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Chapter 620: Influence
Chapter 620: Influence
As the news of Danzo Shimura's demise had already spread throughout the Ninja World, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to make an official announcement, confirming the unfortunate event.
To save face for Danzo and maintain the dignity of the higher-ups, the cause of Danzo's death was reported as an unfortunate sacrifice while investigating intelligence, rather than the truth of being killed for his rogue actions.
This news sent shockwaves through Konoha, with its residents buzzing in curiosity, wondering who Danzo Shimura truly was.
While Danzo was indeed a high-ranking member of Konoha, the average villagers didn't pay much attention to the inner workings of the village leadership, beyond knowing the identity of the Hokage.
Furthermore, Danzo mainly handled dirty and arduous tasks behind the scenes, rarely making public appearances, making it even harder for the villagers to recognize him.
Of course, most ninjas were familiar with the name Danzo Shimura.
Aside from his infamous title as the "Konoha Soup King," Danzo was also known for his formidable strength as a ninja, which was enough to leave an impression on many Konoha ninjas.
However, due to various reasons, Danzo's overall reputation among most ninjas was rather mediocre.
Most ninjas weren't particularly concerned about Danzo's death itself but were more interested in the potential fallout from this incident.
After all, Danzo was a high-ranking member of Konoha, holding significant power over the secretive Root organization, and his death entangled numerous interests.
Thanks to Sarutobi Hiruzen's early knowledge of the situation, the village itself remained relatively calm in the face of this news.
However, the outside impact was a different story, as evidenced by the Nara clan, a well-established ninja clan, quickly receiving word of Kumogakure's movements in response to Danzo's death.
As the news spread, a curious discrepancy emerged—while the information coming into Konoha indicated that Danzo was killed by Sou Yuukei of Amegakure, Sarutobi Hiruzen's official statement claimed that the matter was still under investigation.
The mix of information created a peculiar atmosphere in Konoha, replacing the previous air of relaxation with a sense of unease.
Even the training environment in the Southern Forest felt a slight disturbance.
"Danzo-sama is dead..." sighed Yamato, seated on a large rock.
After spending time with Mu Yue, he realized that Danzo wasn't quite the person he had imagined, but he still felt grateful to him.
After all, Danzo had raised him for a significant period, and Yamato couldn't deny his gratitude for that.
Thus, among Mu Yue's disciples, Yamato was the only one who felt saddened by Danzo's death.
"Danzo? You mean Danzo Shimura? Who is he, anyway? A lot of people in the village have been talking about him lately," Tobirama scratched his head in confusion.
He was one of those who had no idea who Danzo Shimura was.
Tobirama hadn't been born yet during Danzo's heyday on the battlefield, and other factors contributed to his lack of knowledge about the renowned ninja.
"He was a close aide to the Hokage," Kakashi answered Yamato's unspoken question.
"He was a close aide to the Hokage? But I've hardly heard anything about him," Tobirama said, puzzled.
"Probably because there weren't any noteworthy incidents worth spreading," Kakashi replied nonchalantly.
In reality, ninjas like Mu Yue and Namikaze Minato, who consistently achieved remarkable feats on the battlefield, were quite rare.
Such accomplishments required not only strength but also a combination of luck and the ability to seize opportunities.
Tobirama thought Kakashi made a lot of sense, and he silently mourned the unfamiliar close aide to the Hokage for a fraction of a second.
It was indeed pitiful that as a close aide to the Hokage, Danzo didn't have a single remarkable achievement worth mentioning.
"When I become the Hokage, I'm going to make sure I get several pages in the history books!" Tobirama thought, clenching his fist with determination.
He found studying a tedious chore, but the idea of having future students pore over his accomplishments excited him to no end.
The reason he kept these thoughts to himself instead of voicing them aloud was that he knew Kakashi, with his innate evil nature, would undoubtedly laugh at his overreaching ambition.
While Tobirama had lofty aspirations, he was well aware that he wasn't qualified to counter Kakashi's ridicule at this point.
So, he decided to quietly work hard and astonish everyone with his results.
"Don't take on any missions for now. Wait until I make the necessary arrangements," Mu Yue advised her disciples.
Through the changes in the Ninja World, Mu Yue could sense Uchiha Madara's growing impatience.
He was getting old, and he desperately sought an heir to carry out his grand plan for resurrection.
In this situation, only in Konoha, under Mu Yue's watch, could Obito and Itachi be safe from Madara's scheming.
