Shimura Danzō stepped into the Hokage's office, his expression grim.
"You're here, Danzō."
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't look much better.
"How long has it been since we received the intel from the Land of Whirlpools?"
"Half a day."
"Damn it. Kirigakure and Kumogakure moved faster than expected!"
Danzō's eyes narrowed, his face full of resentment.
The moment he received Sarutobi's summons, he knew something was wrong.
Even though his organization, Root, had been running in the shadows for years and had all its divisions fully operational, he hadn't taken the initial report too seriously. He thought it might be just a smokescreen from one of the other hidden villages.
But once Sarutobi's ANBU came for him personally, Danzō knew it was serious.
"I've already sent Sakumo to intercept them."
Hiruzen sighed.
Even for Konohagakure, the intelligence network was briefly suppressed in the face of a coordinated strike from two major hidden villages. It had taken time for the information to leak through.
"The best news so far," Hiruzen continued, "is that the young princess of Uzushio is unharmed. Sakumo will make it in time."
"And Danzō, we cannot let this go unanswered. Send formal protests to both Kumogakure and Kirigakure. Demand an explanation!"
Sarutobi's voice rang with authority.
This was not the "Bear of the Shinobi World" who would later be worn down by age and compromise—this was the "Hero of the Shinobi World," at his prime.
As one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, Konoha wouldn't bow to pressure. In fact, it was time to settle old scores—especially with Kumogakure.
For Tobirama-sensei.
"Then we mobilize," Danzō said seriously. "Besides sending aid to Uzushio, we must also reinforce our borders. We can't allow any openings."
His eyes gleamed with determination. The passion to strengthen Konoha still burned brightly within him.
He believed that physical decay would eventually erode one's will—but right now, both he and Sarutobi were still in their prime, among the strongest shinobi in the world.
Especially Sarutobi. With three exceptional disciples under his wing and Konoha thriving under his leadership, he was radiating confidence and power.
"Then I'll leave the border defenses and diplomatic statements to you, Danzō."
Sarutobi trusted his old friend deeply—his comrade since childhood, his brother-in-arms.
...
Clap, clap, clap.
Orochimaru smiled with satisfaction, halting the sparring match between Uchiha Kaien and Namikaze Minato.
Over the past year, his approval of Kaien had only grown.
Not only was the boy obedient and diligent, but his talent for ninjutsu reminded Orochimaru of his own younger self—sharp, quick to grasp concepts, and even capable of extrapolating techniques on his own.
Because of that, Orochimaru rarely denied any of Kaien's requests—especially when Kaien sweetly called him "Orochimaru-sensei."
Much easier to deal with than that mischievous brat Nawaki.
And Kaien had even handed over the Uchiha clan's taijutsu for Orochimaru to study, giving him valuable research material. The more he saw, the more Orochimaru appreciated the boy.
The only thing that concerned him... was how gullible Kaien could be.
Even Nawaki managed to trick him with the most basic schemes.
Once, Nawaki had jokingly said he wanted to see some of the Uchiha clan's secret Fire Style scrolls—and the next day, Kaien brought him a copy from the family vault.
Nawaki had been so touched he declared he'd protect his innocent little comrade with his life.
Kaien, happy to see the [affection] increase, just nodded with a smile.
But really, it wasn't that Kaien was easy to fool—he just had too much faith in those around him. He was incredibly trusting, and overly reliant on the people close to him.
Orochimaru had noticed that Kaien was rarely alone. If not quietly training at Orochimaru's side, he was sparring with Nawaki or Minato.
Still, Orochimaru could understand. A child who had lost his parents clinging to companionship? Perfectly normal.
Of course, he didn't realize that Kaien's clingy and "naive" demeanor was all an act—his way of farming [affection].
No people, no affection gain.
"To be able to chain ninjutsu of different types so seamlessly into a continuous offensive... a standard chūnin would've been drained of chakra and overwhelmed."
"To calmly assess the situation, choose the optimal technique, and especially to combine Water and Lightning Releases so fluidly—plus that mastery of throwing weapons... At your age, that's outstanding."
"Well done, Kaien."
Orochimaru ruffled Kaien's hair out of habit.
Kaien didn't resist. After all... he was used to it.
[+1 affection from Orochimaru.]
Kaien had no idea why Orochimaru had developed this habit. Maybe... it was because his hair was just that nice?
He mentally sighed.
Orochimaru then turned to Jiraiya, who had been watching from the side, and said with a pleased smirk:
"You lost, Jiraiya."
"Damn it. I'm going to drill more jutsu into Minato. Using pure chakra reserves to suppress someone is totally cheating."
Jiraiya grumbled. Right now, Minato still didn't have enough chakra to use Jiraiya's signature techniques.
His jutsu all demanded significant chakra output.
"Minato, we'll need to focus on increasing your chakra pool. I'll draw up a new training plan just for that. Next time, you're going to win!"
"Got it, Jiraiya-sensei! I'll work even harder!"
Minato grinned like the radiant little sun he was.
He was Namikaze Minato, after all—not the type to get discouraged over a single loss. He'd just train harder until he caught up!
Then he thought of his spot at the top of the class.
Kaien always seemed so lazy at school, never caring about grades. Honestly, if he didn't go easy every time, Minato probably wouldn't be ranked first.
That undeserved title kind of stung.
He clenched his fists. Time to step up the intensity again.
Minato clearly felt unworthy of the top rank. Kaien was the one who truly deserved it.
That sense of guilt lit a fire in him, fueling his drive to improve.
[+2 affection from Namikaze Minato.]
Kaien watched Minato scratching his head and knew immediately—this guy was lost in thought again.
Probably coming up with another weird jutsu name or something?
Well, whatever. As long as the [affection] keeps rolling in.
Kaien grinned to himself.
Another draw tonight. Hell yeah!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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