Chapter 490: The Deal with Danzō
Konoha Village. The inn where the Iwagakure delegation was staying.
Kajiyama Ri had been in Konoha for a long time. Despite his slow work efficiency, he had already reached many agreements with Konoha.
For example, when choosing missions in other countries, Iwagakure and Konoha would not select missions that were in direct conflict with each other. For certain special situations, the two sides could cooperate on missions.
Many other agreements were not reached.
For example, Kajiyama Ri's proposal for an exchange student program between the Iwagakure and Konoha Ninja Academies was flatly rejected by Konoha's high command.
Although Konoha had lost its status as the number one village, they were still undoubtedly the most comprehensive. Even after decades of catching up, there were still areas where Iwagakure could not compare. And the things Iwa was stronger in—like senjutsu, Jinchuriki, fused Kekkei Genkai, and Kekkei Tōta—were not taught at the academy.
Therefore, in the eyes of Konoha's leadership, an exchange program was a net loss for them.
Besides these superficial negotiations, Kajiyama Ri had two secret missions.
One was to contact the Uchiha clan, but this mission was not going well.
Kajiyama Ri had already spoken with many of the Uchiha's elite jonin. But he didn't dare to take his so-called "negotiations" with this group of oddballs seriously. He was too embarrassed to even report the "agreements" he had reached with them back to the village.
He had also requested to meet with Fugaku Uchiha. The Uchiha elites had all agreed, but Fugaku himself had yet to give a reply.
What Kajiyama Ri didn't know was that Fugaku had not yet figured out what Konoha's high command's strategy was in response to his clan's contact with Iwa. Therefore, Fugaku did not dare to make any rash moves.
In truth, Konoha's leadership hadn't taken any action at all.
On the first day, when Tekka Uchiha secretly met with Kajiyama Ri, Konoha's leadership was tense. They first had Itachi and Shisui go back to the clan compound to gather intelligence.
Originally, the two of them had been prepared to use genjutsu on the clansmen in the know, but it turned out to be completely unnecessary. Perhaps the Uchiha had no concept of secrecy. After Tekka returned, the "agreement" he'd reached with Kajiyama Ri spread throughout the entire Uchiha clan. So, even though Shisui and Itachi had been ostracized, they immediately got the information they wanted.
In fact, they didn't even have to ask. Someone had come to Shisui's door to warn him: "The clan has contacted Iwa. You'd better watch your step."
When Konoha's leadership learned that Iwagakure would send three Kage-level fighters to support the Uchiha rebellion, they were incredibly nervous. Danzō even proposed striking first. Tsunade also began to secretly recall ninja who were out on missions.
But then on the second day, she received news that Yashiro Uchiha had gone to see Kajiyama Ri. On the third day, it was Inabi Uchiha. Then the fourth, and the fifth.
And the news that came back grew more and more outrageous with each passing day.
At this point, everyone except the Uchiha themselves understood that Kajiyama Ri was just messing with them.
So Konoha's leadership, which had been preparing for action, once again slowed its pace.
This was why Fugaku was still waiting for a response that never came.
And this was why Kajiyama Ri had yet to make any real contact with the Uchiha clan.
The first secret mission had failed, but the second one was a success.
Kajiyama Ri's contact with Danzō went very smoothly. After their first successful cooperation, Kajiyama Ri created many opportunities for Danzō to build up his reputation during the official negotiations with Konoha. Danzō had now cultivated a positive image among many of Konoha's mid-to-high-level ninja as someone who was unafraid of power and argued forcefully for the village's interests.
At the same time, with Danzō's cooperation, Kajiyama Ri had also sent men deep into various parts of Konoha, gaining a more comprehensive understanding of their financial situation, material reserves, and so on.
On this day, as Kajiyama Ri was in the inn, trying to figure out how to get in touch with Fugaku, he received another mission.
A direct order from Ishiro: spread the news within Konoha that Iwagakure could transplant severed limbs and help disabled ninja recover their health.
This was not difficult to do. With Danzō's cooperation, the very next day, several members of the Iwa delegation managed to slip away from Konoha's surveillance and blend in with the villagers.
Soon, the entire village was buzzing with the news. The stories were told with such vivid detail, as if the tellers had seen it with their own eyes.
Ninja are naturally skilled at gathering intelligence. Konoha's leadership had no time to block the news before almost every ninja in the village knew. Many even went to the Konoha Hospital to ask if the village had similar technology.
