"Danzo, we have known each other for many years. Why would you make such a malicious assumption about me?"
"Then let me see Naruto again. I promise I won't do anything outrageous. I just want to talk to him."
"No, Naruto doesn't want to see you."
"I don't believe it. Although I haven't seen him all these years, I know he has been practicing the Wind Release ninjutsu I taught him. That child has me in his heart."
Danzō Shimura spoke with heartfelt sincerity, but Hiruzen Sarutobi remained unmoved.
"Danzo!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly, his expression slightly cold. "I am the Hokage!"
"As long as I am alive, you cannot see Naruto."
Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo flew into a rage, glaring indignantly at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Bang!
As soon as he finished speaking, the cane in his hand broke, leaving a deep crater in the ground.
Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored all of this and turned to leave.
Only Shimura Danzo remained, his face clouded with gloom.
...
Outside Sakura Haruno's house.
"Sakura, come out quickly. I've borrowed the Scroll of Seals for you."
Naruto Uzumaki called out to Sakura Haruno, holding the Scroll of Seals.
"Naruto, did you really borrow the Scroll of Seals?"
Sakura Haruno's face lit up with joy when she saw the Scroll of Seals in Naruto Uzumaki's hand.
"Of course. Go ahead and take a look!" Naruto Uzumaki handed the Scroll of Seals to Sakura Haruno. "I have to return it to Grandpa Hokage tomorrow morning!"
Sakura Haruno nodded repeatedly, her excitement evident in her voice.
This was what Teacher Mizuki meant by the hope of becoming stronger.
It would allow her to catch up to Naruto and Sasuke using the Scroll of Seals.
"Okay, Naruto, I'll go back to my room and do some research first. You..."
Sakura Haruno hesitated for a moment, unsure how to continue.
It didn't seem right to just kick him out, but if she invited him into her home, the whole family would live in fear.
"Naruto, it's been a long time. How are you?"
At the crucial moment, Danzō Shimura's voice suddenly rang out from behind Naruto Uzumaki.
The sound made Naruto Uzumaki's body tremble slightly.
Five years!
He had never heard that voice again since the Uchiha clan was wiped out.
However, he always remembered in his heart the person who had been so kind to him, but then suddenly tore off his mask of hypocrisy and treated him like a human being—Danzō Shimura.
"Grandpa Danzo, it's been a long time," Naruto Uzumaki said after calming himself down.
"Would you like to walk with me for a bit?"
Seeing that Naruto still called him Grandpa Danzo, a hint of joy flashed in Shimura Danzo's eyes.
My efforts back then did have an effect.
Naruto Uzumaki still had him in his heart.
"Agree with him!" Seeing Naruto hesitate, Black Zetsu quickly said. "We need to give Mizuki the opportunity to seize the Scroll of Seals. In addition, Danzo can help you with an alibi."
As long as Naruto Uzumaki wasn't there when the Scroll of Seals was stolen, and with Danzō Shimura as a witness, even Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't blame him for the incident.
"Okay." Naruto nodded, a happy expression on his face. "I also have a lot to say to Grandpa Danzo."
"Sakura, you should stay home and study the Scroll of Seals carefully. I'll come back to get it tomorrow."
After saying goodbye to Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki left with Danzō Shimura.
"The Scroll of Seals?"
Danzō Shimura's gaze lingered on Sakura Haruno for a moment, pondering whether he should start with this girl to regain Naruto Uzumaki's trust.
After Naruto Uzumaki and Danzō Shimura left, Mizuki, who was hiding in the shadows, couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
This was a golden opportunity! With no one guarding Sakura Haruno, wasn't this the perfect time for him to seize the Scroll of Seals?
"Naruto Uzumaki, I really have to thank you, you fox spirit. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to obtain the Scroll of Seals so easily."
In his excitement, Mizuki had already planned his escape route in his mind.
Despite being known as the greatest ninja village in the ninja world, Konoha had many strong ninjas within its borders.
However, the village's screening of people entering and leaving was quite lax.
For someone like Mizuki, who had been in Konoha for nearly thirty years, sneaking out of the village unnoticed was incredibly easy.
...
On the other hand,
Danzō Shimura led Naruto to a lakeside, the very spot where the two of them used to fish.
"I heard from Hiruzen that you've already mastered the Nine-Tails' power?"
After handing one of the fishing rods to Naruto Uzumaki, Danzō Shimura asked casually.
"Yes, I won't go berserk anymore." Naruto Uzumaki took the fishing rod and nodded, saying, "I'm sorry for the harm I caused to the village and Grandpa Danzo in the past."
Naruto suddenly apologized, catching Danzo off guard.
"That's all in the past." Shimura Danzo waved his hand and looked at Uzumaki Naruto. "Do you... still hate me?"
"At the time, I was so worried that you would make a mess of the village, which was why I was so ruthless towards you…"
Danzō Shimura wanted to explain his actions back then.
However, before he could finish speaking, Naruto Uzumaki interrupted him with a smile.
"Grandpa Danzo was the best person to me. I will never forget him." Naruto Uzumaki shook his head and said, "Let bygones be bygones!"
Seeing that Naruto was so understanding, Danzo was surprised, but his anxiety gradually subsided.
However, what he didn't know was that Naruto Uzumaki had added in his mind, "Anyway, in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, I will create a Danzo grandpa who is truly good to me."
It was a dark and windy night. An old man and a young boy fished by the lake, which seemed quite out of place, but the two of them enjoyed themselves immensely, occasionally bursting into happy laughter.
Whether the laughter was genuine or feigned, no one knew, but on the surface they appeared to be in perfect harmony.
"Naruto, could you share some of the chakra you gave to Hiruzen with me?"
Danzō Shimura, who thought he had resolved his issues with Naruto Uzumaki, finally revealed his wolfish ambitions at the moment of parting.
Nine-Tails Chakra!
That was precisely why he reconnected with Naruto.
Whatever Hiruzen Sarutobi had, he must have too.
Otherwise, how could he compete for the Fifth Hokage position?
"I'm sorry, Grandpa Danzo. The Nine-Tails' seal hasn't been broken yet, and that's all the chakra I can share."
"Once the seal is broken, I will definitely share the Nine-Tails' chakra with Grandpa Danzo."
Naruto Uzumaki spread his hands in a somewhat helpless manner.
"It's just a mere Eight Trigrams Sealing Style. If you can control the Nine-Tails Fox, I can easily break it for you."
Danzō Shimura's eyes flickered as he stared at Naruto Uzumaki's abdomen and spoke.
Danzō was also an expert in sealing techniques; he even had the Reverse Four Symbols Seal inscribed on his own body.
Just as Naruto was about to speak, a masked ninja suddenly appeared.
"Lord Danzo, someone has stolen the Scroll of Seals and escaped from Konoha!"
...
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