Looking at the girl before him, Danzo began thinking of a way to deal with the situation.
"Special Jōnin Kurenai Yuhi, I don't care whether you're really unfamiliar with Uchiha Gen or just pretending to be. I have an important mission for you!" Danzo had no intention of caring about Kurenai's personal opinion. She was merely a Special Jōnin he'd promoted on a whim, and he had plenty of people like her in Root!
"Lord Danzo, I'm not a member of Root. If I'm taking a mission, it should come through the Hokage's office. This isn't proper procedure!" Kurenai said timidly as she looked at the sinister elder before her.
"Don't worry about that. I'll explain things to Hiruzen myself. You just need to carry out the mission I give you!" Danzo said dismissively. Hiruzen had shown his support for this by sending Asuma away. After years of working together, Danzo knew exactly what Hiruzen was up to.
"Um, but the current Hokage is the Fourth Hokage, isn't he?" Kurenai explained nervously. The Lord Third was still a Hokage, sure, but the one currently in charge and issuing missions was the Fourth Hokage. Had Elder Danzo gotten senile? What good would it do to tell the Lord Third?
Ugh, I'm so used to working with Hiruzen that I keep forgetting the current Hokage is that brat, Namikaze Minato! This is a bit of a problem. Looks like I'll have to change the plan. Going through the proper channels is out.
"Special Jōnin Kurenai Yuhi, the organization has an important mission for you. After a thorough investigation, Root discovered that Uchiha Gen has seriously betrayed the village. Given your relationship with him, I hope you'll put the greater good and Konoha first. Don't let personal feelings get in the way and ruin the village's plans!" Danzo wheedled, appealing to her emotions and reasoning.
"What? Betrayed the village? Uchiha Gen? Why would he need to betray the village? And I really don't know what kind of relationship I'm supposed to have with him! As for personal feelings, that's even more absurd! If you suspected Asuma and I had some kind of relationship, I could understand. But you're saying Uchiha Gen and me? That's ridiculous! Instead of wasting your time on this, Lord Danzo, why don't you clean up Root's intelligence network first?" Kurenai looked utterly baffled and exasperated.
"Are you doing it or not?" Danzo said darkly.
"Doing what?" Kurenai was still bewildered.
"Go and eliminate Uchiha Gen!" Danzo said, casting a sinister look at Kurenai.
"Me?" Kurenai's face was a picture of disbelief. Elder Danzo, you've got to be joking. If I had that kind of strength, I'd take out you, my brainless boss, first! Do you even hear yourself?
Had he gone blind that night, when the Susanoo had stood hundreds of meters tall? What made him think that a newly promoted Special Jōnin like her could handle a job like this? With elders like him, was Konoha doomed? Should she start looking for another village to live in?
Faced with Kurenai's look of disbelief, Danzo couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
"Get close to Uchiha Gen. Use your relationship with him and a woman's natural advantages to catch him off guard..." Danzo's one remaining eye gleamed with a look that said, You know what I mean.
Oh, our relationship? We were classmates in the Academy, that kind of relationship? We've only said a few words to each other, like "hello" and "goodbye." Then a few boys came to move some ninja tools, and that was it!
And you want me to assassinate him based on that? I wouldn't even know how to strike up a conversation! Should I ask Uchiha Gen to reminisce about our childhood? Then, while we're moving ninja tools together, stab him in the back? This is beyond ridiculous!
Kurenai quickly shook the absurd thoughts from her head. As for a woman's natural advantages—didn't he just mean seduction? It didn't matter how nicely he phrased it. Was that something a kunoichi of Konoha should do? Usually only rogue ninja or shinobi from small villages resorted to such tactics when they lacked strength. Any village of some standing disdained such methods!
Could anyone imagine a kunoichi like Tsunade or Chiyo seducing someone? They'd probably never make it back! Absurd...
Seeing Kurenai shake her head, Danzo took it as a refusal.
"Just as I thought. A woman's emotions are getting in the way. I'll have to use force. Kurama Rokumo, take care of it!" Danzo ordered the somewhat thin man beside him.
"Yes, Lord Danzo!" The man turned toward Kurenai.
Realizing something was wrong, Kurenai hurried to her feet to fight back.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree—" Kurenai had only been promoted to Special Jōnin because of the needs of the current mission. Her actual strength was only around Chunin level. Against an experienced Jōnin like Kurama Rokumo, who had spent years in Root and possessed a kekkei genkai, she had no chance to resist.
"Five Senses Manipulation!"
"Ugh..."
Uchiha Clan
"Knock, knock. Is Gen-kun home?"
Uchiha Gen was about to leave for Sunagakure when a sudden knock at the door interrupted him. The voice sounded like a woman's. He didn't think he had any female friends in Konoha. The only person he was even somewhat familiar with was Kushina.
Could it be Kushina?
"I'm here. Who is it?" Uchiha Gen hurriedly stopped preparing the Spirit Transformation Seal and went to open the door.
Huh? Kurenai? Why was it her? He didn't think they were particularly close. Uchiha Gen was surprised.
"Gen-kun, are you free today? I have two tickets to Princess Gale Prequel. Would you like to come see it with me?" Kurenai asked, looking a little bashful.
"Hm? Princess Gale Prequel? Yukie Fujikaze?" Hearing the name reminded Uchiha Gen of the Princess Gale movie he'd seen in his previous life. Had Kakashi already brought Kazahana Koyuki back from the Land of Snow? The timing should be about right.
Looks like I'll have to make some careful plans regarding this little princess! Aside from her uncle, Kazahana Dōtō, she's the only heir in line to the throne of the Land of Snow. In other words, whoever marries her gets the Land of Snow as a wedding gift. My wife, the empress? You know the drill!
Given the Ninja World's distorted political landscape, shinobi couldn't seize a daimyo's position. Otherwise, the daimyos of other countries would join forces against them, setting off a chain reaction. It was another version of holding the emperor hostage to command the lords. The emperor himself had no real power, but his position provided a claim of legitimacy and gave him leverage over the various lords.
If Konoha killed its daimyo and took power, the daimyos across the Ninja World would panic and unite to purge the court and execute the traitors. No matter their motives, the shinobi villages of other countries wouldn't pass up such a golden opportunity. In the Ninja World, a shinobi who tried to kill a daimyo and take his place would be making an enemy of the entire old order.
As for Hanzo of the Land of Rain, although he was the leader of the Land of Rain, he hadn't declared himself daimyo. His position was still that of the leader of Amegakure. One could say that the Land of Rain temporarily had no daimyo; even if it eventually got one, it wouldn't be Hanzo. There was a big difference between the two!