Could it be that he's an idiot?

That night, at the Root base in Konoha.

"Kushina Uzumaki, the Uzumaki Clan..."

In the quiet room, Danzo stared at the file in his hands, his face as dark as water.

He turned his gaze toward Nono, who stood with her hands at her sides: "What is the meaning of this girl who has suddenly appeared by Minato Namikaze's side? Why was there no report to me?"

"This... does this also require a report?"

A look of perfectly timed confusion appeared on Nono's face, her tone filled with trepidation.

"..."

Danzo fell silent; he couldn't quite tell if this little girl was truly naive or just playing the fool.

He slammed the file heavily down in front of Nono and let out a cold snort.

"A girl staying temporarily at Tsunade's house, someone close to Minato Namikaze—can you not see that her existence is an obstacle to you? If not for today's accident, I wouldn't even have known about this!"

Nono looked blank: "But she hasn't hindered my interactions with Minato, has she?"

Danzo frowned; the girl's reaction didn't seem feigned.

Considering that Nono truly lacked experience in such matters, he could only suppress the anger rising in his chest.

"That girl is not as simple as you think. She is of the Uzumaki Clan and holds a very important role for the village."

The mere thought that Hiruzen Sarutobi had kept the matter of the backup jinchuriki hidden from him made Danzo's mood sour even further.

"The Third Hokage sent that girl to Minato's side specifically to cultivate their bond, intending for Minato Namikaze to gain a powerful asset and pave the way for him to become Hokage!"

"Hmm..."

Nono looked bewildered: "This... is there a problem with that? Minato has such a good personality; surely he would make an excellent Hokage?"

Hearing this, Danzo let out a muffled grunt, feeling a surge of stifled rage gather in his chest—unable to vent, unable to swallow, it was agonizing.

Yet, he had no way to retort!

He couldn't exactly say, "I want to be Hokage," could he?

To voice such ambition to a five-year-old child—even with Danzo's thick skin, he would feel a sense of shame...

This shame did not stem from the ambition itself, but from the deep-seated knowledge that, aside from the subordinates he had brainwashed, even this little girl before him would not believe he was fit to sit in that seat!

This self-awareness gnawed at his heart like a thousand ants, causing him immense pain.

It also forced him to prove himself all the more—to prove his abilities were not inferior to Hiruzen's, to prove he would not be surpassed by the younger generation, and to prove that their teacher's original choice had been wrong!

The desperation was enough to twist his very soul!

As the assistant to the Hokage, everyone treated him with reverence, and he heard nothing but flattery.

Danzo relished this feeling; the thrill of power left him addicted and unable to pull himself away, making his desire for the Hokage's seat grow ever more intense.

Yet now, Nono's childish, naive words had dragged him back to reality, forcing him to face the truth he least wanted to confront.

In this moment, Danzo felt that perhaps his own judgment was truly flawed.

For if a clever child had already realized his intentions, Nono's demeanor did not seem like she was merely playing the fool...

Forget it, let her be a fool.

Fools are easier to control!

Thinking this, Danzo sighed with a sense of melancholy: "The position of Hokage is not as simple as you think, nor is it as glamorous as it appears on the surface. Minato's personality is not suited for being Hokage."

"His nature is too simple; he is better suited to be a powerful combat asset, not a leader."

Bullshit!

Nono felt nothing but disdain, though her expression remained completely calm.

If Minato isn't fit, are you?

Although she was relieved to have muddled through Danzo's probing, it was clear he had no intention of stopping.

Recalling the back of Kushina as she stood before her without a moment's hesitation, Nono secretly resolved that she would never let Danzo bring harm to her!

"Forget it, you cannot yet understand such things. Just focus on your mission and do not forget your identity."

Danzo waved his hand, and Nono bowed before retreating.

She felt a pang of regret that she hadn't been able to gather more intelligence.

However, it seemed that playing the fool was still effective.

Because the Tongue-Sealing Curse would manifest a cursed seal mark, Danzo had not placed the restriction on Nono to avoid alerting Minato.

In his eyes, she was merely a five-year-old child; even without the curse, he could easily manipulate her.

But this had sparked a new train of thought in Nono.

Over these past two months, she had been observing Minato—not out of infatuation, but to probe his true character.

She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt she could sense a certain quality hidden beneath his sunny exterior.

It wasn't darkness, but rather a sense of detachment.

What she told Kushina earlier was the truth; Minato was gentle with everyone, yet she truly could not be certain how he defined their relationship.

Furthermore, she could sense that whenever Minato looked at her, his eyes seemed to harbor a certain level of scrutiny.

Nonō vaguely suspected that Minato might have already sensed something.

She desperately wanted to have an honest, open conversation with Minato, but once she chose to lay her cards on the table, regardless of the outcome, there would be no turning back.

However, she could not make such a decision lightly, because the orphanage stood behind her.

Danzo had used the orphanage to threaten her more than once.

To the current Nonō, Danzo was a powerful figure she absolutely could not resist.

He did not even need to do anything; by merely exerting a fraction of his authority as the Advisor to the Hokage, he could easily cut off the orphanage's funding.

And the priest and the stout nun could not even get an audience with the Hokage...

The children would go hungry, unable to eat their fill or dress warmly.

She had experienced that kind of life herself, and precisely because she had once stood in the rain, she wanted to hold an umbrella for others.

What should I do...

All the way back to her residence, Nonō was heavy with worry, yet fearing surveillance, she maintained an expression of calm indifference.

Cooking, doing laundry, taking a hot bath, and then lying in bed to read the romance books Danzo had bought for her...

She was currently staying in a small apartment provided by Danzo, which was perhaps the only good deed he had ever done.

"How is it?"

After a long while, in the purification room, Danzo's voice rang out once more.

"The target giggled several times while reading, otherwise there were no abnormalities."

A Root ninja suddenly appeared before Danzo, kneeling on one knee.

"Could she really be a fool..."

Involuntarily tightening his grip on the chair's armrest, Danzo's face turned slightly dark.

Because Nonō's simple reactions conflicted with her previous composure and calmness, he had inevitably grown suspicious, which was why he had sent someone to monitor her in secret.

Yet, there were no abnormalities...

She was a five-year-old child; even with the best acting skills, one could not maintain a facade at all times, could they?

But this was too simple—were all children these days this naive?

Danzo's brows furrowed tightly; besides Nonō, he could not find a more suitable candidate.

After some thought, he could only attribute it to the issue of her being too young.

If Nonō remained oblivious, then he would start with the brat from the Uzumaki Clan!

After all, that clan was not down to just this one person...