Killing Intent (Bonus Chapter)

The Hokage's Office was quiet.

Seeing the Hokage 'Taiichi unpredictable expression, Taiyi wisely stopped speaking. The desired effect had been achieved; adding anything further would be counterproductive.

He silently retreated to Jiraiya's side, catching a glimpse of the other giving him a thumbs-up. He was thrilled; now he just had to wait for the Hokage's decision.

As expected, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't think for long before picking up the pen and paper on the table and writing in front of the two of them...

He started writing with a "whoosh" sound.

In less than a minute, a formal transfer order was completed.

With a casual wave of his hand, the transfer order landed squarely in Taiichi's hands.

"Take this transfer order and hand it to Yakushi Nonō. From now on, she is no longer Root member. Starting tomorrow, have her report to Biwako at Konoha Hospital."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Taiichi with a serious expression and said, "Are you satisfied now?"

"Thank you, Grandpa Hokage."

Taiichi looked at the transfer order in his hand, overjoyed. He had finally resolved the matter satisfactorily, and all his efforts had been worthwhile. As for the subsequent storms caused by this incident, that was beyond his control.

Jiraiya noticed that Hiruzen Sarutobi in a bad mood, so he took his leave of the Hokage, pulling Taiichi, who was still grinning foolishly, along with him as he left.

Once the office door closed, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned completely grim.

Danzo, this is more than just paying lip service; you dare to lay your hands on my side, so don't blame me for being ruthless.

The Reception Hall of the Minato family was filled with a joyful atmosphere. Jiraiya waved his arms, and his hearty laughter echoed throughout the room.

"Hahaha, you guys didn't see it, the old man's face looked like a bitter gourd."

"It's all your fault! You wouldn't let us go, and now you're here gloating." Kushina said indignantly from the side.

"Yes, yes, it's my fault!" Jiraiya laughed, not bothering to argue with Kushina. "Danzo has really messed up this time. I bet the old man will be Danzo with Danzo today."

"Teacher, do you really dislike Danzo? And I think Taiichi dislikes him too!" Minato asked, somewhat puzzled. "Minato, you haven't had much contact with Root, and you haven't directly faced Danzo much," Jiraiya said solemnly, warning Minato, "Root's actions are dirtier and darker than those of the Anbu."

"When the old man was young and strong, he could keep Danzo in check, but as he gets older, he has less and less control over him, and Danzo's actions have gradually become excessive." Jiraiya said worriedly.

"You see, in this matter, Danzo will at most get a few scoldings, but the real punishment will be negligible." The more Jiraiya spoke, the more Jiraiya sighed, wondering when this situation would improve.

Hopefully, Fourth Hokage can be chosen soon. The Third Kazekage is already showing signs of fatigue. If it weren't for his own need to find the Child of Prophecy, he would have fought for it no matter what.

The only question is who the Fourth Hokage will be: Orochimaru or Hatake Sakumo?

Both of them are popular candidates for Hokage.

Minato was shocked by Jiraiya's explanation. Could they really let something that was tantamount to planting a spy right next to the Hokage go so easily?

If that's the case, what authority will the Hokage have left?

As if he could read Minato's mind, Jiraiya patted Minato on the shoulder and offered words of comfort.

"Don't overthink it. Those things aren't for us to worry about. If you want to change, then work hard! Maybe you'll be the Fourth Hokage in the future, and then you can change whatever you want!"

"Ah~ Hahaha."

A burst of unrestrained laughter rang out, dispelling the oppressive silence in the room.

Minato remained silent, but his eyes seemed to hold a firm resolve.

Taiichi, who was watching quietly from the side, was extremely surprised. Jiraiya probably didn't realize how much a single sentence he had given Minato. The future Fourth Hokage's political philosophy might have been determined at this moment.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about such depressing things. Today is a happy day, let's talk about something interesting," Kushina suggested.

"Yes, I haven't thanked everyone yet. I couldn't have done this by myself without your help."

As he spoke, Taiichi stood up and bowed solemnly to everyone in thanks.

The two men, one cracking a joke and the other repeatedly expressing their gratitude, successfully broke the tense atmosphere in the room, and everyone returned to their cheerful mood. After all, they had caused Danzo quite a bit of trouble this time.

Everyone was chatting and laughing, but Taiichi gradually became a little absent-minded.

