When Shimura Danzo asked for his opinion, Aburame Ryoma didn't hesitate. "Personally, I believe the first scenario is more probable."
"First, I don't think he could have detected the parasite. The Uchiha Clan lacks skilled medical ninjutsu or proficient medical ninjas."
"Second, we were very discreet—there were no witnesses around. So, I believe it must be the first option."
After hearing Ryoma's analysis, Danzo also leaned toward the first possibility.
After all, in the Hidden Leaf, Uchiha Yato was practically synonymous with unreliability.
Danzo said, "Ryoma, is there any way to keep Uchiha Yato occupied?"
"Otherwise, it'll be troublesome if he keeps focusing on me."
Though Aburame Ryoma was only seven years old at this time, his exceptional intelligence and abilities had led Danzo to groom him as his right-hand man.
After some thought, Ryoma replied, "We could stir up some trouble for the Uchiha Clan. Dealing with Uchiha Yato alone would be quite troublesome."
As he spoke, Ryoma's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly.
Aburame Ryoma also had a poor impression of Uchiha Yato.
Because of his young age, Ryoma had once gone to a dango shop after completing a mission.
Coincidentally, Uchiha Yato had also entered the same shop to buy dango. Seeing a child of that age carrying ninja tools, Yato couldn't help but be curious.
"Kid, what's your name?"
Aburame Ryoma replied flatly.
"Aburame Ryoma."Hearing this name, Uchiha Yato instantly perked up.
He knew this was not just a minor character in the original story.
Both Aburame Ryoma and Orochimaru had served as Shimura Danzo's bodyguards.
In other words, Aburame Ryoma possessed both high intelligence and capability; otherwise, he wouldn't have been favored by Shimura Danzo.
This also meant that Aburame Ryoma was a viable source of emotional value.
Uchiha Yato immediately switched expressions and said, "You little rascal, did you skip school?"
"At such a young age, you're already misbehaving—skipping school first!"
"If this keeps up, you'll probably tear down the houses of Hidden Leaf Village when you grow up!"
Hearing this, the dango shop owner instantly wore a look of exasperation and speechlessness.
Because standing before Aburame Ryoma right now was Hidden Leaf's number one shameless individual.
Back when Uchiha Yato was in the ninja academy, he was caught skipping class—only to claim he was helping the school test its truancy prevention measures.
Of course, despite his sophistry, he still ended up getting disciplined.
The ninja who caught him probably considered it the highlight of their career.
Aburame Ryoma, already a quiet and reserved boy, was now utterly bewildered.
He had just finished a mission and was simply enjoying a meal—how had things escalated to the point where he felt like a criminal?
Without giving Ryoma time to react, Yato immediately dragged him off to the ninja academy.
To prevent him from escaping—or using the Aburame Clan's insect-based abilities (which were admittedly disgusting)—Yato activated his Sharingan and cast an illusion: Chicken Dance Supreme.
Chicken Dance Supreme: Later classified as a forbidden illusion by the Uchiha Clan.
The victim would see a dancing chicken performing endlessly before them. The only way to break free was to learn and mimic its movements with 99% accuracy.
If the victim attacked the chicken, it would split upon taking damage, multiplying until it filled the entire world.
Damn, that was quite the psychological blow for young Aburame Ryoma.
After delivering him to the academy, Yato further embellished the story, spinning tales about Ryoma's "truancy."
How he used insect clones to deceive his teacher.
How he exploited the Aburame Clan's secret techniques to leave school, and so on.
The teacher on duty immediately demanded that Yato dispel the illusion so he could personally discipline this "truant" student.
Yato, obliging for once, canceled the genjutsu.
Once freed, Ryoma took one look at the situation and, without hesitation, confessed to skipping class and asked to be punished.
The teacher, faced with a boy suddenly bursting into tears, was at a loss—he'd never seen anything like it and didn't know how to respond.
After a half-hearted reprimand, the teacher explained the full context to Yato, and the "truancy incident" was laid to rest.
For Ryoma, this level of scolding was nothing—Root's training was far harsher.
But Yato's illusion was another matter entirely. That chicken, endlessly preening and dancing before him, was deeply unsettling.
Every time he tried to attack it, it would split into thousands more, each no bigger than a parasite.That was because his attacks were carried out by those parasites, so they could only split into that size.
What's worse, these little creatures gradually assimilated him, making him start dancing just like them.
The key point was that the dance was incredibly infectious, making it impossible to resist.
Now, Aburame Ryoma's shoulder would occasionally twitch involuntarily, as if deeply affected by that mesmerizing dance.
Currently working under Danzo, Danzo always thought Aburame Ryoma was a good kid—his abilities suited assassination and intelligence gathering.
His intelligence was also sufficient; occasionally, he could even offer strategic advice, serving as half a tactician.
But for some reason, this kid's shoulder would sometimes twitch.
This led to Aburame Ryoma losing some points in Danzo's evaluation.
Aburame Ryoma was filled with sorrow but found it hard to express! Anyone who had personally experienced that terrifying genjutsu would deeply understand the unspoken agony in his heart.
Even the shinobi from the distant Sand Village, upon hearing about it, expressed profound sympathy, saying they could relate to his suffering.
That genjutsu didn't just bring endless mental torment—it also inflicted horrifying physical pain.
You see, when someone is trapped in an illusion, every tiny movement they make is faithfully replicated on their real-world body.
This means even the slightest injury suffered in the illusory world would be reflected on their actual flesh, subjecting the victim to double the pain and suffering. Such a terrifying scenario was enough to send chills down anyone's spine!
Aburame Ryoma was one of the lucky ones—Uchiha Yato had dispelled his genjutsu before he could perform that infectious dance. The Sand shinobi, however, had all danced through it completely. It was too infectious.
Just recalling the incident where Uchiha Yato had used genjutsu on him still made Aburame Ryoma's heart tremble.
Shimura Danzo then said, "Good. The wicked Uchiha Clan—they're all the same anyway."
"This way, we can take down Uchiha Yato while also dealing a blow to the Uchiha Clan—killing two birds with one stone."
At this moment, Danzo looked at Aburame Ryoma and felt he was quite impressive.
"Ryoma, I'll leave this matter to you. Remember, be cautious and careful—don't give the Uchiha any leverage."
"As for Root shinobi, you can select a squad to be your team members. From now on, I appoint you as the captain of Squad One."
Aburame Ryoma, having received this appointment, was very happy—it represented Danzo's recognition of him.
"Yes, Lord Danzo. I will not fail your expectations. I guarantee the mission's success."