The news soon reached Tsunade. She was furious. She didn't need to think to know it was the Iwa delegation's doing.
This move by Iwa was a huge blow to the confidence of Konoha's villagers and ninja.
Tsunade understood the danger. Konoha could temporarily lose the title of the strongest village, but it could not lose its confidence. The Will of Fire could not lose to the Will of Stone. Otherwise, on what basis could they reclaim the top spot?
She ordered a thorough investigation of all Anbu who had been monitoring the Iwa delegation.
The investigation quickly led back to Danzō.
Coupled with Danzō's recent "outstanding performance" in the negotiations with Kajiyama Ri, how could Tsunade not understand that the two had colluded?
But no matter how dissatisfied she was, it didn't change the fact that she was short on manpower and still needed him. So, she could only tolerate his actions. All she could do was replace the personnel connected to him and rearrange the Anbu surveillance on the Iwa delegation.
However, her concession only made Danzō more arrogant and reckless.
Kajiyama Ri's propaganda campaign in Konoha piqued Danzō's interest.
The moment he heard the news, he had his men contact Iwa's intelligence ninja. When he learned that all the transplanted limbs were a pure, snow-white color, he guessed they were White Zetsu clones.
Danzō possessed a White Zetsu clone he had traded from Ishiro. But his own research on it had not gone smoothly.
He had also thought of asking Orochimaru for help, but at that time, Orochimaru had been invited by the Akatsuki to serve their grand dream of world peace. After defecting from the Akatsuki, Orochimaru's focus had shifted from the Rinnegan to the Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku. Danzō was unwilling—and unable—to provide him with the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai, so Orochimaru had never responded to his requests for cooperation.
In his underground lab, Danzō looked at the White Zetsu clone in the all-metal cage, listening to his subordinates' worthless progress reports, his expression grim. He possessed the First Hokage's Wood Release, yet his research was getting nowhere. It was incredibly frustrating.
Now, hearing that Iwagakure had made a breakthrough, his heart grew even more restless.
After only two days, he couldn't hold back any longer.
This time, he didn't sneak around. He directly used his authority as a high-level advisor to dismiss the Hyuga clan members monitoring the Iwa delegation and went to see Kajiyama Ri in person.
"I wonder what Advisor Danzō wishes to discuss with me? Could it be that your village has agreed to the student exchange?" Kajiyama Ri asked, trying to gauge his intentions.
Danzō said directly, "The Hyuga have been transferred. You don't need to probe."
Kajiyama Ri paused, then his expression turned serious. "I see. On behalf of my teacher, I extend my greetings to you, Advisor Danzō."
"Before I came to Konoha, my teacher told me to find an opportunity to privately convey his goodwill to you: my teacher supports you, Advisor Danzō, in becoming the Sixth Hokage."
"My teacher has stated that if you wish to seize power, Iwagakure is willing to lend its strength."
Danzō's eyes narrowed. At the mention of "Sixth Hokage," he was tempted.
But although he was tempted, with his shrewdness, he wouldn't be so easily moved by Ishiro's words.
He ignored Kajiyama Ri's offer and got straight to the point. "I want to trade for all the technology for your transplant surgery. Name your price."
Kajiyama Ri's eyes shifted. "This is not a decision I can make. I need to report back to the village. Please wait a few days, Advisor Danzō."
But Danzō said calmly, "You must have the Tsuchikage's conditions on you, for a critical negotiation. Just say them."
This old fox, Kajiyama Ri thought.
Before he left, Ishiro had indeed told him what concessions Iwa could make, and what things would be most suitable to extort from Konoha.
He had originally wanted to string Danzō along and make him bleed, but he hadn't expected him to be so direct.
After a moment's hesitation, Kajiyama Ri said, "Since you are so straightforward, Advisor Danzō, I will be as well."
Ishiro had once given him a long list:
The Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God kunai.
The other two scrolls for Minato Namikaze's disassembled Flying Thunder God Technique.
The masks from the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple.
The creation method for large-scale storage scrolls, and finished products.
The Aburame clan's secret insect control techniques and special insects.
The Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique.
The Yamanaka clan's secret mental techniques.
The Eight Inner Gates Formation.
The Impure World Reincarnation technique.
Advanced medical ninjutsu.
The Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags technique.
The training notes for the Super Beast Scroll.
