S-Rank Ninjutsu

What Senkaku Byakuya needs to do now is play the cards in his hand well.

Complaining about heaven and blaming others is not his style.

Moreover, with the Fate Grid Panel, his strength will only grow stronger, and sooner or later, he will be able to grasp his own destiny with his own hands.

Of course, subduing Hiroya is merely a small step forward.

It is precisely because he has thoroughly grasped Hiroya's profit-seeking nature that Byakuya uses benefits to lure him.

There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

By demonstrating sufficient strength, a person like Hiroya will only wag his tail and beg for pity like a pug.

Sitting in Hiroya's office chair, he finds it truly comfortable; it seems the man knows how to enjoy himself.

Suddenly, he hears footsteps coming from the corridor.

Byakuya casually picks up a rag, pretending to wipe the desktop.

"Principal? I have something to report."

"Sorry, the principal had matters to attend to and has left."

"Oh my, it's student Byakuya."

The person who arrived is Izumi Orange with her baby face; she smiles as enthusiastically as ever: "Student Byakuya, you've disappeared again lately. Could it be that you've fallen ill once more?"

"Teacher Izumi Orange guesses quite accurately. I ran into trouble while practicing ninjutsu and caught a cold, so I've been resting at home for a while." Byakuya's expression remains unchanged, speaking as if it were the truth.

Izumi Orange walks to his side with her hands behind her back, moving with a cat-like gait: "Ah, student Byakuya has grown taller."

"Is that so?"

"My eyes are always accurate, just like when I first saw student Byakuya and knew you would sooner or later accomplish something great."

"Then I shall borrow Teacher Izumi Orange's auspicious words."

"Oh my, student Byakuya, don't be so cold; it wastes my warm heart," Izumi Orange says coquettishly.

Byakuya pats his head, as if suddenly remembering something: "I almost forgot, Teacher Izumi Orange once said you were a spy for the Hokage, lurking beside Vice Principal Hiroya to gather intelligence."

Izumi Orange's expression changes drastically: "I never said that! Senkaku Byakuya, do not slander me!"

"Whether it is true or false, Hiroya will judge for himself. However, please guess, Teacher Izumi Orange, will he believe me, or will he believe you?"

"Hmph, I'm ignoring you; you always love to tease people."

"Would Teacher Izumi Orange like to go eat grilled meat together?"

"No need, I'm not hungry."

Izumi Orange flees in a panic.

Byakuya waits for a while longer, drops the rag, and returns to the warehouse.

He pulls out a bamboo chair and half-lies on it, thinking to himself that a peaceful life is still best. Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos. Unfortunately, in Konoha, peace is just an empty phrase. He wonders why those people are always so fond of killing and fighting.

These days, the limited-time tasks issued by the Fate Grid have slightly improved his taijutsu talent and perception.

He calls up the Fate Grid Panel.

Heaven Rewards Diligence, Perseverance Leads to Success
Limited time 2 days: Practice Shadow Clone Technique (50/50)
Reward: Slight improvement in ninjutsu talent

Hiroya stands before Shimura Danzō, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

The four scrolls affixed with sealing jutsu have already been unsealed.

After Danzō reads this intelligence, his expression suddenly turns very ugly, as gloomy as if it were about to rain.

Yakushi Nonō, standing beside him, whispers: "Lord Danzō, let someone..."

"No, the situation in Sunagakure is not optimistic. Rasa is no fool; he will not be that impatient."

Although the intelligence in the scrolls does not involve the Sunagakure Ninja attacking Konoha, it does detail the troop movements of Sunagakure.

A considerable number of Sunagakure Ninja are stationed within the Land of Rivers, and the three Sunagakure Ninja killed by Byakuya were precisely messengers returning to Sunagakure to report on the recent status of the troops.

The intelligence states that due to a shortage of supplies, some Sunagakure Ninja in the Land of Rivers are in low spirits and are clamoring to return to the village.

"What else did he say?" Danzō asks coldly.

Hiroya, terrified, kneels to report: "He... he said he possesses important intelligence with a value equivalent to an S-Rank Ninjutsu."

"Heh." Danzō lets out another low laugh, "I understand."

Now, he can be certain that Senkaku Byakuya is a little fox who cautiously hides its tail.

This intelligence is exceptionally precious, forcing Senkaku Byakuya to use it as a bargaining chip to trade with him.

However, Senkaku Byakuya has done well overall; he knows how to share the benefits so as not to become a target of public criticism. Looking at the expression of this fool Hiroya, he has likely already willingly become his lackey.

Methods are nothing more than coercion and enticement; for a man like Hiroya, as long as it benefits him, he will run wherever the wind blows.

"Go, bring him here."

"Yes."

Hiroya bowed and backed out of the room, only daring to break into a sprint once he was far enough away from the Root Organization's underground base.

