Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Danzo was deeply troubled.

Suddenly, a familiar voice appeared in his mind: "Lord Danzo, there is important information to report to you."

Upon hearing the voice, Danzo immediately recognized it as Yamanaka Rai, a subordinate of the Yamanaka clan who was responsible for secretly contacting him. He then calmly engaged in a mental meeting with Rai.

"explain."

Danzo said coldly.

"Ha~, our people previously discovered Jiraiya returning from the Land of Rain at the border, accompanied by four people. One of those four people was a member of our Root organization, and he secretly left us a coded message containing important information."

Yamanaka Rai answered respectfully.

"Jiraiya brought back this information personally. It seems this information is of a high level. Have you figured out what kind of information it is?"

When Danzo heard that the information was brought back by Jiraiya himself, he immediately became interested. He keenly sensed that this information was not simple and immediately pressed for details.

“I’m sorry, our people didn’t have access to that intelligence, but they know that the person who traded intelligence with Jiraiya was Hattori Masanari. Therefore, we speculate that this intelligence is likely related to our war with Sunagakure.”

Yamanaka Rai answered truthfully.

“That’s right, that’s true. Those two elite puppeteers from Sunagakure are still in Hattori Masanari’s hands. That guy may have already obtained a lot of useful information from them and is preparing to use it to extract huge benefits from Konoha.”

Danzo agreed.

At the same time, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

He seems to have found a way to leave this place.

If he could get his hands on the information from Hattori Masanari first, he could use it to make a deal with the Third Hokage. Given the importance of this information, it wouldn't be impossible for the Third Hokage to agree to secretly release him.

As long as he can leave this damned place, even if he can't leave openly, he can still continue to better protect Konoha.

"Lord Danzo, what should we do?"

At this point, Yamanaka Rai asked a question in a very helpful manner.

"Of course, we must obtain the intelligence at all costs. We in Konoha absolutely cannot be blackmailed by the little Amegakure. Hattori Masanari is nothing to those trash from Sunagakure. We Konoha ninjas are different. Pass down the order to send out the entire Skull Squad and bring back the intelligence intact."

Danzo immediately issued the order.

Upon hearing Danzo's words, Yamanaka Rai's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "Ha~"

The Skull Squad is the most powerful assassination unit in Root. Although there are only five members, each of them is an elite Jonin and has mastered powerful secret techniques. When the five of them attack together, they can even hold their own against a Kage-level ninja for a short time.

The five of them usually served as guards around Lord Danzo. He never expected that Lord Danzo would send all five of them out on a mission at the same time in order to deal with Hattori Masanari.

It seems that Lord Danzo is determined to obtain the intelligence in Hattori Masashige's hands this time.

……

After the Nine-Tails' legacy operation ended, many of the ninjas involved in the operation quietly returned to the village.

With the return of these people, news of the successful sealing of the Nine-Tails quietly spread.

This news couldn't be kept secret at all, because the commotion caused by the Nine-Tails breaking free of its seal was too great. Its roar traveled directly from the Forest of Death to Konoha, and the terrifying chakra fluctuations also alerted many Konoha ninjas.

Therefore, the Third Hokage did not suppress the news, but solemnly instructed that no one should leak the sealing process. The information about Kirito and Kushina was even upgraded to the top secret level, and it was stated that anyone who leaked the information about the two would be punished for treason.

No one involved in the operation objected to this.

However, for most people in Konoha, it was enough for them to know that the Nine-Tails had been successfully sealed.

They can now live their lives as usual without worrying about being attacked by the Nine-Tails.

In fact, when the Nine-Tails' roar reached Konoha, many people were terrified. Many thought the Nine-Tails was going to attack Konoha, and they hurriedly fled the village with their families. Now that these people have returned, they are all ashamed and cannot lift their heads.

Spies from various ninja villages hidden in Konoha also sprang into action, quickly using various covert methods to transmit this important message back to their villages.

Meanwhile, a special guest appeared at the Uchiha clan's territory.

Momoka led two elite Senju clan ninjas into the Uchiha clan's territory. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings and the hostile, surprised, and wary gazes from the many Uchiha clan members around her, she remained calm.

If she could, she would absolutely never want to come to the Uchiha clan's territory in person.

She had accompanied the first lord to this place several times before, but since the first lord died, she had never set foot here again. She never imagined that she would set foot here again.

She had no other choice.

There was no other way. During the sealing of the Nine-Tails, Chizuru saved Kirito in time and made a huge contribution to the sealing of the Nine-Tails. As the current head of the Senju clan, she had to express her gratitude for this favor while Mito was still asleep.

Personally visiting to express gratitude is the most basic courtesy.

Most of the Uchiha clan's ninjas have been sent to the front lines and border regions, but many powerful ninjas remain within the clan.

Not long after Momoka and the others entered the Uchiha clan's territory, Uchiha Homura had already received the news.

At the Chizuru residence, in front of the pond in the courtyard, Uchiha Homura, upon hearing Uchiha Kari's report, couldn't help but show a surprised expression on his face. He then immediately said seriously, "Go, have someone invite this distinguished guest over. Absolutely no clansman is allowed to offend her. Anyone who makes the slightest offense must be severely punished."

"Ha~"

Uchiha Kari answered immediately.

As soon as he finished speaking, he formed a hand seal, turned into white smoke, and disappeared from the spot.

"I never expected that this old woman would personally come to thank me. Kirito is really something else."

Uchiha Homura smiled.

