Yes, the Hokage

In other words, in the worst-case scenario, Fenglan might make a huge profit without any investment, taking your people but not giving you any benefits!

Therefore, if you want to be successful in both directions again, you'll have to think twice.

"As for that Yamanaka Fu... a child that Mr. Inoichi cherishes so much must be the future of the clan. How could I possibly leave?" Feng Lan smiled, as if he hadn't just forced the three of them to pledge their loyalty. "Besides, such a genius shouldn't be trained like an ordinary person. The Yamanaka clan focuses on sensory abilities, which doesn't align with physical training. Mr. Inoichi should train him personally."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Haiyi's face, but he quickly regained his smile: "Lord Fenglan is right, I was presumptuous."

There was another person who hadn't participated in the conversation at all, just silently drinking. But after Fenglan refused Yamanaka Fu, Aburame Zhiwei suddenly spoke up: "Lord Fenglan."

"Hmm?" Feng Lan turned her head. "What advice do you have for me, Mr. Zhiwei?"

“I…” Aburame Shiki took a deep breath. “Our Aburame clan also has a young man named Aburame Torune. He is inhabited by the nano-sized, highly toxic insect, Phosphate-Bacteria. If you don’t mind, I will entrust this child to you from now on!”

What?!

This time, Feng Lan was genuinely surprised. The Aburame clan had always had an ambiguous relationship with Danzo, but she never expected that Zhiwei would take the initiative to offer his allegiance at this time. What was this all about?

Is it his recent performance that makes him think that joining his side is better than Danzo, or is it like the Hyuga side, that they've sent another traitor to cause trouble?

However, he quickly regained his composure and returned to his squinting state, not immediately accepting this pledge of loyalty: "Mr. Zhiwei, since you've spoken, I also have something I'd like to ask you."

"Please speak, Lord Fenglan." Aburame nods slightly, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

"How has Lord Danzo been feeling lately?"

Upon hearing this, Zhiwei knew that Fenglan knew about the affair between the Aburame clan and Danzo: "Lord Danzo has been... very quiet lately."

The atmosphere at the table became subtle again. Feng Lan smiled and said, "Lord Danzo is getting old and wants to retire in peace, which is only natural."

"Do you really think someone like Lord Danzo would be content to retire?" Zhiwei asked rhetorically.

"What can Mr. Zhiwei do even if he's unwilling?" Fenglan asked as well.

Zhiwei remained silent and did not give an answer.

Feng Lan wasn't in a hurry to press him. He picked up his wine glass again and spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he were having a chat: "Mr. Zhiwei, I'm not bragging, but I'm a little different from Lord Danzo. I don't throw away the ninja tools I use right away. Instead, I take good care of them so that I can use them again next time."

"Even if those ninja tools are really damaged beyond repair, I will wipe off the bloodstains and carefully keep them, because this will make the usable ninja tools even sharper."

"And what would happen if these ninja tools fell into Danzo's hands?"

This time, the entire private room was completely silent, with countless eyes fixed on Zhiwei, waiting for him to make a decision.

“Lord Danzo…” Shiwei took a deep breath, “He is about to make a trip to the orphanage outside the village. Your actions have made him feel threatened, so he wants to increase his bargaining power as much as possible. Therefore, he is preparing to recall his former subordinates.”

"His former subordinates are in the orphanage?" Feng Lan's eyes narrowed.

“All I know is that she was once an elite member of the Root Organization and held the title of Wandering Witch,” Zhiwei replied slowly.

"Then how did Mr. Shiwei know these things? It couldn't be that Lord Danzo trusted you and told you personally, could it?"

“He’s a member of our family.” Zhiwei closed his eyes, knowing there was no turning back now. “The boy’s name is Aburame Ryoma. He joined Root when he was very young, but he also occasionally gives me information about Root so that I’m not completely clueless about Lord Danzo’s movements.”

"Before Lord Danzo was about to set off, he appointed him as his bodyguard to oversee the preparations for the trip, which is why I know about it."

It's clear that Zhiwei is also very wary of Danzo, after all, this old guy is extremely skilled at discarding his subordinates after they've served their purpose. Anyone who becomes his subordinate is practically guaranteed a good life.

[Hmm... When Danzo went to threaten Yakushi Nonou, the person he brought with him was indeed Aburame Ryoma.] Fenglan compared Zhiwei's words with the original plot and found that they matched, so he temporarily had a better understanding of the situation.

“Very good, Mr. Zhiwei, your intelligence is very crucial.”

