Sakumo's Return! Danzo's Conspiracy

Lihuo straightened his posture slightly upon hearing Kakashi's words, thinking to himself, So he's about to develop the Chidori. I suppose I'm witnessing history in the making.

Kakashi continued, "The Rasengan you developed pushes chakra shape transformation to its absolute limit."

"The destructive power generated by its intense rotation cannot be ignored."

"However, the ninjutsu I want to design goes beyond that. I hope to fuse both nature transformation and shape transformation into my technique."

Hearing this, Lihuo felt inclined to offer some pointers, so he began to gently guide Kakashi.

"Have you tested your chakra affinities yet?"

"I did that a long time ago. The test paper showed that I possess all five chakra natures, with my lightning-style chakra being particularly potent."

Lihuo nodded and seized the opportunity to suggest, "Then why not develop a lightning-style ninjutsu? It should be relatively easy for you to master."

"Furthermore, lightning-style is renowned for its immense offensive power and incredible speed, which suits your combat style quite well."

After giving it some thought, Kakashi nodded, acknowledging the validity of Lihuo's idea.

Kakashi then added, "To push nature and shape transformation to their limits, I don't intend to develop a hand-seal-less technique."

Lihuo nodded in agreement, and the two began to discuss the specifics of the ninjutsu.

Drawing on his knowledge as a transmigrator regarding the Chidori, Lihuo offered numerous suggestions that proved immensely beneficial to Kakashi.

Over the following days, Lihuo balanced his own training with helping Kakashi develop the technique. It had to be said that Kakashi's talent was truly astonishing; within half a month, the Chidori had already begun to take shape.

After their training session concluded that day, Kakashi said to Lihuo, "Lihuo, I won't be training with you tomorrow. My father is expected to return from his mission."

Upon hearing this, Lihuo stood up immediately!

"Uncle Sakumo is coming back? I've missed him so much! Let's go welcome him together tomorrow!"

The next day, at the gates of Konoha Village.

When Kakashi and Lihuo arrived, they were surprised to find that they weren't the only ones waiting at the village entrance.

A large crowd of enthusiastic villagers had gathered, waiting for Sakumo's return.

"Sir, why are you all so eager to wait for Uncle Sakumo?"

Lihuo asked a villager waiting nearby out of curiosity.

But just as the man was about to speak, he caught sight of the Uchiha clan crest on Lihuo's chest. He opened his mouth, then hesitated, caught in a dilemma over whether to speak or not.

Lihuo shrugged helplessly at Kakashi.

Lihuo could roughly guess what the man was thinking: he didn't want to strike up a conversation with an Uchiha, yet he was afraid of offending one.

Noticing Lihuo's awkward situation, Kakashi stepped forward and asked, "Sir, could you tell me about it?"

Seeing Kakashi ask, the man shed his earlier reserve and said, "It's nothing major, really. It's just that while Lord Sakumo was on duty at the Cloud Village border, he captured an Anbu from the Cloud Village who had come to scout for intelligence."

"Once the news reached us, we all prepared to line the streets to welcome Konoha's hero."

It turned out the news had reached Konoha a day prior, but Lihuo and Kakashi had been so busy training that they hadn't heard a word of it.

Just then, the street suddenly surged with movement. The villagers grew excited and rushed forward in a swarm.

"Lord Sakumo! Thank you for protecting the village!"

"Lord Sakumo is so cool!"

Even the Hokage rarely received such praise, yet now, the cheers were endless.

"It seems Uncle Sakumo is truly popular," Lihuo remarked sincerely.

"He really is an excellent ninja."

Hearing his friend offer such high praise, a rare, faint blush appeared on Kakashi's face.

"It looks like we won't be able to see my father now. Let's head home and wait for him there."

That evening, Sakumo returned home, exhausted after filing his mission report with the Hokage.

The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by the enticing aroma of a meal—the handiwork of Lihuo and Kakashi.

They had prepared it as a way to welcome him home.

During dinner, Sakumo chatted with them at length. Due to confidentiality protocols, he couldn't reveal too many details about the mission.

