Danzo: If I Can't Do Anything About Jiraiya, Can't I Still Deal with Uchiha?

"So that stinky old man was a hero of the village?"

Naruto looked at Jiraiya with admiration. The sadness in his heart gradually faded along with Jiraiya's story, and he was now completely immersed in it.

"..."

If not for being called a stinky old man, Jiraiya would have been quite happy.

"Call me Grandpa Jiraiya, not stinky old man. You little brat, have some manners. I was your father's teacher."

Jiraiya lectured Naruto with a dark expression.

This would not do. Giving people unpleasant nicknames whenever he met them could easily offend others.

Even if Naruto's status meant he did not have to fear offending anyone.

The problem was that if he offended everyone he could with that mouth of his, people would only reject Naruto even more in the future.

"Oh! I understand, Grandpa Jiraiya."

Realizing that what he had said was wrong, Naruto immediately corrected himself. Though mischievous, he was still a kind child with sunshine in his heart.

Otherwise, after being treated like that, an ordinary child would have turned dark long ago.

"Grandpa Jiraiya, what kind of person was my father? Why have I never heard anyone talk about him?"

Children had a strong thirst for knowledge. Jiraiya laughed heartily, but his head was beginning to ache.

He was wondering whether he should tell Naruto the whole truth.

Hiding it would be unfair to Naruto, but revealing everything made him afraid Naruto would be unable to accept it.

So Jiraiya chose a compromise.

"Your father..."

Jiraiya himself fell into his memories, as if he had returned to the day he first met Minato.

"He was a genius, and also a hero of the village. He was very strong and made many contributions to the village. At the same time, he was someone who could warm people's hearts. Everyone liked to call him the Little Sun in private."

"Why?"

Why would people give someone a nickname if they respected him?

"Because your father was like you. His smile was bright and brilliant, and he could always warm others' hearts."

Is that a compliment for me?

Naruto chuckled, scratching his head awkwardly. It was the first time he had received praise from family, and he was very happy.

"Then what about my mother?"

"Your mother..."

Recalling Kushina, Jiraiya subconsciously shrank his neck and laughed.

"Your mother was a beautiful woman, though her temper was a little fierce. She was also quite famous in the village. All right, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's eat first. Grandpa Jiraiya will treat you to barbecue today."

Minato was fine, but Kushina's past involved many unspeakable secrets of the village. Jiraiya did not dare speak carelessly.

If Naruto suddenly became interested and kept digging for answers, Jiraiya would be in trouble.

"Yay!!!"

Naruto, who had been focused on his parents' story, suddenly jumped high into the air.

He had been craving barbecue for a long time, but he could not buy it before even when he had money.

Now, he could finally have a proper taste of it.

Most barbecue restaurants in Konoha were run by the Akimichi Clan. The Akimichi Clan did not care much about the so-called fox demon rumors; one could tell from how the little rookies treated Naruto.

They did not take the initiative to approach him, but neither did they reject him excessively. They would even fool around with Naruto, skip class, and sleep together.

Unfortunately, children not caring did not mean their clans could ignore it.

Making Naruto rejected by the village had been Danzo's doing. Since everyone else was doing it, if Ino–Shika–Cho did not follow along, they could easily draw Danzo's attention.

Thus, Ino–Shika–Cho could only go along with it. Fortunately, these ninja clans did not treat Naruto as badly as ordinary villagers did.

Of course, even rejection depended on who was involved.

If Naruto went to eat barbecue by himself, there was no chance of it happening. But Jiraiya had returned.

Jiraiya directly had the Akimichi Clan reserve a private room for him at the barbecue restaurant and stated that he would be bringing Naruto to eat barbecue. The Akimichi Clan would not dare utter a word of objection.

They simply said, "Please, do as you wish."

"Wow!! This is way too delicious!"

Just as Yan had said, Naruto nearly swallowed his own tongue.

He liked instant noodles and ramen. Perhaps he truly liked that kind of food, but were ramen and instant noodles really the best?

Probably not.

Naruto could eat instant noodles and ramen whenever he wanted, but could he eat barbecue?

Only if he caught fish and grilled them himself.

But how good could a child's cooking be?

It would already be fortunate if the grilled fish did not poison anyone. No one should expect it to taste particularly good.

"Eat more. Take your time, no one's going to fight you for it."

Jiraiya smiled cheerfully, grilling meat for Naruto the entire time without eating a single bite himself.

In a secluded little courtyard near the Shimura Clan Grounds.

Root members were reporting certain matters to Danzo.

The Third Hokage had declared to the Daimyo's Mansion that Danzo was under surveillance.

The surveillance was real, but it was unfortunately useless. Whether those Anbu members were there or not made little difference.

As long as Danzo gave the order, they had to obediently let Root members go out to gather intelligence and return to report it.

Even if the Anbu reported this matter, the Third Hokage chose to turn a blind eye.

To him, as long as Danzo did not leave and did not have enough manpower, gathering a little intelligence was not a major issue.

"Lord Danzo, Jiraiya of the Legendary Three Ninja has returned. He has also approached the fox demon Naruto, claiming to be Naruto's family, and even took Naruto to a barbecue restaurant."

"Since the matter with the Daimyo's Mansion, the intensity of Anbu surveillance over Uchiha has also continued to decline. All personnel around Uchiha Yan have been withdrawn."

"Jiraiya!!"

Danzo struck the ground heavily with his cane in displeasure.

Jiraiya returning at this time and beginning to interact with Naruto was not good news, at least not for him.

In Konoha, others might not be able to stand against Danzo, but the Legendary Three Ninja certainly could.

Whether it was Jiraiya or Tsunade, both could confront him head-on.

Jiraiya merely did not want to make too big a scene, but if Tsunade returned, Danzo would have a headache on his hands.

In the original story, after the Third Hokage died, Jiraiya brought Tsunade back, and Tsunade became the village's Fifth Hokage.

Danzo knew he could do nothing about Tsunade, so he remained honestly in Root without making any moves.

Because he knew very well that Tsunade would not indulge him the way the Third Hokage had.

It was not until Pain came to Konoha to carry rice that Danzo finally emerged.

"If Jiraiya wants to interact with Naruto, let him."

Jiraiya's identity was special, and Danzo could do nothing about him.

Since he could not control him, he would not bother. In any case, Jiraiya would not dare lay a hand on him.

"Find something for Uchiha to do. We absolutely cannot loosen our surveillance and control over them."

If I can't do anything about Jiraiya, can't I still target you Uchiha?

Did they think that because the surveillance had eased, they could do whatever they wanted?

They even dared approach the jinchuriki, did they?

They would suffer for it.

A venomous snake like Danzo, skilled at hiding in the darkness, was best at smearing others.

When it came to targeting Uchiha, he could come up with countless schemes.

No one had expected that Danzo, who had already been confined at home to live out his retirement, could still jump out and continue poisoning the well against Uchiha.

Yan had not gone to the Ninja Academy today because Itachi had brought his younger brother Sasuke to the Police Department.

Sasuke had begged Itachi for a long time. Left with no choice, Itachi, the doting older brother that he was, brought him to the Police Department to have a look around.