Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

"What happened? Tell me about it."

Enichi stroked the sword in his hands, his face full of satisfaction and delight.

Clearly, he was in a very good mood. He had once been a ninja with superb swordsmanship.

A pair of Sharingan combined with his blade let him cut through battlefields like they were empty, until Konoha was founded, his family passed away, he set aside his sword, and his heart began to age.

He never expected that at this age, he could still encounter a peerless sword.

And one forged by a child less than ten years old.

What talent. What genius.

Most importantly, the other party wasn't even obsessed with this craft—yet in just a few short years, he had developed such a divine weapon.

This boy had the makings of the First Hokage.

And he was also researching the secrets of the Uchiha.

It seemed he was merely attempting to probe the mysteries of the Senju and Uchiha bloodlines.

Enichi had initially treated it as a joke, but now, given the other's talent, it seemed he might actually accomplish something.

"Danzo recently sent his Genbu to spy on me. They searched my lab. I severely injured one of them."

Yayoi spoke calmly.

"And you're still this composed?"

Enichi understood the gravity of the situation. It might not mean much to him, but for Yayoi, being targeted by Danzo was a painful ordeal.

What's more, his lab had been ransacked. If there were any experiments violating village regulations, Danzo would have leverage.

"I prepared for both outcomes. He can't catch me."

Yayoi said steadily.

"Oh? Pretty confident. What do you want me to do?"

Enichi grew interested. The kid seemed to have his own plan.

He wasn't just seeking protection—he had a strategy.

"Yeah. In a few days, Genbu ninja will definitely come again. When they do, the Uchiha will arrest them."

Yayoi stated.

Danzo was that kind of man. Once he sensed even a hint of a weakness in Yayoi, he would hound him relentlessly. He had to be intimidated.

It was ironic that a Senju had to rely on the Uchiha to stand up for him, but Yayoi didn't care about such pride.

As long as the goal was achieved. Danzo was like a starving wolf—if you didn't hurt him badly enough, he'd always be lurking, waiting for a chance to strike.

Yayoi was alone now, with no backing. He could only use the Uchiha to parry him.

He wondered what he had done to provoke Danzo.

Maybe it was because of Tsunade, the one originally slated to be the Fourth Hokage, whom he studied under.

Or maybe Danzo couldn't tolerate anyone else approaching the Hokage position.

Or perhaps he simply saw Yayoi's closeness to the Uchiha as dangerous and unstable.

Yayoi sighed. If the Senju hadn't disbanded, he wouldn't be in this position.

But there was no "if."

"Fine. I'll have the Police Force cooperate with you."

Enichi agreed readily.

No matter what, he was a proud Uchiha. If someone dared sneak into Uchiha Clan Territory, they'd better be prepared never to leave.

"As for the second matter—it's too dangerous outside the clan territory. I want to move to the center."

Yayoi raised two fingers.

"The center is too densely populated. There are no vacant houses."

Enichi shook his head. That, he truly couldn't help.

"No. I mean, move into Yan's house."

Even Yayoi, with his usual steady demeanor, didn't dare lift his head.

"Ahem. Just to store the lab equipment. Give me one room."

Enichi went from stunned silence to a deep, penetrating gaze.

"You've got some nerve."

Finally, Yayoi heard that sigh from the old man in front of him.

"Do as you say."

Genbu

Danzo stared at the manuscript spread open in his hands, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

This is a talented individual—his research on the Senju Bloodline has already reached a very deep level.

At the very least, compared to the secrets of the Senju that he knows, the experimental data is already not far off.

Danzo was very confident; he felt he had already probed the bottom of Yayoi's capabilities.

Although he hadn't broken any rules, if he continued, it would only be a matter of time before he crossed that forbidden line.

That would be his opportunity.

Moreover, Danzo suspected that Uesugi Yayoi had already violated the rules.

The evidence he had risked exposing his own strength to destroy was the best proof of that.

"Send a ninja skilled in stealth to keep watching him. If anything unexpected happens, report to me immediately."

Danzo's gaze was dark as he gave the order from his shadowed seat.

He had lost one operative, but it was no great loss. Yet the fact that a mere Uesugi Yayoi dared to defy Genbu left Danzo's expression extremely sour.