The complete Konoha-Style Kenjutsu.
The Inuzuka clan's ninken breeding techniques, and so on.
It was a long list of items and secret techniques that Iwagakure could use now or in the future.
Kajiyama Ri remembered what Ishiro had said when he gave him the list: Anything on this list is good. Whatever you can extort, it's a win for the village.
Kajiyama Ri considered the value of the transplant technology, then picked ten items from Ishiro's long list.
After hearing the price, Danzō did not get angry. He haggled with Kajiyama Ri, his face expressionless.
In the end, they reached an agreement:
Danzō would provide three masks from the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple, ten weapons with Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God seals on them, ten types of special insects from the Aburame clan, and the training notes for the Super Beast Scroll.
Kajiyama Ri didn't waste time. In front of Danzō, he called an intelligence ninja and communicated with Iwagakure.
Ishiro, back in the village, immediately agreed to the trade. The technology was useless without the White Zetsu clones. Even if Danzō wanted to promote it throughout Konoha, where would he get so many clones? He wasn't Orochimaru; he couldn't develop cloning technology. If he had that kind of research ability, he would have figured out the transplant surgery himself long ago and wouldn't need to be extorted.
Besides, the technology was from Orochimaru. Ishiro didn't know why Danzō hadn't traded with him directly, but was instead giving all these good things to him for free.
Fearing Danzō would change his mind, Ishiro immediately approved the deal.
Two days later, he received the four items from Danzō.
"The Super Beast Scroll training notes. Good stuff." After personally copying the first scroll, Ishiro had the Anbu deliver it to the Land of Bears, where Sasagawa Ayumi was on a mission.
The Super Beast Scroll notes were one of the least valuable items on Ishiro's list, but also one of the most urgently needed. If Danzō had offered the Eight Gates or Edo Tensei, Ishiro might have had to call a high-level meeting to celebrate. But honestly, those two things were useless to the current Iwagakure.
Then, Ishiro picked up the ten longswords engraved with the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God seals.
After a careful look, he summoned Akino Atsumi.
When Akino saw Tobirama's seals, she was overjoyed. Before Ishiro could speak, she said, "Teacher Ishiro, this is great! I can finally study Tobirama Senju's Flying Thunder God seal!"
"The seal we got from Kumogakure last time was just for looking at; I couldn't bear to use it for research."
"Actually, Tobirama's seal is more suitable for beginners than Minato's. Minato's was a simplified version. This one is easier to learn from."
Ishiro was surprised. "So these will be helpful to you?"
Akino said, "This is the original version. It will be very useful for simplifying my massive Heavenly Transfer Technique."
Ishiro nodded. "I see. By the way, can the Heavenly Transfer Technique between the village and the branch bases transport ninja yet?"
Akino shook her head. "Not yet. The technology is there, but the farther the distance, the harder it is to control the spatial stability. The cost of long-distance ninja teleportation is too high; it's not practical. It will be fine once I simplify the fuinjutsu for the Heavenly Transfer Technique. With these ten seals, it won't be long now."
Ishiro nodded. "Keep up the good work. If you can't do it in a short time, that's fine. But no matter the cost, first set up a teleportation array between the village and the branch in the northwest region of the former Land of Fire. That location is special. If war breaks out, it will definitely be a key point of attack for Konoha."
"I know," Akino nodded.
Ishiro then took out the three masks from the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple.
He had been eyeing these for a long time. But after the Uzumaki were destroyed, the temple had been moved by Konoha, and he didn't know where. He hadn't found it during his several infiltrations of the village.
Ishiro carefully sensed the three masks. He didn't know what material they were made of; he only felt a layer of resistance and some seal-like structures that he couldn't identify.
"There should be a space inside each of them. Take a look, see if you can find anything," Ishiro said, handing them to Akino.
Curious, she took them and carefully examined them, then sensed them herself.
After a long while, she said uncertainly, "These fuinjutsu have components of space-time ninjutsu, but it doesn't seem to be a large part. It's mostly something else."
"Something else?" Ishiro held a mask and thought.
His eyes lit up. "I've got it. Wait here."
"Someone, go to the shrine laboratory and bring Katsumata and Natsuki here."
"Yes, sir." An Anbu member quickly departed.
After they arrived, Ishiro said, "Take a look at these. Are the seals on these three masks soul seals?"
