That's My Man!

"Danzo, why are you here?"

Danzo admitted that he had indeed been startled. If someone could truly enter Root without a sound, the consequences would be unthinkable!

But when he saw that it was his old friend, his emotions settled in an instant.

Danzo could hardly say that he liked this old friend of his. Though they had been like brothers for so many years, and this old friend had even absolved him of the crime of assassination.

But he still had not become Hokage. Wasn't that his old friend's fault?

Still, he only dared to think such things to himself. He was also curious why this old friend had come all the way here.

"Also, although my words may have been a little harsh, haven't the way you handled many issues clearly revealed your weakness?"

"Is that what I'm talking about?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow as well. He noticed that Danzo was unwilling to even call him Hokage.

But he did not take it too seriously. After all these years, he had long gotten used to it.

"What was your purpose in letting that child enter the Anbu? For the sake of unity, I do not wish to investigate too deeply, especially since Root is the Anbu's training base."

Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not want to look into it?

Danzo nearly blurted it out when he heard that, but reason told him to let it go. In any case, it was no big deal.

"But."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused briefly before continuing.

"Didn't we have an agreement? You would not interfere in Naruto's affairs. Why did you go back on your word and have that child approach him? Don't you think you've gone too far?"

What?

Approach Naruto Uzumaki?

Danzo's mind buzzed. For a moment, he failed to react, but he quickly realized something.

That brat Shihara Hidezawa had made contact with Naruto?

But he did not seem to have arranged anything like that. That brat should not even know Naruto Uzumaki's true identity.

"I—"

Danzo opened his mouth to explain, but he soon realized that there was no need for an explanation.

He had indeed always wanted the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki to enter Root. In his view, something as dangerous as a Jinchuriki belonged in Root!

Nine Tails Night had caused Konohagakure's Fourth Hokage and a great number of elite shinobi to perish, plunging Konohagakure into a state of internal and external crises.

If the Fourth Hokage had not sealed the Nine-Tails, and it had escaped, Konohagakure's current situation would have been even more difficult.

But unfortunately, his old friend had always disagreed. After a thorough discussion, they had ultimately decided to learn from the experiences of other ninja villages.

Yet that decision had directly led to Naruto's miserable childhood.

Only by becoming accustomed to miserable circumstances could a Jinchuriki remain calm and avoid being tempted by a Tailed Beast into losing control.

But such a dark life could not continue forever. If the Jinchuriki went mad, that would be equally unacceptable. So, to prevent Naruto from breaking down, his old friend would step in at crucial moments.

Like a torch, reinforcing Naruto's faith, giving him warmth and comfort, while also making up somewhat for the consequences of his own choice?

However, Danzo had never abandoned his idea. He simply had never found an opportunity.

That brat Hidezawa did not know Naruto's identity. No matter why he had done it, this was an unexpected delight!

"The Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki needs to be controlled. Although you have always used the Anbu to monitor him, I do not believe they are more professional than Root."

Thinking this, Danzo decided to investigate what had happened while decisively changing his tune and voluntarily taking the blame.

"Sure enough, you still haven't given up on that idea."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned at those words, cursing inwardly.

Professional?

Your Root might be skilled at intelligence work, but isn't your real specialty murder and theft?

After considering it, he chose to reason with him patiently.

"You know Naruto's identity. Making him endure such suffering is already going too far. I—"

"Hmph, you truly are too weak, Hiruzen!"

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could finish, Danzo cut him off.

"Of course I know who he is, but do not forget that this was also the Fourth Hokage's choice!"

"The Fourth Hokage has already sacrificed too much, and I have always felt that this is unfair to a child."

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi remained patient, Danzo was not buying any of it. He spoke forcefully.

"That is why I say you are too weak. Have you forgotten how cruel war is? Have you forgotten what a tragedy it would be for the village if it lacked a qualified Jinchuriki?

Compared with those children displaced from their homes or killed and wounded in war, Naruto Uzumaki being able to live safely in Konohagakure is already a kind of fortune!"

"Enough!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer listen. Though he had to admit that Danzo was right.

The Shinobi World had always been cruel. When war broke out, regardless of age, as long as one was a shinobi, one was a soldier—a tool.

Otherwise, during the Third Shinobi World War, he would not have agreed to send a group of freshly graduated brats to the battlefield to risk their lives.

Compared to then, Naruto did seem to be living a fairly good life now...

"Do not bring this up again. I will not change my mind. Naruto has suffered enough. He cannot and will not enter Root!"

But he would not compromise on this matter. He stared coldly at Danzo as he spoke.

"Know when to stop, Danzo!"

"Hmph."

Danzo gave a muffled snort. To be honest, he was somewhat nervous about voluntarily taking the blame. After all, he truly had attempted to assassinate this old friend of his, and had been caught red-handed.

Angering him too much would do Danzo no good. But for the sake of his dream, Danzo felt he could endure it.

His dream was simple. One was to become Hokage. Back then, he had been one step too slow, and even now, that dream remained unrealized.

The other was to unify the Shinobi World. The world needed only one voice from Konohagakure—his voice would be enough!

Besides that, he understood this old friend of his well enough. For the sake of unity, Hiruzen would sometimes make concessions.

"However."

Sure enough, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke.

"Perhaps you are right. Root does have certain advantages in some areas, but I need to think this matter over carefully."

"Hmph, I understand."

Danzo looked extremely displeased, but inwardly, he was very satisfied with his performance.

His old friend was still weak and concerned with the bigger picture. That meant Danzo could make his arrangements more calmly.

He would find out exactly how Hidezawa had come into contact with Naruto. If there were no problems, then this would be a breakthrough!

"Anyway, that brat bears my Cursed Seal. He will never escape Root for the rest of his life."

As Danzo pondered, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded calmly as well.

"It is good that you understand."

He could naturally see what his old friend was probably thinking, but now that Hidezawa had entered the Anbu, it was no longer for Danzo to decide.

Root was defined as the Anbu's training center, and Hiruzen was confident that he could correct some of Hidezawa's extreme ideas.

At that moment, the two of them arrived at the same thought without prior agreement.

"That's my man!"