Danzo Gave Too Much

"Damn the Hyuga Clan..."

"Damn Hiruzen!"

In the deepest reaches of the Root Base, Shimura Danzō stared fixedly at the document on his desk, stamped with the official seal of the Hokage.

"Root is strictly prohibited from investigating or harassing the Hyuga Clan under any pretext during the war."

"To pacify the outside, one must first settle the inside. Such a simple principle—have you grown senile, Hiruzen?"

Bang!

Shimura Danzō slammed the document onto the desk, his chest heaving rhythmically.

The front lines were already at a disadvantage due to the uncanny intelligence advantage held by Iwagakure, and now the Hyuga Clan within the village had conjured up a mysterious enemy known as "Ao."

With all these factors compounding, it seemed obvious that the Hyuga Clan had to be dealt with first for the village to secure victory in this war.

Yet, Hiruzen had stripped him of his investigative authority and ordered Root to shift its entire focus to supporting the front lines.

"If it wasn't the Hyuga Clan leaking intelligence to Iwagakure, I truly cannot imagine who else could betray the village with such precision."

Shimura Danzō let out a cold snort, his right hand instinctively brushing over the thick bandages covering his right eye.

Compared to the setbacks on the front lines, he was more concerned about that "Ao."

During their clash a few days ago, that fellow must have seen this Sharingan...

Yet, despite holding an absolute advantage, the opponent had abandoned the very "thing" he was searching for and chosen to retreat immediately.

Could it be that in that fellow's eyes, the threat of this eye was more significant than the "thing" he was hunting for?

Was the Sharingan truly that powerful?

"Danzō-sama."

The figure of Aburame Ryoma emerged silently from the shadows in the corner like a phantom, his voice kept extremely low: "The external Root operative, Hyuga Qinglan, has been brought here."

"He is waiting in the outer corridor."

Danzō suppressed the rage on his face, returning to that inscrutable, icy coldness like withered wood.

"I understand. Let him in."

Hiruzen, since you won't allow Root to act in the open, I will use this piece buried deep in the shadows.

On this matter, you can't control me anymore...

Thump... Thump...

Dull footsteps echoed through the empty corridor.

As the heavy doors were slowly pushed open, Hyuga Qinglan, led by a Root member, walked into the room.

"Danzō-sama..."

Hyuga Qinglan kept his head lowered, bowing in a salute.

"Hyuga Qinglan..."

Danzō looked the young man up and down—the one who had been injured a while back while protecting the Main Branch.

He had sworn to protect the Great Elder of the Main Branch to the death, resulting in exhausted ocular power and damaged eyes, yet even in that state, he had dragged his broken body back to the Hyuga compound to report...

If it were anyone else, they might think this was a loyal dog completely tamed by the Caged Bird.

But Danzō never trusted appearances. The intelligence sent back by the Shrine Maiden clearly indicated that Orochimaru had a significant connection with this child.

That fellow Orochimaru would never waste time on trash.

"I knew it. The darkness buried in the bones of a child like you is best suited for these deep, hidden roots..."

Danzō sat upright for a long time, while Qinglan remained in his bowing posture like a statue.

It was as if he could maintain this stance until death as long as Danzō did not speak.

But it was precisely this attitude that satisfied Danzō greatly.

"Rise." Shimura Danzō spoke coldly, "Report the recent movements of the Hyuga Clan, word for word."

He paused, a hint of undisguised greed and wariness creeping into his tone: "Especially the details regarding that 'Ao,' and what exactly is the 'thing' stolen by the Hyuga Clan? What kind of plans does Hyuga Hiashi actually have?"

"Tell me every single detail..."

Danzō leaned forward slightly, staring fixedly at those slightly dull Byakugan.

Let me see just how much darkness lies within your heart...

Blinding golden light pierced through the clouds, slanting into the dense forest and illuminating the entrance of a hidden cave behind the Konoha mountains.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

A few small birds that had been resting on the branches were startled by the pattering footsteps coming from within the cave; they broke free from the foliage and flapped their wings, flying toward the distant horizon.

