Seeing his old man about to train him in Wind Release, Takeshi hurriedly shouted:
"Dad, Haku's bloodline limit is Ice Release, and Kimimaro's is the Shikotsumyaku!"
Danzō, who had been about to channel Wind-nature chakra into a kunai, froze mid-action when he heard that. He turned his head to look at the two little ones beside him.
"Where did you bring them back from?"
Noticing that Danzō wasn't making another move, Takeshi finally gathered his courage, forcing a smile as he stepped up beside him. He took hold of Danzō's hand, trying to pull him aside to speak.
Once they reached a secluded corner, Takeshi spun a quick lie to brush the matter over for now.
Danzō didn't press too hard for the truth. After all, rumors had already spread throughout the village. If he wanted to keep the two kids, he had no choice but to pinch his nose and accept them.
Still...
Even if Danzō accepted the explanation, Takeshi couldn't escape a good beating.
By the time Takeshi returned to his room with a swollen cheek, Aburame Tatsuma had already taken care of the household registry issue, formally entering Haku and Kimimaro into the Shimura clan records.
Shimura Haku. Shimura Kimimaro.
"Are you alright?"
Sitting obediently in Takeshi's room, Haku quickly got up in concern when he saw him walk in holding his face.
Kimimaro also looked at him with wide eyes. A bone spike slipped out of his hand as he asked eagerly:
"Do you want me to go kill our dad?"
Good one, Kimimaro, already slipping into the role so quickly!
Wait, no—if you've already accepted him as your father, why do you keep wanting to kill him?
"It's fine, Kimimaro. Our dad doesn't really mean to hurt me. It's training, you know—having a bit of roughness is normal."
Takeshi really didn't know how to explain the situation to Kimimaro, who had never known parental love. He could only hope that time would help him understand.
"Oh, right. Before I left, I had Yamato prepare rooms for you two. Single rooms, one each."
Takeshi pulled out some ointment from the drawer, slipping it into his pocket. He planned to show the two kids their rooms first before applying it.
"But... I want to sleep in the same room as you..."
Haku tugged at Takeshi's arm, looking up at him pitifully.
At the same time, Kimimaro came to Takeshi's other side and grabbed at his sleeve.
Damn, that's cheating!
With two adorable kids looking at him like that, even Takeshi—who prided himself on having a heart of stone—crumbled instantly.
"But... I kind of want some private space of my own..."
Takeshi tried to resist one last time.
"Is... is that so. Then I've just been troubling you, onii-san..."
Haku let go of his hand, sounding disappointed, though he still nodded obediently.
Seeing that, Kimimaro quickly mimicked him.
"Alright, fine... I'll ask Yamato later to expand the room a bit..."
Takeshi completely surrendered.
...
The next day.
As usual, Danzō arrived at his office, face taut as always.
Even before he opened the door, he caught the smell of smoke leaking through the crack. He didn't need to guess—of course it was that old chain-smoker Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Pushing the door open with force, Danzō strode quickly to the window, ignoring the gossipy grin on Hiruzen's face as he threw the window wide for fresh air.
"You're here early, Danzō."
Hiruzen's tone sounded casual, but his voice and expression dripped with gossip so thick that even Takeshi could see it.
"Just focus on your work, Sarutobi."
Danzō deliberately emphasized the word "your work," then pulled out his chair and sat down heavily.
This was exactly the reaction Hiruzen expected, so he wasn't offended. He simply pressed on with his questions:
"Never would've guessed. You, who are always preaching about secrecy in action, turn out to have so many illegitimate children."
"Hiruzen, this is all for Konoha!"
Now that Hiruzen had laid things bare, there was no point trying to hide it.
A vein throbbed on Danzō's forehead as he slammed the desk and shot to his feet.
The ANBU passing outside didn't so much as pause at the noise, continuing with their duties as if nothing had happened.
Ever since the two of them had moved into the same office, arguments like this were routine. Sometimes the shouting got even more heated.
At first, the ANBU loyal to each side would square off whenever it happened. But as time went on, whether they were ANBU from Hiruzen's Hokage era or Root shinobi under Danzō, everyone stopped paying attention to the noise their leaders made.
Clack.
A crisp door-shutting sound cut through Danzō's fury.
Perhaps their arguing had been too loud. An ANBU passing by had kindly closed the office door.
"Well, well, Danzō. I never would've thought you'd sacrifice so much for Konoha."
Hiruzen snuffed out his pipe, his eyes wandering unashamedly downward at Danzō's lower body.
Danzō slammed his fist into the desk again, leaning forward until his face was nearly pressed against Hiruzen's.
He wanted to teach him a lesson like in the old days—to throw punches, to fight him flesh to flesh.
"Hey now, don't start anything. We're on work time."
Hiruzen leaned back, dodging Danzō's hand as it reached for his collar. He pointed to the clock on the wall, reminding him this wasn't the time for a brawl.
"I'm the head of ANBU Training Division, Hiruzen. Whether it's work time or not—I decide that!"
Danzō didn't care about rules. He was in charge here. Whatever Hiruzen said, today he was going to get beaten.
Just as Danzō's fist was about to crash into Hiruzen's face, the office door was thrown open again. The appearance of two new figures forced Danzō to stop mid-swing.
"Danzō, Hiruzen? What are you two doing?"
Koharu Utatane stared in shock at Danzō's raised fist. She had always known he didn't respect Hiruzen much, but assaulting a former Hokage outright wasn't just a matter of respect. On a larger scale, it could easily be seen as treason.
"Danzō, let Hiruzen go this instant!"
Homura Mitokado barked from the side.
"Hmph. I saw Hiruzen's collar was messy, so I was just fixing it for him."
Danzō released his fist and plopped back down into his chair with a huff.
"What are you two doing here anyway?"
Adjusting his own clothes, Danzō suddenly realized that their duties didn't really intersect with his. He asked curiously what had brought them.
"It's nothing. Just a bit of overlap in work we wanted to confirm. Oh, right—heard you picked up two more sons?"
"Get out!"
Of course. They had just come to gossip as well.
"Don't be so cold, Danzō. We're classmates from the same generation, aren't we? Talking about these things won't cost you a piece of flesh."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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