A Hostile Visitor

"I've taken a liking to him."

Danzo stared at Sora Uchiha, his hoarse voice making him sound like a ghost with one foot in the grave.

Sora didn't even raise an eyelid. He almost wanted to laugh. He even reached out and grabbed a handful of raisins. Mm, they were sweet. They must have come from the Land of Earth. He'd have to ask his mother to buy more next time.

Tasty. I like them.

Momosuke's smile didn't fade, but a puzzled look appeared in his eyes.

"You've taken a liking to Sora? Assistant Danzo, my son is still young. I'm afraid he can't bear such a heavy burden. He simply isn't up to the responsibility you have in mind."

"He's not that young. At eleven or twelve, he's at the perfect age to be shaped. If his values are wrong, they can still be corrected at this age, and he can be set on the right path."

Momosuke sneered inwardly.

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

Everyone knows you're the Darkness of the Shinobi World, Danzo. If Sora were put in your care, it wouldn't take long for the Uchiha to face the blade of his own son.

He kept his thoughts to himself, never letting them show. Instead, he put on a troubled expression. He took the teapot from Riya, who was beside him, poured out the cold tea in front of Danzo, and personally refilled his cup.

The fragrant tea steamed as its aroma drifted through the room, veiling Momosuke's dark, fathomless eyes.

"At Sora's age, he's at a critical point. The next few years will be the most important part of his training. So I plan to have him study the ninjutsu passed down by generations of Uchiha predecessors in our clan compound. If nothing unexpected happens, Sora will be the next Uchiha Clan Head."

His meaning was clear: he was refusing Danzo's invitation.

Any ordinary person would have given up at that point. After all, you couldn't exactly whisk away someone's future clan head, could you?

But Danzo was no ordinary person. He wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. He smiled faintly and took a sip of tea for the first time.

"That's no problem. Joining Root and becoming the Uchiha Clan Head aren't mutually exclusive. Leave him to me, and I'll train him personally. In one year, I can make him a Jonin. In three, he'll have Kage Level strength. I believe I can train him just as well as the Uchiha can. In five years, he can still become your clan head."

Momosuke calmly looked at Danzo and nodded. "That sounds promising. I believe the Hokage's Assistant has the ability to do it."

He paused, his gaze turning thoughtful, then added as if joking, "I've heard Assistant Danzo is quite good at training people. Your subordinates are utterly devoted to you, willing to brave any danger for your sake. Just like... dogs you've raised."

As he spoke, his eyes flicked toward Ryoma Aburame, who had remained silent beside them. His meaning was obvious.

Beneath his robe, Ryoma's hand abruptly clenched. Those words were an outright insult to him. A moment later, he silently relaxed his hand, pretending he hadn't heard a thing.

Sora ate his raisins with great interest as he watched the scene. He was at the center of the discussion, but he didn't care in the least.

Danzo stared silently at Momosuke, the pressure of a man in power radiating from him...

But Momosuke didn't change at all. Ever since Sora had shown his talent, he'd experienced that sort of oppressive presence plenty of times from Patriarch Fugaku.

After a long while, Danzo narrowed his eyes.

"So the clan head is giving me a definite refusal?"

"Not at all." Momosuke waved a hand. "I need a definite answer from Assistant Danzo. Namely... five years from now, will Sora's surname still be Uchiha, or will it be Shimura?"

After a moment, he burst out laughing and waved his hand. "I'm just joking, just joking. My son will naturally bear my surname, Uchiha. How could he possibly be named Shimura?"

His expression gradually turned serious as he continued, "But... if you insist on having Sora, it's not impossible."

"Go on."

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

—

Danzo narrowed his eyes. "Are you joking?"

"How could I be? Think about it. If you take Sora away, his position as our designated clan head will surely be lost. Then we'll have to choose a new young clan head. I'm not bragging, but my son has already earned the clan head's approval. How can we expect a new young clan head to win everyone's support? But if... he's the designated next Hokage, that changes everything.

"Oh, right. I happen to have another son. Why not give the Hokage Position to my younger boy? With Sora being trained by you, he'll surely become a mainstay of Konoha. When the time comes, he can assist my younger son."

Momosuke spoke at an unhurried pace, as if the bright future had already been decided.

Danzo's expression grew darker and darker. He could see it now: although Momosuke called him "you" so politely, he didn't take him seriously at all.

Danzo was so angry he almost laughed. He hadn't expected this obscure Uchiha named Momosuke to have so much nerve. Who gave him the courage?

"The Uchiha's situation seems to be getting worse lately." He narrowed his eyes, tapping his index finger rhythmically on the table as he spoke.

Momosuke paused. "That's right. After all, the Lord Third has been very considerate toward the Uchiha."

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

At that, Momosuke's expression slowly settled into calm.

If giving Sora to him could improve the Uchiha's situation, then what if he refused?

Would Danzo use it to stir up trouble? Spread rumors that the Uchiha had no sense of duty and wouldn't even give the Hokage's Assistant one person he asked for?

"Clan Head Momosuke, Root really isn't as bad as you think. Lord Danzo's abilities and character are there for all to see. For so many years, Lord Danzo has devoted almost everything to Konoha." Ryoma pushed up his sunglasses and spoke, a gleam of wisdom almost blinding.

"Everything... is for Konoha."

Oh? Since appealing to Danzo's character hadn't worked, were they going to make a moral argument now?

Sora watched the scene without blinking, eating the raisins faster and faster.

When he reached for more, he realized he'd already eaten almost all of them. Only a few remained. Without hesitation, he picked up the plate and handed it to his mother, making his meaning clear.

Riya smiled helplessly and shot him a look. Then she quietly got up to fetch more raisins for him. But she thought he shouldn't eat too many, so she decided to bring him some winter jujubes instead.

After a long silence,

"Everything for Konoha?" Momosuke echoed, his expression darkening. "That's right. Since we're all people of Konoha, it's only natural to devote ourselves to the village."

"But I ask you this: our Uchiha Clan has always been loyal to Konoha. The Uchiha have fought on the front lines in every war. As one of Konoha's two founding clans, our contribution to the village's success is undeniable." His voice suddenly rose, then turned ominous in an instant.

"But what about now? There are fewer and fewer Uchiha, and our bloodline has nearly been wiped out! And what have the higher-ups done? They've pushed us aside and driven us out of the political center!"

In an instant, the atmosphere froze. When Konoha came up, Momosuke had finally been unable to hold back his anger.

For a moment, neither side spoke. A long silence settled over them.

Seeing that things had gone far enough, Sora cleared his throat twice.

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

As he spoke, he gave them a radiant smile.

"Yesterday, Jonin Minato recommended that I join the Anbu. I agreed."