The Visitor Is Not Friendly

"I have my eye on him."

Danzo stared at Sora Uchiha, his hoarse voice sounding like a hanged man half-buried in the earth.

Sora Uchiha didn't even lift his eyelids, feeling like laughing. He even reached out and grabbed a handful of raisins. Mmm, these raisins are sweet. They must be from the Land of Earth. I should ask Mother to buy more.

Delicious, I love them...

Remember to visit the first release site: t w k a n . c o m

Momosuke's smile didn't fade, but a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.

"You have your eye on Sora? Assistant Danzo, my son is still young and I fear he cannot bear such a heavy responsibility. Sora is not equipped to handle what you speak of."

"He's not young, he's eleven or twelve, the prime age for shaping. If his values are misguided, this is the time to correct them and set him on the right path."

Momosuke inwardly sneered.

The right path? Is this old man implying the Uchiha Clan has gone astray? What a joke. If an Uchiha were Hokage, would those other villages dare to cause trouble?

Everyone knows you, Danzo, are the "Darkness of the Shinobi World." If Sora were to be trained by you, it's likely that in a few years, the Uchiha would face Sora's blade.

Despite his internal thoughts, not a flicker of emotion showed on his face. Instead, he feigned distress. He took the teapot from Riya beside him, poured away Danzo's cooled tea, and personally refilled his cup.

The rich aroma of the tea wafted through the air, obscuring Momosuke's dark and deep eyes.

"Sora is at a crucial age. The next few years are the most important for his training. Therefore, I plan to have him study the ninjutsu passed down by past Uchiha ancestors within the clan compound. If all goes well, in a few years, Sora will be the next Uchiha Clan Head."

The unspoken meaning was a clear refusal of Danzo's invitation.

A normal person would have given up hearing this. After all, you couldn't just abduct someone's future clan head, could you?

But what kind of person was Danzo? He wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal. He smiled slightly and, for the first time, took a sip of his tea.

"It's no trouble. Joining Root and becoming the Uchiha Clan Head are not mutually exclusive. Entrust him to me, and I will personally train him. In one year, I am confident he can become a Jonin, and in three years, he will possess Kage-level strength. I believe my training will be no less than the Uchiha's. In five years, he will still be your clan head."

Momosuke looked calmly at Danzo and nodded. "That sounds promising. I also believe the Hokage's Assistant has the capability."

He paused, his eyes distant, as if joking. "I've heard Assistant Danzo is quite skilled at training people. Your subordinates are utterly loyal to you, willing to go through fire and water for you, much like... the dogs you keep."

As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently flickered towards Ryoma Aburame, who had been silent until then, hinting at something.

Ryoma's hand, hidden beneath his robes, clenched abruptly. These words were practically an insult. Soon after, he quietly relaxed his hand, as if he had heard nothing.

Sora Uchiha, eating raisins with great interest, watched this scene. Although the topic centered on him, he remained completely unconcerned.

Danzo stared silently at Momosuke, the pressure of his superior status naturally emanating from him...

And Momosuke? He remained unchanged. He had experienced this kind of superior's pressure countless times from Clan Head Fugaku since Sora had shown his talent.

After a long moment, Danzo narrowed his eyes.

"So, you are clearly refusing, Clan Head?"

"Not at all, not at all?" Momosuke waved his hand. "I need a clear answer from Assistant Danzo: after five years, will Sora's surname be Uchiha, or... Shimura?"

After a pause, he laughed heartily and waved his hand. "Just kidding, just kidding. My son, of course, will have my surname, Uchiha. How could he possibly have the surname Shimura?"

His expression gradually turned serious as he slowly spoke, "However... if you absolutely must have Sora, it's not impossible."

"Tell me more?"

"The next Hokage must come from my Uchiha clan."

Danzo narrowed his eyes. "Are you joking?"

"? How could I joke? Think about it. If you take Sora, the designated position of clan head will be in jeopardy, and a new young clan head will naturally have to be elected. I'm not bragging, but my son has already gained the clan head's recognition. How can a new young clan head command respect? If... he were the designated next Hokage, that would be a different story."

"Oh, and by the way, I have another son. Why don't we give the Hokage position to my younger son? And since Sora will undoubtedly be a pillar of Konoha under your tutelage, he can assist my younger son when the time comes."

Momosuke spoke slowly, as if he had already settled the bright future.

Danzo's expression grew increasingly grim. He finally understood that Momosuke, despite his polite address, didn't take him seriously at all.

He was so angry he almost laughed. He hadn't expected the obscure Uchiha Momosuke to have such audacity. Who gave you the courage?

"The Uchiha... your clan's situation seems to be getting worse and worse." He narrowed his eyes, tapping his index finger rhythmically on the table, and spoke slowly.

Momosuke paused. "Indeed. After all, Lord Third Hokage is very attentive to the Uchiha."

"Give him to me. Under my training, he will become someone like Minato. I believe the villagers will soon overcome their prejudice against the Uchiha."

As soon as these words were spoken, Momosuke's expression slowly turned calm.

If giving Sora to him would improve the Uchiha's current situation, what about not giving him?

Would he then use this as an excuse to spread rumors, perhaps that the Uchiha lack any sense of contribution, and that the Hokage's Assistant couldn't even get one person he wanted?

"Clan Head Momosuke, Root is actually not as bad as you think. Assistant Danzo's abilities and character are evident for all to see. For so many years, Assistant Danzo has dedicated almost everything to Konoha." Ryoma pushed up his glasses and said, a wise glint dazzlingly reflecting off them.

"Everything... is for Konoha."

Oh, so you can't get what you want through personal appeal, and now you're resorting to moral high ground?

Sora Uchiha stared intently at the scene, his pace of eating raisins quickening.

He reached out and found that he had already finished the raisins. Only a few remained. Without hesitation, he picked up the plate and handed it to his mother beside him, the unspoken request clear.

Riya let out a helpless laugh and shot him a glare before quietly getting up to get him raisins. However, she felt he shouldn't eat too many raisins, so she decided to grab some dried dates instead.

After a long silence, "Everything for Konoha?" Momosuke asked, his face gradually darkening. "That's right. Since we're all people of Konoha, it's only natural to dedicate ourselves to it."

"But I ask you, isn't our Uchiha Clan loyal to Konoha? The Uchiha are always at the forefront of every war. As one of the two founding clans of Konoha, Konoha owes its current existence to the Uchiha's contributions." His voice suddenly rose, then in the next moment, it turned chillingly sinister.

"But what about now? The Uchiha have few talented individuals, and our bloodline is nearly depleted! What about the actions of the higher-ups? They ostracize us and push us out of the political center!"

In an instant, the atmosphere turned ice-cold. Mentioning Konoha, Momosuke couldn't suppress the rage in his heart any longer.

For a moment, neither side spoke, falling into a prolonged silence.

Seeing that the situation was reaching its peak, Sora Uchiha cleared his throat twice.

"Um, excuse me, I have something to say."

As he spoke, he flashed a brilliant smile.

"Yesterday, Jonin Minato recommended me to join the Anbu, and I accepted."