Konohagakure, Root Base
At the Root Headquarters, Shimura Danzō was flipping through the intelligence reports sent in by his subordinates.
Regaining partial authority had been a delight—Danzō absolutely loathed the powerlessness that came with being stripped of his position.
Even though... he'd never actually stopped his secret operations.
But partial authority wasn't nearly enough to satisfy him.
His ambition had never changed—he still wanted to become Hokage!
"Kirigakure is fracturing more severely… there's a high risk of internal conflict?"
Say what you will about Danzō, he was undeniably efficient at intelligence work.
He was, after all, the 'Darkness of the Shinobi World', with spies spread across every corner. If not, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't have let him live after the assassination attempt.
Of course, friendship might have played a part in that too...
"So, is Uchiha Obito and that organization working for one of Kirigakure's factions—planning to strike against the other?"
Danzō analyzed the situation in silence. He had no particular interest in Kirigakure's civil unrest. If anything, he wished they'd tear each other apart.
"Hmph. Uchiha Itachi claims to be spying for Konoha, yet hasn't delivered a single piece of useful intel!"
He quickly snorted again in frustration.
"Hiruzen is truly old… too soft-hearted. How can you let such a threat walk free?
And that Uchiha Obito—what a bitter irony. Konoha's so-called 'hero' turns out to be the very one who triggered the Nine-Tails incident ten years ago. Damn Uchiha…"
Still, when it came to Uchiha Obito, a gleam flickered in Danzō's eyes.
He was certain that Obito's eye was a Mangekyō Sharingan—and an eye like that was far too tempting to ignore.
Especially since, with the Senju Hashirama cells he'd obtained from Orochimaru, he knew firsthand: suppressing those hyperactive cells required a Sharingan.
He didn't know the exact mechanism—Orochimaru hadn't explained it—but the results were undeniable.
That only made his desire even stronger.
"If only I could get that eye..."
Danzō murmured under his breath, staring at the intel in his hands. After a long silence, a new idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"What if I made the situation in Kirigakure even messier... and sent my men to try something?"
A Mangekyō Sharingan—he absolutely refused to let it slip away.
Even if that night he had seen firsthand how bizarre Uchiha Obito was, he still wanted to try!
As for exposure?
Root operatives didn't get exposed. Framing Kirigakure wouldn't be difficult!
At worst, he could at least gather more intelligence—and that would help in the long run.
"In that case, I'll need to lure Jiraiya away. That guy's definitely going to get involved with Kirigakure, so..."
Danzō's one visible eye narrowed slightly. He already had a plan.
"Looks like I'll have to trouble you once again… Orochimaru."
...
Konohagakure, Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was just considering using the crystal ball on his desk to get a good look at the current state of the village.
Kakashi was no longer a concern for the time being. Though he had endured a great deal of hardship, his resilience was still commendable.
The investigation into the mysterious organization and Uchiha Obito had been entrusted to Danzō. Kitagawa Gen was under Jiraiya's watch, so naturally, Hiruzen could afford to relax a little.
"Hiruzen."
Just as he was about to inject chakra into the ball, Shimura Danzō suddenly pushed the door open and entered, catching him off guard.
"Danzō? What brings you here?"
Feigning surprise, Sarutobi Hiruzen casually covered the crystal ball with a cloth before speaking.
"Is there news from Kirigakure?"
"Hmph."
Shimura Danzō could more or less guess what Hiruzen had been up to, but he couldn't be bothered to say anything about it.
"There's been some progress in the investigation into Kirigakure. We've learned that they're in disarray—there's even a risk of civil war breaking out."
Danzō spoke plainly. He knew full well that if he wanted to reclaim all his authority, it was best to be honest for now.
After all, he wasn't the Hokage.
"Civil war?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was momentarily stunned. His gaze immediately turned sharp.
When it came to Kirigakure, his thinking was the same as Danzō's—both harbored strong aversion. A civil war over there certainly wouldn't be a bad thing.
However, given the current situation, he had to consider things more carefully.
"So, you're saying the person we're investigating is assisting one of the factions?"
"Exactly."
Danzō nodded.
"The situation is tense, but I don't believe it's reached the most dangerous point yet."
"Oh?"
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling his old friend was about to stir up trouble again.
But for the moment, he couldn't pinpoint what exactly was off. After a moment of thought, he asked: "Let's hear your thoughts. What else have you found?"
"I've discovered traces of Orochimaru. He's currently in the Land of Hot Water."
Since he had decided to sell out Orochimaru, Danzō didn't hesitate in the slightest.
"Orochimaru is a member of that organization. The fact that he hasn't arrived in the Land of Water yet suggests that the situation hasn't reached its most extreme phase."
"That's why I plan to dispatch more of my men to conduct deeper and more comprehensive investigations."
"At the same time, someone needs to track down Orochimaru. That might be more effective."
"Orochimaru, huh…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. He now understood Danzō's true aim.
Sending in his own men—this was nothing more than slicing the sausage thin, gradually reclaiming his lost authority.
And yet, there wasn't much Hiruzen could do to stop it. Entrusting the investigation to Root was indeed reasonable. Besides, he really couldn't afford to ignore Orochimaru.