Minato, ever observant, was the first to notice Taiichi's unusual behavior. After a moment's thought, he understood Taiichi's mindset: he wanted to deliver the good news to Nonō as soon as possible, but he was too embarrassed to leave them behind. What a kind person he truly is!

"Taiichi, aren't you going back to tell Nonō this good news?" Minato revealed Taiichi's thoughts.

Jiraiya and Kushina then realized that they should bring the good news to its true owner. So everyone started to persuade Taiichi.

Seeing everyone's sincere gazes, Taiichi was moved, but he accepted their kindness.

"Then I'll head back now, thank you everyone!"

After saying that, Taiichi got up and bid farewell to everyone. He left Minato's house and went straight to the roof, rushing headlong towards the Orphanage.

When Taiichi finally stood in front of the Orphanage gate, his chest heaved violently, whether from running at high speed or from his excitement.

He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and gently pushed open the gate of the Orphanage. Inside the courtyard, children were playing and laughing.

Nonō was sitting on a stone bench nearby, holding a book in her hands, her gentle gaze occasionally falling on the children.

"Sister Nonō!" Taiichi's excited voice rang out.

"Taiichi?" Nonō looked up at the sound of his voice, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. "Why are you here at this time?"

Taiichi strode towards Nonō without saying a word, took out the transfer order from his Ninja Tool Pouch, waved it in his hand, and could no longer suppress the smile on his face.

Nonō watched Taiichi's behavior with great curiosity, wondering what good thing Taiichi had encountered.

Seeing the confusion on Nonō's face, Taiichi stopped teasing her, grabbed her hand, and shoved the transfer order into it.

The moment Nonō's gaze fell on the paper, she trembled, her pupils contracting sharply. She looked at Taiichi in disbelief.

"Is this... is this real?"

Taiichi nodded vigorously, his voice filled with joy. "It's true! The transfer order was personally signed by the Hokage-sama -Jiraiya and I were both there at the time."

"From this moment on, you are no longer a member of Root! Tomorrow you can go to Konoha Hospital to report to Lord Biwako."

Nonō's lips trembled, and her eyes instantly reddened. She lowered her head and carefully read the transfer order again, as if it might fly away at any moment. After a long while, a tear silently slid down her cheek, wetting the paper.

"That's wonderful—that's truly wonderful," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

Taiichi forward and gently patted Nonō's back, comforting her. "Sister Nonō, from now on, you're free!"

"Mmm!" Nonō looked up, her eyes already blurred with tears, but she still managed to force a smile, "Thank you, Taiichi, if it weren't for you—" Her voice was almost inaudible, yet filled with boundless gratitude.

Taiichi shook his head slightly and said with a smile, "No need to thank me, this is the result of everyone's hard work. Teacher Tsunade, Jiraiya- sensei, Senior Disciple Brother Minato, and Kushina- neechan, they all helped a lot!"

"Yes, yes." Nonō took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice still trembling. "I never thought this day would come so soon. I thought I would never be able to break free from the Root."

Taiichi looked at Nonō and knew how much pressure and pain she had endured over the years, taking care of the Orphanage while also fulfilling her mission for Root. Now, she could finally put down the heavy burden on her shoulders.

Just then, Yami came skipping over, looking up at Nonō with curiosity. "Dean, why are you crying?"

Nonō crouched down, gently patted Yami's head, and said with a smile, "The Dean isn't crying, she's just too happy!"

"So you can cry when you're happy?" Yami tilted her head, looking completely innocent.

Nonō was amused by her and bent down to hug her. "Yes, sometimes happiness can make you cry."

Taiichi stood to the side, watching this scene, his heart filled with warmth. He knew that from now on, Nonō could truly let go of her burdens and give her love to these children without any worries.

Children's world is carefree, especially these little devils who are only around 5 years old. They are not precocious geniuses like Kakashi and Itachi. Nowadays, children are all thinking about how to have fun.

Just moments ago, Yami, who was still in Nonō's arms, hadn't even figured out what crying was before she wriggled her little bottom and broke free from Nonō's embrace, pulling Taiichi along to go play with her Companions.

Having resolved the Taiseki in his heart, Taiichi was overjoyed and, following Yami's lead, walked towards the children who were playing.

But thinking about his own powerlessness in this incident, and that he could only rely on the strength of Tsunade and Jiraiya, he felt an urgent need to go back and continue training.

