Hokage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

"Very well, I have a mission for you: go and contact Orochimaru. I have already negotiated a partnership with him."

"How should I make contact with him?"

"Do I need to teach you that as well?"

"This subordinate is in the wrong!"

"In short, cooperate with Orochimaru and follow his commands. You are not to tell anyone about this, do you understand?"

"This subordinate understands."

"No, you do not yet understand. What I mean is, once you leave this place, I will not acknowledge that I ever said these words. You will bury everything in your heart and never mention it to anyone, including me! Do you understand?"

Aburame Tatsuma remained silent for a long while, lost in thought, before whispering, "Understood. Everything is this subordinate's own personal action, and has nothing to do with you, my lord."

Danzo nodded in satisfaction. Since his own plan had failed, he would simply initiate Plan B: join Orochimaru's scheme to add some variables to the future and at least recoup some losses.

Otherwise, using this shadow clone would have been a complete waste!

"Why haven't you left yet?" Seeing Tatsuma kneeling there without moving, Danzo frowned.

"This subordinate has one thing I do not understand."

"What is it?"

"Did you not instruct me this morning to go to the Land of Water to deliver the latest codebook to the spies lurking there? Which of these two tasks should I prioritize?"

"Contacting Orochimaru is naturally more important."

However, no sooner had the words left his mouth than Danzo noticed clusters of black 'mist' drifting around him. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a massive swarm of insects!

"Tatsuma, what do you think you are doing!"

Tatsuma retreated rapidly, saying coldly, "You are not Lord Danzo at all. Who are you?"

"Strange, where did I slip up?" Danzo did not seem panicked in the slightest, asking with a smile.

"Because the instructions Lord Danzo gave me were clearly to 'monitor the movements of the Sunagakure ninja in the village'!"

"You have a sharp mind. No wonder Danzo values you."

"Die!" Tatsuma issued the command for the swarm to attack.

However, a fierce gale suddenly whipped up around 'Danzo', scattering the insects so thoroughly that they could not get within an inch of him.

The gap in their strength was simply too vast. In an instant, Danzo appeared before Tatsuma, removed the man's sunglasses with effortless grace, and locked eyes with him.

"Genjutsu: Kotoamatsukami!"

The Sharingan manifested within Tatsuma's eyes, and he stood frozen on the spot, his expression vacant and foolish.

"I am the real Danzo; all others are imposters. Follow the orders I just gave you!"

"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

With Kotoamatsukami planted, Tatsuma was thoroughly convinced that the man before him was the Danzo he served. Without a shred of doubt, he turned and vanished.

Keiichi sighed. If he could help it, he certainly didn't want to waste Kotoamatsukami on a minor character like Tatsuma, but who could blame him when Orochimaru was so cunning that he simply wouldn't fall for the trap?

With this, the Root had officially become Orochimaru's accomplice. There would be a good show to watch soon.

Perhaps doing this would make the Konoha Crush Plan even more dangerous, but because Keiichi had experienced it in his past life, he knew that Orochimaru's true target was only Hiruzen. All the chaos was merely a means to create an environment for a one-on-one duel.

With the few people he had, he could never topple Konoha, not even with the Root involved.

By comparison, driving Danzo out of Konoha was far more critical.

To his surprise, the system voice chimed in again, though the content left him feeling both amused and annoyed.

Someone is cheating. Kotoamatsukami has made its debut in the story. Obtained 10 Magic Modification Points.

Report: I suspect someone is being sarcastic, but I have no evidence!

Chapter 41: Kabuto Yakushi Blocking the Way

Keiichi did not stir up all this trouble just to be a spectator.

He had been worried about one thing: what would become of him once Hiruzen died.

According to the plot, Konoha would go through a dangerous period without a Hokage during that time. Although it would eventually pass, it was extremely perilous for him.

After the bridge mission, he had returned to report and had a brief conversation with Hiruzen. He had inadvertently learned that Danzo was quite interested in him; had Hiruzen not intervened, he might already be one of Danzo's men.

