Chapter 321: As If Nothing Happened
Danzo stood on the tree trunk, overlooking the young man on the ground.
Uchiha Suiju had a face similar to Uchiha Kagami’s, and also possessed Sharingan talent as outstanding as Kagami’s.
Danzo said: “Suiju, the thing that you and your father Kagami were most worried about has still appeared.
Uchiha Madara is alive, conspiring in the darkness to eliminate Konoha.
One of the most important missions during your father’s lifetime was to guard against the Uchiha Clan defecting from the village. This idea has a lot of traction within the Uchiha Clan, and many people believe it.
The news that Uchiha Madara is alive can’t be hidden anymore. I suspect that someone in the Uchiha Clan has developed different thoughts and wants to defect to Uchiha Madara.
Suiju, this time going to the Land of Rain, help me keep an eye on everyone and prevent anyone from defecting to Uchiha Madara and endangering the village.”
Uchiha Suiju said with a firm gaze: “Uncle Danzo, I will definitely complete the mission you assigned.”
Danzo nodded repeatedly.
Root has suffered successive heavy blows, given by the Anbu Minister to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s son.
Just some minor setbacks.
Just right, Danzo can completely retreat into the darkness, completing his arrangements in a semi-retired posture.
Those troubles in the village, since Hiruzen Sarutobi wants to hand them over to his son, then let his son handle them.
Shin’en Sarutobi, whether in strength or mentality, is not to look down on him, but fundamentally unable to handle the many conflicts within Konoha Village.
“Suiju, I grant you the code name of Root’s Yi.”
Uchiha Suiju was stunned, then suppressed the excitement in his heart and said: “Yes, Lord Danzo!”
In the days before departure, Yoru practiced Wood Style: Iron Vine during the day.
At night, he went to the dense forest above Hokage Rock to practice Wood Style: Wooden Wall and Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence and other Wood Style Ninjutsu.
Every day was fulfilling and tense.
If someone overlooked Konoha Village from high altitude, there would be a few more red maple trees in the forest behind Hokage Rock.
Orochimaru said he would help conceal the news, using a stunning reveal to stimulate Danzo. Yoru also didn’t want to expose his Wood Style too early.
However… Yoru thought, he lacked Wood Style Ninjutsu and couldn’t place all hopes on Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was very dangerous and no longer worthy of trust from now on.
Why not sell out Orochimaru? Exchange it with Lord Kiiroinu for some benefits?
How to do it without exposing himself, while still getting benefits?
As Anbu Minister, Lord Kiiroinu had an independent office in the underground level of the Hokage Building.
These past few nights, Lord Kiiroinu would ask: “Butterfly, the Fox hasn’t come to see me today either?”
Butterfly’s tone carried heartache: “No.”
What she felt heartache for was Lord Kiiroinu.
Lord Kiiroinu was already Anbu Minister. Wasn’t it just not making the Fox Anbu Deputy Minister? How could the Fox be so insatiable, how could he harbor resentment.
Three or four days had passed, and the Fox hadn’t taken the initiative to come see Lord Kiiroinu.
Butterfly said: “Lord Kiiroinu, I’ll go notify the Fox, have him come see you.”
“No need, not today.” Lord Kiiroinu said:
“It’s normal for the Fox to have some thoughts in his mind. After all, I’ve promised many times, and in our private jokes, I’ve said it many times too. Once I became Minister, he would be Vice Minister.
I don’t know when the Fox will figure it out.
Give him one more day. The day after tomorrow, he will go to the Land of Rain with the Uchiha Clan. If he still can’t figure it out and hasn’t come to see me, then it means he hasn’t passed the test.
After that, I’ll use endless missions to consume his energy, requiring him to serve me under the banner of Konoha’s greater good.
Half an hour before he departs, notify him to come see me then.”
To say there were no emotions toward the Fox was impossible, but to say how much emotion there was, it wasn’t that much.
Lord Kiiroinu needed to learn to become like Danzo.
Butterfly had just left the Minister’s office not long ago when she saw the two Anbu at the staircase greeting someone coming up the stairs.