Seeing Yami anxiously pulling him along, Taiichi smiled gently, formed One-Handed Seal to create two Shadow Clones, and with his superb Chakra control, distributed most of his Chakra to them.

The two Shadow Clone knew their mission, and as soon as they appeared, they leaped away from the courtyard to find a place to train.

"Wow, Taiichi- nii, this Ninjutsu is amazing! Can I learn it?"

Yami exclaimed in surprise when she saw the two Taiichi suddenly appear. If she could learn such Ninjutsu, she wouldn't have to worry about having no one to play with.

"Yami wants to learn? Then you must study hard! When you become a ninja, Taiichi will teach you this Ninjutsu!"

Watching the Shadow Clone disappear into the distance, Taiichi once again marveled at the usefulness of this Ninjutsu, now he could finally relax and play with the children.

At night, at the Root Base.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked through the underground corridor of Root, followed only by a white-haired Anbu Ninja holding a document.

The long corridor was only illuminated by a light every 10 meters, making the entire corridor appear exceptionally dim and yellowish.

The "tap-tap" of footsteps echoed throughout the corridor, making the surroundings exceptionally desolate and eerie, and bringing immense psychological pressure to those walking through it.

But these measures were clearly ineffective against Hiruzen Sarutobi and his companion.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the entrance of Root, Danzo was already waiting there.

"Hiruzen, what brings you to my hidden Root here today?"

These words were somewhat sarcastic, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was already harboring resentment, even angrier.

"This is the transfer order issued today. From today onwards Nonō is no longer a member of your Root."

Danzo contracted, not because of the transfer order, but because Hiruzen actually knew information about his hidden Root personnel. This was no small matter.

"The director of an Orphanage is nothing to Hiruzen, who would dare to break our long-standing understanding!" Danzo took the transfer order without even glancing at it. "The Root is the culmination of my hard work. You're just transferring people away without even saying goodbye. That's not right, is it?"

"Yes, that's definitely not good." At first, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still controlling his voice.

"So you think forging the Hokage's seal is good enough?" The Hokage roared, his sudden and powerful voice stunning everyone present.

"Splash!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the documents from the Anbu's hand and slammed them down in front of Danzo.

Documents were scattered everywhere, and one of the vouchers happened to float right in front of Danzo, who reached out and caught it.

The forged seal on the certificate, its glaring bright red, clearly told Danzo that it was a fake seal, and one that he had personally ordered to be forged.

In the dim light, Danzo's expression shifted between light and shadow. He stared at the seal on the certificate in his hand, a flicker of panic flashing in his single eye.

No wonder there was that transfer order; it turns out the Orphanage had run into trouble. But in an instant, that hint of panic vanished, replaced by a cold laugh, "Hiruzen, you're getting old; you can't even get rid of the termites in your own office—"

"Enough! Danzo!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted, "Don't treat me like a fool. Everyone knows what really happened."

"Do you really want me to send that guy you bribed to the Yamanaka Clan for interrogation?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was laced with malice. "If that happens, your position Root leader will truly be out of your reach."

Danzo's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this; this was the first time Hiruzen Sarutobi had ever said he wanted to remove him from Root position as leader of Root. Suppressing his anger, Danzo chose to remain silent.

"Submit the list of your Root unit members to the Anbu tomorrow. Your Root is ultimately part of the Anbu and cannot be separated from Anbu control."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned and left, leaving behind a remark that infuriated Danzo before disappearing into the dark corridor.

"Bang!"

The silent Danzo punched the wall beside him, the powerful force of which cracked the stone wall.

"Damn it, if it weren't for me, your position Hokage wouldn't be so secure, and now you actually want to remove me from my post."

Looking at the certificate in his hand, Danzo's eyes blazed with fury. "Orphanage, Nonō— "

"Investigate who entered the Hokage's Office today and what they did—"

Within half an hour, a detailed report appeared in Danzo's hands. Looking at the contents of the report, Danzo quickly found his target.

"Taichi Matsushita, it's you again. It seems I can't let you live!"

PS:

The author has planned this out: this section will be free. Thank you to all the readers for your monthly votes these past two days; the author expresses sincere gratitude.

Since the book's inception, today has been the day I've received the most monthly votes. I dedicate this chapter to commemorate this special day.