Instead, he shared stories about the local customs and scenery at the Cloud Village border, which left the two boys, who had never left the village, absolutely amazed.

"Father, I wish to be promoted to Chunin."

Kakashi stated his intentions to Sakumo directly, seeking his father's opinion.

"I have already heard about this from the Third Hokage."

Sakumo replied without a moment's hesitation.

"No one knows a son better than his father. Kakashi, I am well aware of your strength; the Chunin Exams will not be a difficult task for you."

"However, you must remember that the Chunin Exams are not merely a promotion test; they are the best way to broaden your horizons and consolidate your skills. Therefore, you must prepare for them thoroughly."

Kakashi nodded, signaling that he understood.

Sakumo turned his gaze toward Lihuo.

"Little Lihuo, I hear you have taken Orochimaru as your master."

Lihuo recounted the sequence of events to Sakumo. After listening, Sakumo pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Orochimaru possesses formidable strength and is a responsible teacher; he is certainly a good mentor. However, he is a man who never acts without profit. You must be extremely cautious in your dealings with him."

Lihuo understood that Sakumo was genuinely treating him like a younger member of his own family, risking the offense of others to offer this advice.

Lihuo thanked Sakumo and told him to rest assured.

Afterward, the three discussed the A-rank ninjutsu Kakashi had been developing. Sakumo's mastery of the blade was godlike, and his insights into ninjutsu were equally unique.

Guided by Sakumo's pointers, both Lihuo and Kakashi felt they had gained significant inspiration.

In this way, a joyful family dinner warmed everyone present.

Meanwhile, at the Root base.

Danzo's mood was far from pleasant.

"Hatake Sakumo, you truly have a lot of nerve, daring to capture Cloud Village Anbu alive. Are you not afraid of inciting a war?"

Danzo paced the hall in anger, though he knew deep down that this was not the true reason for his fury.

The real reason was that another competitor had emerged on his path to becoming Hokage!

Looking at the reports of Hatake Sakumo's illustrious achievements and recalling the grand spectacle of the villagers lining the streets to welcome him today, Danzo could no longer suppress his jealous heart.

"Why! I have contributed so much to Konoha from the shadows! Why does he receive such treatment!"

Danzo waved his hand.

A Root member appeared from the shadows like a ghost. The dim light hitting his mask only served to highlight his murderous aura.

"Have any members of the Sand Village Anbu been captured by us in the last few days?"

Danzo asked coldly.

"Yes, My Lord."

Upon hearing this, Danzo took out a scroll. He wrote something on it, then closed it. After hesitating for a long time, he chose not to use a sealing jutsu, knowing full well the level of the Sand Village's own sealing arts.

If the seal were too advanced, they would be unable to break it; if it were too low-level, it would not serve its intended purpose.

He handed the scroll to his subordinate.

"Find a suitable excuse to release him, and have him deliver this scroll to Ebizo and that old woman!"

"Yes!"

Hearing such treasonous words, the Root member did not question them in the slightest, for they had long been trained into killing machines that obeyed only Danzo.

"Hatake Sakumo, do not blame me. For Konoha to be led correctly, I must eliminate you!"

Danzo's face sank into the darkness, leaving behind only that ironic statement.

Lihuo and the others were still far from knowing that a massive conspiracy was beginning to unfold at this very moment.

Days passed, and during this time, Orochimaru kept Lihuo in his laboratory to assist with his research.

Indeed, after more than three months of interaction, Orochimaru had finally acknowledged Lihuo's scientific research capabilities.

In his own words, he evaluated Lihuo:

"Although your practical research skills are essentially zero, your unexpected ideas always manage to provide me with inspiration."

Consequently, he officially brought Lihuo into his research team.

And today, he revealed his most secretive research to Lihuo.

"Little Lihuo, you must understand that after seeing my research, you might lose your head."

Orochimaru's eyes were filled with warning, as if he were trying to use this method to dissuade Lihuo.

But as a transmigrator, how could Lihuo not know what Orochimaru was tinkering with?

It could only be said that since he had chosen to become Orochimaru's student, he had already planned out the path for after Orochimaru's defection.