Upon hearing this, Zhiwei suddenly raised her head: "Then take the root of him..."

“We can’t accept it for now,” Feng Lan said calmly. “We’ll have to wait until I return from the orphanage before we can make a decision.”

Zhiwei knew that the other party had gone to verify whether her information was correct. Moreover, it wasn't enough that she had revealed the secret in front of Ino-Shika-Cho. As long as Fenglan appeared at the orphanage, Danzo would realize later, even if he didn't think of it immediately, that he had betrayed her.

When the Root organization turns against him, he will have no way out and will have no choice but to obediently pledge allegiance to Feng Lan.

But... he breathed a sigh of relief; it was better than being loyal to the Danzo.

At least on the surface, Feng Lan treats his subordinates very well. Although this is probably because he is just starting out and can't win over many people yet, even if he changes later, can he still be more ruthless than Danzo?

Actually, before Ryoma, members of the Aburame clan who had been sent to the Root organization had already gone missing. Don't ask, it's a village secret.

Ryoma secretly investigated and eventually told Shiki that they had learned too many of Danzo's dark secrets and were ultimately silenced. Ryoma also stated that, based on what he knew, he estimated it would be soon for him to do the same.

Zhiwei was naturally unwilling to watch his kin sacrifice themselves. He tried to get the third generation to intervene and handed over the evidence collected by Longma, but then nothing came of it...

The reason he is here today is that he wants to take a desperate gamble and rely on Feng Lan to use his power to fight against Danzo and save his people!

Although the negotiation did not achieve the desired effect, Zhiwei was still quite satisfied. Fenglan was a cautious person. Since he knew that the Aburame clan had ties with Danzo, his caution was justified. As long as he could bring down Danzo, the mountain weighing on the Aburame clan would be removed!

The three heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans were also slightly moved. They clearly did not expect that Shiki, who seemed unassuming, would have such courage to directly choose to betray Danzo and take a big gamble.

It seems he's been driven to a corner.

Shikaku remained silent, pondering. Konoha was indeed too dark and heavy now. Would Fenglan be the one to bring light and hope?

Thinking of this, the other person's words from last time couldn't help but echo in my mind again—to go further even after reaching a certain height.

That was a huge gamble. Those madmen from the Uchiha clan had clearly staked their entire fortune, while what about us...?

He shook his head. As a smart man, Lu Jiu understood very well that there were never any winners in gambling, but if you didn't gamble, you wouldn't lose.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio have banded together. As long as they remain neutral, they will still have a place in Konoha regardless of whether the Third or Fourth Hokage wins. That's enough.

He carried the fate of three families on his shoulders, and could not gamble everything like Fugaku and Shiki.

Seeing that both Inoichi and Choza were looking at him, Shikaku shook his head slightly, and the two understood.

Feng Lan saw right through his thoughts and didn't rush him. She continued to urge him to drink and eat. Although everyone had their own ulterior motives at the banquet, overall the host and guests enjoyed themselves.

On the way back from the winery, Rizashi couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Lord Fenglan, they... came to surrender?"

He wasn't raised to be the head of the family, so later on he started to not understand some things.

"To surrender?" Feng Lan smiled. "No, they're here to test me. To see how big my appetite is, what I can offer them, and whether I'm worth the gamble."

Ino-Shika-Cho had this plan: to gain some benefits from the new standing army without actually siding with him. Therefore, Maple Lane rejected Yamanaka Fu's offer of allegiance.

As for Aburame... to be honest, Aburame Shiki wasn't completely surrendering. He just wanted to take down Danzo himself. However, the fact that he was able to reveal information in front of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio at least shows that he had made up his mind and wasn't afraid to turn against Danzo.

Otherwise, if word got out, Danzo would be the first to not let the Aburame clan off the hook.

"Then... what should we do?"

"Don't believe a word they say at the dinner party. We have to see what they do next, but that's all for tomorrow."

Feng Lan waved the lunchbox in his hand: "Let's go home first. Your wife and kids are waiting. The food we packed for Shuimen can't get cold."

Chapter 36 is all bullshit.

"Minato, according to the secret message sent back by the Ninja Hawk, Kakashi and Obito have found Lady Tsunade and are bringing her back to Konoha."

In the office, Feng Lan pointed to the map and said, "According to their route, they should pass by the orphanage in the Land of Fire... I plan to bring people there to welcome Lady Tsunade."

"Welcome Lady Tsunade?" Minato frowned. "Is it really necessary? This isn't the first time Lady Tsunade has returned, and besides, you're not fully recovered..."

