Lord Advisor, Quite the Accomplishment!

Danzo waited all night.

To be precise, he waited half the night.

After several hours passed without anyone returning, Danzo realized that tonight's operation had failed.

So he spent the rest of the night wondering how he should handle the situation.

And how was he supposed to deal with that hateful brat's accusations and questioning?

Once again, Danzo had miscalculated.

He had thought Ye Ning would be unable to wait and would immediately bring the matter up with Hiruzen, demanding an explanation. But to his surprise, nothing happened over the next few days.

Ye Ning continued going about his business in the Senju Clan Grounds, making no moves at all.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

The two Root shinobi had also vanished without a trace, as if they had disappeared off the face of the earth.

Danzo was completely baffled.

Just as Danzo was hiding in his gloomy headquarters, racking his brains, one of his subordinates suddenly came to report:

"Lord Danzo, the Third requests your presence."

Heh, had that hateful brat finally lost his patience?

Danzo smiled coldly, then strode out, surrounded by a crowd of Root shinobi.

The moment Danzo pushed open the door to the Hokage's office, his heart gave a little jump.

Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, and Ye Ning were all inside. Even Tsunade was there!

This... didn't seem to be going the way he'd imagined.

At Danzo's arrival, the Third sat with a grim expression, his pipe clenched between his teeth. He said nothing and didn't even raise his eyelids.

His unusual reaction made Danzo feel uneasy, but he kept his expression unchanged and strode in with his head held high.

At the same time, he didn't forget to glance at Koharu and Homura, asking them what had happened.

Unfortunately, they had only just arrived themselves and were just as bewildered.

Ye Ning, on the other hand, curled his lips into a smile. "Lord Advisor, you certainly kept us waiting! Still, at least you weren't the last to arrive."

Not the last to arrive?

What did that brat mean?

Who else was coming?

What was he playing at?

Feeling more and more that things were slipping out of his control, Danzo feigned calm and snorted without replying.

Seeing this, Ye Ning sneered inwardly.

Let's see if you're still so defiant in a little while, you old bastard!

After waiting a while longer, the inexplicable irritation churning inside Danzo grew stronger. At last, he couldn't hold back and asked, "Ye Ning, what exactly are you trying to do?"

At his words, everyone's eyes turned toward Danzo and Ye Ning.

Had he finally lost his patience?

Ye Ning smiled faintly, then asked in feigned confusion, "What do you mean, Lord Advisor? What am I trying to do? What could I possibly do?"

"That's what I should be asking you, isn't it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion suddenly came from the doorway.

Then the office door was flung open, and a figure walked in.

"Father."

"Daimyo?"

When he saw the Daimyo enter with a dark expression, Danzo felt his stomach drop.

Why was the Daimyo here?

Danzo's eyes widened as he belatedly put the pieces together.

No wonder Ye Ning had made no moves over the past few days. He had already informed the Daimyo!

Danzo cursed inwardly, though he didn't think much of it.

So what if the Daimyo was here?

He had only wanted Ye Ning to come over for a visit. He hadn't laid a hand on him. Even if the matter were blown out of proportion, it was still a minor issue.

Perhaps they were just using this as an excuse to make a fuss and demand some favors.

Danzo sneered, determined to see what this father and son were up to.

Of everyone present, only Koharu and Homura had no idea what was going on. They looked utterly confused.

The Daimyo didn't seem to be in a very good mood...

What had happened?

Could someone explain it to them?

The Daimyo sat down beside Ye Ning in a fury and snapped, "Sarutobi Hiruzen, I want a reasonable explanation!"

This time, he had even dropped the Hokage's title, showing the Third no respect at all.

The Third let out a heavy sigh, looking as if he had aged decades.

"Danzo, you explain."

!?

Danzo stared at him in disbelief.

What did that mean?

He wanted Danzo to explain?

Was Hiruzen throwing him under the bus?

"Third, not so fast. Before Lord Advisor explains, I have a few questions I'd like to ask him."

Ye Ning smiled faintly, giving Danzo no chance to speak. He clapped his hands.

The sharp sound rang out. The office door opened again, and a fierce-looking samurai walked in, hauling two shinobi bound hand and foot.

"I'd like to ask Lord Advisor: are these two your subordinates?"

One of the two Root shinobi had already been beaten to a pulp by Tsunade. The other was trembling, dazed, and had none of his earlier arrogance left.

Seeing the sorry state of his subordinates, Danzo raised an eyebrow. For once, he hesitated.

But Ye Ning didn't give him time to think. He spoke again, emphasizing each word:

"Are these two shinobi your subordinates?"

"They are. So what?"

Pressed in such a tone, Danzo naturally couldn't stand it. He immediately puffed out his chest and admitted it.

At that, Ye Ning nodded in satisfaction, then began to applaud.

The sharp clapping rang through the office again, making Danzo, Koharu, and Homura all frown.

"Lord Advisor, quite the accomplishment! So you're admitting that you ordered your subordinates to assassinate the Daimyo's Son?"

Admitting it?

Assassinate the Daimyo's Son?

Danzo froze.

When had he ever tried to assassinate the Daimyo's Son?

After a brief moment of shock, Danzo realized Ye Ning was framing him and exploded with rage.

"Ridiculous! Why would I assassinate you? You brat, stop spouting nonsense!"

"Now that's strange. These are your subordinates, and they've admitted they came on your orders. Are you saying I'm the one falsely accusing you, Lord Advisor?"

Ye Ning pointed to the shoulder Tsunade had bandaged. "If it weren't for Tsunade, I'd have suffered more than just an injured shoulder. Tsunade can testify to that, too. I've been injured, and I've captured the men. I have both witnesses and evidence. Are you still going to deny it, Lord Advisor?"

At that, the Daimyo could no longer contain his fury. He burst into a tirade:

"Do you remember what you promised me, Sarutobi Hiruzen? You said you'd take good care of my son! Is this what you call taking care of him—letting the Hokage's advisor try to assassinate him? Sarutobi Hiruzen, do you really think I'm just a figurehead? Sarutobi Hiruzen, do you have any respect for me at all?"

"If you dare assassinate my son today, will you dare come after me tomorrow?"