Bennu, Go Fetch Tang Seng and His Disciples

Danzo stared at the young woman before him, his mind already calculating a strategy.

"Special Jōnin Kurenai Yuhi, I don't care if you are truly unfamiliar with Uchiha Gen or are merely pretending to be; there is an important mission that must be entrusted to you!" Danzo had no intention of considering Kurenai's personal opinion. After all, she was merely a Special Jōnin he had promoted on a whim; his Root had plenty of such disposable pawns.

"My Lord Danzo, I am not a member of Root. If I am to accept a mission, it must be issued through the Hokage. What you are doing is against protocol!" Kurenai looked at the sinister-looking elder and spoke with a weak, hesitant voice.

"Rest assured, I will handle Hiruzen. You only need to focus on completing the mission assigned to you!" Danzo said dismissively. He knew that by the way Hiruzen had sent Asuma away, the Third Hokage supported this matter. As teammates who had worked together for years, Danzo knew exactly what Hiruzen was thinking the moment he shifted his weight.

"Um, but the current Hokage is the Fourth, isn't he?" Kurenai explained nervously. Although the Third Hokage was still a Hokage, the one currently governing and issuing missions was the Fourth. Was Elder Danzo getting senile? What was the point of talking to the Third?

Damn it, Danzo thought. I'm so used to working with Hiruzen that I keep forgetting the current Hokage is that brat, Namikaze Minato. This was a bit troublesome; it seemed he would have to change his plans, as the official route was clearly not an option.

"Special Jōnin Kurenai, the organization has an important mission for you. Extensive investigation has revealed that Uchiha Gen is guilty of serious treason against the village. Given your relationship with him, I hope you will prioritize the big picture and the safety of Konoha over petty personal feelings, lest you ruin the village's grand plans!" Danzo attempted to manipulate her with a mix of emotional appeal and logic.

"What? Treason? Uchiha Gen? He needs to commit treason? And what relationship? I truly don't know what kind of relationship I have with Uchiha Gen! My Lord Danzo, as for 'personal feelings,' that is utterly ridiculous! If you were guessing about Asuma, I could understand, but saying that about me and Uchiha Gen? That is beyond absurd! If you have the time for this, why not spend it cleaning up Root's intelligence network instead?" Kurenai was left completely stunned and speechless.

"Are you going to do it or not?" Danzo asked, his face darkening.

"Do what?" Kurenai was still reeling in confusion.

"You are to... eliminate Uchiha Gen!" Danzo looked at Kurenai with a sinister, ruthless gaze.

Me? Kurenai felt like a fish out of water. Elder Danzo, this joke of yours is truly pathetic. If I had that kind of strength, I'd rather eliminate you, my brain-dead superior, first! Do you even hear yourself?

Did you go blind during that Susanoo display of several hundred meters that night? What makes you think a newly promoted Special Jōnin like me could take on a job like that? If Konoha has elders like this, it's doomed! Should I start looking for an opportunity to move to another village?

Faced with the look of pity Kurenai gave him—as if he were suffering from a mental illness—even Danzo couldn't help but blush.

"You are to approach Uchiha Gen, and by utilizing your relationship and your advantages as a woman, strike when he least expects it..." A look that suggested 'you know what I mean' flickered in Danzo's remaining eye.

Ha, our relationship? The relationship of elementary school classmates? We've spoken a total of a few sentences, right? 'Hello'? 'Goodbye'? 'Hey, you boys, come help move the ninja tools'? That's it!

You want me to assassinate him based on that? I wouldn't even know how to start a conversation! Should I ask Uchiha Gen to reminisce about our childhood? Should I stab him in the back while we're moving ninja tools? This is beyond ridiculous!

Kurenai shook her head vigorously to clear away the unrealistic thoughts. As for her 'advantages as a woman'? Wasn't that just honey-trapping? To put it so elegantly—was this really something a Konoha kunoichi should be doing? Usually, only rogue ninjas or those from small, weak villages resorted to such tactics! Any respectable, larger village would disdain such methods.

Could one imagine kunoichi like Tsunade or Chiyo using honey-traps? They'd likely be killed before they even got close. It was absurd.

Seeing Kurenai shake her head in refusal (or so Danzo interpreted it)...

"As expected, the sentimentality of a female ninja is at work. I'll have to use force. Kurama Rokumo, it's up to you!" Danzo commanded the slightly frail-looking man beside him.

"Yes, My Lord Danzo." The man turned to look at Kurenai upon hearing the order.

Realizing something was wrong, Kurenai tried to stand up and resist.

"Demonic Illusion: Tree..." Kurenai was, after all, only a Special Jōnin promoted due to current mission requirements; her actual strength was only at the level of a Chūnin. Facing a veteran Jōnin like Kurama Rokumo, who had spent years in Root and possessed bloodline abilities, she had absolutely no power to resist.

"Five Senses Manipulation."

"Ah..."

Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Knock, knock. Is Gen-kun home?"

Uchiha Gen, who was just preparing to depart for Sunagakure, was interrupted by the sudden knocking. Judging by the voice, it was a woman? He didn't seem to have any female friends in Konoha. The only one he was even vaguely familiar with was Kushina.

Could it be Kushina?

"I'm here. Who is it?" Uchiha Gen quickly halted the Spirit Transformation Seal he had been preparing and went to open the door.

Hmm? Kurenai? Why is it her? I don't seem to be close with her at all, Uchiha Gen thought, feeling quite surprised.

"Gen-kun, are you free today? I have two tickets to the Princess Gale Prequel movie. Would you like to go watch it with me?" Kurenai looked at Uchiha Gen with a hint of awkwardness.

Hmm? Princess Gale Prequel? Yukie Fujikaze? Hearing the name, Uchiha Gen suddenly recalled the Princess Gale movie from his past life. Had Kakashi already brought Koyuki Kazahana back from the Land of Snow? This must be that exact timeframe.

It seems I need to plan carefully regarding this little princess. After all, besides her uncle, Dotō Kazahana, she is the only remaining heir to the Land of Snow. That means whoever marries her gets the Land of Snow as a dowry. My wife is an empress? Those who know, know.

Given the distorted structure of the Ninja World, ninjas could not seize the position of a Daimyo, or they would trigger a chain reaction and be attacked by the Daimyos of other nations. It was a version of 'holding the Emperor hostage to command the vassals'—the Emperor himself was useless, but he held the moral authority to restrain the various lords.

If Konoha were to kill a Daimyo and take the throne, every Daimyo in the Ninja World would feel threatened and unite to 'cleanse the court and punish the rebels.' Other ninja villages, regardless of their motives, would not pass up such a perfect opportunity. In this world, a ninja attempting to kill a Daimyo and ascend to power was essentially declaring war on the entire old order.

As for Hanzo of the Land of Rain? Although Hanzo was the leader of the Land of Rain, he had never declared himself the Daimyo. His title remained the leader of Amegakure. It could be understood that the Land of Rain temporarily had no Daimyo, and even if it did in the future, it wouldn't be Hanzo. The distinction was significant.