Konoha's Mission Master

Five minutes later, the commercial district was in sight. Yakumo slowed down, wondering to himself why the Root hadn't made a move yet.

"Shh."

Two ninjas wearing demon masks stood in front of Yakumo and spoke coldly.

"Come with us, Elder Danzo... we have something to ask you."

The two ninjas produced their Anbu identification.

Every resident of Konoha Village has the obligation to cooperate with the Anbu's questioning. If Yakumo refuses at this time, they will not hesitate to take action immediately.

The two voices were completely flat, their tone cold and emotionless from beginning to end, colder than the fine rain.

"I will cooperate with the questioning, please rest assured, gentlemen."

After pretending to check the ANBU's identification, Yakumo quickly nodded and said...

"Don't worry, it's just a simple question... Come with us."

“Okay…” Yakumo replied.

The three immediately changed direction and left the area of ​​Amegakure a dozen minutes later. The light rain suddenly turned into a heavy downpour, making a crisp sound as it fell on the raincoat.

"Use this to blindfold yourself."

Shortly after leaving Amegakure, two Root ninjas took out a three-finger-wide piece of black cloth from their robes and handed it to Yakumo.

Yakumo took it, closed his eyes, and tied the black cloth around his neck.

Before long, he felt himself being carried on someone's back, with only the sound of raindrops splashing and the sound of the wind moving at high speed around him.

Eight days of silently reciting numbers in my mind…

Meanwhile, the shadow clone that remained in Amegakure summoned a milk ball, which, although it looked like a cat, possessed a sense of smell far superior to that of a hunting dog.

One of the shadow clones and the milk ball merged into the night, rushing towards the main body at an extremely fast speed.

The other one... returned to the inn with Rina Uzumaki.

On the other hand, Yakumo felt the rain around him stop. The air became dry, and it seemed as if there were lights in front of him... A minute later, he was placed on the ground.

"You can take off the black cloth now."

Upon hearing this...

Yakumo immediately removed the black cloth covering his eyes, and the sudden brightness made him subconsciously squint.

On the stone chair, Danzo, whose head was bald, was sitting with his legs crossed, observing Yakumo with a very curious look.

Over the past few months, he had heard the name Jing Yayun several times: a talent with a photographic memory, a genius born into a commoner family, who crushed Uchiha Hengyan in the final exams... and won.

Danzo saw the shadow of Minato Namikaze in Yakumo. Having already missed Minato Namikaze, he naturally did not want to miss Yakumo in front of him. Danzo quickly put on what he thought was a kind and benevolent smile.

As Yakumo gradually adjusted to the bright light, he opened his eyes and looked at Danzo, who had an evil smile on his face.

"Yakumo..."

"I have immense faith in your future. Why don't you join Root and work with me... in the darkness to protect the great tree of Konoha and help it grow strong?"

"..." Yakumo was a little stunned by the question.

He then secretly observed his surroundings.

This is a secret room. The environment is very dry. Although it is most likely located underground, it is brightly lit. Behind Danzo are two Root ninjas. In terms of strength, they should be at the level of elite Jonin.

It's a bit tricky.

"You are Lord Danzo...?"

Yakumo asked somewhat uncertainly.

“That’s right… I am Shimura Danzo.”

Danzo stood up and admitted it, then continued to ask.

"How about... should we add the root?"

This doesn't fit the script... Normally, Danzo should be angrily questioning himself about the reason Jiraiya came to Amegakure, and Yakumo could take the opportunity to assassinate him during the narration.

"Lord Danzo, I'm more curious about what you wanted to ask me when you summoned me here...?"

Yakumo is determined to steer the plot back on track.

"That's not important... I'll ask you one more time: do you want to join Root and protect Konoha with me in the shadows?"

Danzo asked again, a chill flashing in his eyes.

"Right now, I want to focus on my studies. Joining the Roots... I'll consider that after I graduate..."

A look of displeasure flashed in the eyes of the Root ninja behind the stone chair. This boy actually dared to refuse Lord Danzo!

"Okay...we'll talk about it later..."

Danzo suppressed his anger. His failure to recruit Minato Namikaze made him realize that recruiting geniuses required patience.

"Then... what does Lord Danzo wish to ask?"

Yakumo asked again.

"Ahem, I'd like to ask about what happened to you and Jiraiya in Kusagakure." Danzo covered his mouth and coughed lightly.

After being seriously injured by Sakumo Hatake last time, he was immediately treated by medical ninjas, but he was left with a hidden ailment in his lungs, and occasionally he would feel tightness in his lungs and have difficulty breathing.