“Fox Captain!”
Yoru nodded, looked for Lord Kiiroinu’s office, and walked over.
When passing by Butterfly, he nodded to her.
Butterfly was excited in her heart and quickly led the Fox to the Minister’s office.
Great, the Fox had figured it out, the Fox had bowed his head.
Yoru waited for Butterfly to knock and announce, thinking to himself that for greater benefits, what was a little grievance.
Think positively. If he couldn’t become Vice Minister, it must be because too few Vice Ministers had died.
As long as enough Vice Ministers died, the Vice Minister position would eventually be his.
The door opened, and Yoru saw the current Minister, Lord Kiiroinu.
If a few Ministers died, then the Minister position would also be his…
The two acted as if nothing had happened, still the best superior-subordinate relationship as before.
In Lord Kiiroinu’s view, the Fox had finally figured it out, softened, and submitted.
Yoru spoke first: “Minister Kiiroinu, this is still my first time coming to your office to congratulate you on becoming Minister. Sorry, I’m late.”
“Not late, not late.” Lord Kiiroinu quickly said: “Sit, Fox, you’re not late.”
Yoru turned his head and glanced at Butterfly.
Lord Kiiroinu quickly said to Butterfly: “Butterfly, you go out first.”
The Fox had something extremely important to tell him.
Yoru went around behind the desk, leaned close to Lord Kiiroinu, and said solemnly in a low voice:
“Lord Kiiroinu, a few days ago when I went to Orochimaru’s place to get the Wood Style experiment progress report, I saw something I shouldn’t have.
Orochimaru’s experiment seems to have made some tremendous progress.
I triggered a mechanism and was injected with a tube of poison.
The poison made me feel terrible all over, weakening me for several days before I could go out.”
Lord Kiiroinu was shocked; this was something he hadn’t anticipated.
He thought the Fox had been sulking and not come to find him, but it turned out Orochimaru had secretly harmed him?
Orochimaru, relying on the Third Hokage’s favoritism, was lawless. Contacting Orochimaru was indeed very dangerous.
Back then, sending the Fox to get the experiment report from Orochimaru was precisely because the Fox was strong, fearing others would fall victim to Orochimaru’s poison…
“Orochimaru injected you with a tube of potion? What kind of potion? Is it serious?”
“I don’t know what potion it was. I felt awful for a full two days.”
Orochimaru helping him master Wood Style would inevitably be exposed someday. If he wanted to continue gaining benefits from Lord Kiiroinu, concealing it was a bad choice. Better to report it with some truth mixed in.
How coincidental, triggering Orochimaru’s poison mechanism and accidentally awakening Wood Style.
No matter what others think, that’s how I’ll explain it anyway.
As for whether you believe it, I’ve already mastered Wood Style—you can believe it or not.
Yoru continued: “Lord Kiiroinu, we must guard against Orochimaru.
Orochimaru obtained a test subject with Senju bloodline, and the experiment achieved breakthrough progress.
But he didn’t write the experiment progress into the report. I suspect the final report I got was fake.
I’m about to go to the Land of Grass, and Uchiha Madara is old but still vigorous.
The Land of Grass mission will consume a lot of my energy. For Orochimaru’s side, Lord Kiiroinu, you still need to keep a close eye.”
Yoru’s few words made Lord Kiiroinu think he was still that thoughtful first subordinate. He thought he could now embellish Uchiha Madara’s power and try to get a few Wood Style Ninjutsu from Lord Kiiroinu.
Lord Kiiroinu’s expression grew grave.
Orochimaru, relying on his great strength and having the Third Hokage as teacher, didn’t take him seriously at all.
Lord Kiiroinu said: “Fox, be extra careful investigating Uchiha Madara in the Land of Rain. And, I have one more thing to assign to you.”
“What is it?”
Yoru was about to seize the chance to ask Lord Kiiroinu for Ninjutsu, but Lord Kiiroinu made a request first.
“Fox, during this Land of Rain mission, take the opportunity to weaken the Uchiha Clan. Kill or get rid of a few Uchiha Clan Jonin or three-tomoe ninja!”
