Shimura Danzō returned to Root Base with a dark expression.
Behind him followed the Root ninjas who had been defeated by Uchiha Chonhua. Sarutobi Hiruzen had handed them over to him.
Thinking about what had happened in the Hokage's office, Shimura Danzō grew furious.
He sank heavily into his chair and stared gloomily at the six Root ninjas before him.
The Root ninjas knelt on one knee, looking uneasy as they waited for Shimura Danzō to speak.
"Why were you controlled by genjutsu? And why did you reveal the mission details?" Shimura Danzō asked in a low voice, glaring at them.
The Root ninjas stiffened, unsure how to answer.
Truthfully, they didn't really understand how Uchiha Chonhua's genjutsu had controlled them and made them spill their mission details and the mastermind behind it.
The confidentiality measures Lord Danzō had put in place had all proved useless.
Shimura Danzō rose and yanked open the shirt of one of the Root ninjas, narrowing his eyes at the seal on his body.
"The formula wasn't triggered, so why did the Binding Curse lose its effect? Why did my name appear in that report?"
Shimura Danzō's face darkened. Thinking of the distrust in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
He felt a little aggrieved, and then came a towering rage.
Who was he doing all this for? For Konoha, and for Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage!
And now Hiruzen distrusted him and treated him with suspicion because of some Uchiha brat. Shimura Danzō was furious enough to curse.
He understood Hiruzen less and less. Before, they had both been up in arms over the Uchiha Clan, giving Teacher Tobirama headaches. They had criticized the Uchiha relentlessly and stood up for Teacher Tobirama.
But now that Hiruzen had become Hokage, he'd grown more and more timid, yielding to the Uchiha Clan at every turn and even favoring and valuing a brat born into the Uchiha!
What happened to all that trash talk about the Uchiha? Had he forgotten it?
Sure enough, he was Teacher Tobirama's finest student, the one who had inherited his ideas completely and was wholeheartedly devoted to wiping out the Uchiha.
How could someone as outstanding as him not be Hokage? Shimura Danzō brooded. It was all because he'd hesitated and backed down back then!
"Lord Danzō, I may have a theory."
The words of the Root ninja with the Passerby Face drew Shimura Danzō's attention. He gestured for him to explain.
The Passerby Face took a deep breath and recalled what had happened. "No technique is perfect. Perhaps the Binding Curse is no different. I remember that Uchiha Chonhua often visited the Senju Compound."
"The Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan have been close for generations. Lady Mito was once the princess of the Land of Whirlpools, and Uchiha Chonhua is Tsunade's student, so he must see Lady Mito often."
"Lord Danzō, the Binding Curse on us is powerful, but compared to the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu, it's insignificant. So..."
The Passerby Face left the rest unsaid. Shimura Danzō pondered.
Did the Passerby Face mean that, during all those years Uchiha Chonhua had visited the Senju Compound, he had learned about Sealing Jutsu from Mito Uzumaki?
Was that how he saw through the Binding Curse and found a way around its restrictions?
That...was certainly possible.
Another possibility was that Uchiha Chonhua's genjutsu was so powerful that the Binding Curse couldn't resist it.
But he had tested the genjutsu of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. It couldn't break through the seal, let alone get around it.
Unless Uchiha Chonhua had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Shimura Danzō shook his head. That was even less likely.
Uchiha Chonhua was so young, and from what he knew of his life, he hadn't suffered much heartbreak. He hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet.
After questioning and discussing the matter, Shimura Danzō and the six Root ninjas still had no idea how Uchiha Chonhua had ignored the Binding Curse.
But there was one thing Shimura Danzō now understood clearly.
The Binding Curse wasn't perfect. If it had failed once, it could fail countless times. They couldn't keep using it.
He needed a stronger curse. Shimura Danzō thought that perhaps he could consider working with the Hyuga Branch House. Their Caged Bird Seal was powerful; perhaps he could study it and improve his Binding Curse.