Ordinarily, a Jonin could undertake missions independently or lead a team to complete them.
However, Obito's team was a special case due to their exceptionally young age—so young that they had broken Konoha's Jonin age record—and Mu Yue's interference.
Namikaze Minato had once suggested that Kakashi lead a team on missions, not necessarily to increase the number of Jonin squads in Konoha but to provide Kakashi with leadership experience.
But Mu Yue had firmly rejected Namikaze Minato's proposal, listing several convincing reasons that made Minato reconsider.
All the disciples nodded in agreement.
Mu Yue then pulled Itachi aside and explained the matter of the training team to him.
Itachi's expression turned conflicted.
He could sense the uniqueness of this training team, an even more specialized group than the ANBU, and he believed that joining them could potentially aid in his mission regarding the Uchiha clan.
However, becoming a part of such a specialized unit would undoubtedly make his life less leisurely, leaving him with less time to train with Mu Yue, Obito, and the others.
"If you want to join, I can arrange for you to have a squad leader position. But if you don't want to, then don't force yourself. Just make your decision based on what you truly want," Mu Yue said.
Resolving the Uchiha issue required a balance between the interests of the clan and those outside it, but this "outside" influence didn't necessarily have to come from joining a secretive unit like the training team.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had also suggested that Itachi was a suitable candidate for the team, but he hadn't insisted that Itachi join.
As Itachi's teacher, Mu Yue couldn't shield him from all difficulties, but he could certainly help lighten the burden and protect him from some of the storms ahead.
"Teacher Mu Yue, I want to join!" Itachi replied seriously, his face determined.
After careful consideration, Itachi concluded that he should seize this rare opportunity.
It was an advantage that none of the other Uchiha ninjas, aside from him and Obito, possessed.
Mu Yue was the one in charge of this new department, and within it, as long as they performed well, they would undoubtedly receive the recognition they deserved.
For other Uchiha members to join such a confidential unit would be challenging, let alone gain prominent positions within it.
"Alright, I'll let you know when it's time to report to the training team," Mu Yue nodded in agreement.
Thanks to Danzo Shimura's influence, the training team, despite being recently established, already had its independent base—the former Root organization's headquarters.
Sarutobi Hiruzen kept his word, and aside from some useless confidential files, all of Root's resources were now under the control of the training team.
After the cultivation session ended, Mu Yue didn't return to her home in the main city but instead made her way to Yamato's side.
"Teacher Mu Yue?" Yamato looked at her in confusion.
"I'm thinking of visiting your place today. Won't you welcome me?" Mu Yue said with a beaming smile.
"Of course, you're welcome anytime." Yamato quickly explained, touched by her gesture.
Mu Yue always seemed to sense his emotions and provided comfort when needed.
Yamato's current residence was in the outskirts of the village, arranged by Danzo Shimura.
Fortunately, the place where Mu Yue and her disciples cultivated was also quite remote, so Yamato's home was actually the closest to their usual training spot.
As Mu Yue walked into Yamato's house, she made her way to the kitchen.
When a disciple was unhappy, she would naturally want to cheer them up with delicious food that could change their mood.
Yamato waved his hands, indicating that he didn't want to trouble her, but in the end, he relented and sat obediently at the table, waiting for the meal.
"Do you want to go to school?" Mu Yue asked as she placed the last dish on the table.
The ninja academy usually enrolled children around the age of five or six, and Yamato was already eight. If it weren't for his unique identity, he would have started his education there long ago.
Mu Yue had wanted to send Yamato to school for a while, but the situation with Danzo had made it difficult to explain things.
"You mean the ninja school?" Yamato asked, trying to restrain himself from staring at the exceptionally tempting dishes in front of him.
This was Mu Yue's cooking, and he felt she should eat first.
"Yes, once you graduate from the ninja school, you'll officially be a Konoha ninja." Mu Yue understood Yamato's thoughts and picked up a piece of meat, placing it in her bowl.
Strictly speaking, Yamato was like an undocumented person. His identity had been arranged by Danzo Shimura, and his status as a Root ninja wasn't registered in the organization's records. He was only acknowledged by Danzo and wasn't considered a true Konoha ninja.
Of course, with Danzo's influence, it wouldn't have been difficult to arrange a ninja identity for Yamato. However, Danzo was concerned that Hiruzen Sarutobi would discover Yamato's weak strength.
"How long do I need to study at the ninja school before becoming a ninja?" Yamato also picked up a piece of meat, popped it into his mouth, and immediately followed it with a mouthful of rice. After chewing, he wore an expression of pure bliss.
