Danzo

Houka sat in the office, recovering his chakra. A sheen of sweat glistened on his little face.

Yakushi Nonō carefully wiped it away with a gentle touch, then went out. Soon, she returned with a fish on the verge of death.

At that moment, Houka opened his eyes and found the scene strangely familiar.

In the original story, Sakura seemed to have a similar experience while learning Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade.

"Houka, come on. See if you can save this fish." Yakushi Nonō placed it in front of him.

Houka held out both hands, then looked at Yakushi Nonō in confusion. "Yakushi Sister, give me a hint!" he pleaded.

"Gather chakra in your hands."

Houka did as she said.

"Close your eyes and feel the chakra flowing through your hands."

"Place your hands on the fish's belly and sense the cells inside its body."

Yakushi Nonō guided Houka through each step, correcting him whenever he made a mistake.

As they proceeded, Yakushi Nonō's eyes began to gleam.

Perhaps Houka really did have a perfect pair of hands. At any rate, he had excellent control over them, and that seemed to carry over when he used Medical Ninjutsu. Before long, he could sense the cells inside the fish. Following Yakushi Nonō's instructions, he gently stimulated them, restoring their vitality.

But...

BOOM!

Houka got too excited, and his chakra went haywire. The fish exploded, leaving nothing behind.

Houka opened his eyes, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

The white coat of Yakushi Nonō, who sat opposite him, was covered in fish scales, blood, and flesh.

"I'm so sorry, Yakushi Sister." Knowing better than to make things worse, Houka immediately apologized.

Yakushi Nonō flicked him hard on the forehead and told him to be more careful next time.

After studying there for over half an hour, Yakushi Nonō had to leave. Houka could only come back another time to ask her for help.

"Take this money, and be careful when you train in Taijutsu!"

Before he left, Yakushi Nonō generously lent Houka another sum of money.

"Thank you, Yakushi Sister!"

With the money in hand, Houka felt even more determined to change Yakushi Nonō's fate.

Although doing so would likely put him up against that old schemer, Danzo.

But it was exciting, wasn't it?

In the world of Naruto, trying to live a quiet, uneventful life was practically asking for trouble.

"I have to get stronger as soon as possible. Stronger and stronger!"

When he got home, Houka trained like a man possessed, even cutting his nightly sleep down to four hours.

He practiced extracting chakra, rehearsed Hand Seals, and trained in Taijutsu. Now, he also had to add Medical Ninjutsu to the list!

A few days later, Houka returned to Konoha Hospital to study Medical Ninjutsu with Yakushi Nonō.

Yakushi Nonō had already taught Houka all the basics. All that remained was practice. With her guidance, his experience grew by the day. Half a month later, he could reliably save fish on the verge of death. After that, Yakushi Nonō began bringing him chickens, ducks, and even little lambs to treat.

Late at night, in a secret underground base somewhere in Konoha, a man shrouded in darkness stared sinisterly at the woman kneeling before him.

The woman had long blond hair and round glasses. It was none other than Yakushi Nonō.

"Nonō, what have you been doing lately?" the man in the shadows asked languidly. His words sounded gentle, but his tone was cold and stiff, like a coiled snake flicking its tongue as it watched its prey.

Yakushi Nonō knelt on the ground, her head bowed. Calmly, she replied, "Lord Danzo, I've been lying low at Konoha Hospital and getting close to Lady Tsunade, the princess of the Konoha clan, to gather intelligence on the Senju Clan's movements."

"Is that so?"

The man in the shadows took two steps forward, revealing a gaunt face. His eye bags were heavy, his skin sagging, and most striking of all were the two intersecting scars on his chin.

This was Shimura Danzo, founder of Konoha's Root and one of Konoha's elder advisors—a man of immense power and influence!

"The Senju Clan's situation is already clear. Aside from their princess, Tsunade, the rest of the clan are all hopelessly incompetent and unfit for responsibility. Their departure from Konoha's stage is inevitable!" Danzo bent down, his eyes fixed coldly on Yakushi Nonō like a wolf's. "And because of Dan Katō's death, Tsunade developed Hemophobia. Even if the Ninja World honors her as one of the Sannin, she can go no further. There's no need to keep an eye on her!"

"Yes, Lord Danzo!" Yakushi Nonō didn't dare defy him in the slightest.

"I know there's still kindness in your heart. You'll surely like your next mission!" Danzo narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly. "The Second Great Ninja War is over, but the Land of Fire remains unsettled. Take a team and leave at once. Find talented orphans and bring them back. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

Yakushi Nonō answered woodenly. At that moment, she was nothing like the gentle woman Houka knew. She was as cold as iron, stripped of all emotion.

"Then I won't bother that child." Danzo's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Go!"

"Yes!" A tremor finally entered Yakushi Nonō's voice, but she still didn't dare disobey Danzo's order.

A few minutes later, Yakushi Nonō had disappeared.

"Someone!" Danzo suddenly barked.

In the next instant, a figure appeared before him at incredible speed and dropped respectfully to one knee.

"Yes!" The figure wore Anbu attire and a hummingbird mask.

"Look into Uchiha Houka!"

"Yes!"

"Also, I hear the Uchiha Clan has another child prodigy. His name is Uchiha... Shisui!"

"I understand, Lord Danzo!" The ninja in the hummingbird mask replied, then vanished.

"Heh heh heh, the Uchiha Clan..."

Danzo had been deeply influenced by the Second Hokage and had never liked the Uchiha Clan. Even Kagami Uchiha, who had once been his teammate, had stirred a sense of resentment in him. He had merely hidden it well back then. But now, as so many things changed, Danzo's mindset had finally shifted.

The Senju Clan was destined to leave Konoha's stage. Behind Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, only the Sarutobi Clan remained!

A lone hand could not clap. This was the moment when Hiruzen Sarutobi's control over Konoha was at its weakest!

Danzo had to accomplish something major during this period to make his presence felt and pave the way to... the Hokage Position!

Given the Uchiha Clan's history, Danzo naturally set his sights on them, both to ensure Konoha's stability and to secure the Hokage Position for himself.

And besides...

"I have to get my hands on the Sharingan, such a powerful and outrageous Kekkei Genkai!"