Pulling Strings from the Shadows, Laying the Groundwork

Hiroya brought one hundred thousand ryo in person to deliver to Byakuya.

He invited the Ninja Academy vice-principal to take a seat, his face beaming with radiance today.

The money was placed on the table, and the tea he had brewed sent up wisps of curling steam.

"What does Byakuya intend to do with this money?"

"It's only one hundred thousand ryo; it can't do much. Oh, I suppose I could treat the principal to a grand meal."

Compared to the world outside the village, the cost of living within the village was exceptionally high.

If one wished to live a worry-free life in the village and keep a reserve of money for emergencies, ninjas had to work hard on missions, and ordinary people had to work themselves to the bone.

"That is true. By the way, I have good news for you: the Hokage is about to step down from his active duties as principal and will only retain the title of honorary principal."

Speaking of this, Hiroya was brimming with excitement; Danzo had promised him that he would be the new principal.

It seemed like only a small step up the ladder, but the significance was immense; even the prestigious clans would send their children to study there.

Once he became principal, he would finally be considered a person of status and influence.

Although in the eyes of the village's upper echelons he was nothing more than a dispensable pawn, he was, at the very least, a pawn with some weight.

"You will become the new principal?" Byakuya asked.

Hiroya nodded heavily: "I have worked diligently at the Ninja Academy, slaving away for the Third Hokage, and I have Danzo's personal promise to help me secure the position. If not me, then who?"

Seeing Byakuya's expression of skepticism, he suddenly grew anxious: "Could something go wrong?"

Ever since Byakuya decided to be honest with Hiroya in the office, the two had gradually formed a partnership.

Four days had passed.

Hiroya had provided him with many pieces of secret intelligence regarding Konoha.

For instance, the Hyuga Clan brothers, Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga, were not on good terms, and there was a deep rift between the main and branch families; the Uchiha Clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, had actually gone to the front lines himself; and the increasingly famous Namikaze Minato was enamored with a red-haired girl named Uzumaki Kushina. Furthermore, Kushina had been extremely violent when she attended the Ninja Academy, to the point that even he dared not provoke her...

It was also from Hiroya that Byakuya learned that on the day Uzumaki Kushina was kidnapped by Kumogakure ninjas, Konoha's defensive forces had seemed paralyzed.

Fortunately, Namikaze Minato had defeated those Cloud Ninja and successfully rescued her.

Recalling this incident, Hiroya still felt a lingering fear. If the village had truly investigated the kidnapping of an academy student on their way home, he would have had to bear the charge of "inadequate instruction." After all, if he had taught the students how to handle kidnappings, perhaps Kushina would not have been in danger.

In order to become the true principal of the Ninja Academy, he did not want a single stain on his record.

Byakuya looked at this partner, unsure if he was blinded by fame and fortune or truly ignorant of the intricate schemes involved.

"Principal Hiroya, is the Ninja Academy Konoha's academy, or is it the Hokage's academy?"

"Of course it is Konoha's... naturally, it is the Hokage's academy."

He asked calmly in return: "If Danzo recommends you to the Hokage, are you the Hokage's man, or are you a subordinate of Danzo?"

"..."

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Hiroya's forehead.

The Konoha Ninja Academy was loyal only to the Hokage, so the person serving as principal should be—no, absolutely had to be—the Hokage's confidant.

If Danzo pushed for him to be the new principal, no matter how much hard work he had put in previously, in the eyes of the Hokage, he would have defected to Danzo's side. He would be a traitor!

"Th-th-this..." Hiroya immediately stood up from the sofa, pacing back and forth in a panic, his steps growing faster and faster, "What do I do? What do I do? Should I go and ask Danzo for help?"

"Principal Hiroya, how many unofficial personnel have you recruited for the Root organization?"

"Twenty or thirty, I suppose. They are all mediocre commoners; how could I dare target the children of prestigious clans? The missions they execute aren't difficult either—nothing more than clearing out minor threats on the outskirts of Konoha, or being ordered to monitor someone within the village. Oh, and keeping a close watch on the Uchiha Clan."

