The whole week, rumors about a super expensive hair treatment spread through Konoha, catching the attention of the higher-ups.
---
The F4 assembled for their periodic discussion.
"A million ryo?! Is he coating hair with gold?"
Homura shook his head in disbelief. He looked at Koharu for support, but she didn't seem to agree—she was looking down intently. In her hands was a document: a copy of the pictures Renji had taken of Nono's hair after the treatment.
Facing the peculiar gazes of her comrades, she cleared her throat in embarrassment.
"I agree. It's too expensive. We should investigate properly and also make him reduce the price."
'Otherwise, I can't justify getting it done for myself!'
Danzo snorted in derision. 'Women…'
He tapped his stick sharply on the ground, "That's not enough. We should interrogate him thoroughly! A lot of clan women have been going there—including the Uchiha. We must keep surveillance there at all times!"
Danzo had other reasons, of course. Renji's donations had blocked his schemes with Nono—she wasn't as desperate anymore. He had to use Kabuto to force her to take up his missions.
'Letting him live back then was a mistake. I shouldn't have listened to Hiruzen.'
"Alright, we'll send an Anbu to keep an eye on the salon. As for the pricing, there's no need to get involved," Hiruzen said, ending the discussion there.
Then he looked at them seriously—especially at Danzo. "Let's talk about the important things now. Somebody leaked information about Naruto. Rumors are flying around that he's the demon fox that attacked the village."
Koharu set aside her fascination and refocused. Frowning, she said, "Do we know who leaked it? If outsiders connect him to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, it would be troublesome."
Hiruzen continued, still watching Danzo. "We don't know who leaked it. I already issued a gag order so no more information spreads. Danzo, did you find anything?"
Danzo nodded. "It was a chuunin. He saw Minato sealing the Nine-Tails into Naruto. Consumed by hatred, he spread the rumors as revenge for his family. Root already captured him for interrogation."
Hiruzen suspected there was more to the story, but without evidence he didn't press the matter.
Nodding, he said, "I'll leave it to you."
Danzo's tone firmed. "But you should let me take the Jinchuriki to Root. Now that these rumors are out, it's only a matter of time before someone figures it out. Only in Root will he be secure!"
"Don't even think about it," Hiruzen refused flatly. "Root's methods are too dark—unsuitable for raising him. Mito-sama always said that 'love' is the most important ingredient to keep a Jinchuriki stable. Don't bring it up again."
Homura and Koharu nodded in agreement. They still respected Mito's wisdom on the matter.
Dang! Danzo struck the floor with his walking stick. "You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
"I am the Hokage! Obey my orders, Danzo!"
Danzo turned and stormed out of the room in fury.
---
Back at Root headquarters, he called his subordinates and gave new orders.
"Spread more rumors about the boy! Make sure to trigger the hatred for the Nine-Tails among civilians."
He gnashed his teeth. 'Once he falls into hatred, we'll see how you keep him in line, Hiruzen. You'll have no choice but to send him to Root!'
Calming himself slightly, he asked, "Did Nono come back from her assignment yet?"
"Yes, Lord Danzo. She's currently working at the hospital. Rumor has it she's about to be promoted to head surgeon soon."
Danzo tapped his finger on the table in thought. 'Nono is becoming more difficult to control. Once she's promoted, it'll be even harder. And Kabuto seems to have other thoughts too. It's time to take them off the table.'
He wrote three mission scrolls and handed them to his subordinate. "Give this one to Nono, the yellow one to Kabuto, and the top-secret one to Orochimaru. He should return from his mission tomorrow."
'I don't need uncontrollable tools.'
---
Renji had a pretty eventful week.
First, he had obtained Nono's Bonded Hair. As an elite jōnin, the energy in her hair rivaled Mikoto's—and he gained access to Nono's impressive spy skills!
Second, his salon saw a huge increase in kunoichi customers. Most were drawn by the rumors of the million-ryo hair treatment, curious about the results. Luckily, he took several photos of Nono's hair—with her permission—and used them for display, drawing more women in. Thanks to that, he collected a huge amount of energy from the customers' hair.
Nobody else opted for the treatment yet, but he wasn't worried. He could literally sense their temptation as they looked at the pictures. It was only a matter of time before one of the wealthier or more powerful kunoichi decided to try it.
Not everything was perfect though.Two things worried him.
First, rumors about a toddler in the orphanage being the 'evil fox' were spreading. Since his salon had become a hub for gossip, he learned about it immediately.
Second, he sensed that Nono had been spying on him every morning. He might have been concerned—if not for the fact that he could feel she was worried for him for some reason. Unfortunately, she never entered the salon, so he couldn't touch her hair directly to read her memories.
Still, it put him on alert. He made sure to keep Kushina's hair with him at all times and also carried Chloe's ponytail and Nono's Bonded Hair.
He also used a large amount of his Demonic Energy to unlock the second level of [Demonic Energy Sense].
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A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for skipping the last two days. I've been busy with life. Will try to post more today.