**Chapter 14: Danger from Danzo**
Jiraiya looked at his bargain-bin disciple before him, half exasperated and half amused as he scolded:
"You little punk! It was clearly your fault—you didn't even say goodbye to your master before sneaking off to spend the night with someone else! I scoured every nightclub in Konoha but couldn't find you. In the end, I had to ask Kakashi to learn that you'd gone off with Naruto. Do you have any idea how hard I searched for you?"
He deliberately ignored Rubik's slightly disdainful gaze, straightened his posture, and his tone turned serious:
"Anyway, to the point: Why did you get involved with that kid? Don't feed me any nonsense about clan bonds—you're not the warm-hearted type. That child's identity is highly sensitive, and with your Sharingan, someone's already got eyes on you."
Jiraiya impatiently scratched his head. Even he found that guy a real pain to deal with.
Rubik's brows furrowed slightly. The "trouble" Jiraiya mentioned undoubtedly referred to that "Konoha Pot King," "Great Bridge Guardian," "Sexy Sun Bro"—Shimura Danzo.
Danzo's existence was one of the main reasons Rubik had spent these years willingly following Jiraiya and drinking the northwest wind rather than returning to Konoha to play "Uchiha Lord."
The guy was downright obsessive. Mention "Hokage" or "Uchiha," and he'd go feral like a cat in heat—completely irrational, willing to stoop to any dirty trick. Even Pain, that big daddy figure, was his handiwork.
More critically, Danzo's strength was no joke. Unlike the Third, whose power had waned with age, Danzo—bolstered by Hashirama cells—maintained peak combat ability. His wind release was masterful, arguably the best in the ninja world.
And then there was that right eye he'd stolen from Shisui—the ultimate genjutsu "Kotoamatsukami," like a hypnosis app with no limits.
Sure, Danzo's version was inferior to Itachi's left eye: it could only temporarily alter someone's mind and was visible to Byakugan. Compared to permanent brainwashing, it was small potatoes.
But that didn't make it any less troublesome. Short cooldown, accelerated by Hashirama cells for rapid resets—it'd be a nightmare in a real fight.
Of course, what Rubik feared most was Danzo's arm full of "revival coins"—Izanagi. That jutsu was a glitch in the matrix! If the Uchiha had that, how'd they get crushed by the Senju? Total player-character nonsense!
Rubik didn't buy that Danzo would squander his arm's worth of Sharingan like an idiot against Sasuke in the original story.
The old bastard had clawed his way out of mountains of corpses; his combat experience was undeniable. That fight with Sasuke was pure plot armor—with his setup, anyone with half a brain would outperform him.
Reality wasn't anime. Assuming everything followed the script would get you killed fastest.
Though Danzo had stayed low-key while the Third was alive, Rubik wasn't fool enough to think he'd respect the old man's face and leave him alone. A lunatic who'd even try assassinating the Hokage? Who knew what antics he'd pull.
Still, if Danzo came knocking, Rubik wouldn't mind taking the geezer for a stroll. If it got dicey, he could bail to Mount Myoboku via reverse summoning. He had intel on his side—plenty of time to strike back later.
Rubik flashed Jiraiya a relaxed grin. "Handle soldiers with generals, water with earth, right? If trouble comes, just beat 'em down. Can't win? Reverse summon and run to Myoboku."
"Heh, spend a few days munching bugs on Myoboku and see if you're still talking tough!" Jiraiya shot back with a scowl.
"Alright, we'll set aside others gunning for you—me and the Third will block them." Jiraiya waved it off, his gaze sharpening again.
"The real question is: Why get close to that kid? I know you—you're not one to warm up to people easily."
After years together, Jiraiya understood Rubik's personality well.
He was friendly and approachable on the surface, chatting animatedly with roadside elders and kids alike. But if he sniffed out malice, even mid-bro-hug, a kunai would nail their forehead the next second.
Rubik might treat Naruto kindly out of sympathy, but Jiraiya knew he wouldn't see the kid as family just from pity alone.
Meeting Jiraiya's scrutinizing stare, Rubik spoke slowly:
"If I had to put it... I see my past self in that kid. Helping him now is, in a way, helping the old me. Call it self-satisfaction if you want."
It was partly a pragmatic calculation, but this was Rubik's genuine sentiment.
"Alright, I believe you." Jiraiya nodded without hesitation.
"Huh? That's straightforward?" Rubik had expected it, but warmth still bloomed in his chest.
"Because you're my disciple, and I know you." Jiraiya's tone held an unshakable conviction.
His disciple was a good man. Kind without being naive, bearing the Uchiha's prideful arrogance yet tempered by astonishing caution and cool-headedness. He harbored grand ambitions but cherished his life—no absolute certainty, no dice...
He stood apart from every student Jiraiya had ever taught. His mindset, views on peace, ideas for changing the world—they clashed with the ninja world's entrenched dogma.
When they met, Rubik was just an eight-year-old boy, but his maturity often left Jiraiya feeling like he had little to teach beyond ninjutsu. Sometimes, the kid's out-of-left-field wisdom shook him to his core, making him question life itself.
Jiraiya still wasn't sure if Rubik was the "Child of Prophecy" from the Great Toad Sage. If he was... had Jiraiya truly guided him toward peace as a master should?
Time with Rubik often sparked such self-doubt.
But one thing Jiraiya knew for certain: Rubik was a gentle, kind-hearted kid. Sure, he was cheeky, sharp-tongued, and had that infuriating "potato obsession." But in Jiraiya's heart, Rubik was his precious disciple—family, even outweighing Minato's surviving son.
Jiraiya's gaze softened into warm affection as he watched Rubik quietly. No matter what, he'd protect this disciple.
His own life was full of failures, but if even one person he cherished found happiness... his existence might hold a sliver of meaning.
Rubik squirmed under Jiraiya's lovey-dovey stare, goosebumps erupting everywhere. "Hey, you old perv! If you need a place to crash, hit the Hokage Building for a floor mat! Don't stand there ogling me in the dead of night—it's creepy!"
Jiraiya snapped out of it instantly.
*"Maybe I should let that old Danzo bastard catch this punk and give him a proper thrashing!"* he thought with vicious glee.
...
Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, staring into the deep night outside the window. Amid swirling smoke, he mulled over Danzo's parting words:
...
"Hiuzen, at any cost... keep Uzumaki Rubik in Konoha. He is our true hope... the one with the Uchiha's power..."
***