Danzo Takes the Fall

Ever since Chuanhe used the Impure World Reincarnation to resurrect Shisui, Shisui had been living in Chuanhe's small town.

Shisui thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the town, confirming once again that his senior was exactly as he remembered him.

He remained the same gentle Chuanhe senior he had known.

During this time, Chuanhe had considered using the Soul Sealing Technique to provide Shisui with a new body, but Shisui had flatly refused.

Shisui's reasoning was simple: he needed his Sharingan to prove his identity. If he changed bodies, even if his spirit remained that of Shisui, the vessel would be entirely different. Such a Shisui would only lead to greater misunderstandings.

Upon returning home, Chuanhe began to ponder the issue of the Ninjutsu Rifle.

It was truly an epoch-making weapon.

A barrier technique served as the barrel, explosive tags as gunpowder, and ninjutsu constructs as the warhead. The principle was straightforward; it was merely a superior utilization of chakra constructs to achieve astonishing destructive power on a macroscopic scale.

This weapon was entirely different from Chuanhe's current dimensional techniques. The principle was too simple; if it were to fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives...

Chuanhe shuddered at the thought of such a future.

It was terrifying.

The inspiration for this weapon came from the Four Red Yang Formation, which even the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb could not breach. After the final explosion, all the impact was vented out through the top.

It was simply that the ninjas had not yet realized this.

Once they understood, it would take these war-mongers only a few short years to rapidly advance the world's war machines to a level even Chuanhe could scarcely imagine.

Chuanhe closed his eyes and began to carefully perceive that uniquely shaped "stick."

Unlike Hui, Chuanhe possessed many advanced methods of Four-Dimensional Perception.

Chuanhe did not teach them directly, choosing instead to guide him as much as possible.

It was better for Hui to figure everything out on his own; if he relied solely on being spoon-fed, he would eventually stop considering how to improve.

Hui was currently trapped in such a vicious cycle, blindly pursuing power. Yet, clearly, what Hui was capable of now went far beyond this.

After a long session of Four-Dimensional Perception, Chuanhe finally confirmed that there was only one object of that shape in the entire Konoha.

Locking onto the location with his perception, Chuanhe muttered, "Let this Ninjutsu Rifle give you some inspiration."

Hui was feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness today.

Chuanhe had entrusted him with the first mission of his life.

To steal something from the Anbu warehouse...

Hui's expression froze as he heard the details of the mission.

Stealing? Did their household really need to resort to such things?

The primary source of income for Chuanhe's family was the sale of Flame Explosion Talismans.

Their effect was comparable to the self-detonation of a standard Chunin, capable of covering about one-fifth of the Uchiha Compound.

The power far exceeded that of a standard explosive tag; if detonated at close range, even an elite Jonin would find it difficult to survive.

Because of this immense power, the price of a single Flame Explosion Talisman could fetch as much as 1,000 standard explosive tags.

Although, in terms of sheer destructive power, 1,000 explosive tags already far surpassed a single Flame Explosion Talisman.

Perhaps saying 1,000 explosive tags sounds a bit exaggerated.

The price of a single explosive tag is about 3,000 ryo, though this price fluctuates based on the political climate.

That means 3 million ryo could buy the head of an elite Jonin, which in most cases is quite a bargain.

One must remember that the bounty on Asuma Sarutobi is 35 million ryo. Though, these two prices cannot really be compared.

Regardless, this item is a controlled good in Konoha.

Perhaps Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to delay the operation partly for this reason.

To stockpile more war supplies for the future conflict with Kumogakure.

Hui recalled the strange masked man he had encountered that day; it seemed he might be capable of something similar.

Using the necklace on his chest to create a genjutsu projection.

By hiding his true body within the fourth dimension, he could achieve the exact same feat.

The problem was that Hui could not remain in the fourth dimension for long.

He could only briefly borrow a path through it.

Like that masked man, creating an independent three-dimensional space?

That was not something he was capable of doing yet.

Hui racked his brain, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him like lightning in the dark, illuminating his thoughts.

He realized a key point that everyone had overlooked.

All barriers and sensory ninjas operated based on chakra.

"However..." Hui watched the distant Anbu warehouse with his perception, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

"Just because I lack chakra does not mean I am devoid of combat capability."

It was simply that this method consumed more "mental energy."

Acting on the thought, Hui took a deep breath, completely emptying the chakra within his body to render himself a "ghost" entirely invisible to sensory perception. He then began his first mission.

Relying on his Four-Dimensional Perception, Hui wove through the Anbu patrol network like a phantom.