Shimura Danzō took a detailed report regarding Senkaku Byakuya from his drawer.

The report meticulously documented Byakuya's recent activities and included a special analysis on whether he was worth cultivating.

Shimura Danzō handed the report to Yakushi Nonō. "The little fox likes to wear a Demon King Shuten-doji Mask. From now on, his codename in Root will be Shuten-doji."

"Yes."

"Shuten-doji requested Lord Tobirama's Water Release: Water Formation Wall last time. Since he has intelligence equivalent to an S-Rank Ninjutsu this time, it seems he is seeking an S-Rank Ninjutsu developed by Lord Tobirama."

Yakushi Nonō asked skeptically, "An S-Rank Ninjutsu? Given his current strength..."

"He successfully executed the mission to eliminate the Sunagakure spy and even clashed with Pakura in the forests of the Land of Rivers, yet managed to escape and return to Konoha. Shuten-doji's strength has exceeded my expectations."

"This subordinate understands."

Shimura Danzō turned to stare at her and asked abruptly, "Do you know why you are better than Aburame Tatsuma?"

"This subordinate does not know."

"You have more self-awareness than him; you don't ask what you shouldn't."

Yakushi Nonō hurriedly lowered her head even further.

When Byakuya walked into the Root underground base and arrived at the room where Shimura Danzō was receiving him, only the two of them were inside.

Shimura Danzō gazed at the Demon King Shuten-doji Mask on Byakuya's face, not demanding he remove it, but instead pointing to a document on the table.

It was the <Application Form for Extra-Departmental Personnel of the Anbu Training Department> that he had written himself.

"With this application form that you wrote willingly, while you are in Konoha, you can only be 'Root'. Do you regret it?"

"I regret it."

"Where does your regret lie?"

"That I do not have enough strength to refuse to write this application form."

Danzō said coldly, "Ninjas from prestigious clans can refuse to join Root without a second thought, but you cannot. You are just a civilian with no background. In front of me, you currently lack the strength to refuse."

"Yes."

"Your codename in 'Root' from now on is Shuten-doji. You are under my direct command. Vice-Principal Hiroya will continue to convey missions to you. Aside from 'intelligence equivalent to an S-Rank Ninjutsu,' there is no need for us to meet."

"This subordinate obeys."

"Tell me about your experiences in the Land of Rivers."

Byakuya detailed everything: eliminating the spy San-Dan-Kun, clashing with Pakura, encountering the pursuing Sunagakure and Iwagakure ninjas, running into the Azure-Black Serpent, and so on, including his Kekkei Genkai, Storm Release, which he also revealed to Shimura Danzō.

There was no need to hide these things; Pakura was not dead, and with Root's intelligence network, they would find out sooner or later.

Perhaps Danzō already knew about his clash with Pakura.

Only his innate Fate Grid remained unrevealed, not a single word leaked.

Shimura Danzō furrowed his brows. "The value of this intelligence is indeed equivalent to an S-Rank Ninjutsu. If you were sitting in my position, what would you do?"

"This subordinate would form an alliance with Sunagakure after Iwagakure's failure."

"A treaty is just a scrap of paper. There is no guarantee that Sunagakure won't turn to attack us once they know the true situation in Konoha's rear."

"But a temporary alliance would be enough to ease the tension on the front lines."

After a moment, Shimura Danzō nodded.

If they didn't form an alliance, would Sunagakure abandon the idea of attacking Konoha? No.

The Land of Wind is barren, and the Land of Fire is wealthy. People are driven by profit; this is a fundamental contradiction.

Of course, both of them knew that Iwagakure would definitely fail. Byakuya had the advantage of a god's-eye view, while Danzō had learned of Sunagakure's trump card through intelligence sent back by spies.

The One-Tail, Shukaku.

That old man, who looked impossibly ancient, seemed to have become the perfect One-Tail Jinchuriki.

"What ninjutsu do you want?"

Byakuya spoke slowly, "Lord Senju Tobirama's Water Release: Water Severing Wave."

He truly wanted the Flying Thunder God Technique, but after thinking it over, he chose the Water Release: Water Severing Wave.

Because what he currently lacked most was a ninjutsu with sufficient offensive power.

After a long while.

Shimura Danzō withdrew his gaze from Byakuya and said, "The Water Release: Water Severing Wave is yours, and the Flying Thunder God Technique that Namikaze Minato is famous for is also yours."

From his perspective, this child, Senkaku Byakuya, had a clean background and had proven his worth; he was worth investing resources to cultivate.

Byakuya was not happy, instead asking, "What price must I pay?"

Danzō turned his back to him, looking up at the calligraphy hanging on the wall inscribed with the four characters "Wind Forest Fire Mountain," and said, "Your parents died for Konoha. I hope you also possess the conviction to die for Konoha."

This was the polar opposite of Byakuya's Way of Survival!