"Fine. I understand."
After a few seconds of contemplation, he finally spoke.
"If things were truly that serious, he should've already arrived in the Land of Water. But since he's in the Land of Hot Water, it's still possible for him to reach the Land of Water by sea."
"It's reasonable to investigate his current situation. As for your end…"
Here, he paused, seemingly still hesitating. After a long while, he finally made up his mind and nodded.
"I'll temporarily allow you to deploy Root members for this operation—but you know the rules. Not a single piece of information can be exposed. I trust you understand this clearly."
"Hmph, spare me the reminder. Of course I know."
Danzō let out a faint snort, replying blandly. But inwardly, he was overjoyed—his objective had been achieved!
"I'll take my leave then. There's still much to be done."
Without wasting another word, Shimura Danzō turned and left. But this time, his footsteps seemed noticeably lighter.
"…"
Watching Danzō's retreating figure, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but rub his temples.
Still, he didn't bother saying anything more—there were far too many pressing matters at hand.
He gently knocked on the desk, then spoke.
"Bring Jiraiya to me. I have something to discuss with him."
...
"Boy, it looks like you're in trouble too."
Deep within a forest in Konohagakure, Jiraiya stood grinning mischievously at Kitagawa Gen.
"It's been quite a few days already, and you still haven't grasped the essentials."
"It is a bit troublesome."
Yet Gen showed no frustration. He merely shrugged and replied, "But if you didn't keep interrupting me, Jiraiya-sama, I probably would've learned it by now."
Time had passed quickly—an entire week had already gone by.
During these days, he had been earnestly recalling and organizing everything he remembered about the Flying Thunder God Technique.
After all, this wasn't something granted by the system. The scroll had automatically destroyed itself long ago, and he wasn't allowed to copy it down—so the cost of integrating and studying the technique had effectively doubled.
But considering the need for secrecy, that was entirely reasonable.
While Jiraiya wasn't exactly the most reliable sensei, he had stayed by Gen's side throughout this time. And to prevent Gen from overthinking things, he had done quite a bit.
For instance, he had taken Gen to relax at a hot spring. Or he had taught him various other techniques to keep his mind from getting stuck on frustrating problems.
In Jiraiya's words: "Work and rest must be balanced. Besides, ninjutsu is interconnected—learning other things might help you make progress here too."
It was well-intentioned—but it truly had disrupted Gen's focus.
"You don't even bother trying to make your lies sound convincing. And you, brat—you really can't recognize good intentions when you see them."
Jiraiya rolled his eyes and plopped down heavily with a groan.
"Mastering space-time ninjutsu is incredibly difficult. Even I haven't grasped the core of it."
"This kind of technique is far more complex than most jutsu. That's why only the Second and Fourth Hokage ever managed to master it."
"Getting stuck in a dead end isn't helpful. Taking breaks at the right time is what really helps you progress—this is my personal experience!"
"And you're way too stubborn. I told you to sign a contract with the toads of Mount Myōboku and you refused. Summoning techniques count as spatial jutsu too, you know."
"No thanks. I don't really like toads."
Gen shook his head immediately, though there was a bitter truth he couldn't say aloud.
If he still had an ordinary bloodline, he would've been happy to sign the contract.
Flying Thunder God could, in some sense, be considered a variant of summoning jutsu. Learning summoning techniques would undoubtedly help accelerate his comprehension and mastery.
But the problem was…
'My bloodline is Ōtsutsuki now. And that old toad once guided the Sage of Six Paths in opposing Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. If something gets discovered... it could be a problem.'
To play it safe, Gen had no choice but to give up on that path.
"Tch, suit yourself."
Jiraiya smacked his lips in mild annoyance, but he didn't press the matter further. At that moment, his head suddenly turned—he had spotted an Anbu agent approaching from afar.
"What now? More trouble?"
He raised an eyebrow, then turned to Gen and said, "Looks like you're on your own for today. Train hard."
"Yeah, got it."
Gen nodded as Jiraiya leapt into the air and departed the forest alongside the approaching Anbu.
Watching Jiraiya's figure disappear into the distance, Gen stretched lazily.
"Yeah… I really do need to give it my all. This Flying Thunder God technique is seriously messing with my head…"
The techniques Gen had learned before—though not all granted by the system—had never been as difficult as Flying Thunder God.
And the ones granted by the system, no matter how complex, were always broken down and directly infused into his mind—fully digested, ready to use.
That made learning easy and efficient. Not like now, where he had to keep recalling and puzzling through everything on his own. Naturally, the efficiency dropped significantly.
Especially since Flying Thunder God was extraordinarily complex, involving a wide array of components—that's why it had taken him so long.
"But by now, I've more or less digested all the theory. It's time to start trying it out."
Closing his eyes, he began slowly channeling chakra according to the system of knowledge he had structured in his mind.
Time passed little by little, and the chakra in his body grew stronger and more focused.
Then suddenly—he seemed to sense a faint ripple of spatial fluctuation. And the moment he reached deeper into that ripple—
[Buzz—]
In an instant, it felt as though his entire chakra erupted at once.
And more than that—he felt his blood beginning to boil.
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