"If you're in a hurry, it could take as little as a month or even two weeks. But if you take your time, it could be six years. Personally, I recommend staying for at least two years," Mu Yue said after some thought.
Among her disciples, Yamato had experienced quite a bit of hardship. First, he was captured and became one of the ten test subjects for the Hashirama cells experiment, barely surviving and losing his memory in the process. Then, he was found by Danzo, who constantly subjected him to psychological manipulation and indoctrinated him with his twisted ideology.
Mu Yue wanted Yamato to experience the joy of a carefree school life.
With Yamato's current strength, enrolling in the ninja academy would be like a top-tier protagonist entering a low-level monster zone—it would be a complete mismatch.
When Yamato heard the number six, his eyes widened slightly. He had only lived for a little over three times that duration.
"Teacher Mu Yue, do I have the potential to become a Wood Release ninja like the First Hokage?" Yamato didn't answer the previous question and instead asked a new one.
"It's very difficult, almost impossible." Mu Yue tried to be as gentle as possible in her response.
What made Hashirama Senju extraordinary wasn't his Wood Release but his terrifying chakra.
The chakra of a regular tailed beast was already formidable to the point that ordinary ninjas couldn't compare. And compared to Kurama, the Nine-Tails, the chakra of other tailed beasts was significantly less impressive.
But even Kurama's chakra paled in comparison to Hashirama's, showcasing just how terrifying the First Hokage's chakra was.
"So, there's still a slight possibility? I want to become a ninja like the First Hokage, capable of protecting the village and preventing wars," Yamato said resolutely.
"I want to go to the ninja school, graduate as quickly as possible, and then ask you, Teacher Mu Yue, to train me even more rigorously!"
Danzo's death made him sad, but what made Yamato even more anxious was the future. If Mu Yue were to sacrifice herself like Danzo...
He wanted to become stronger, to possess the power to protect the people and things he cared about.
Mu Yue wore an expression of helplessness. Sometimes, maturity beyond one's years wasn't a good thing. Why did they all have to be so responsible? They were kids who should be enjoying their lives.
"Even if you want to become a ninja like the First Hokage, it won't happen overnight. At the very least, you'll need to study at the ninja academy for a year," Mu Yue said, tapping Yamato's finger with her own.
...
In the Land of Hot Water, the Konoha ninja forces had set up a base.
"Just like that, he's gone. What a pity," Orochimaru muttered, setting down the documents in his hands. For a moment, his usually expressionless face showed a hint of emotion.
He had received news of Danzo Shimura's death, not only through Konoha's official announcement but also through various sources within the ninja world.
"The experiments will have to be put on hold..." Orochimaru sighed softly.
He didn't feel saddened by Danzo's death; just as Danzo had treated him as a tool for his experiments, Orochimaru viewed Danzo as a useful partner rather than a comrade like Jiraiya or Tsunade.
What concerned Orochimaru was the fate of his experiments and whether his collaboration with Danzo had been exposed.
Together, they had crossed too many lines, and if their activities were revealed, Orochimaru wouldn't just have to give up his ambitions of becoming Hokage—he'd be lucky if Hiruzen Sarutobi spared his life out of their old friendship.
Orochimaru had intended to return to Konoha to erase any evidence that might expose him, but Kumogakure's sudden actions in response to Danzo's death had thwarted his plans.
Changing commanders right before a battle was a major taboo, and without a valid reason, the Konoha higher-ups would never approve his return.
Realizing the futility of such a request, Orochimaru didn't even bother to make it, knowing full well that it would be denied.
Now, Orochimaru's only hope was that Danzo had covered their tracks well enough, leaving him with no choice but to defect if things went south.
Orochimaru wasn't one to sit and wait for his doom. He actively sought ways to contact his subordinates in Konoha, wanting to understand the village's current situation and the impact of Danzo's death.
He didn't crave power or wealth; they were merely means to an end. What he sought was something far more profound.
However, the thought of abandoning everything he had built in Konoha over the years was unappealing. If he defected, he would have to start from scratch, wasting a significant amount of time.
Even a genius like Orochimaru had limited energy and attention. With his focus divided between the situation with Danzo, their joint endeavors, and the impending battle with Kumogakure, he couldn't afford to spare much energy for analysis.
And so, the ninja forces of Kumogakure quietly sailed to the Land of Fields and began their operation.
(End of Chapter)
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