Joining the Root was one thing, but what he feared most was having the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal planted on him. That would leave his life entirely at the mercy of another's whim, and the worst part was that he would be unable to resist.

He was deeply concerned that if Hiruzen fell, Danzo would take the opportunity to strike at him while there was no Hokage.

Therefore, when the attempt to hypnotize Orochimaru failed, he devised another plan: use Danzo's subordinate, Aburame Tatsuma, to drag the Root into Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan. This way, even if Danzo were unwilling, he would be forced to flee Konoha and become a rogue ninja.

If Danzo was gone, he would be safe.

Call him selfish or heartless, but to survive, he had no choice but to turn up the heat on Konoha.

The importance of this matter even outweighed the acquisition of Magic Modification Points; he had no other choice.

With everything prepared, Keiichi dissipated Danzo's shadow clone. The commotion Orochimaru was causing was too great; he feared that before long, the forest would be crawling with Anbu. He didn't want any unexpected trouble.

As for his true body, he remained in the tree, ignoring the chaos outside. When hungry, he ate a Military Ration Pill; when thirsty, he found a nearby water source. He lived as cautiously as one possibly could.

It was not until only the final hour remained that Keiichi finally opened his eyes, then traced the path to the location where Orochimaru and Danzo had clashed, arriving beneath a large tree.

A secret mark had been left on this tree, specifically by 'Danzo'. He had dug a large pit beneath it, and sure enough, he found the Scroll of Heaven that had been buried there in advance.

He had obtained this from Sasuke, after all.

Who told him to pose so perfectly? It would have been rude not to take it.

With that, he had collected both the scrolls of Heaven and Earth, so he set off toward the destination tower.

On the other side, Naruto and his two companions had also arrived at the tower, though their team now included one extra person—Kabuto Yakushi.

Kabuto's objective was obvious; naturally, he was following Orochimaru's orders to gather intelligence on Sasuke while ensuring his safety.

Orochimaru had planned everything perfectly. After Sasuke was struck by the Cursed Seal, he would remain in a state of fusion for a long time. If any complications arose, there would likely be no one capable of handling them, necessitating a medical ninja like Kabuto to stand guard.

Furthermore, relying solely on Naruto and Sakura would likely not be enough to protect a Sasuke who had lost his combat capability, whereas Kabuto possessed the necessary strength.

Thus, Kabuto was ordered to become a mole embedded within the protagonist's team.

When it came to being a mole, if Kabuto claimed second place, no one dared claim first. Orochimaru trusted him implicitly.

However, he hadn't expected Danzo to appear out of nowhere and completely ruin Orochimaru's plan. Kabuto, unaware of this, continued to act according to the plan, merely finding it strange that Sasuke seemed perfectly fine. Was Cursed Seal fusion really that simple?

Carrying such doubts, Kabuto braved all dangers, escorting them all the way to the finish line.

Looking at the tower before him, Kabuto almost wept. So many things had happened along the way, and he had encountered nearly every strong enemy possible. He couldn't help but wonder if his luck had been exceptionally rotten lately.

The critical issue was that he had to hide his true strength, resulting in him being beaten black and blue by a bunch of people far weaker than him.

Especially when facing the three ninjas from the Sound Village, they hadn't held back at all, and he had nearly been driven to give them a good thrashing in a fit of rage.

Fine, playing for real, are we? Just wait until I shed this Leaf Village identity; I'll settle the score when I get back!

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, why don't you go on ahead?" Upon reaching the entrance, Kabuto seemed to notice something, revealing a harmless smile as he spoke softly.

"Huh? Why aren't you coming in with us, Senior Kabuto?" Naruto asked, feeling a bit strange.

"Sorry, I need to wait for someone here."

"But the time is almost up."

"Don't worry, it won't take long."

Seeing Kabuto's persistence, the three had no choice but to take the first step and walk through the main gate.

Then, Kabuto slowly retracted his smile and looked toward a certain direction, where a figure was slowly walking toward him.

"Yo, this is our first meeting, right? Keiichi." Once the other party drew near, Kabuto revealed a bright, sunny smile and raised his hand in greeting.

