Keep Bluffing

When Danzo emerged from Naruto's consciousness space, the entire Ichiraku Ramen stand was already surrounded by Anbu Ninja.

Sarutobi and the other two stared at Danzo with grim expressions.

After handing the unconscious Naruto to an Anbu Ninja, Danzo yawned.

"Danzo, what did you do to Naruto?" Glancing at the unconscious Naruto, Sarutobi was so furious that his beard bristled and his eyes widened. This old bastard was becoming more and more outrageous.

Danzo grinned. "As that man's descendant, Naruto is a little too weak. I merely gave him some encouragement."

"Naruto's identity is far too sensitive. Didn't we agree back then that everything concerning Naruto would be handled by me? You should not have come into contact with him!" Sarutobi was truly enraged this time, his gaze icy as he looked at Danzo.

Danzo fell silent. Of course he knew that had been their agreement, but in order to make up for the mistakes the original owner of this body had made, he could only approach Naruto early.

If he waited until Naruto grew up and matured mentally, his approach would instead seem suspicious.

"You bastard!"

Seeing that Danzo had no intention of explaining, Sarutobi suddenly flashed forward. Danzo had not even seen him form hand seals before he was already at his side, viciously swinging a fist at his face.

Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son. Before his death, the Fourth Hokage had entrusted Naruto to him, yet he had failed to give Naruto a happy childhood.

He had already let Minato down badly. He absolutely could not allow this old bastard to cause further trouble in Naruto's life.

Smack.

Though inwardly flustered, Danzo remained calm on the surface. He raised an arm and opened his palm, steadily catching Sarutobi's fist.

His expression solemn, Danzo watched Sarutobi warily while keeping an eye on the movements around him.

Body Flicker Technique.

That speed was almost impossible to catch with the naked eye. Good thing I blocked it.

But as the Hokage, his attack strategy should not be so simple. Could the one before me be a clone?

No, they were old friends, and they were in Konoha now. Sarutobi would not truly strike at him without restraint.

His thoughts raced as Danzo considered the sudden attack before him.

He truly had not expected Sarutobi Hiruzen to attack directly, showing him no courtesy whatsoever.

It seemed Naruto truly occupied a significant place in his heart. Perhaps it was because of guilt?

If his physical abilities had not improved in every respect, Danzo would have nearly failed to react to that punch.

He had only inherited the original owner's memories, not his combat experience.

It was like watching a movie. You could watch Ip Man fight ten men by himself, but if you were made to fight yourself, it would be difficult to do the same, even if you remembered every movement.

Though he had not been an ordinary person in his previous life, battles between ninjas differed from the clashes of firearms and advanced technology from his former world. Danzo simply could not detect an unpredictable Body Flicker Technique.

Not to mention that these people might throw in a Clone Technique before using the Body Flicker Technique to confuse their opponents.

"You—"

Sarutobi withdrew his fist and gave Danzo a puzzled glance.

He had actually held back just now. At his speed, that punch should have nearly landed on Danzo. If he had not restrained himself and slowed down, this man would have been sent flying.

Danzo's heart skipped a beat. He had not expected the old man to see through him anyway. As expected of the Hokage—his battle experience and observational skills were this meticulous.

Though his heart was churning, his face remained exceptionally calm.

With a sigh, Danzo glanced at Sarutobi and said helplessly, "We'll talk when we get back."

"I'll be waiting for your explanation."

Sarutobi gave him a deep look and replied calmly. He did not linger any longer, instead taking the lead out of the ramen stand and heading toward the Hokage Building.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, standing nearby, were both puzzled about what had happened. But since Sarutobi had not pursued the matter, they did not remain either, following him away.

Watching their retreating backs, Danzo closed his eyes and considered how he should explain his strength.

In the Hokage Office, Danzo and Sarutobi sat facing each other.

Only the two of them were in the office. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were absent.

Although the four had been comrades striving together since their youth, Danzo and Sarutobi had always shared a closer relationship, while the other two were comparatively more distant.

Sarutobi stared fixedly at Danzo. "Explain your strength."

"This is the price of becoming young again." Danzo spoke helplessly. "My youth was not like Tsunade's, merely restoring my appearance. Every function of my body returned to what it was when I was young."

"You—" Sarutobi's pupils contracted. Returning to youth was a fatal temptation for every elderly person.

His heart burned with desire. If he could return to his youth...

Since the Third Shinobi War, Sarutobi had been able to clearly feel the decline in his physical functions. That was also why he had stepped down and passed the position to Namikaze Minato.

Several more years had passed since then, and Sarutobi's strength had already declined by forty percent.

Seeing Sarutobi's expression, Danzo could guess what he was thinking and could not help but laugh. "There is a price!"

"This was also an accident. After returning to youth, I thought my strength would return to its peak, perhaps even become stronger. But unexpectedly, my memories and this body became mismatched."

"This caused my thoughts to react, but my body could not keep up."

Those words extinguished Sarutobi's desire to try it.

Frowning, Sarutobi asked seriously, "Is there a solution?"

"I don't know. But I do know that my current strength is not even a tenth of what it used to be." Danzo silently formed hand seals before him.

His hand speed was as slow as a turtle's, leaving Sarutobi stunned once more. "It's that serious?"

With such a severe loss of strength, he no longer had any desire to try returning to youth like Danzo had.

"I've always told you that I no longer want to be Hokage." Danzo's heart stirred, and he decided to take this opportunity to put Sarutobi Hiruzen at ease.

"In this world where strength reigns supreme, I may not even be a match for a Chunin now."

"With strength like this, how could I possibly have the chance to set foot in the Hokage's seat? I've already given up."

His gaze was complicated, yet tinged with unwillingness.

Sarutobi's gaze was equally complicated. Along with sympathy, there was also some confusion. "Then you still intend to lead troops onto the battlefield and kill enemies?"

Danzo abruptly rose from his seat, glaring sharply at Sarutobi. "So what if I have no strength?"

"Even without strength, even if I die, I will never let Konoha submit to other villages."

"Our teacher taught me many things, but what he said most often was that I had to be ruthless and could not be cowardly."

Sarutobi felt both ashamed and admiring after hearing those words.

Just like before, Danzo had never changed.

Perhaps our teacher choosing me as Hokage back then was actually a mistake?

The thought surfaced in Sarutobi's heart without his control, a thought that frightened even him.

To explain: the memories belonged to Danzo, the body was Danzo's, but the soul belonged to the protagonist. With the protagonist's soul controlling Danzo's body, he could only perform movements from his previous life. He had not yet learned the way ninjas fought.