Yakumo's eyes lit up slightly; this plot was more like it…

Wait a moment…!

Danzo asked about Kusagakure, not Amegakure. Yakumo didn't understand why Danzo cared so much about Kusagakure...

Yakumo lowered his head and began to think quickly.

The Thirteen Ninja of Sumeru roamed the borders of the Land of Fire for ten years, escaping the Anbu's encirclement and suppression several times. Was it only because of the protection of Kusagakure...?

wrong…!

Danzo's concern for Kusagakure must be because he has some connection with the village. Could it be that he was passing messages to Kusagakure from within Konoha, which allowed Kusagakure to manipulate the Thirteen Ninja of Sumeru and run rampant for ten years without incident?

If we analyze it this way, it should be a monetary transaction between the two: Kusagakure sought a way to survive, while Danzo sought money that could expand Root.

Expanding the Root... naturally requires investment, and the Hokage's funding alone is not enough. Considering this, Danzo's risky actions are quite reasonable.

Yakumo smiled inwardly, a plan forming in his mind.

At the same time… he answered.

"Lord Jiraiya, after discovering the true identities of the Thirteen Ninja of Sumeru, once infiltrated the secret intelligence room of Kusagakure and retrieved a scroll."

"reel…"

Danzo slowly sat back down on the stone chair... and began to observe Yakumo's expression, analyzing the veracity of the matter.

The events of this period have made Hiruzen Sarutobi extremely dissatisfied with him. If that scroll is indeed evidence of his collusion with Kusagakure, he may very well lose the power he has finally managed to hold.

Danzo waved his hand, and the ninja behind the stone chair immediately leaned in to listen. He gave the order to "brightly" in a very low voice.

Five seconds later, the two Root ninjas left the secret room.

A few dozen seconds later, Danzo continued to ask.

"Yakumo..."

"Have you seen that scroll since then?"

Yakumo suppressed his surprise as much as possible and answered Danzo in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Of course I've seen it."

Danzo asked somewhat impatiently.

"Where have I seen this before...?"

“That scroll is in my hands. Jiraiya plans to stay in the Land of Rain with his three disciples for a few months, so he ordered me to return to Konoha tomorrow and hand it over to the Third Hokage…” Yakumo replied with his head down.

Danzo's face lit up with joy. He knew very well the relationship between Jiraiya, Yahiko, and the other two, so it made sense. This Inoyaru in front of him seemed to be his lucky star.

"Give me the scroll quickly."

Danzo's single eye was bloodshot, and he gave Yakumo an urgent command.

"This... Lord Jiraiya instructed that the scroll could only be given to the Third Hokage..."

Yakumo's face paled slightly, and she spoke with some fear.

"I said...give me the scroll!"

Danzo emphasized his tone and gave a stern command.

At this point, he had already lost his composure.

He was acutely aware that everything that was happening before him was going too smoothly. Just as he was about to confront the higher-ups of Kusagakure, someone immediately brought him evidence.

This could very well be a trap, but how could this timid and cowardly boy possibly turn the tide...?

Danzo gradually controlled the spread of Yin Chakra, enveloping it on the surface of Yakumo's body and even beginning to penetrate into his body, carefully sensing it... only then was he completely at ease.

He discovered that Yakumo's chakra was far too little... so little that it was not worth his attention, so little that it could not cause him any harm.

Most importantly, there was that scroll; it was the key to ensuring he could continue to hold onto power.

At this moment, Danzo no longer cared about his plan to recruit Yakumo into Root... and even harbored a slight murderous intent towards Yakumo.

"Alright, I'll get it right away, sir..."

At this moment, Yakumo's body trembled violently, and his pupils contracted repeatedly, as if his mind was being consumed by fear.

Yakumo barely managed to suppress the trembling in his body as he took out a dark green scroll from his storage scroll... a scroll that could summon the two immortals, Fukasaku and Shima.

Trembling, he took two steps forward and handed the dark green scroll to Danzo, who immediately took it and opened it somewhat roughly.

Inside the deep green scroll, amidst intricate ink patterns, lies... a massive character for "frog".

"What is this?!" Danzo demanded angrily.

Yakumo trembled even more violently.

"It is necessary to...inject chakra into the scroll's core..."

Seeing Yakumo trembling with fear, Danzo felt even more at ease. Such a cowardly person could never accomplish anything great. His killing intent intensified. This kind of coward was not worthy of joining Root!