The Hokage Gave Me Far Too Much

"Damn the Hyuga Clan..."

"Damn you, Hiruzen!"

Deep within the Root Base, Shimura Danzō stared fixedly at the document on his desk, stamped with the Hokage's seal.

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

"'Before you deal with outsiders, you must first put your own house in order.' It's such a simple principle. Have you gone senile, Hiruzen?"

Bang!

Shimura Danzō slammed the document down on the desk, his chest heaving.

The front lines were already at a disadvantage because of Iwagakure's bizarre intelligence advantage, and now the Hyuga Clan had conjured up a mysterious enemy named "Ao" within the village.

With all these factors piling up, it was obvious that the Hyuga Clan had to be dealt with first if the village was to win the war in peace.

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

"If the Hyuga Clan didn't leak intelligence to Iwagakure, I can't think of anyone else who could betray the village with such precision."

Shimura Danzō gave a cold snort, his right hand unconsciously brushing the thick bandages over his right eye.

More than the setbacks at the front, he was concerned about that "Ao."

That man must have seen this Sharingan during their clash a few days ago...

And yet, despite having the overwhelming advantage, the other man had abandoned the "thing" he was looking for and simply withdrawn.

Could it be that, in his eyes, this eye posed a greater threat than the "thing" he sought?

Was the Sharingan really that powerful?

"Lord Danzō."

Aburame Ryoma's figure emerged soundlessly from the corner's shadows like a ghost. Keeping his voice low, he reported, "Hyuga Qinglan, an external affiliate of Root, has arrived."

"He's waiting in the outer corridor."

Danzō's anger faded, and his face settled back into its usual, inscrutable chill, like a dead tree.

"I know. Send him in."

Hiruzen, since you won't let Root act openly, I'll use this piece I've planted deep in the shadows.

Surely you can't control that...

Thud... thud...

Heavy footsteps echoed through the empty corridor.

As the doors slowly swung open, Hyuga Qinglan entered the room, accompanied by a Root member.

"Lord Danzō..."

Hyuga Qinglan bowed his head and gave a respectful greeting.

"Hyuga Qinglan..."

Danzō looked the young man up and down. He had been injured some time ago while protecting the Main Branch.

He had sworn to protect the Great Elder of the Main Branch, overtaxed his eyes until they were damaged, then dragged his battered body all the way back to the Hyuga Clan Compound to report...

Most people would have seen him as a loyal dog, thoroughly tamed by the Caged Bird.

But Danzō never trusted appearances. The intelligence sent back by the Shrine Maiden had clearly stated that Orochimaru and this boy had a close connection.

Orochimaru didn't waste his time on trash.

"I knew it. The darkness buried in a child like you is perfectly suited to the deep roots beneath this ground..."

Danzō remained seated for a long while, while Qinglan held his bow like a statue.

It was as though he would keep that pose until he died unless Danzō spoke.

That attitude, however, pleased Danzō greatly.

"Stand up." Shimura Danzō spoke coldly. "Report every detail of the Hyuga Clan's recent movements."

He paused, his tone touched by undisguised greed and apprehension. "Especially the details about that 'Ao,' and what the 'thing' stolen by the Hyuga Clan actually is. What exactly is Hyuga Hiashi planning?"

"Tell me everything, without leaving out a single word..."

Danzō leaned forward slightly, staring intently at those pale, somewhat dull Byakugan.

Let's see just how much darkness lies in your heart...

Blinding golden rays pierced through the clouds and slanted into the forest, illuminating the entrance to a hidden cave in the mountains behind Konoha.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

The clattering footsteps from inside the cave startled several birds resting on the branches. They freed themselves from the leaves, flapped their wings, and flew off into the distance.

Hyuga Qinglan walked out of the cave and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, readjusting to the brightness aboveground.

Only when the warmth of the sun felt real against his skin did he finally let out a long breath.

"Lord Qinglan..."

Mukai Hyuga followed behind him with his head lowered, speaking in a hushed voice. "I'll see you as far as here. I'll keep an eye on Root."

"Go back. Be careful not to make Ryoma suspicious."

"Yes!"

Hyuga Qinglan watched Mukai Hyuga vanish from sight in an instant, feeling a little dazed.

Although the Spirit Orb had completely reshaped his thoughts and turned him into a puppet, his outward behavior hadn't changed. If you didn't examine him on a spiritual level, he was still the same Anbu Ninja, Mukai Hyuga.

"..."

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

Hyuga Qinglan sensed the mental link between himself and Mukai in his mind, then pulled a weighty Jonin Appointment Letter from inside his clothes.

A Ninjutsu Token engraved with a special pattern was attached to the document's seal.

"Danzō sure is willing to spend big to win people over."

Hyuga Qinglan slipped the token into his waist pouch and darted toward the Hokage Building in the distance.

He hadn't told Danzō everything during their conversation at the Root Base.

He had simply given Danzō the version of the truth he wanted to hear.

In Danzō's version, the Hyuga Clan had found Ao's "thing" on the Rock Battlefield—that is, the scroll. Then Ao had come looking for it, caused a commotion at the Hyuga Clan Compound, and retreated after seeing Danzō's Sharingan.

Meanwhile, the Hyuga Clan, according to Hyuga Qinglan, believed Danzō coveted their Byakugan and the scroll, so he had assassinated Elder Tianyun and stolen the scroll.

Although the scroll had originally belonged to "Ao," now that its owner had come knocking, the Hyuga Clan was left holding the blame while Danzō took all the benefits.

Both sides thought the other was a despicable bandit.

After probing the "darkness" in Hyuga Qinglan's heart, Danzō had also decided to use him as a nail driven deep into the Hyuga Clan.

He had ordered Hyuga Qinglan to investigate what had happened to the scroll and what it contained...

Of course, to make things easier for him, Danzō had also granted him the privilege of contacting Root and the chance to choose a ninjutsu from the Hokage Library.

"Working for Danzō is a bit of a hassle... but he's given me so much that it's hard to refuse..."

Hyuga Qinglan arrived at the Hokage Building and handed the Ninjutsu Token, issued exclusively by the Hokage Direct Control System, to the Chunin guarding the entrance.

The guard's businesslike expression instantly turned solemn and respectful when he saw the token.

These tokens were usually issued only to elites who had rendered outstanding service to the village and earned the trust of its leadership.

They were generally approved and issued directly by the Hokage's office.

"With this token, you may choose one ninjutsu ranked A or higher. Even some forbidden techniques may be permitted, along with certain supplementary secret techniques."

"You may browse A-rank and higher techniques here, but you can only study them on the premises. The scrolls cannot be taken away."

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

"Most of the techniques invented by the Second Hokage are forbidden..." The Chunin hesitated, but after looking at Hyuga Qinglan's token, he added, "They require Lord Hokage's approval."

"But if you're interested, you may look through them for a while. That's Lord Hokage's rule."

"I see... Then I'll take a look."

Hyuga Qinglan nodded in understanding.

Time was limited...

He might as well learn as much as he could...

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

The guard quietly watched Hyuga Qinglan study the book, unable to hide his envy as he said, "Looks like you accomplished something remarkable on the front lines. To receive a token from Lord Hokage..."

"Yeah..."

Hyuga Qinglan put the book back in its place and looked at the dazzling array of ninjutsu scrolls before him. A wave of satisfaction rose in his heart.

"It really was... a tremendous accomplishment."