Chapter 44: The Attention of the Interested
Shimura Danzō sent the six Root ninjas away.
No, they were Anbu ninjas now.
The matter of using the Hokage's name to send Root ninjas after Uchiha Chonhua had been put behind them, but it had left lingering consequences.
Shimura Danzō had been stripped of his position as Hokage Assistant, and even his post as head of Anbu training had been taken away.
His private, independent force, the Root Division, had been ordered to disband and merge into the Anbu.
Thinking of that, Shimura Danzō felt another surge of anger.
Before leaving, Hiruzen had warned him not to target the village's ninjas. As he spoke, he'd repeatedly glanced at the six Root ninjas. His meaning was obvious.
He was afraid Danzō would administer private punishment to the six Root ninjas.
Was he really that kind of person...? Well, Shimura Danzō really was.
Shimura Danzō had planned to kill the six Root ninjas as soon as he finished interrogating them. Ninjas who couldn't keep secrets were useless.
But now that Sarutobi Hiruzen had singled him out, he couldn't make a move.
So, for once, Shimura Danzō was forced to magnanimously let them go. The men were so moved that one by one, they vowed their loyalty.
Their bodies belonged to the Anbu, but their hearts belonged to the Root Division!
Now that Shimura Danzō had no important position, he felt unburdened. He naturally had no intention of retiring, but he wasn't worried, either.
Shimura Danzō gave a cold laugh.
"Hiruzen, there are some things you can't do without me."
His gaze suddenly shifted westward, toward the Land of Rain.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wore an apologetic expression, guilt written all over his face. "Chonhua, I'm sorry. This was my fault."
He looked at the Hokage's seal on the desk. "I never thought Danzō would secretly take the Hokage's seal and forge a mission order, then send Root ninjas after you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen rose and bowed deeply to Uchiha Chonhua.
"I'm sorry, Chonhua. I failed in my duty and put you in danger."
Uchiha Chonhua had been wearing a displeased expression, but when he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen's gesture, he was immediately moved. He hurried forward to help him back up.
"This isn't Lord Hokage's fault. Please get up. This was someone else's wrongdoing. What does it have to do with you?"
Uchiha Chonhua spoke with heartfelt sincerity, though inwardly he couldn't help grumbling.
Stole the Hokage's seal? He'd bet that Shimura Danzō had just walked into the office, imitated Sarutobi Hiruzen's handwriting to write the mission order, then casually picked up the Hokage's seal and stamped it on. After that, he'd left as if he'd done something trivial, all in one smooth motion.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't care, and Shimura Danzō cared even less.
"I've relieved Danzō of his position, and his Root Division has been disbanded and merged into the Anbu."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood and took a scroll from his sleeve, handing it to Uchiha Chonhua. "I know how accomplished you are in genjutsu. This is a genjutsu technique, as an apology from me."
Oh?
Uchiha Chonhua took it. This was an unexpected bonus. A genjutsu? He wondered which one it was.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "Chonhua, don't worry. Nothing like this will happen again."
"You're Tsunade's student, which makes you my grandstudent. If you ever have any difficulties, come to me. As Hokage, I can help my grandstudent solve his problems."
[Host, try asking him for the Hokage's position.]
Uchiha Chonhua gave the system a "Heh."
After talking for a while, he walked out of the Hokage Building with the genjutsu scroll in hand. Looking back, he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen watching him from the window.
Uchiha Chonhua smiled and waved. Sarutobi Hiruzen returned the gesture with a faint smile.
In the end, Shimura Danzō wouldn't face any serious punishment. He had only been relieved of his positions, and the Root Division disbanded.
This was a grave crime: harming a fellow village ninja. An ordinary ninja would have been treated as a rogue ninja and executed without question.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was a Hokage with a heart, but he had too much heart. He'd let blatant favoritism and lawbreaking play out right before his eyes, indulging a wrongdoer and allowing him to grow more brazen.