"Yes."

The Genbu ninja accepted the order. They were the fangs of Genbu, devoid of emotion, possessing only absolute obedience to commands.

"Tsunade, you clearly gave up the Hokage Position, so why must you stand in my way?"

Danzo's emotions fluctuated greatly.

Originally, Tsunade was the designated Fourth Hokage—this was common knowledge.

But she didn't want to be Hokage, and Danzo was the first to be pleased, because it meant he had a chance.

But now, Tsunade might be paving the way for another Senju.

Not for the Fourth, but for the Fifth.

Whether it was Uesugi Yayoi or Senju Shengshu, both were possibilities.

Although Tsunade hadn't taken any action in this regard, he was absolutely certain she had the thought, the intention.

Danzo saw it clearly: if no accident occurred, he would almost never obtain the Fourth Hokage position.

White Fang was at his peak, but not a threat. Orochimaru, however, was different. He had a viper-like nature, and with such a dominant advantage, Danzo couldn't win.

But the next Fifth Hokage position was attainable. At least now, Danzo saw no other rising talents showing their potential.

Only one Uesugi Yayoi, this Senju, suspected to be Tsunade's disciple.

He posed too great a threat to Danzo. His identity as Tsunade's disciple earned him support and prestige.

Moreover, his relationship with Orochimaru seemed close.

If the time came to choose the Fifth, Uesugi Yayoi would almost certainly be backed by Orochimaru.

This was unbearable for Danzo.

Fortunately, that Uesugi Yayoi had a close connection with the Uchiha Clan.

As long as he caught hold of his weakness, he could completely remove him from the Hokage position, or even bend him to his will.

But this Uesugi Yayoi was very clever; he had even sensed his surveillance.

In response, he had moved his home to the edge of Uchiha territory ahead of time.

This was a good move, preventing Danzo from going too far, but also a foolish one.

Because this behavior of getting close to the Uchiha undoubtedly planted a thorn in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.

If the thorn wasn't removed, there would never be peace.

As long as that thorn existed, Hiruzen would not openly favor Yayoi in any future actions against him.

That would give Danzo the peace of mind to act and probe.

But Danzo felt it wasn't safe enough. He wanted to crush this person who had the greatest chance of competing for Hokage in the future.

As for Shengshu, it wasn't easy for him to make a move.

But he didn't need to make a move at all, nor could he. However, given Shengshu's own arrogant behavior, on the battlefield, that in itself was the greatest danger.

No one from the new generation could compete with him.

This Fifth Hokage position—he, Shimura Danzo, was determined to obtain it!

If handled well, even the Fourth Hokage position wasn't out of reach for Danzo, as long as Orochimaru also had a weakness.

After consulting with Elder Enichi.

Yayoi began to act. The plan was simple, or perhaps Danzo was too arrogant.

The Genbu ninjas didn't even think to lie low after the incident.

They believed that as long as they observed him covertly, without raiding his home like last time, they wouldn't be discovered.

Yayoi was happy to let them think that.

Over the next few days, Yayoi deliberately pretended to be stuck on his experiments, frequently entering and exiting the illusion of the Konoha Forest.

Although Yayoi was very discreet, it ultimately couldn't escape the eyes of the Genbu ninjas.

Under Danzo's orders, they continued their surveillance.

On a moonless, windy night, they discovered Yayoi digging up a corpse and bloodstains in the forest.

This was a major move; they didn't think Yayoi would notice them.

Though their actual strength was only Chunin-level, their stealth skills were absolutely on par with Jonin.

Lord Danzo's command: collect leverage against Uesugi Yayoi when necessary.

That was the mission objective.

After Yayoi left, he immediately contacted the others.

According to the records, Uesugi Yayoi's strength was at Chunin level; a single Genbu ninja feared they couldn't take him down alone.

"Uesugi Yayoi, come with me."

The Genbu ninja's cold, emotionless voice sounded from behind Yayoi.

"Involved in human experimentation. Come see Lord Danzo."

"Oh."

Yayoi turned her head slightly, spotting three Genbu ninjas, and asked with interest.

"I recall this is Uchiha Clan Territory. How did you get in?"