Hyuga Qinglan stepped out of the cave, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun as he readjusted to the light on the surface.

Only when he felt the genuine warmth of the sunlight on his skin did he let out a long, relieved breath.

"Lord Qinglan..."

Mukai Hyuga followed behind with his head bowed and eyes lowered, his voice lowered to a whisper, "I will take my leave here. I will keep a close watch on the Root."

"Go back, and be careful not to let Ryoma grow suspicious."

"Yes!"

Hyuga Qinglan watched as Mukai Hyuga vanished from the scene in an instant, feeling a brief moment of trance.

Although his mind had been completely reshaped by the Spirit Orb, turning him into a puppet, his outward behavior remained unchanged. If one did not examine him from the level of the soul, he was still the same Anbu ninja, Mukai Hyuga.

"..."

"I'll just borrow your body for a little longer."

Hyuga Qinglan felt the mental connection between himself and Mukai in his mind, then pulled a heavy Jonin Appointment Letter from his robes.

Tucked into the wax seal of the document was a Ninjutsu Token engraved with a special pattern.

"Danzo is certainly willing to spend a fortune when it comes to pacifying people."

Hyuga Qinglan casually tucked the token into his pouch, his figure flickering as he dashed toward the distant Hokage Building.

He naturally hadn't told the whole truth during their conversation at the Root Base.

He had simply given Danzo the truth he wanted to see.

The truth as Danzo saw it was that the Hyuga Clan had found "something" of Ao's—the scroll—on the Rock Battlefield.

As a result, Ao had come knocking, caused a scene in the Hyuga compound, and retreated only after seeing his Sharingan.

Meanwhile, the version of events Hyuga Qinglan fed the Hyuga Clan was that Danzo had coveted the Byakugan and the scroll within the clan, leading him to assassinate Elder Tianyun and steal the scroll.

Although the scroll had originally belonged to "Ao," now that the creditor had come calling, the Hyuga family had to take the blame while Danzo walked away with all the benefits.

Both sides believed the other to be a despicable thief.

And after verifying the "darkness" in Hyuga Qinglan's heart, Danzo had come to view him as the deepest nail driven into the Hyuga family.

He demanded that Hyuga Qinglan investigate the whereabouts of the scroll and the contents recorded within...

Of course, to make things more convenient for Hyuga Qinglan, he had also granted him the privilege of contacting the Root and the opportunity to select ninjutsu from the Hokage Library.

"Working under Danzo is a bit troublesome... but I can't help it when he gives so much..."

Hyuga Qinglan arrived at the base of the Hokage Building and handed the Ninjutsu Token, exclusive to the Hokage Direct Control System, to the Chunin on guard.

The guard's professional, indifferent expression turned instantly respectful the moment he saw the token.

This type of token was usually only issued to elites who had rendered distinguished service to the village and held the deep trust of the higher-ups.

It was generally approved and issued directly by the Hokage's office.

"With this token, you may select one A-rank or higher ninjutsu, and even... certain forbidden techniques are within the permitted range. Or perhaps some other supplementary secret techniques."

"You may briefly browse the A-rank or higher techniques on-site, but you must study them here; the scrolls cannot be taken away."

"What about the ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage?"

"Most of the ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage are forbidden techniques... those all require the Hokage's personal approval."

The Chunin looked a bit troubled, but after glancing at Hyuga Qinglan's token, he added a remark.

"However, if you are interested, you may take a look for a while. This is the Hokage's regulation."

"I see... then I shall take a look."

Hyuga Qinglan nodded in realization.

Time was limited...

I'll learn as much as I can...

Hyuga Qinglan picked up On Space-Time Ninjutsu, authored by Senju Tobirama, and began to read.

The guarding Chunin watched quietly as Hyuga Qinglan studied the book, unable to help but say with envy.

"It seems you have rendered incredible service on the front lines. To be able to obtain the Hokage's token..."

"Indeed..."

Hyuga Qinglan placed the book back in its original spot, looking at the dazzling array of ninjutsu scrolls before him, a wave of satisfaction rising in his heart.

"It was, indeed... a very great service."