Every step he took landed precisely in the blind spots of the guards, and every movement perfectly avoided the fluctuations of the sensory barriers.

Only when absolutely necessary would he utilize Space Leap.

Without the use of chakra, Space Leap forced Hui to face the abstract nature of the fourth dimension directly. If this sensation persisted for too long, it was easy to become disoriented. Thus, Hui avoided using it as much as possible throughout his infiltration.

Suddenly, Hui heard what sounded like voices ahead.

"Are the shuriken, explosive tags, and ninjutsu scrolls all prepared? Elder Danzō will send someone to collect the goods shortly," a somewhat aged voice said.

"Yes! My lord, I have finished preparing everything," another, younger voice immediately replied.

Listening to the conversation between the two Anbu ninjas in the distance, a "good" idea occurred to Hui.

Through his Four-Dimensional Perception, Hui's "gaze" penetrated the walls of the warehouse.

In this four-dimensional perspective, the entire warehouse was like a transparent model, with the location of every item clearly visible.

He quickly locked onto the package the Anbu had mentioned, the one intended for Danzō.

Utilizing Space Leap, he carefully selected some of the most sensitive and precious materials from various parts of the warehouse and quietly tucked them into Danzō's package.

Neither sealing techniques nor barrier arts could stump Hui, who could perform direct spatial displacement; even items inside storage scrolls could be retrieved from the fourth dimension without leaving a trace.

Having made all his preparations, Hui took that strange "stick."

Following this, Hui vanished from the scene.

Early the next morning, in the Hokage Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the report in his hands, his hand holding the pipe trembling with rage.

Last night, the Anbu warehouse had been robbed.

The ninjas on the shift change discovered that the inventory records did not match the physical stock and immediately launched a thorough investigation.

However, what was baffling was that all clues pointed to one person—Shimura Danzō.

"Danzō... it's you again!" Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, the embers in his pipe flickering with his respiration.

The report stated clearly: "Members of Root, dispatched by Elder Danzō, removed a large quantity of supplies without prior authorization."

"Go!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand onto the desk, his voice low and suppressed.

"Bring Elder Danzō to me! I want to ask him properly what 'justifiable reason' he has this time!"

"Yes!" An Anbu ninja knelt on one knee, then vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

Not long after, Danzō pushed the door open and walked in.

"Hiruzen, what is there to discuss this time? Don't tell me you've changed your mind and intend to act early?"

His voice arrived before he did. Danzō began his lecture before the door was even fully open.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's movements paused as he heard this.

"What has been agreed upon will naturally not change; this is to ensure fewer sacrifices. That child Itachi possesses the Will of Fire and will not let us down," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice.

Danzō let out a cold snort, a flash of malice crossing his single eye.

"Hmph, Hiruzen, Uchiha are Uchiha. When the time comes, I will lead Root to participate personally to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent, lowering his head to gaze at the documents on the desk.

Indeed, perhaps this was the best outcome.

However, when his eyes swept over the warehouse theft report again, his fury surged once more.

"Danzō!" He looked up abruptly, his voice carrying a rare severity.

"You take extra supplies every single time; how are the other departments supposed to function?!" He grabbed the report and flung it in front of Danzō.

"Next month, your Root funding will be cut by thirty percent!"

Danzō felt a tightness in his chest, as he had indeed reported more than necessary this time, just as he had before.

But on the surface, he remained expressionless, merely replying coldly: "Hiruzen, are you trying to weaken the roots of Konoha?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him, took a deep drag from his pipe, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"Danzō, don't think I don't know what you're plotting."

Danzō snorted coldly, then slammed the door behind him as he left.

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

This was, after all, a training opportunity given to Hui by Chuanhe, and Obito's attack this time had given him a significant sense of urgency.

Therefore, he entrusted the task of retrieving the Ninjutsu Rifle to Hui.

Experience is the best assistant in actual combat.

And so, this weapon became Hui's new armament, compensating for some of his weaknesses.

Just as Chuanhe had expected, Hui soon returned, happily carrying the Ninjutsu Rifle.

Initially, Chuanhe had been worried that such a theft might attract the attention of Konoha.

There was no helping it; although he did not fear the Ninjutsu Rifle himself, if it were to fall into the hands of others, the battles in this world would no longer be mere skirmishes between a few ninjas.

Listening to Hui's report, Chuanhe's expression turned somewhat strange; what a coincidence this was.

Now, Chuanhe was actually looking forward to Konoha's subsequent reaction; if they were to just let it slide...

Thinking of this, Chuanhe nearly laughed out loud, leaving the Hui beside him feeling utterly bewildered.