Chapter 39: One-Year Deadline
Morning.
Hokage's Office.
Bang!
Danzo burst through the door, visibly furious.
"Hiruzen, what's going on with the plan—"
Halfway through his sentence, he noticed Hokage's secretary, Chiba Huimei, was present. Danzo suppressed his rage and didn't finish.
At the desk, Chiba Huimei wore a short skirt and a tight black top, her graceful curves on full display. Her fair, slender legs and generous chest made Danzo's anger diminish slightly.
He couldn't help but feel envious.
Damn it, once he became Hokage, he'd get himself a beautiful, sexy, young secretary too.
"Hokage-sama, should I step out?"
Chiba Huimei looked to Hiruzen, who nodded slightly. She promptly exited and shut the door.
With her gone, Danzo's rage surged again. He glared at Hiruzen and demanded loudly, "Why was the Uchiha hunting plan halted?"
Hiruzen didn't respond immediately. First, he checked the room's barrier for any issues. Danzo had a bad habit of shouting controversial things in the office, which always gave Hiruzen a headache.
Luckily, his barriers were always tightly maintained.
This time was no exception—the office was soundproof, and even the Byakugan couldn't read their lips through the barrier.
"Speak, Hiruzen. Why stop the plan?"
Danzo was genuinely upset. His research into the Sharingan had reached a critical stage, and he desperately needed more Sharingan. Now, halting the plan to hunt the Uchiha—what about his Mangekyō?
He had only one of Kagami's Mangekyō Sharingan left.
The other had been destroyed a year ago despite all his efforts to preserve it.
Currently, his right eye held Kagami's last remaining Mangekyō.
If he couldn't resolve the rejection between his body and the Sharingan, this eye wouldn't last much longer either.
Without it, his power would plummet, and many of his plans would fail.
That was something Danzo absolutely couldn't accept—hence his fury.
Hiruzen, however, remained calm.
"Recently, there's been major shinobi movement along the borders with the Lands of Earth, Lightning, and Wind. The Uchiha operation is temporarily canceled," Hiruzen said.
Danzo's frown deepened. When it involved potential war, the Uchiha issue could be shelved. He nodded solemnly. "Are those nations trying to start another Great Ninja War? Mito-sama is still alive, you know."
Hiruzen sighed. "She's old now."
No one could escape the erosion of time. Mito Uzumaki, once the stalwart protector of Konoha during the last Great Ninja War, was now nearly 80 years old.
At that age, continuously suppressing the Nine-Tails with vast chakra was a strain—even for an Uzumaki with her natural chakra reserves and sealing prowess.
No matter how strong she was, her time was nearly up. The recent border activity from other nations was no coincidence—it was a test.
And Konoha had to respond forcefully. Any sign of weakness could spell disaster.
That's why Hiruzen needed to rally all of Konoha's strength. The Uchiha operation had to be halted. There was no room for discussion.
Thankfully, Danzo understood the bigger picture. He didn't press the issue.
Whatever else Danzo was—ambitious, selfish—his loyalty to Konoha was genuine. At least at this stage, Konoha's safety came first.
With the Uchiha matter set aside, Danzo turned to the Nine-Tails host.
"Hiruzen, can that girl really take on Mito-sama's responsibility and become the next Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Danzo had faith in Mito's strength and reputation—but he didn't trust this new Uzumaki girl.
The Nine-Tails' chakra was so massive that even shinobi without chakra-sensing ability could feel its terrifying pressure. It was not something humans could control.
In the entire ninja world, only Madara and Hashirama could treat the Nine-Tails like a pet. No one else.
Danzo felt uneasy putting such a monster in a little girl's hands—it was like entrusting his life to her.
"How about we restart the Wood Release revival project?" Danzo suddenly suggested, his eyes flashing.
Wood Release was proven to suppress tailed beasts. If Konoha had Wood Release users again, not only would the Nine-Tails be manageable, but the other villages' Jinchūriki would also be no threat.
And it might even solve his Sharingan rejection problem.
Danzo had already researched that Wood Release could counteract the rejection.
But he didn't dare implant Hashirama's cells himself—he was afraid of dying.
Only once the project succeeded in safely transplanting those cells would he dare try it.
Then he could keep his Mangekyō Sharingan forever.
Heh heh!
Danzo schemed inwardly. Hiruzen, however, wasn't buying it.
"Relax. I spoke with Mito-sama. As long as she doesn't fight, she can hold out for ten more years."
"Ten years is plenty of time for Kushina to grow."
Hiruzen trusted the Uzumaki clan's unique physiology more than Danzo's risky plan.
He had seen Kushina himself. Her body harbored the same Diamond Sealing Chakra as Mito.
That specialized chakra, passed down through generations of the Uzumaki clan, had become something akin to a unique bloodline limit. Not only could it be awakened through lineage, but when used in sealing techniques, it was vastly more powerful than average chakra.
Only that kind of enhanced sealing chakra, combined with proper techniques, could suppress a being as monstrous as the Nine-Tails.
"Ten years, huh…"
For some reason, Danzo felt strangely disappointed. But he quickly caught himself—that was not a feeling he should be having.
"What should we do now?" he asked Hiruzen.
Hiruzen glanced at him, tapped his pipe against the table, lit it, took a puff, and said:
"Both Root squads will now assist with intel gathering at the borders. Missions will be assigned by the ANBU commander."
"What about me?"
Danzo frowned, eyes narrowing with suspicion. Was this old man trying to cast him aside now that the Uchiha plan was canceled?
"Don't worry—I'm not dismantling Root," Hiruzen reassured him.
Danzo relaxed a little. As long as Root still stood, he believed no one was more qualified to lead it than himself. No one.
"Speaking of which… that boy I gave you—what have you discovered?"
"…What boy?" Danzo looked confused.
He genuinely didn't remember. His mind had been completely consumed by Sharingan for the past few years—who had time to think about a child?
"…" Hiruzen's eye twitched. He took a deep drag from his pipe, then muttered in a tone of irritation and disappointment, "Do you not care about the things I personally assign you?"
"Cough, cough…" That sudden emotional tone caught Danzo off guard. He wasn't used to it.
It reminded him of when they were kids—playing by the river, and he had pranked Hiruzen during his nap. That same look from back then—it made Danzo's old face blush, as if he'd done something shameful.
"Um… I'll go study him right now."
He quickly turned and was about to leave—to go back to the base and finally see what was up with that mysterious boy Hiruzen had given him.
"Wait."
Hiruzen stopped him and gave a serious warning:
"That boy is dangerous. I'll give you one year. If you still haven't uncovered anything useful by then, kill him."
Deep down, Hiruzen remained extremely wary of Li Yao.
He knew nothing about Li Yao's background. That unknown factor made him uneasy.
One year from now—regardless of Danzo's findings—he would eliminate Li Yao himself to prevent future threats.
Danzo didn't take the warning seriously. He casually replied, "Got it," and walked out.
(END CHAPTER)
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