Guardian Twelve

In the bustling barbecue restaurant, Danzo skillfully painted a beautiful dream.

Xiao Li, who was earnestly grilling meat for the two of them nearby, froze. These words sounded familiar to him, just like what Danzo had said when he first met him.

Danzo noticed Xiao Li's reaction as well. Looking at him, he said to Might Guy, "That's also why I introduced him to you when I first saw him."

"He's very much like your father—more like him than you, his son."

Might Guy blushed a little. He felt that he had brought shame upon his father.

"Your father became famous in a single battle, yet he only left his mark in the hearts of the people within the village."

"Don't you want to make a name for yourself, so that your juniors can proudly tell outsiders, 'I am the disciple of Konoha's Might Guy'?"

"Just like the Konoha White Fang and the Yellow Flash."

Danzo's voice seemed to carry magic, causing the two present to fall under its spell without realizing it.

"C-Can I?" Might Guy asked dazedly.

"Of course! Your father has already proven his strength! Now, it is up to you to prove to the world that this world does not only recognize the talented as geniuses. Those who strive and work hard can also be called geniuses."

"That is the genius of hard work!"

Skill Points +1

A notification window suddenly appeared before Danzo's eyes.

He was ecstatic inside, but outwardly remained calm as he reached out and tapped the air.

Main Attribute Panel

Name: Shimura Danzō.

Age: Twenty-one.

Strength: C.

Body: C+.

Speed: A.

Spirit: A.

Skills:

Strength Amplification (Not Activated)

Body Amplification (Activated)

Speed Amplification (Not Activated)

Spirit Amplification (Not Activated)

Skill Points: 1

With one more Skill Point, he could activate another skill.

He had only intended to persuade Might Guy to become his muscle. He had not expected the man to acknowledge him because of just a few words. While pleased, Danzo also began to consider the reason.

To a large extent, it was because he had acknowledged Might Duy and given Might Guy a clear goal.

Although the ninjas of this world were highly guarded, they frequently hovered between life and death. As a result, they cared deeply about certain matters—or certain people.

If something involved what they cared about, they would set aside their caution, or even their reason.

What Might Guy cared about was his father, Might Duy.

"Lord Danzo, I will do everything in my power and never betray the faith you have placed in me!" Flames seemed to burn in Might Guy's eyes.

He felt that Danzo was not nearly as sinister as Kakashi had described. Instead, he only wished he had met and gotten to know Danzo sooner.

If Danzo knew what he was thinking, he would probably laugh out loud.

Fortunately, the previous owner of this body had never sent anyone to approach Might Guy because of his passionate, upbeat nature. If he had left a bad impression, Danzo would not have been able to win his approval so easily now.

"Li! Since you have decided to follow Lord Danzo into battle, I do not have much time left to teach you! We cannot waste our time here!" Might Guy suddenly rose from his seat and shouted passionately.

"Yes! A Kai Teacher!" Xiao Li stood up as well, his blood boiling with fervor.

Being young was wonderful.

Danzo could not help but sigh.

The two quickly bid Danzo farewell and left the barbecue restaurant. Watching their retreating backs, Danzo silently swept away all the remaining food.

Since he had already sworn to lead a team into battle, even though he knew there was a high chance the war would not happen, he still had to make preparations first.

In his previous life, Danzo had experienced missions of all sizes as a mercenary and had also lived on the edge of life and death.

But compared with this kind of war, the grand scenes he had witnessed probably amounted to nothing.

He still needed to train for a while, at least until he had mastered most of what the original owner of this body knew.

After standing up to pay the bill, Danzo hurried out of the barbecue restaurant. He planned to first visit the homes of those retired Root Ninja and check in on them.

The fastest way to increase his strength was undoubtedly through the Good Person System he possessed.

Because Root Ninja often hid in the shadows and rarely interacted with others, they kept everything buried in their hearts. As a result, most of them had deep emotional flaws.

As their leader, Danzo naturally knew his subordinates extremely well.

He decided to take advantage of the remaining time to visit more Root Ninja, ask after their well-being, and win their hearts. Perhaps he could earn a few more Skill Points.

Fire Country Daimyo Residence.

Yume Ryoma, carrying Danzo's handwritten letters, was virtually unimpeded throughout the Land of Fire.

The other letters had already been delivered to their intended recipients through spies in foreign lands, but Yume Ryoma personally delivered the letter intended for the Fire Country Daimyo.

"An Anbu agent?"

The moment he approached the Feudal Lord's Mansion, a figure wearing a ninja flak jacket abruptly appeared before Ryoma.

After recognizing the man and confirming his identity, Ryoma calmly responded, "Lord Danzo has a letter for the Daimyo."

The man before him was Sarutobi Asuma, the Third Hokage's son. Born in Konoha, he had joined the Guardian Twelve to protect the Daimyo.

The Guardian Twelve were the Daimyo's Guard Team, composed of twelve elite jonin.

Ninjas capable of reaching the jonin rank were already rare throughout the ninja world, let alone elites among jonin.

Yet the Feudal Lord's Mansion had twelve of them devoted solely to protecting the Daimyo.

"Danzo?"

Asuma frowned. If the letter came from Danzo, then the person before him should be a Root Ninja.

He had not heard his father mention any recent matter that needed to be confirmed with the Daimyo.

"Come in."

Since they were both from Konoha, Asuma did not stop Yume Ryoma. Still, he silently followed behind him.

He was somewhat puzzled over what Danzo had sent to the Daimyo behind his father's back.

When they arrived at the main hall, the Daimyo, who had long since been notified, sat on a cushion drinking tea. Seeing Ryoma arrive, he pulled a smile across his chubby face.

"What letter does Danzo have for me?" the Daimyo asked.

Before Ryoma could answer, another Guardian Ninja standing beside the Daimyo shouted, "You stand before the Daimyo! Why have you not removed your mask?"

Asuma, who had followed Ryoma into the room, frowned and looked at the man who had shouted.

This man was not from Konoha. He was an elite ninja trained by the Feudal Lord's Mansion itself, and he held an inexplicable hostility toward Konoha's ninjas. When Asuma had first arrived at the Feudal Lord's Mansion, this man had often made things difficult for him.

"Root Ninja have secret identities and do not remove their masks. I ask that the Daimyo forgive him," Asuma explained on Ryoma's behalf.

"How presumptuous!"

The man was about to say more when the Daimyo waved his hand and said lazily, "Enough, enough. I do not want to see the ugly faces of these commoners either."

The smile on his chubby face became somewhat stiff. His eyes stared fixedly at Ryoma as he waited for his response.

Yet Ryoma showed no reaction at all to the humiliation the two had coordinated.

He calmly handed over the letter, then transformed into a black shadow and vanished.