Flyers

Root Headquarters.

"What the hell are you good for!?"

Danzo tore into Nakamura Kazuya, who was kneeling below him.

"Didn't I tell you not to let them catch you with any evidence? Now several of your men have been dismissed."

"What could the rest possibly accomplish!?"

Nakamura Kazuya's expression was ugly.

"I intended to cause the Hyuga Clan some trouble, but Uchiha Natsuki suddenly appeared."

"This subordinate believes Uchiha Natsuki planned this whole affair in advance."

Danzo slammed his cane hard against the floor.

"Do you even need to tell me that? The entire Konoha is talking about how Jiraiya is nothing but a peeping tom."

"Even Sarutobi's reputation has taken quite a hit. They're saying that when the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too."

Danzo exhaled. He had to admit that Natsuki often took unconventional paths.

But the results were unexpectedly good every time. The Third Hokage had summoned Jiraiya back this time for no other reason than to put him forward as a figurehead.

Yet before that figurehead could even be established, he had already been smeared with disgrace.

With Jiraiya's reputation ruined, he could no longer serve as a figurehead—at least not for now.

As Danzo grew angry, his Right Eye began throbbing with pain again.

He had not found a replacement Sharingan. He had no idea how much longer this one could last.

Ever since that freak Natsuki had emerged from the Uchiha Clan, he had suffered setback after setback, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi had been left battered and disgraced.

There had once been people in the Police Force he could manipulate, but now all that remained was a scattered mess.

Danzo exhaled. "Choose someone capable from the people you have left in the Police Force to temporarily take over your position."

"Root needs to lie low for now. Once it has absorbed enough nourishment, it will surely break through the soil again!"

Nakamura Kazuya nodded firmly. "Yes!"

Danzo felt a wave of irritation.

The Third Hokage had already issued several orders, demanding that this place be emptied within three days.

Although Root had nominally been disbanded, it would still remain loyal to him alone.

However, his losses were enormous: funding, equipment, and the support of several ninja clans had all been cut off.

After all, Root had been openly abolished by the Hokage.

Danzo looked toward the skylight. Bright white light shone in from outside, making his complexion appear even darker. "I will return..."

Though he hated Natsuki enough to grind his teeth.

The Third Hokage still fulfilled his promise to Natsuki and disbanded Root.

When the Third Hokage released the official notice.

He and Danzo publicly broke with one another.

Danzo accused the Third Hokage of taking away Root members without authorization.

The Third Hokage condemned Danzo for refusing to give up his criminal ambitions, for setting his sights on Kakashi's Sharingan, and for having completely lost his mind. He ordered the dissolution of Root's members.

Danzo now held no official position. Under the Third Hokage's authority, the Shimura Clan could only hide away like frightened quails.

No ninja clans supported Danzo, and he had virtually no public goodwill either.

Circumstances were stronger than him. Danzo could only watch helplessly as the Anbu thoroughly cleared out all of Root.

Even some expensive equipment that could not be moved away was taken over by the Anbu.

With his Right Eye malfunctioning, Danzo could only grit his teeth and dismiss Root, waiting for a chance to rise again.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for substantially changing Shimura Danzō's life trajectory.]

Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Izanagi Technique x1

It seemed that disbanding Root had truly dealt Danzo a serious blow. Although he still had many old subordinates loyal to him.

Such a heavy setback would keep Danzo quiet for quite some time.

Long enough for the Uchiha Clan to get through this difficult period.

Now, only one person remained to be dealt with: Jiraiya.

During the turbulent half month in Konoha, Jiraiya was imprisoned, and Danzo's Root was abolished.

Regarding the previous Hyuga Clan incident, the Third Hokage sent a diplomatic communiqué to Mist Village.

But Mist Village showed no response whatsoever. The entire Land of Water had even sealed itself off.

The journey was long, and Mist Village and Konoha had never had a good relationship. In the end, the matter was simply dropped.

