Chapter 243: Baby Boom
When Danzo entered the Hokage’s Office, Orochimaru and the Fox were still there, and Kiiroinu was too.
“Danzo is here.” Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a very good mood: “Orochimaru, tell the Danzo Advisor about the Hidden Cloud Village mission again.”
Orochimaru said: “Yakushi Nonou is a good intelligence agent.
She obtained the shift change intelligence for the Hidden Cloud Village’s outer sentries and planned a route for us.
The Danzo Advisor once had me develop an illusionary secret medicine against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and I tested it on Buruubi. It was very successful.”
Yoru gasped, and Orochimaru just casually said that Danzo had conspired against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?
He slightly rolled his eyes and found that no one in the office was particularly shocked.
He thought he had already blended in with these people, but unexpectedly, he still had huge room for improvement.
No matter how bad he was, in front of these people, he was as innocent as a little white flower.
As for why to develop a secret medicine against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the answer was for the village.
If the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki defected from the village, there had to be some means of checks and balances.
Orochimaru continued: “The Eight-Tails rampaged, Buruubi died, the Hidden Cloud Village lost 8 Jonin and more than 60 Ninja, with heavy casualties.
The Hidden Cloud Village’s improved sealing jutsu works fine for sealing the Two-Tails, but the Eight-Tails is much stronger than the Two-Tails. Buruubi’s seal wasn’t stable enough.
I believe that on the battlefield, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki is a greater threat than the Eight-Tails.
In this mission, the Fox’s performance also impressed me.
He withstood a blow from the Third Raikage after entering Lightning Release Chakra Mode. In terms of defense alone, the Fox is the strongest Ninja I’ve ever seen.”
Yoru hurriedly said humbly: “In Anbu missions, I’ve been on the brink of death countless times, so I have a special understanding of defense.”
Danzo asked: “Orochimaru, the results are impressive indeed. But have you thought about the Hidden Cloud Village’s possible next reaction? What if they start a war, what will you do?”
Before Orochimaru could answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi explained for him:
“Danzo, the purpose of the Buruubi investigation mission that Orochimaru completed was to suppress Sakumo Hatake’s increasingly high prestige.
Compared to the threat from the Hidden Cloud Village, the chaos inside the village is more worrying.
Konoha’s threats have never been external, but internal. You have to clean the room first before welcoming guests, right?”
Yoru thought to himself, to repel external aggression, one must first stabilize the interior. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the advantage is yours.
Expert in civil war, amateur in foreign battles, are you the balanced Sarutobi?
Danzo stopped pressing and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi:
“Four Root Ninja, Ji, Geng, Xin, and Ren, were killed in the Land of Iron.
I will initiate a new recruit conscription plan for Root and Anbu inside the village.
Any Ninja with outstanding abilities will be forcibly conscripted into Anbu and Root.
Any Ninja with outstanding talent will be forcibly conscripted into Root and carefully trained.”
Kiiroinu saw that Danzo spoke decisively and didn’t want Anbu to be used by Danzo, so he said:
“Lord Danzo, Anbu doesn’t lack new recruits for now.
Anbu’s gaps aren’t big. Anbu’s four squads supplement 2 to 3 new recruits per month, which is enough.”
Danzo coldly glanced at Kiiroinu and turned to leave.
Kiiroinu was left embarrassed.
When Yoru followed Kiiroinu back to Anbu, he asked: “Minister, what is the Danzo Advisor trying to do? Conscripting civilian Ninja is one thing, but conscripting ninja clan geniuses—will the ninja clans agree?”
“The Danzo Advisor is anxious.” Kiiroinu said:
“Root now only has two and a half people left: Bing, Gui, and half of Orochimaru.
The key is that the Danzo Advisor still hasn’t determined who the enemy is—who is secretly killing Root Ninja.
The Golden Eagle Squad has been investigating but found nothing.
They only know the culprit is a Fire Release expert, at least with the strength of an elite Jonin.”
Yoru felt a bit guilty; his Fire Release hadn’t reached elite Jonin level yet. It was just because he had brushed out a mastery-level Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, which was cast quickly with short enemy reaction time, so it looked like a Fire Release expert.
