Danzo: My Root Doesn't Take In Useless People

Kawaki Aoba left the Hokage's office, returning home under the guidance of his two companions, having secured a scroll detailing sensory ninjutsu from the Hokage before his departure.

On the way home, the three of them remained remarkably quiet. Kawaki Aoba was reflecting on the cruelty of the ninja world; even outside the battlefield, those defined as tools were far from safe.

This was especially true when caught in the crossfire of higher-level power struggles. A simple scheme and confrontation had resulted in the senseless loss of an elite jonin—a man who, as a bodyguard to a Hyuga Main Family elder, was certainly of elite jonin caliber.

Although the man's death was largely due to the stupidity of the Hyuga Second Elder, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had already given him a chance, a loss was a loss. That was a precious elite jonin, after all.

A vassal's vassal is not my vassal. Kawaki Aoba figured that must have been what Sarutobi Hiruzen was thinking.

It was a pity, though; even if Kawaki Aoba wanted to become Sarutobi Hiruzen's subordinate now, the man might not necessarily accept him.

As for his classmate friendship with Sarutobi Asuma? Don't make him laugh. Without demonstrating sufficient value, Kawaki Aoba was not only replaceable but had already become a burden to him.

A sense of urgency rose in Kawaki Aoba's heart; he had to become stronger, and quickly.

The silence of his two companions, who had witnessed this cruel—though not quite grand—confrontation, suggested it had left a significant impact on them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't avoided them, but rather let them witness the entire process, likely intending to give his youngest son a lesson. As for Yuhi Kurenai, she was probably just an incidental observer, permitted by Yuhi Shinku.

As ninjas, learning about the cruel realities of the world early on was not necessarily a bad thing, provided they weren't like those children thrown onto the battlefield who suffered psychological trauma from witnessing too much death.

Back in the Hokage's office, after dismissing the three children, Yuhi Shinku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and a special jonin squad took the hint and departed, leaving the spacious office to the two old friends.

The Hyuga bodyguard, whose brain had been damaged in the accident, had already been carried out, waiting for the Hyuga Clan to send someone to retrieve him.

By now, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo had each received reports from the Anbu and Root.

Sarutobi Hiruzen maintained his usual calm, seemingly indifferent to Kawaki Aoba's Byakugan.

Shimura Danzo, however, did not look pleased. Having coordinated so perfectly with Kawaki Aoba, he had assumed his Root operatives had handled the matter flawlessly.

To his surprise, his men had arrived a step too late; the Byakugan had already been consumed by that brat.

"Hmph, to waste a pair of Byakugan like that—utterly foolish." Danzo did not doubt the authenticity of the intelligence; he trusted his Root scouts implicitly and could not believe a brat could hide those eyes right under their noses.

"For someone so young to think the same way you did, and to have the resolve to gouge out his own eyes, that is already quite impressive. There is no need to ask for too much," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, offering a fair assessment.

Ever since he first took notice of Kawaki Aoba near his graduation, he had liked the boy from the bottom of his heart. Whether it was his talent as a ninja or his cautious way of thinking, he saw him as the best potential right-hand man for Sarutobi Asuma.

Especially given his recent reactions, he couldn't find a single fault in the boy.

If Kawaki Aoba could truly grow to that level, he wouldn't even mind giving the boy the position of Hokage Advisor, but...

"What a pity." Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe again and lit the tobacco.

Glancing at Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes suddenly brightened, and he probed, "Danzo, you saw Aoba's performance just now; I don't need to mention his excellence again. You also know of his talent as a ninja. Although he has lost his eyes, with careful cultivation, he would be a rare talent."

By being so blunt, Sarutobi Hiruzen's intention was simple: he wanted Kawaki Aoba to join Root. This would allow Kawaki Aoba to survive while letting Danzo draw the full ire of the Hyuga Clan.

Taking it from eighty or ninety percent to a full hundred.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's plan was sound, but Danzo was no fool.

"Having lost his eyes, that brat is a cripple. Finding compatible eyes is no easy task. Our Anbu has too much to do; we don't have the time to waste finding eyes for that brat."

"Besides, haven't you already given him a scroll of sensory ninjutsu? With his talent, becoming an excellent sensory ninja shouldn't be a problem." Danzo was talking complete nonsense.

In the forty-three years since the Hidden Leaf Village was founded, there had been ninjas who went blind due to accidents and managed to scrape by using sensory ninjutsu, but the idea of relying on it to return to being a ninja capable of taking regular missions was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Shimura Danzo was also very clear-headed. There was a difference between offending the Hyuga Clan to extract benefits that would make them wince, and offending them to the point of death or inciting deep-seated hatred.

If they schemed against the Hyuga Clan like this without letting them vent, it would truly turn into a blood feud.

Of course, if it were the Uchiha Clan, that would be a different story.

Though the two old friends had their differences, their conversation remained cordial. After all, thanks to the existence of a certain Second Elder, the toughest part of the bone had already been gnawed away. They only needed to wait for the true power-holders of the Hyuga Clan to return before they could strike.

The process of dividing a cake is always pleasant for the beneficiaries, provided no one's table manners are too unsightly.

But for the one being treated as the cake to be divided, it was unlikely to be a pleasant experience.

The situation was indeed exactly that.

"Bastards! Bastards! All of them are damned wretches! Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and that bootlicker Yamanaka Inoichi—who do you think you are? Even if your pathetic Ino-Shika-Cho trio were tied together, you wouldn't have the qualifications to stand on equal footing with our Hyuga Clan! Who gave you the gall to humiliate this old man like this?"

"The most damnable one is that brat! As a member of the Hyuga Clan, how dare you defy me? If I let you continue to live, what face would I have left to remain in the Hidden Leaf..."

Inside a luxurious mansion within the Hyuga compound, a series of furious roars echoed incessantly, punctuated by the sound of various objects being smashed against the floor.