In the blink of an eye, as public opinion died down, Jiraiya was released from the Police Force's detention room.

Hizashi personally came to release him.

"Lord Jiraiya, your detention period is over."

Jiraiya scratched his head.

"Ahaha, Hizashi, why did you come in person?"

Hizashi appeared somewhat distant, as though he were handling official business.

"Lord Jiraiya, the Police Force is now under the Hyuga Clan's management. If something similar happens again, our Hyuga Clan will be put in a difficult position."

Jiraiya's old face reddened, and he gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Hizashi, don't worry. Absolutely not. It won't happen again."

Hizashi said nothing more. He merely escorted Jiraiya outside before leaving.

When Jiraiya stepped out of the Police Force, sunlight poured down over him, and he felt refreshed. How long had it been since he had last basked in the sun?

But he had not bathed for more than ten days, and he already stank. He needed to relax a little. That bathhouse from Last time had been quite nice.

Having made up his mind, Jiraiya followed the main road toward Konoha's Commercial Street.

But the public still remembered what he had done half a month ago.

He had not changed his appearance. His red clothes, white hair, and forehead protector bearing the character for oil made him instantly recognizable.

Women screamed and fled, while men stopped to whisper among themselves.

"Look, that's Jiraiya."

"That peeping tom who enjoys spying on bathhouses every day, right?"

"I heard he even peeped on Princess Tsunade and nearly got beaten to death."

"And he's one of the Sannin? Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Heh, Not only that. He's also Lord Third Hokage's disciple."

"I heard Jiraiya had been lustful since childhood and did this sort of thing before. But because of the Third Hokage, it was always swept under the rug."

"So that's why he was never arrested for peeping. He had someone backing him up."

The surrounding voices were not loud, but with Jiraiya's strength, how could he fail to hear them?

Many people were also holding flyers, repeatedly comparing them with Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's skin crawled. He quickly snatched a flyer away.

It clearly recorded Jiraiya's identity and all sorts of his romantic exploits.

It also detailed what he had done in the past, how those incidents had all been swept under the rug, and speculated about who had protected him behind the scenes.

It also specifically described how he liked to draw the women he spied on into his little yellow books.

Who would want the women in their family drawn into little yellow books? That was why women were terrified whenever they saw Jiraiya, while men wanted to spit at him.

Jiraiya was so furious that smoke practically poured from his seven orifices. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he raced through the streets and came across Hyuga Hayato, who was handing out flyers everywhere.

Jiraiya was utterly enraged. What kind of nonsense was written on these flyers?

When had he ever drawn the women he saw into his art collection? He was merely Collecting Materials! Collecting Materials!

When had he started liking to peep as a child? He had not understood anything when he was young. He had only started liking it after growing up, all right?

"You brat! Who told you to hand these out!?"

Jiraiya's imposing aura flared, and his head of white hair stood on end.

But Hyuga Hayato was not afraid of him. Not only did Lord Natsuki have his back, even Lord Hiashi had rewarded him.

This was Konoha. Jiraiya could not do anything to him.

Hyuga Hayato puffed out his chest. "Hello, Lord Jiraiya! Lord Natsuki said that, to prevent Konoha's female residents from being harmed again, these flyers were specially made and distributed today. They are meant to ensure no one forgets your deeds and to prevent them from coming into contact with you."

"Prevent them from being harmed!? Specially made!? Distributed today!?"

Jiraiya was beside himself with rage. Was Uchiha Natsuki trying to completely ruin his reputation?

Hyuga Hayato felt a little nervous inside, but seeing so many villagers looking over, he forced himself to stand ramrod straight.

"Please do not interfere with my work, Lord Jiraiya."

With that, Hyuga Hayato took his flyers, walked around Jiraiya, and prepared to go farther away to hand them out.

"Uchiha Natsuki!"

Jiraiya turned back, snatched the flyer away, then roared as he charged toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.