He already knew about the role Chizuru played in the Nine-Tailed Fox inheritance operation.

He was very satisfied with Chizuru's approach.

With Chizuru's successful protection of Kirito from spy attacks, the Uchiha clan has already made a huge contribution to the Nine-Tails inheritance operation. No one dares to say that the Uchiha clan was just a bystander in this operation anymore.

Chizuru's actions can also completely clear the Uchiha clan of suspicion that they were implicated by that person back then, which will definitely play an important role in promoting the Uchiha clan's integration into Konoha in the future.

"What an amazing kid! I really have to thank him properly this time."

With this thought in mind, Uchiha Homura felt even more satisfied with Kirito.

A short while later, an Uchiha ninja appeared in front of Uchiha Homura and reported that Momoka was almost at the main gate.

Upon receiving the news, Uchiha Homura immediately set off, arriving at the main gate as quickly as possible to personally greet Momoka's arrival.

After Hashirama Senju's death, the Uchiha and Senju clans had been estranged for life. Now, Momoka's personal visit to express her gratitude is an important step in breaking the ice between the two clans.

"Welcome, Taohua Consultant."

Uchiha Homura opened the door himself, and with a smile on his face, he spoke to Senju Momoka, who was standing upright at the door.

"I apologize for this sudden visit, Clan Chief Yan. These are some exquisite pastries from Qiwei Hall, a small gift, please accept them."

Seeing that Uchiha Homura had given her enough face, Momoka naturally wouldn't speak coldly. She smiled and politely replied.

"Oh, so it's a pastry from Qiweitang. These are my favorite pastries. Consultant Taohua, you're so kind. Please come in and let's talk."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Homura happily accepted the box of snacks and expressed her gratitude.

After saying that, he handed the box of pastries to a servant and then personally led Tao Hua into the mansion.

This scene was witnessed by many Uchiha clan members who were secretly watching nearby, and each of them showed a shocked expression.

After becoming a Hokage advisor, Momoka became quite active in Konoha, appearing on several important public occasions.

Therefore, many members of the Uchiha clan knew that she was a prominent figure in the Senju clan.

Now, this important figure has suddenly visited their Uchiha clan and has been personally welcomed into their home by the clan head.

Seeing this scene, countless Uchiha clan members were shocked and began to discuss among themselves the reason why Momoka had met with the clan leader.

This topic of discussion spread like wildfire throughout the entire Uchiha clan.

In a short time, various versions of the answer appeared quickly.

Rumors abound.

But no matter how outrageous the answers are, one thing is certain: the relationship between the Uchiha and Senju clans seems to be easing, a consensus held by countless Uchiha clan members.

Many members of the Uchiha clan have high expectations for this.

Among the many ninja clans in Konoha, the only one that the Uchiha clan respected was the Senju clan.

In fact, when facing the Senju clan, they felt not only no arrogance, but even a little inferiority.

There's nothing we can do about it; the God of Shinobi comes from the Senju clan.

Moreover, the Senju clan did indeed defeat the Uchiha clan in a fair and square manner back then. If the God of Shinobi hadn't wanted to pacify the chaotic world and decided to cooperate with the Uchiha clan, the Uchiha clan might not have existed at all.

Therefore, although many members of the Uchiha clan harbored hostility towards the Senju clan, they were actually quite happy if relations with the Senju clan could be improved.

They were willing to befriend the equally powerful ninja clan.

……

In Chizuru's house, in the VIP room, Uchiha Homura and Senju Momoka are having a private meeting.

Both of them had dropped their pretenses and were looking at each other with cold faces, their eyes revealing disgust without any attempt to hide it.

The two didn't have a good relationship to begin with, and now that there was no one else around, they naturally didn't bother pretending anymore.

"To be clear, I am only here on behalf of the Senju clan to express my gratitude to Chizuru personally. It has nothing to do with you or the Uchiha clan behind you."

Tao Hua said without any politeness.

"Is there a difference? I am Chizuru's grandfather, and Chizuru is also a member of the Uchiha clan. When you thank her, you are thanking the Uchiha clan. Moreover, from the moment you stepped into the Uchiha clan's territory, it doesn't matter whether you are thanking Chizuru on behalf of yourself or on behalf of the Senju clan. What matters is that our two clans have resumed communication."

Uchiha Homura sneered.

Momoka naturally understood what Uchiha Homura meant, and remained silent, her expression turning very unpleasant.

To be honest, she didn't want to see any improvement in the relationship between the Senju and Uchiha clans.

"Don't be unhappy, this is a good thing, a great thing for the younger generation and for Konoha. You and I, the old folks of the old era, shouldn't try to stop it, right?"

Uchiha Homura noticed the change in Momoka's expression and immediately suppressed his smile, speaking seriously.

"Humph."

Upon hearing this, Tao Hua snorted coldly, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Although she didn't feel the relationship between the two clans was easing, the next generation, including Tsunade, Nawaki, and Kirito, needed them, as did Konoha. Moreover, this was what Lord Hashirama wanted to see. Naturally, she couldn't hinder Konoha's future development for her own selfish reasons.

"Your visit this time must be more than just expressing your gratitude, right? Please feel free to tell me if there's anything else you need."

Seeing that Momoka had tacitly agreed, Uchiha Homura smiled and continued.

The next moment, Momoka's eyes sharpened. She stared intently into Uchiha Homura's eyes and said coldly, "The Nine-Tails breaking the seal this time was not an accident, but something someone did on purpose."