The spacious Hokage's office was shrouded in an inexplicably oppressive atmosphere.
Facing the Third Hokage's fury, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura wore grim expressions.
Still, they were just as displeased with Danzo's secret maneuvering.
"Hmph, Sarutobi, you really have lost the edge you had in your youth," Danzo snorted, his tone noticeably softening.
All this time, no matter what he did behind the scenes, Sarutobi Hiruzen had always seen through him.
He had even made several attempts to claim the Hokage's position, only to lose to Sarutobi Hiruzen each time.
If not for their old friendship, and the fact that Danzo's intentions were to protect Konoha, Root Division would have ceased to exist long ago.
"Don't worry. The people I sent this time aren't from Konoha. They're rogue ninja. Whatever happens, they won't know who I am," Danzo said gravely.
"If they fail, Uchiha Qin Yu will only assume another hidden village was responsible. After all, he's been drawing plenty of attention lately."
Leaving those words behind, Danzo turned and walked away.
Watching the office door close, the Third Hokage couldn't help rubbing his throbbing temples.
"Sarutobi, what are you going to do now?" Mitokado Homura asked.
Utatane Koharu remained silent, simply watching the Third Hokage.
They knew that Danzo's words were already the greatest concession he was willing to make.
As for what happened in the end, that depended entirely on the Third Hokage's decision.
"That Danzo really is a headache," the Third Hokage sighed helplessly.
"Send someone to notify Minato. There are rogue ninja in the Land of Fire. Tell him to be careful."
In the Third Hokage's eyes, Danzo's actions were motivated by concern for Konoha's safety.
Besides, all they knew was that Danzo had used certain means to contact some rogue ninja.
No one knew who these rogue ninja were.
So there was no way to stop them.
The only thing they could do was notify Minato Namikaze and tell him to stay alert.
If Uchiha Qin Yu made it back alive, that would be a testament to his strength.
If he was assassinated along the way, then it was simply fate.
"Sarutobi's right. This is all we can do for now," Mitokado Homura agreed with a nod. "The situation in the Land of Fire is unstable, and the Land of Earth's offensive and troop movements have changed as well."
"It looks like this two-year war of attrition is about to end. Once Minato reaches Konoha, we'll have him lead his squad to the Land of Earth for one final mission."
Outside.
As soon as Danzo left the Hokage office building, Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune emerged from the shadows.
"Danzo-sama, did things go smoothly?" Yamanaka Fu asked impatiently.
"You have to help me avenge my father."
Yamanaka Tatsuya was Yamanaka Fu's father, as well as Danzo's most capable subordinate.
When he heard that Yamanaka Fu had nearly been killed by Uchiha Qin Yu, Yamanaka Tatsuya had volunteered to step in and vent his anger.
But they had never imagined that he would not only fail to get his revenge, but lose his life as well.
"Fu, don't worry. The rogue ninja I contacted this time belong to a declining clan. Among them is a monster who has been around for a long time. With him taking action, that kid won't stand a chance, no matter how strong he is. He's always been so low-key, so he must lack plenty of combat experience," Danzo said with a cold laugh.
Yamanaka Fu's expression froze. "Danzo-sama, do you mean that monster who's been appearing on battlefields and carrying out assassination contracts?"
Aburame Torune, who had remained silent until then, went pale.
If Danzo had really hired that legendary figure, Uchiha Qin Yu was as good as dead.
Even at full speed, the journey from Konoha to the outpost would take at least four days.
Minato Namikaze was eager to return to Konoha and assess the situation, so he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave early.
Minato Namikaze had offered to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to take them with him, too.
But Qin Yu had refused.
The Flying Thunder God Technique wasn't that different from Sasuke's later space-time leaps with the Rinnegan.
However, Sasuke could use the Rinnegan to open portals to any location.
Minato Namikaze could only jump between Flying Thunder God Seals.
And the more people he brought along, the greater the strain on his chakra and mental energy.
Even the distance he could cover with a space-time leap would shrink.
So Qin Yu had refused.
"Qin Yu, there's a Post Station up ahead. Why don't we rest here for a while?" Gekko Hayate asked timidly.
Throughout the journey, Gekko Hayate had made sure to keep his distance from Qin Yu.
But after days on the road, he was starting to struggle. The Post Station was only twenty li from Konoha, but he still couldn't help making the suggestion.
"Qin Yu, we're already near Konoha's security perimeter. We should take a short rest," Uzuki Yugao said, wiping the sweat from her brow. She looked exhausted, too.
If Uzuki Cangwu knew that, on the way back he'd been so eager to travel, Uzuki Yugao and Qin Yu had done something secret together, and that they'd spent all their time rushing along the road instead, he probably wouldn't know how to react.
Qin Yu stopped first and landed in front of the Post Station. He looked at the caravan inside and smiled playfully.
"Let's go. It's lively in there. We might find a pleasant surprise."
His cryptic remark left Uzuki Yugao puzzled, but Gekko Hayate had already dashed inside.
"Boss, bring me a pot of tea and three servings of dango!" Gekko Hayate called out. Then he remembered that Gekko Kuro Yoru had told him to defer to Uchiha Qin Yu this time.
Seeing Uchiha Qin Yu stride inside, he hastily added, "I ordered the dango for you guys."
Looking at Gekko Hayate's crestfallen face, Qin Yu smiled and shook his head. "You can have it. I'm not hungry."
"Your tea and dango are ready, guests." An old man with a weathered face came out of the kitchen.
"Young man, I suggest you try the dango at our Post Station. The caravans passing through always go out of their way to stop here, no matter how far they are from us. Once you've tasted them, you'll definitely come back."
"Are they really that good? I've never heard of anything like that before," Uzuki Yugao said, her eyes lighting up.
Unlike Qin Yu, they weren't freakishly tough, and this was their first long-distance mission.
After all that travel, their stomachs were already growling.
Hearing the old man praise the dango so highly, she couldn't resist picking one up and putting it in her mouth.
"Enough. Don't eat the dango. Everyone's watching you," Qin Yu said suddenly, grabbing Uzuki Yugao's hand.
The sudden gesture caught Uzuki Yugao off guard. Her cheeks flushed red, and she said, "Qin Yu, there are so many people here. Hurry up and let go of my hand."
Looking at Uzuki Yugao's bashful expression, Qin Yu rolled his eyes helplessly.
She'd jumped to the wrong conclusion so quickly.
The people of the Naruto world really were poisoned by premature thinking!
Before you continue