Naruto: Experience Pain, Start by Copying the Entire Shinobi World

The Hokage's office.

The air was as heavy and oppressive as the sky before a downpour.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind the table, puffing on his pipe, the swirling smoke obscuring the expression on his face.

On the table in front of him were two completely different reports.

One copy, from Minato Namikaze.

The report detailed the entire process of the Kannabi Bridge mission and affirmed the performance of Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.

When mentioning Sakuya Sengen, Minato used extremely complimentary words such as "fearless" and "turned the tide of battle single-handedly".

Finally, the credit for destroying the Kannabi Bridge was attributed to this Chunin with a less-than-stellar reputation.

The other one came from the shadows.

The contents of this report are much darker.

It did not come from the mission team, but was collected through interrogating prisoners of Iwagakure and spies lurking on the border of the Land of Grass.

In the report, Sakuya Chigen is no longer a hero.

He is a demon.

A pervert who uses medical ninjutsu to heal a dying enemy, then smiles and beheads them as they show a relieved expression of relief at surviving, enjoying the killing and toying with humanity.

"Hiruzen, what do you think about this?"

It was Koharu Utatane who spoke; both she and Homura Mitokado had rather unpleasant expressions.

"Minato and Kakashi's reports made no mention of this. But the Anbu's intelligence doesn't come from nowhere."

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses, his tone grave.

"A ninja who enjoys killing is extremely dangerous to the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't speak, but instead cast his gaze at the silent figure in the corner of the room.

Danzo Shimura.

He leaned against the wall in the shadows, half his face hidden in the darkness, only his one eye showing, which gleamed with an almost greedy light.

"Danger?

Danzo finally spoke, his voice hoarse like the scraping of rusty iron.

No, you are wrong.

"That's talent."

He emerged from the shadows, walked step by step to his desk, and picked up the report from the underworld.

"To sow a fear deeper than death in the hearts of the enemy, to use mercy as a prelude to slaughter... this is not the act of a madman, this is the art of war."

A morbid appreciation was revealed in Danzo's single eye.

"This method is far more effective than simply killing a hundred enemies."

"Danzo! What are you saying?!"

Xiaochun, who had just switched dorm rooms, slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

"He's manipulating people! Is this something a sane ninja would do?"

"Mentally sound?"

Danzo sneered.

"On the battlefield, what we need are weapons that can kill the enemy, not a bunch of mentally sound idiots."

His gaze shifted to the silent Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"The Sakuya clan has always been unknown in the village, with a small population and almost no presence. I've looked up Sakuya Chigen's information; he's been a repeat student for ten thousand years, and his chakra reserves are pitifully low. Yet, such a person has developed a secret technique that can unleash tremendous power in an instant, and also possesses such a bizarre... ability."

Danzo paused for a moment, then voiced his guess.

"This is very likely some kind of special bloodline hidden by the Shuoye clan. A bloodline... perfectly suited to darkness."

"He is an absolute pervert."

A cold smile curled at the corners of Danzo's mouth.

"He and I are the same kind of people."

Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu's expressions grew even more unpleasant.

"Hiruzen".

Danzo's voice was filled with an undeniable allure.

"Give him to me."

"His abilities, and his cold heart, are born to belong to 'Root'. In my hands, he will become Konoha's sharpest and most unknown assassination weapon. Whether it's infiltration, interrogation, or creating panic, he will be the perfect executor."

The office fell into a deathly silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, and the ash fell on the table, but he didn't notice.

He thought of Tsunade.

That disciple who, despite suffering from hemophobia, rushed to the front lines for this little brat.

I was reminded of the boy in the Watergate Report who, even in the face of death, still thought of joking to prevent the atmosphere from becoming too desperate.

I remembered the "hero" Obito described who used his feet to form hand seals, which made everyone both laugh and cry.

Can such a person really be equated with the cold-blooded pervert Danzo described?

Perhaps, he was simply protecting his companions in his own way, trying his best to... survive.

Handing such a person over to Danzo and throwing him into the quagmire of "Root" where there is no light of day?

Tsunade would be the first to demolish his Hokage office.

"no."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but unusually firm.

Danzo's one eye narrowed instantly.

"reason."

"Sakuya Chigen is the hero of this mission, a temporary member of Minato's team, and also..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone softened somewhat.

"The person Tsunade values ​​should stand in the sunlight, not live in the shadows."

"Sunlight? Hiruzen, you're still so naive!"

Danzo's voice suddenly rose, filled with disappointment and anger.

"Can a hero's name kill an enemy? A woman's compassion will only ruin him! He's a weapon destined to be stained with blood, yet you want to hang him on the wall as a decoration!"

"His current abilities, aside from the minor flaw of his chakra level, are almost flawless. Only within 'Root' can such a rough gem be polished into the most perfect weapon!"

"I said, no."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, looking down at his old friend.

"He is a Konoha ninja, not a tool of your 'Root'."

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

Danzo clenched his fists tightly, and the veins on his arm bulged under the bandages.

"For the sake of a so-called genius, for the sake of your laughable mercy, you are abandoning a pawn that could change the course of the war!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to the window, turned his back to him, and looked down at the peaceful village below.

Danzo.

His voice carried the unquestionable authority of a Hokage.

"I am the Hokage!"

The office door was slammed shut.

Danzo's figure disappeared outside the door.

Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.

"Hiruzen, Danzo, he..."

"Let him go."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand and picked up his pipe again.

"Send someone to keep a close watch on Konoha Hospital. Until Sakuya Chigen recovers, no one is allowed to visit except Tsunade and members of Minato's team. Especially members of 'Root'."

"Yes."

The two men accepted the order and left.

Once again, only Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the office.

He smoked a cigarette, gazing at the Hokage Rock outside the window, his eyes becoming deep and complex.

Shuo Ye Qian Xuan...

Monster, madman, or hero?

Perhaps, all three are true.

What he, as the Hokage, needs to do is to hold the hilt of this double-edged sword firmly, ensuring that its edge is always pointed only at the enemy.