"Oh, it's you. What are you doing? Waiting for someone here?" Keiichi asked casually, as if he had run into an acquaintance.

"Yeah, waiting for you."

"Waiting for me? Are we that close?"

"Not really."

"Then why wait for me? I'm in a hurry to turn in my mission, so I'm off."

However, Kabuto blocked Keiichi's path, clearly not intending to let him pass.

Keiichi grew slightly nervous. He knew Kabuto's identity well; despite being a double agent, his ultimate loyalty lay with Orochimaru. Could it be that his impersonation of Danzo had been discovered?

Otherwise, why would Kabuto be giving him a hard time?

"I didn't provoke you, did I?" Keiichi frowned.

"Didn't provoke me?" Kabuto's expression began to crack. He pulled out his Ninja Knowledge Card and asked, "Do you dare say you didn't plagiarize my idea?"

Heh, what a country bumpkin with no vision. You've never seen the era where gacha mobile games were rampant; why would I need to copy you?

"Excuse me for asking, but do you have any proof?"

"I..."

"If you feel wronged, go file a complaint against me with the Leaf Village high-ups. What's the point of coming over here to find me?"

"Isn't the Ninja Star Scroll something you invented?" Kabuto had never seen such a shameless person. He couldn't reason with him, and his anger began to flare up.

"Yes, so do you even understand the business logic of collectible card games behind it?"

"..."

"You don't even understand it, so how can you say I'm copying you?"

"Then why did you list me in the SSR category? Are you intentionally mocking me?" Kabuto was so angry his eyes turned red.

"That's not it. I just thought that since you haven't been able to pass the Chunin exam for so many years, I'd offer you some consolation."

Kabuto trembled all over, too furious to speak.

Keiichi just watched him, a mocking curl at the corner of his mouth, wearing an infuriating expression that seemed to say, I dare you to hit me, as if he were waiting for him to strike first.

"You seem... to really hate me?" After calming himself down slightly, Kabuto squeezed the words through his teeth.

This unprovoked hostility from the other party made Kabuto feel very strange. Shouldn't it be the other way around? If anyone should be unhappy, it should be him.

"If you walked up to your front door only to be blocked by a stray dog, what would you think?"

Perhaps the phrase "homeless stray dog" struck a nerve with Kabuto Yakushi, for no sooner had the words left his lips than he let out a sharp shout and lunged forward, driving his Kunai straight toward Keiichi's chest.

Keiichi, however, pivoted his body to evade the strike, then followed up with a backhanded slap that sent Kabuto's glasses flying through the air.

Angry, are you? Enraged, are you?

Come on, show everyone the strength of a Jonin and let them all see it.

Keiichi waited in anticipation.

Keiichi knew full well that although both he and Kabuto Yakushi were "old foxes" masquerading as weaklings, in terms of true strength, Kabuto could absolutely crush him.

The man possessed the strength of a formal Jonin; the gap between him and a commoner ninja like Keiichi—who had only managed to scrape by as a Special Jonin in his previous life through sheer seniority—was glaringly obvious.

Yet, since Kabuto had chosen this specific location for their battlefield, Keiichi could act without fear, for he was already standing in an invincible position.

This place was different from the Forest of Death; the proctors were all watching from the high tower!

If you don't reveal your true strength, then don't blame me for hitting hard.

If you do reveal your strength, then even better—the Anbu of the Leaf Village would naturally come to investigate you.

Pray tell, who exactly did you learn these ninjutsu from?

Do you think you can withstand such an investigation?

As expected, Keiichi unleashed a barrage of heavy punches, actually leaving Kabuto Yakushi with no room to counterattack; his once-refined face was now bruised and swollen, his mouth stained with blood.

He was perfectly mimicking the combat prowess expected of a lowly Genin, making it clear to any observer why he had failed the Chunin Exams for so many years.

The smile on Keiichi's face began to fade, for he realized that the man was truly capable of enduring this, as if he were intentionally waiting here just to be abused.

What exactly was his goal?