Byakuya smiled: "Under the shadow of war, Principal Hiroya forcing me to fill out that application form was, it turns out, an act of kindness."

"I have said it more than once: I had a friendship with your parents. They were truly heroes of Konoha, and the children of heroes should not continue to die on the battlefield. That was my own selfish motive. Senkaku Byakuya! Please, believe me!"

"Making you fill out the Root unofficial personnel application form was truly because I was at my wit's end. Root gives me a quota every quarter, ordering me to use my position as vice-principal to recruit for them. Because Mimura Hamaki is watching the academy, I dared not expose myself."

"I received your favor, so you decided to use me as a substitute?"

"Sigh, it was a helpless move, a helpless move."

"What was the fate of the other children?"

"Last year, the year before, they were monitoring big shots in the village, the Uchiha Clan, or bringing back people with special constitutions from within the Land of Fire. After the war started, they were all sent out."

Byakuya picked up his teacup and took a leisurely sip, his expression unreadable: "No wonder the missions I carried out were so difficult."

"You are mistaken."

"Oh?"

"The first time you were sent to clear out wandering ninjas, it was because there was no one else available among the lower-tier unofficial personnel, so I had to have you fill in. According to the mission content I have handled in the past, the first mission is always to tail someone and master the daily trajectory of a big shot in the village."

"There is a lower tier among Root's unofficial personnel?"

"Byakuya, since Konoha is a great tree with 'roots,' why can't the roots have 'root hairs'? In places we cannot see, the root hairs of the Root organization are spread everywhere. Perhaps even Teuchi from Ichiraku Ramen is a root hair."

"When there are many people, it is inevitable to have upper, middle, and lower tiers. At the time, you... er, you were hiding your strength too deeply."

Having said all this, Hiroya only wanted to know if Byakuya had any way to deal with the Hokage's suspicion.

Hiroya seemed to remember something and hurriedly added: "Danzo once said that even worthless cannon fodder, as long as it is used properly, can be worth a fortune."

"Izumi Orange told me she is the Hokage's person, responsible for monitoring you."

"Izumi Orange? Did she really say that to you?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Strange. Ever since I began following Lord Danzo, I have been extra cautious about my movements, and I never noticed Izumi Orange monitoring me."

"Not even once?"

"Not even once!"

"I understand."

So, this baby-faced teacher has another identity.

"Oh, Byakuya, stop beating around the bush. My heart is in a state of chaos right now, and I truly cannot think of any good ideas. I see you are full of confidence; hurry and tell me what I should do to keep my position as principal!"

An adult asking a ten-year-old for advice—if anyone else saw this scene, they would likely laugh their heads off.

Byakuya said easily, "It's very simple: report everything you have done, exactly as it happened, to the Hokage."

"What? Isn't that sending me to my death?"

He countered, "Do you all really look down on the Third Hokage that much? Do you think he knows nothing?"

Previously, it was always Hiroya who patted his shoulder with the air of a superior.

Now it was Byakuya's turn to pat Hiroya's shoulder: "Go openly to the Hokage Building to find Sarutobi Hiruzen. Aside from information regarding me, report everything else to him. If you do this, your becoming the principal of the Konoha Ninja Academy will be a certainty, and no one will be able to contend with you. After all, a spy turning against their master is the most useful tool; Sarutobi Hiruzen will not pass up this opportunity."

"What if Lord Danzo asks me why I went to the Hokage Building?"

"You are the vice-principal in charge of the specific affairs of the Ninja Academy. With a large group of students graduating, you are going to report on the academy's work to Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Hearing Senkaku Byakuya address the Hokage by his name so directly.

Hiroya was left dumbfounded, and even after he left in a daze, he still felt it was inconceivable.

The Third Hokage, revered by everyone as the guardian deity of Konoha, was not even held in the slightest regard by Senkaku Byakuya.