Chapter 100: Burned by the Fire of Resentment
After the war, all the villages had made controlling their Jinchuriki a top priority. Blue Bee's overwhelming power had been a knife in their hearts. Until they had a way to counter him, they would not be able to rest easy.
They were all searching for a way to make their own Jinchuriki as reliable and powerful as Blue Bee. Only then would they feel safe, would they have the confidence to face the Cloud.
And unlike the other villages, which were starting from scratch, Konoha had the answer right in front of them: the Uchiha clan's Sharingan. All they had to do was transplant it into their Jinchuriki, and they could replicate the Cloud's method.
But some things, though simple, cannot be done. Even though they knew the answer, no one in Konoha dared to speak of it.
Hiruzen did not speak of it. The elders did not speak of it. Even the Uchiha themselves were silent on the matter.
It was a line that could not be crossed. Whoever spoke of it would be attacked by all the clans. They might dislike the Uchiha, dislike the Military Police Force, but if the village leadership were to reach for the Sharingan, the other clans would not remain silent.
There was another option: to seal the Nine-Tails directly into an Uchiha. The resulting Uchiha Jinchuriki would likely be even more powerful. But no one in the village leadership suggested this either.
The entire process of changing the Jinchuriki was conducted in a strange, secretive atmosphere. In the end, they just stuck to the original plan.
In Hiruzen's view, it might not have been the best choice, but it was the safest. Kushina had been in the village for some time and had been chosen as the next Jinchuriki long ago. As an Uzumaki, she would at least be able to suppress the tailed beast. As for how to make her a controllable Jinchuriki... Hiruzen felt that Kushina still had room to grow. With the Uzumaki clan's sealing jutsu alone, she might one day be able to use the Nine-Tails' power.
But just as the Konoha leadership had buried Mito Uzumaki and comforted Kushina, just as everyone thought the matter was settled, the eyes in the shadows decided that their time had come.
In the deep, underground base, Danzo, who had just witnessed the birth of the new Jinchuriki, returned to the Foundation.
He entered his most secret office and took out the letter he had just received. Using the unique encryption method, he deciphered the contents, bit by bit.
"Such a big appetite," he mused. "It seems even my old friend in the Cloud has his moments of weakness."
He tapped his fingers on the desk, considering the feasibility of the plan.
Between ninja, even in a transaction, things were never as simple as they seemed. He, Danzo, was not some fresh-faced Academy graduate. He had to have a backup plan.
As he was thinking, the image of Sakumo in his Hokage robes flashed in his mind, and his mood soured.
Before Hiruzen had stepped down, he had made many preparations. He had thought it was a heaven-sent opportunity, but he had been outmaneuvered by Hiruzen when he least expected it. After the matter was settled, neither of them had mentioned it again. Hiruzen had never brought up Danzo's behind-the-scenes manipulation of public opinion, and Danzo had never questioned why Hiruzen had kept his decision about the next Hokage a secret.
In the end, Danzo had lost. He had lost to the more skilled, and more popular, Hiruzen.
He had thought he could endure it. But the truth was, every time he saw Sakumo in his white Hokage robe, he would unconsciously clench his fists.
That robe, that position, it should have been his!
When his old teammate, Hiruzen, had been Hokage, he had been able to suppress his desires. But with Sakumo in power, Danzo was being burned by the fire of his own resentment every single day. It was a change he had not anticipated.
Why should a junior become Hokage, and not him? Before he had become Hokage, Sakumo had even been under his command as the ANBU commander.
He opened his eyes. He had made up his mind. He wrote a reply.
Hidden Cloud Village, Ninja Academy
The young Sabii—no, Killer Bee—was training.
Ever since he had been "guided" by Dana, he had been diligently studying the art of the multi-sword style. But he had found that his foundation was too weak to use the seven-sword style directly, so he had started with a smaller number of swords.
His teachers had tried to dissuade him several times, but...
As a student of the Ninja Academy, Killer Bee was undoubtedly a talented child, and he possessed an... inhuman... perseverance. Against all odds, he had insisted on studying the multi-sword style.
His strange training methods had also made him an outcast. Though he was consistently one of the top students, he had no friends and was often mocked by his peers.
Like now. He was training in the training grounds, and all the other kids were giving him a wide berth.
But he didn't care.
In the face of the ultimate art of the multi-sword style, such flimsy friendships were worthless. He, Killer Bee, was destined to be the man who wielded seven swords and became one of the Three Hundred Spartans of the Cloud. If he was bold enough, he thought, he might even be able to negotiate a spot among the Four Heroes of Mount Tenmoku in the future.
Perhaps this was another kind of genius, to persist day after day in something that others found ridiculous.
But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. He knew he had not yet mastered the ultimate art of the multi-sword style. So, he had to first master the basics, and then gradually increase the number of swords.
He held a sword in each hand and a third in his mouth.
"Three-Sword Style: Whirlwind Charge!"
He charged at his imaginary enemy, a flurry of slashes and spins. Combined with his decent taijutsu talent, it actually looked quite impressive.
But at the last moment, he lost his grip on the sword in his mouth, and it went flying.
"Dammit!"
Though he was a bit of a daredevil, he didn't want to hurt anyone.
The short sword spun through the air. Just as it was about to land in a group of people, a red-haired figure leaped up and caught it.
"You probably shouldn't be practicing such a dangerous and unfamiliar technique at school," Hiroto Uzumaki said with a smile as he landed.
Then his expression changed, and he wiped the drool from his hand.
Kayo, who was standing nearby, quickly jumped back, afraid of being hit by her brother's spit-covered hand. She shot Killer Bee a look of disgust. What kind of disgusting technique is he practicing?
Hiroto returned the short sword to him, surreptitiously wiping his hand on his sleeve. "What kind of technique is that?" he asked.
Killer Bee excitedly demonstrated his multi-sword style again.
"Three-Sword Style: Whirlwind Charge!"
Hiroto watched, then stroked his chin. "The human bite is strong," he said, "but not strong enough for a sword that has to withstand impact. And you could hurt yourself. Your multi-sword style has a fatal flaw."
Killer Bee was unfazed by his criticism. He had never been one to care about what others thought.
"But I can give you some advice," Hiroto said.
Killer Bee's eyes lit up.
"Look," he said, "a thrust requires less force than a slash, right? You could try holding the sword vertically in your mouth and stabbing your enemy. The handguard would also prevent it from slipping. And when you get stronger, you could even use your chakra to spit the sword at your enemy. What do you think?"
Killer Bee imagined himself holding a sword vertically in his mouth, stabbing his enemy full of holes, and then...
And then his mind went blank. He couldn't imagine anything else.
"So cool!" he said excitedly.