Signing the Succession Document

Konoha Hospital.

"Hah."

Early in the morning, Naraku arrived at Kushina's ward while yawning. Ever since he returned to the village yesterday, he had slept straight through until now.

In truth, given his Uzumaki Clan constitution, the slight fatigue in his body was almost negligible; he simply wanted to sleep in.

Just like last time, Naraku activated his Kagura Mind Eye to check on Kushina's condition, discovering that aside from a slight increase in the chakra within her body, there were no other changes.

"Sigh!"

Naraku let out a soft sigh. He knew he was being a bit impatient. Although Tsunade had said Kushina would wake up soon, it appeared that "soon" would still require some time.

After staying by Kushina's bedside for a while, Naraku left the hospital.

This time, after returning, Naraku did not find any sign of Root near the hospital. He knew that the Third Hokage had done his part.

Walking along the streets of Konoha, although it was early morning, the streets were already bustling with people, and the various shops on both sides had begun to open for business one after another.

In the entire ninja world, it was likely only Konoha that could boast such a scene.

During his two missions, Naraku had seen what other countries were like; whether it was the Land of Snow or the Land of Wind, they were incomparable to Konoha in every aspect.

However, it was precisely because of Konoha's prosperity that it aroused the covetousness of people from other ninja villages. Every time a war broke out, Konoha would be targeted by the other villages in alliance.

An innocent man is guilty of his own treasure.

From the perspective of other ninja villages, this was not wrong; they simply wanted to possess a better living environment.

Naraku shook his head slightly. These things were not for him to consider right now. At the moment, he only wanted to rapidly improve his strength to protect the people he cared about; as for the future, he would deal with it when it came.

As he walked, Naraku caught a familiar scent. A shop in front of him had already opened its doors and hung up its business sign—it was Ichiraku Ramen.

"Uncle Teuchi is still as diligent as ever!" Naraku smiled slightly and then walked into the shop.

"Oh, it's Naraku! You're here so early today!" Teuchi, squinting his eyes, revealed a smile upon seeing Naraku.

"You're quite early too, Uncle Teuchi!"

Because he frequented Ichiraku Ramen, they were very familiar with each other.

"However, at this hour, I might have to ask you to wait a little while."

"It's fine. To taste something delicious, waiting a little while is no problem at all."

"Alright, you'll have the signature ramen as usual, right?"

Naraku nodded. "Yes, the signature ramen."

Although he said he would have to wait a while, it was only about ten minutes before Teuchi walked over with a steaming bowl of ramen.

"The signature ramen is here. Please, enjoy."

"Thank you." Looking at the ramen that kept emitting a fragrant aroma, Naraku's appetite surged instantly, and he couldn't wait to start enjoying the meal.

In a hidden corner of Konoha Village.

Even though the sun had risen and begun to illuminate the earth, the light here remained extremely dim, with only a few faint beams of light providing illumination.

Root, an organization rooted in the darkness.

At this moment, a man with half his body wrapped in white bandages stood there, his sinister gaze revealing a hint of ferocity.

Beside him stood several masked individuals. They were all Root ninjas, and at this moment, they were all kneeling on one knee, heads bowed, waiting for Danzo's orders.

"Hiruzen," Danzo thought to himself, "I will make you realize that Konoha does not belong to you alone."

He then spoke, "Tomorrow, the Third Hokage is going to the Daimyo Palace to sign the documents for his continued tenure as Hokage. The current decline of the village is entirely of his own making, so he must not be allowed to remain in the position of Hokage any longer."

Danzo said coldly.

"Yes." The few people kneeling on the ground were like emotionless machines; even for a mission to assassinate the Hokage, they did not hesitate in the slightest and accepted it directly.

Danzo nodded with satisfaction, then waved his hand to signal them to withdraw.

In an instant, the dim room fell back into silence.

"Heh heh, Lord Danzo," a cold laugh suddenly came.

"You don't really think that those few people are enough to kill the teacher, do you?"

"Hmph, Orochimaru, you don't need to concern yourself with these matters," Danzo said with a cold snort toward the front.

"Have you prepared the things I asked for?"

"Heh heh, since it is something Lord Danzo wants, it must be prepared immediately."

As the words fell, a figure walked out from the shadows. With a cold expression and pale golden pupils, it was none other than one of the Sannin, Orochimaru.

He then reached out and handed a scroll to Danzo.

Inside the Hokage's office.

"Oh, tomorrow is the trip to the Daimyo Palace to sign the documents for the continuation of the Hokage's term," the Third Hokage's hoarse voice sounded as he looked at the scroll in his hand.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. News has arrived from the Daimyo Palace; the Daimyo has prepared everything and is just waiting for your arrival."

"Very well, I understand," the Third Hokage nodded.

"Succession documents, is it?"

"Forget it, I might as well go. There are other matters I need to discuss with the Daimyo anyway."

In truth, the Third Hokage did not care at all about such succession documents. He had remained in the position of Hokage for so long not merely because of the Daimyo's support.

However, some things still required going through the motions.

"Go and get Kaka—" the Third Hokage began, but he stopped mid-sentence. He had just remembered that Kakashi had asked him for leave that morning, claiming he had run into some trouble with his training.

Although the Third Hokage was reluctant to lose such a useful subordinate, he had agreed for the sake of the long term; after all, the strength of Kakashi's abilities directly influenced his own power.

"Go and summon Uzumaki Naraku," he said after a moment of thought.

"Yes."

Ten minutes later, Naraku's figure appeared inside the Hokage's office.

"Lord Third, you summoned me?" Naraku said, bowing his head slightly.

"Naraku, I am heading to the Daimyo Palace tomorrow to sign the succession documents. I want you to act as my guard!"

Hearing this, Naraku was slightly taken aback. He felt this scene was somewhat familiar.

Daimyo Palace, succession documents, guard.

Could it be that this is when Danzo sent people to assassinate the Third Hokage? Naraku speculated inwardly.

"What is it, Naraku?"

"Are you unwilling?" The Third Hokage's gravelly voice sounded once more.

"No," Naraku shook his head slightly. After hesitating repeatedly, he decided not to reveal to the Third Hokage that someone would be attempting an assassination tomorrow. It was not that he wished for any harm to come to the Third Hokage, but he knew that those few small fries from Root could never cause the Third Hokage any real damage.