eliminate everyone in the Intelligence Department. No point paying people to be useless."
Cough!
Hiruzen nearly spat out his tea. "You, you've been influenced by Danzō too much! Don't mess around!"
"Ninjas are still people. Mistakes happen. Leave it to me. You go prepare instead. In one month, shinobi from the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, and several smaller countries will be here for the Chūnin Exams."
"Konoha's reputation is in your hands. If anything happens, see how I punish you!"
With that, Hiruzen kicked them out.
He was afraid that if the conversation continued, Yami would say something even more outrageous.
After everyone left, Hiruzen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
No, this child is already walking down a dark path. He must be pulled out of Danzō's influence immediately.
After leaving the Hokage building and parting with Kurenai and Yugao, Yami headed for the Root base.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Usually, Danzō was the one ambushing people and scheming from the shadows. Why was he the one being ambushed this time?
Wasn't this an insult to the king of scapegoating?
Since birth, Yami had never been so wronged. He needed answers.
What he said in the Hokage's office wasn't a joke. If the true culprit wasn't found, then the Intelligence Department would have to be the scapegoat.
Root had taken the fall too many times. It was someone else's turn now.
He was certain Danzō thought the same.
Sure enough, when he arrived, there were noticeably fewer shinobi stationed at Root. The massive underground space felt deserted.
Yami met Danzō in the familiar office.
Seeing him return, Danzō nodded slightly.
"Good to see you back. Don't worry. Someone will definitely pay for this."
"Any leads?" Yami asked.
Danzō's voice was icy. "Three of our covert agents were sacrificed, but we uncovered some clues. It's linked to a grain merchant in the Land of Fire."
"On the surface, he sells grain. But he also sells intel."
"I haven't touched him yet. I want to see who feeds him the information."
Yami nodded. "Let me handle it when the time comes."
Danzō smiled faintly, admiring Yami's decisiveness.
A bit of ruthlessness is necessary in this world.
But the next second, that smile vanished.
Yami waved his hand and turned to leave. "I'm going to see Pakura. Let me know if there's anything."
"Wait. I still have something to tell you."
Danzō quickly stopped him.
Yami returned reluctantly and slumped onto the sofa. "Old man, what now?"
Danzō asked seriously. "Hmm…"
Yami glanced at his [Status Panel] and muttered, "I'm invincible below Kage-level? Above Kage-level... old man, don't tell me…"
He suddenly stood up. "You want me to assassinate Third Hokage? Not now! Wait a few more years!"
Danzō was speechless. "What nonsense. How could I let you kill Hiruzen? With that stain, how would you become Hokage?"
"Alright then."
Yami sighed in relief. "As long as it's not a Kage-level opponent, I'm confident."
"You're really that strong now?"
This time, Danzō was the one skeptical.
Since Shisui had stopped tutoring Yami, Danzō hadn't had a clear grasp of his growth. It wasn't until Yami killed two Iwa jōnin that he realized the boy had reached this level.
Yami scratched his head. "Isn't there an elite jōnin in Root? Just have him spar with me."
Danzō shook his head. "There are two, but their techniques are only suited for assassination, not sparring."
"Anyway, when I sparred with Shisui half a year ago, he couldn't beat me. Now, I'd win even easier. You don't believe me?" Yami smirked.
"In that case…" Danzō considered. "This mission is perfect for you."
"Yami, during the Chūnin Exams, I want you to kill as many shinobi from other villages as possible and crush their arrogance."
Danzō's eyes turned cold as he pressed his hand on the armrest. "Hiruzen is always too soft on outsiders. But he doesn't realize that only power earns respect. That's the key to peace."
"But if you accept this mission, your life will become more dangerous. The high-ranking officials from other villages will see you as a major threat."
"That's why I had to confirm whether your strength was enough. At the very least, you need to be elite jōnin level."
"Of course, if you don't want to accept it, I won't force you."
Danzō fell silent, giving Yami time to consider.
Yami didn't take it seriously at all. He waved lazily. "That's it? Just kill some enemies? Don't worry. If I run into them, none will leave alive."
"You're not concerned about your own safety?"
Danzō couldn't help asking.
Yami smiled. "Don't worry. My Body Flicker Technique is on par with Shisui's. If I don't want to fight, I can always escape."
"Unless the Fourth Raikage personally hunts me down, no one can catch me."
Yami's greatest advantage was his [Ninja World Darkness] talent. As long as he moved in the shadows, even the Fourth Raikage wouldn't be able to catch him.
"Well said. You're worthy of being my grandson!" Danzō slammed the table. "Then show them what you've got. Let the five great nations remember your name. I'd like to see who Hiruzen can pick to replace you as Hokage!"
Becoming Hokage had become Danzō's obsession. But he knew better than anyone that Hiruzen was a master manipulator. Removing him wouldn't be easy.
Last time, he got rid of Orochimaru, but Hiruzen simply sacrificed Jiraiya and resolved the crisis.
Yami had become Danzō's last hope. If Yami could surpass Hiruzen, then maybe...
Maybe the Second Hokage had chosen the wrong successor.
That moment from back then... kept replaying in his mind. Danzō had asked himself countless times—if he hadn't hesitated that day, would everything have turned out differently?
Unfortunately, there were no "ifs" in this world.
There was no medicine for regret.
As the old man sat lost in thought, Yami quietly slipped away and headed to Pakura's room.
Although she was free to move around, Pakura still kept herself locked in her room most of the time.
Today was no different.
Yami didn't even bother knocking. He just pushed the door open and shouted:
"Pakuraaaa, I was bullied! You have to take revenge for me!"
(To be continued.)
***
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