Sarutobi Hiruzen needed Shimura Danzō to do the dirty work, and Shimura Danzō needed Sarutobi Hiruzen to clean up after him.
What a pair of "great partners."
Uchiha Chonhua shook his head with a smile and headed toward the Senju Compound, weighing the genjutsu scroll in his hand.
With the Hokage's protection, Shimura Danzō had a shield around him.
Uchiha Chonhua was still insignificant. He could handle small matters, but not anything major. Getting the Hokage to bow and apologize was about as much as he could manage.
But...
Uchiha Chonhua looked west. The turmoil that was about to come was a stepping-stone to greater power.
He would gain the ability to make things happen!
"Chonhua isn't on our side."
Uchiha Ryutai answered the clan head, Uchiha Shohei, evenly. "Didn't we know that already? He's even closer to the village than those of us who are close to Konoha."
"Tsk, tsk. Sarutobi Hiruzen apologized in person, and that was enough for Chonhua to forgive him." Uchiha Shohei drank a small cup of sake, speaking with a wry smile. "He's so obedient. This was a perfect chance to make an issue of things, and Chonhua threw it away."
After all, Uchiha Chonhua was at the center of the incident. He'd put it behind him. What could anyone else say?
They wanted to use the incident to make an issue of things, but without an issue, they'd just be stirring up trouble for no reason.
Uchiha Ryutai poured his clan head another drink and smiled. "It seems Chonhua's thoughtfulness has brought him even closer to Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"He's always saying that Chonhua is his finest grandstudent now. He practically treats him as one of his own."
Uchiha Shohei gave a cold laugh. "Chonhua is talented and supports him. Anyone would want someone like that. Sarutobi Hiruzen is no exception. Why would he let the matter with Shimura Danzō drive a wedge between them?"
"It's all thanks to Chonhua's loyalty and consideration for the Hokage's worries. Doesn't that make you happy?"
Uchiha Ryutai pointed out the real reason.
"We've known Chonhua longer than Sarutobi Hiruzen has. Why isn't he loyal and considerate toward us?"
Uchiha Shohei put down his cup, sounding displeased. "Doesn't he care about the clan at all?"
"I heard he defeated all six Root ninjas by himself. Ryutai, six Root ninjas—Chonhua's strength is almost on par with ours. There's hardly any difference."
"He's only ten! Such talent, such talent..."
Uchiha Shohei grumbled indignantly. "Why is he so intent on ingratiating himself with Sarutobi Hiruzen? He can even forgive someone who put his life in danger. Is Sarutobi Hiruzen his father? Doesn't he feel the slightest resentment? He just lets it go?"
After asking three questions in a row, Uchiha Shohei drained his cup.
The speaker hadn't meant anything by it, but the listener took it to heart.
Uchiha Ryutai was stirred. Of all the Uchiha Clan's leaders, he had spent the most time with Uchiha Chonhua. So he knew Chonhua was a clever young man.
Uchiha Chonhua had sidestepped his attempts to recruit him several times, keeping their relationship at once close and distant.
Uchiha Ryutai had always shown patience toward talented people, but now the clan head's words had jolted him awake.
Chonhua was restrained and level-headed with him, but fervently admired Sarutobi Hiruzen and seemed willing to do whatever he was told.
In the past, Ryutai hadn't thought there was anything wrong with that, because Uchiha Chonhua's dream was to become a Hokage like Sarutobi Hiruzen.
It was only natural for him to be enthusiastic about Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But a single bow and apology from Sarutobi Hiruzen had been enough for Uchiha Chonhua to forgive Shimura Danzō for trying to kill him.
His behavior was nothing like the Uchiha Chonhua Ryutai knew.
He was too obedient—and a little too...mindless.
Uchiha Ryutai raised his cup and took a sip, deep in thought.
Could Uchiha Chonhua be doing this on purpose?
Chapter 45: The Chunin Exams Begin!
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