That night, Konoha Root Base.
"Uzumaki Kushina, Uzumaki Clan..."
In the Quiet Room, Danzo looked at the file in his hand, his face grim.
He looked at Yakushi Nonou, who stood respectfully, "What is the deal with this girl who suddenly appeared by Minato Namikaze's side? Why didn't you report it to me?"
"This... does this require a report?"
A perfectly measured hint of confusion appeared on Yakushi Nonou's face as she asked Nervously.
"..."
Danzo fell silent; he couldn't figure out if this little girl was genuinely slow or just pretending.
He threw the file Heavily in front of Yakushi Nonou and snorted coldly.
"A girl temporarily staying at Tsunade's house and close to Minato Namikaze—can't you see that her existence is an obstacle to you? If it weren't for today's accident, I wouldn't even know about this!"
Yakushi Nonou looked Bewildered: "But she hasn't stopped me from interacting with Minato?"
Danzo frowned; her reaction did not seem Faked.
Considering Yakushi Nonou truly lacked experience in this area, he could only suppress the anger welling up inside him.
"That girl is not as simple as you think. She is from the Uzumaki Clan, and she serves a very important role for the Village."
Thinking about how Hiruzen Sarutobi even kept the matter of the Backup Jinchuriki a secret from him, Danzo's mood worsened.
"The Third put that girl next to Minato to cultivate their relationship, intending for Minato Namikaze to gain a powerful ally, paving the way for him to become Hokage!"
"Mm..."
Yakushi Nonou looked lost: "Is... is there a problem with that? Minato is so kind-hearted, he will surely become an excellent Hokage, right?"
Hearing this, Danzo let out a muffled groan, feeling a surge of Frustration gathering in his chest, unable to rise or fall, making him feel terribly uncomfortable.
Yet, he couldn't say anything about it!
He couldn't just say, 'I want to become Hokage,' could he?
To reveal his ambition to a five-year-old child, even with Danzo's thick skin, he would feel ashamed... This shame wasn't due to the ambition itself, but because he deeply knew that besides his Brainwashed subordinates, even the little girl before him wouldn't think he was worthy of that seat!
This Self-awareness made his heart feel as if it were being Gnawed by countless ants, causing extreme pain.
It also compelled him to prove himself even more—to prove his ability was no less than Hiruzen's, to prove he wouldn't be surpassed by the younger generation, and to prove his teacher's choice back then was wrong!
The urgency was so intense it nearly twisted his insides!
As hokage assistant, everyone usually treated him with Utmost Respect, only offering words of Flattery.
Danzo enjoyed this feeling; the thrill of power made him addicted and unable to pull away, further intensifying his desire for the Hokage position.
However, now, Yakushi Nonou's naive words as a child dragged him back to reality, forcing him to confront the truth he most wished to avoid.
At this moment, Danzo felt his judgment might truly be flawed.
Because a smart child might have already realized his objective, but Yakushi Nonou didn't seem to be faking her idiocy... Forget it, an idiot is an idiot.
An idiot is easier to control!
Thinking this, Danzo sighed with a sense of melancholy: "The position of Hokage is not as simple as you think, nor is it as glorious as it appears on the surface. Minato's personality is not suited to be Hokage."
"His personality is too simple; he is better suited to be a powerful combat force rather than a leader."
Nonsense!
Yakushi Nonou scoffed internally but maintained a perfectly placid expression.
If Minato isn't worthy, are you?
Although she was relieved to have passed Danzo's test, the man clearly wasn't ready to give up.
Recalling Kushina's back as she unhesitatingly stepped in front of her, Yakushi Nonou made a firm resolution: she absolutely would not allow Danzo to harm her!
"Forget it, you can't understand these things yet. Just focus on your mission and don't forget your identity."
Danzo waved his hand, and Yakushi Nonou bowed and withdrew.
She felt a bit regretful for not gathering more intelligence.
However, it seemed pretending to be foolish was effective for now.
Because the Tongue-Tied Seal would reveal a Curse Mark, Danzo hadn't placed any seal restrictions on Yakushi Nonou to prevent Minato from noticing.
In his view, she was just a five-year-old child; even without a Curse Mark, he could easily control her.
But this oversight gave Yakushi Nonou an idea.
For the past two months, she had been observing Minato, not out of Infatuation, but to investigate his personality.
She couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but she seemed to sense a certain quality hidden beneath his sunny exterior.
That feeling wasn't darkness; it was more like a sense of Distance.
What she told Kushina earlier was the truth—Minato was gentle with everyone—but she truly couldn't determine how Minato defined their relationship.
Furthermore, she could sense that when Minato looked at her, his eyes seemed to hold a kind of Scrutiny.
Yakushi Nonou vaguely suspected that Minato might have already noticed something.
She strongly wished to have an open conversation with Minato, but once she chose to lay her cards on the table, regardless of the outcome, she would have no way back.
But she couldn't make a decision lightly because she still had the Orphanage behind her.
Danzo had threatened her with the Orphanage more than once.
To the current Yakushi Nonou, Danzo was a paramount figure she absolutely could not defy.
He didn't even need to do much; with a slight move of his hokage assistant authority, he could easily cut off the Orphanage's funding.
The Priest and the Fat Nun wouldn't even get to see the Hokage... The children would go hungry, unable to eat enough or stay warm.
She had experienced that life. Precisely because she had been rained on, she wanted to Hold an Umbrella for others.
What should I do... On her way back to her residence, Yakushi Nonou was Heavy-hearted. Fearing she was being monitored, she maintained an appearance of Calm Serenity.
Cooking, washing clothes, taking a hot bath, and then lying in bed to read the romance books Danzo had bought her... She was currently staying in a small apartment provided by Danzo; this was perhaps the only good thing he had done for her... "How is it?"
After a while, Danzo's voice sounded again in the Purification Room.
"The target smiled foolishly several times while reading; otherwise, there were no abnormalities."
A Root Ninja suddenly appeared before Danzo, Kneeling on One Knee.
"Could she really be an idiot..."
Danzo Unconsciously tightened his grip on the armrest of the chair, his face darkening slightly.
Because Yakushi Nonou's simple reactions conflicted with her previous Composure and Calmness, it inevitably made him suspicious, which is why he sent someone to monitor her secretly.
The result showed no abnormalities... Even if a five-year-old child was Acting, could they maintain it constantly?
But she was too simple; are all children this simple nowadays?
Danzo frowned deeply. Besides Yakushi Nonou, he couldn't find a more suitable candidate.
After some thought, he could only Attribute it to her young age.
If Yakushi Nonou is not opening up, then I'll start with the Uzumaki Clan brat!
After all, this Clan isn't down to just one person...