Back in Kiiroinu’s office, Kiiroinu looked at the mission report and said:
“Fox, this is your 9th S-rank mission. When I was your age, the S-rank missions I completed were less than half of yours.”
“It’s all thanks to your arrangements, Minister.”
Kiiroinu smiled.
Assistant Butterfly knocked and entered the office:
“Sir, Root sent a scroll. Minister Danzo will conscript at least 20 people into Root training this week.
Bing said Root lacks manpower and wants Anbu to send 5 elites to guide Root new recruits.”
Kiiroinu took the scroll, looked at it, and said:
“Fox, you’ve been to the Land of Lightning for 2 S-rank missions in the last two months. Why not rest and go to Root as a guiding Jonin? With you leading the others into Root, I’ll feel more at ease.”
“Yes, Minister.”
Leaving Kiiroinu’s office and returning to his own office, Yoru had Purple Cat bring the squad’s mission reports for this month.
The squad’s missions were mostly village surveillance missions.
Purple Cat, as assistant, would collect and distribute missions on behalf of Yoru when he was away.
Rotating surveillance of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Senju Clan surveillance, Uchiha Clan surveillance, Aburame Clan surveillance, etc., none were dangerous.
He needed to find a way to provide valuable intelligence to Orochimaru: intelligence on Kiiroinu and Five Elemental Great Exploding Air Bullet, intelligence on Black Ant Squad and Scroll of Seals.
It was somewhat difficult, not knowing where to start.
One scroll caught Yoru’s interest.
The Antelope Squad wrote a scroll saying the number of pregnant women in Konoha Hospital’s obstetrics department had surged.
“Purple Cat, what month is it now?”
“June.”
“The war ended at the end of last year. After the war, the Ninja’s stress dropped sharply, and their reproductive cells became active.”
“Reproductive cells?” Purple Cat looked at the scroll, then said: “Yeah, after every Ninja World War, there’s a baby boom.”
In the Ninja World, women change their surname to their husband’s after marriage.
Yoru looked at the pregnant women’s surnames recorded by the Antelope Squad and roughly guessed which wave of people was born.
Izumo Kamizuki, Kōtetsu Hagane, Hayate Gekko, Iruka, most of the special Jonin that Naruto meets in the original manga were born at this time.
Yoru pulled Purple Cat into his arms and stroked her belly.
Being touched on the belly by the Fox was even more embarrassing than other places. Purple Cat’s face turned red, and her long neck under the mask turned red too.
The Fox was checking if she was pregnant.
“Fox… we’re both Anbu Ninja. If we have a child, before you retire from Anbu, she can’t take your surname…”
“It doesn’t matter, I’m a civilian without a surname.”
The name Yoru was inherited from the original body, and this identity had no surname; it was a low-level civilian.
Yoru didn’t mind having a child, but he was somewhat worried, not knowing what bloodline limit the child would inherit.
His current bloodline limits included Vortex, Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga—quite chaotic.
Logically, the earliest obtained was the Senju Bloodline Limit, which had the greatest impact on him.
Vortex and Senju were fine, but if Yamanaka Riko’s child opened Sharingan or Byakugan, what then?
When deeply exploring Purple Cat, if he used a bit of Senju Bloodline Limit’s self-healing ability, could it increase the probability of inheriting the Senju Bloodline Limit?
Yoru’s civilian identity having the Senju Bloodline Limit was relatively easy to explain.
Senju Clan women marrying Ninja in the village no longer used the Senju surname, and the Senju Bloodline spreading in the village could be explained.
Yoru said: “Riko, if you have a child, let the child’s name include the character ‘Yoru’.”
Purple Cat was stunned; this was the first time the Fox had revealed identity-related information to her.
Though she and the Fox were extremely intimate, Purple Cat still didn’t know who the Fox was.
She was the Fox’s assistant and had no permission to view any information on the Fox Squad Leader.
“Yoru?” Purple Cat nodded repeatedly: “Okay, I remember.”
“It’s my fault; the baby boom is here, but your belly hasn’t moved yet. I must properly nourish you during this time!”