“You know Lady Tsunade’s temper.” Feng Lan shrugged. “This time it involves the death of her lover, Kato Dan. If she goes berserk, her monstrous strength might be enough to demolish half a village.”

"I went to meet her in advance and made things clear. Even if she was angry, at least she could vent it in the wild first. What if she got into a fight in the village and hit a child? Even if she didn't hit a child, it wouldn't be good if she hit the flowers and plants."

“Hmm…that makes sense.” Minato frowned. “Then I’ll go with you.”

“I’ve never seen a Hokage as restless in his office as you.” Feng Lan rolled his eyes. “Big brother, you’re the head of a village now. How can you leave the village so easily without telling people from other villages? Danzo would laugh himself to death if he heard this.”

“But you’re not fully recovered yet, and Lady Tsunade has a temper…” Minato looked a little embarrassed and whispered, “I’m afraid she… will beat you up.”

"My small frame can't withstand her punches." Feng Lan smiled. "Don't worry, Shisui will come with me. With Shisui's Body Flicker to carry me away, our speed is second only to your Flying Thunder God Technique, right?"

"Let's bring Hizashi along too," Minato suggested. "If he doesn't escape, we can have him use his 'Return to Heaven' technique to get him back."

It seems that Tsunade's violent image has left a lot of trauma on Minato, who is afraid that if Fenglan says something wrong, he will have his head slapped off.

“Even if you hadn’t said anything, I would have taken him with me anyway. After all, it’s leaving the village, and there’s bound to be some risk involved. With Hyuga’s Byakugan to scout, I can feel much more at ease.”

“Hmm…” Upon hearing the word “risk,” Minato frowned again. “I’ll arrange two more teams of ANBU guards for you.”

"Don't worry about this." Feng Lan rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Is that the Anbu yours to send? Are you afraid that the Third Hokage doesn't know my whereabouts clearly enough?"

"Anyway, I've made all the preparations. If there's anything you're unsure about, just put it aside for now and we'll talk about it when I get back." As Feng Lan spoke, she had already changed into a black hooded suit, making herself look rather furtive.

Pushing open the office door, Shisui and Hizashi were already waiting outside. Uchiha Itachi and Fenglan originally didn't want to take him along, since this operation was somewhat risky, and they wouldn't be able to face Fugaku if they ruined the future of the Uchiha clan. But the little brat cried and insisted on going with them.

Sigh, maybe I've gotten too familiar with him and he thinks I'm easy to talk to. This kid is getting more and more childish.

Glancing at Uchiha Itachi, who was following behind her with a notebook in hand and eyes shining, Feng Lan couldn't help but rub her forehead. What happened to her precociousness? What happened to her Hokage mindset? How did I end up raising her into such a brat? Damn it!

And when did you discover your talent as a reporter? All you do all day is scribble and draw in that little notebook. Go and unleash a powerful fireball!

They traveled in silence. Although Feng Lan was on edge, it wasn't just Konoha that suffered heavy losses in the Third Shinobi World War. Therefore, it was unlikely that any other villages would have any active forces within the Land of Fire at the moment. Even if they did, they would mainly be spies who infiltrated and gathered intelligence.

Around midnight, the four arrived near the orphanage. Feng Lan gave Ri Cha a wink, and the latter rolled his eyes in understanding.

"Just as you predicted, there are many insects lurking around, probably for warning purposes." Hizashi looked around and gave the information in a low voice.

"Yes, Shisui and Itachi also activated their Sharingan, avoiding all the insects, and we secretly sneaked over."

"Yes!"

The group carefully avoided the wary insects and successfully arrived at the orphanage. There were only two wooden houses, one large and one small. The large wooden house was completely dark and was probably where the children slept, while the small wooden house still had a light on. Feng Lan naturally headed towards the small wooden house.

The dilapidated and barren wooden hut had no soundproofing whatsoever, and Danzo's gloomy voice could be clearly heard coming from inside.

Just as Feng Lan was about to eavesdrop, she saw Zhi Shui's eyes turn cold, and with a silent leap, she snatched the child out of the bushes with almost instantaneous speed.

The child struggled incessantly, his eyes showing more calmness than fear, but because his mouth was covered, he couldn't make a sound.

[It's Kabuto Yakushi!]

Feng Lan never expected that she would meet the most outstanding talent in the orphanage as soon as she arrived. This is the highest level that a bloodless ninja can reach. Who would have thought that this little guy with big glasses would become the perfect Ryuchi Cave Sage nicknamed Jackie Chan and one of the masterminds behind the Fourth Shinobi World War?