Ishiro's own level in soul-related arts was higher than theirs, but in terms of research and soul sealing, he was far behind.
Natsuki said, annoyed, "Brother, what is it now? We were in the middle of analyzing the Caged Bird data. You interrupted us at a critical moment."
Ishiro rolled his eyes. "Since when are you so diligent?"
Natsuki huffed. "I wasn't serious before, that was the past. I'm working very hard now. If you don't believe me, ask Senior Katsumata."
Ishiro rolled his eyes again. "Alright, alright, I believe you. Now, quickly look at this."
He placed a mask in her hand.
Natsuki was exasperated. His perfunctory attitude clearly showed he didn't believe her.
She had indeed been working hard recently. Seeing Katsumata become an elite jonin had given her a sense of crisis. He had always been more serious than her, and patience was crucial for research. Now that his strength had also surpassed hers, she felt the pressure.
Katsumata smiled. "Teacher Ishiro, Natsuki has been working very hard these days. With her talent, I believe she'll become an elite jonin soon."
Hearing this, Natsuki huffed at Ishiro and waved a defiant fist.
Akino, listening on the side, was a little envious. Her situation was special. Her treatment in the village was very high, better than that of a regular elite jonin. Although the space-time research wasn't a separate department like the Barrier Squad or the Medical Division, her status was only slightly lower than their heads. She was already part of the village's de facto upper echelon.
But her strength was seriously mismatched with her status. She was currently only a jonin, and a very weak one in terms of combat. Katsumata was two years older; it was normal for him to become an elite jonin. But Natsuki, who was about her age, was also about to become one. She was quite envious.
Soon, the two of them had carefully examined the three masks.
"These three masks may each contain a strange existence, possibly a spiritual body," Ishiro explained. "Akino just looked at them and said the space-time sealing component is very small, and she doesn't recognize the rest. Do you two think this looks like a soul seal?"
Natsuki frowned. "It feels strange. It seems like it is, but also like it isn't. It's definitely related to the soul, but I don't see any similarity to the seals we've been studying."
Ishiro turned his gaze to Katsumata.
Katsumata didn't speak immediately. He deliberated for a long time before saying, "Teacher Ishiro, I have a theory. Perhaps there isn't a soul sealed in the mask. Perhaps the mask is the soul."
The other three were confused. Before they could ask, he explained, "My guess is that someone turned some powerful souls into the shape of a mask. The fuinjutsu we see are not conventional seals, but fuinjutsu used to create or maintain the mask's shape."
Hearing this, Ishiro hadn't even reacted yet, but Akino suddenly cried out, "Ah!"
She snatched a mask from Ishiro's hand and began to sense it again. As she did, she took out one of Tobirama's Flying Thunder God seals and compared them.
Who knew what part of Katsumata's explanation had inspired her, but she had forgotten her surroundings and begun her research on the spot.
Ishiro had thought she'd had a discovery and would be done quickly. He waited quietly with Katsumata and Natsuki. But once Akino started her research, she forgot everything else. Not only did she not finish, but she kept pulling out documents from her storage pouch, including several of Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God kunai.
Ishiro rubbed his brow. This scene reminded him of when Obito had infiltrated the village and been scared off by Kitsuchi. At that time, he had wanted to ask Akino what she had learned, but she had been just like this, so engrossed in her research that she hadn't even noticed him.
He turned to the other two and waved his hand, signaling them to be quiet and leave with him.
He assigned a squad to guard his office, then took Katsumata and Natsuki to a meeting room.
"Katsumata," Ishiro said, "continue with your theory. Akino must have thought of something based on it. Even though she doesn't study souls, it at least proves your theory has some merit."
Katsumata nodded. "I feel the function of those fuinjutsu is very special. They may not be conventional sealing formulas, but formulas made directly from the soul itself."
"If my theory is correct, then these masks may have used a part of the spiritual body to seal and shape the soul itself."
"The reason Natsuki feels these fuinjutsu are so different from the soul seals we've been studying is because of this. We've been researching how to seal a soul with chakra. But these masks... they seal a soul with another soul. The two are almost completely different."
As he spoke, a slight smile appeared on his face. "If I'm not mistaken, our research can now move forward."
"Researching how to seal a soul with chakra is too difficult. Perhaps only when Natsuki reaches your level of Yin Release, Teacher, will we have a breakthrough."
"But if we use a soul to seal a soul, it should be technically simpler."
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