Danzo never expected that Tianyuan would actually dare to make a move against him right here in the Hokage's office.
But the kunai's flight was gone in a heartbeat. Just as Danzo was about to retaliate, Tianyuan's figure flickered and appeared directly in front of him, his right hand firmly catching the kunai.
"My apologies, Lord Danzo, but this is the Flying Thunder God Technique," Tianyuan said, stowing the kunai away.
The others in the room nodded in understanding.
That hadn't been an effect of pure speed; it was as if he had simply vanished from one spot and instantly reappeared in another. It was true teleportation.
"Good. Very good. Impressive, Tianyuan," Danzo said, lowering the arm he had just been about to raise. "You truly are a genius of Konoha."
"Alright, Tianyuan, step back," Hiruzen Sarutobi cut in.
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Tianyuan gripped his kunai and returned to Minato's side.
As for Danzo, he naturally couldn't say much more. Tianyuan had already given him a fair warning beforehand, and he had agreed not to hold it against the boy. He could hardly go back on his word now.
More importantly, Tianyuan was still very young.
Hiruzen Sarutobi could excuse it as a child's lack of propriety, but Danzo was a grown man. If he were to target Tianyuan now, it would be a blatant case of the old bullying the young.
Of course, the word "shame" didn't exist in Danzo's dictionary, and he wasn't one to feel embarrassed. However, Konoha wasn't a place where he could exercise absolute control just yet.
Aside from Danzo's lingering irritation, Orochimaru cast a singular, curious glance at Tianyuan. His nominal disciple's strength seemed to be growing at an exponential rate.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique, killing Tianyuan would be an incredibly difficult task. Moreover, Orochimaru knew a secret that the others in the room did not: Tianyuan possessed that mysterious Mangekyo. While someone like Minato knew Tianyuan had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he had no idea about the Mangekyo.
Actually, there was one other person in the room who knew Fugaku Uchiha. However, at the time he witnessed it, Tianyuan had been posing as Madara Uchiha.
Jiraiya watched Tianyuan with pride. The stronger Tianyuan became, the happier Jiraiya was for him. He knew better than anyone that in the shinobi world, one's own strength was the only true guarantee of survival.
The other ninjas in the room looked at Tianyuan with varying degrees of curiosity. Many were already calculating how to win over this genius ninja.
If Tianyuan continued to grow at this rate...
None of them could even imagine the heights his strength might reach. One thing was certain: it was best to stay on his good side, provided it didn't harm their own clans.
"Now, let us discuss Konoha's arrangements regarding the Hidden Sand Village's invasion," Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly.
The room fell into a focused silence. This was the most critical part of the meeting.
Hiruzen Sarutobi laid out the operational plans, and the group engaged in a deep discussion.
First, they had to mobilize Konoha's shinobi forces and prepare for battle. Second, they needed to scout the border of the Land of Fire to see if a large force of Suna Shinobi had appeared.
Simultaneously, they had to keep a close watch on the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Cloud Village, as they might take the opportunity to move against Konoha as well.
The discussion and planning lasted for several hours before finally coming to a close.
By tomorrow, Konoha would truly be on the move.
"Good. We will proceed with Konoha's actions as arranged. Everyone, prepare yourselves," Hiruzen Sarutobi concluded.
With that, the ninjas began to file out of the office.
The clan leaders had a lot to process. They needed to consider how their respective families should perform during this crisis to best secure their interests.
Outside the Hokage Building.
"Tianyuan, that was truly impressive. Your Flying Thunder God Technique is even better than Minato's now. You really are my brother," Jiraiya said with a laugh.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I'm the one who's actually your disciple, you know?" Minato said with a wry smile.
"I'm just stating facts," Jiraiya replied.
"Fair enough, sensei," Minato said helplessly.
"Minato, I only reached this point because I was able to study based on the foundation of your ninjutsu," Tianyuan added.
"Tianyuan, that just shows the depth of your research," Minato sighed. "You don't need to be modest. You really are incredible in this field."
"Wait a minute, Orochimaru," Jiraiya suddenly realized, turning to his teammate. "You're Tianyuan's teacher. Does this mean your teaching skills are better than mine?"
Minato was his disciple, but Tianyuan was Orochimaru's.
"Jiraiya, this is all Tianyuan's own talent. I haven't actually taught him much of anything," Orochimaru said, shaking his head.
"Oh, is that so? Well, that's a relief," Jiraiya said, looking visibly reassured.
Just then, a voice called out from behind them.
"Tianyuan, do you have a moment? Perhaps we could take a walk," Danzo said suddenly.
"Lord Danzo." Tianyuan stopped in his tracks and flashed a smile. "Of course, Lord Danzo."
No one noticed the brief exchange of looks between Orochimaru and Danzo, their eyes carrying a hidden understanding.
"Orochimaru-sensei, Pervy Sage, Minato you guys head on ahead," Tianyuan said.
"Alright, we'll see you later." Jiraiya and the others departed.
Tianyuan and Danzo began walking down the streets of Konoha.
"Lord Danzo, about earlier... I apologize for my impulsiveness with the Flying Thunder God Technique. I was a bit caught up in the moment," Tianyuan said.
"It's nothing. Are you not still a child?" Danzo gave a small, dry laugh. "Many Konoha ninjas your age are still in school, yet you already possess the strength of a Jonin."
"That is thanks to Orochimaru-sensei's excellent guidance," Tianyuan replied.
"Mmh. Konoha looks quite peaceful, doesn't it? It's a shame that this peace is likely about to be shattered," Danzo said, looking out at the lively streets and shaking his head.
"Indeed. But some things are simply unavoidable," Tianyuan said.
"Tianyuan, I would like to invite you to join Root. I wonder if you would be willing," Danzo said slowly.
This time, Danzo had come to invite Tianyuan personally. He seemed to have completely forgotten the confrontation in the office.
In reality, there was no way Danzo could forget. However, as long as Tianyuan joined Root, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be able to interfere with whatever Danzo did to him, because Tianyuan would have joined of his own volition.
"I'm sorry, Lord Danzo, but I have no plans to join Root," Tianyuan said.
"Oh? Well, that's fine. To each his own, I suppose," Danzo said, his eyes narrowing as he smiled.
"I heard that a few months ago, the Root Headquarters was destroyed by a Taijutsu expert. That kind of power... it felt very much like yours, Tianyuan."
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