Of course, his corruption is inseparable from Danzo sitting in the room. In fact, most of the villains in Naruto have Danzo involved in their corruption. Otherwise, why would he be called the "scapegoat"? What if a tragedy doesn't have a suitable reason to happen? Just stuff Danzo in there and there's no problem.

Zhi Shui cast a questioning look at him, clearly asking whether they should knock the child unconscious, but Feng Lan shook his head, indicating that he should listen along with him.

Sure enough, upon hearing the voice of Yakushi Nonou, the director of the orphanage who had adopted him, Kabuto's movements suddenly froze, his eyes revealing an unconcealable worry and concern.

Feng Lan smiled, waved, and actually picked up Dou and looked inside through the drafty hole with him. She didn't cover his mouth anymore. At this moment, Dou stopped talking because he saw Nonou showing an expression he had never seen before.

That wasn't the image of a gentle and caring mother in front of her child, nor the image of a focused and serious doctor when using medical ninjutsu. Instead, she was cold, angry, and filled with an unconcealed fear, almost like a mother wolf fiercely protecting her cubs.

The person who could elicit such an expression from Nono was none other than Old Bitden, who sat opposite her and was once her boss, Shimura Danzo.

After a brief standoff, Danzo spoke calmly: "Long time no see, you don't look as well as before, Nonou... I never thought that you, who were once known as the wandering shrine maiden, would be reduced to a babysitter."

“I have long since abandoned that name,” Nonou said firmly. “Regarding the aid funds, I have already reached an agreement with Konoha. Why now…”

"You, who were once the top elite of the intelligence department, have become so ignorant after leaving Root?" Danzo coldly interrupted her. "I'm not here for that meager aid..."

"What seems insignificant to you is the lives of dozens of children!"

"I care about something more noble," Danzo said ominously. "Of all the villages in the Three Kingdoms, only Iwagakure has retained its strength intact. I'm worried they might do something dangerous, and I hope you can infiltrate Iwagakure to investigate."

He has recently been suppressed by Minato and Furan, and his other three old friends don't like him much either. His situation is indeed not very optimistic. Therefore, Danzo urgently needs to produce something to prove himself.

However, infiltrating Iwagakure was a dangerous task, and his Root organization's manpower had already been reduced, so he couldn't afford any more losses. Therefore, he thought of Nonou.

Let this woman do it. If she succeeds, great. Even if she fails, I won't lose anything. Anyway, she's no longer a member of the organization and isn't on my side.

"If there's anything dangerous going on, remember to investigate the time, location, and number of people involved... It's all for Konoha, understand?"

His words were grand and righteous, but what he was really thinking was: "Once I get this concrete intelligence, I'll make Hiruzen hand over all the power he used to suppress me!"

“You’ve got the wrong person.” Nono lowered her head. “I’m no longer a member of Root.”

An elderly woman and a plump middle-aged woman behind her, who were also the only two staff members of the orphanage, couldn't help but exclaim, "You have no idea how important the director's presence is to the orphanage and the children!"

"Such a dangerous mission should have been given to you Root members and those powerful ninjas!"

"Hmph, your Dean is undoubtedly a very powerful ninja." Danzo sneered. "There is no scout in the Root organization that can match the Wandering Priestess right now."

After all, their manpower had just been reduced. At Feng Lan's instruction, Minato specifically targeted the elite reconnaissance personnel to eliminate them, in order to render Root deaf and blind first. Otherwise, Danzo would probably have found out the moment Feng Lan left the village.

"Moreover..." a sense of oppression began to appear on his old face, "If you dare not agree, Konoha will no longer provide funding to the orphanage."

"How could you do this!" Nono couldn't help but stand up. "We had already discussed it with the Third Hokage, and you...you went back on your word!"

"Just because the Third Hokage agreed doesn't mean I agree." Danzo had been constantly criticized by the Third Hokage these past few days, and now he finally had a place to vent his anger. "If I don't agree, you won't get a single penny of Konoha's money, and..."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes peeking out from under his bandages: "This orphanage looks like it's easy for thieves to break in. To prevent property loss, I advise you to hire some guards... but that's something you can do when you have money."

Standing behind Danzo, Ryoma Aburame chimed in at the opportune moment: "Also, you should worry about your children being stolen. Children with unknown origins always have some use..."

This was an open threat; clearly, if they didn't agree to Old Bitden's demands, he would continue to do all sorts of heinous things to the orphanage.