Chapter 22 — Danzō: Those Shameless Lovers, Plotting Against Me?!
After booking a room and showering, clothes quickly found their way to the floor. Breathing grew heavy, distance shrank, and soon enough, the standard business was underway.
This way, that way, then that way again, and again that way…
An hour later, Uchiha Yujiro lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with calm detachment.
Something tickled at his chest. Glancing down, he saw Nonō's finger lazily tracing circles on his skin.
Satiated and exhausted, Yujiro had no desire to move. He simply gave her hand a light pat, telling her to stop fooling around—earning a sweet, coquettish laugh from the bespectacled woman.
After her laugh, she rolled into his arms, pressed her lips near his ear, and whispered:
"Hey, Yujiro… when are you going to kill Lord Danzō?"
If anyone else suddenly heard that in bed, they might've jolted in shock.
But for Yujiro, her words were nothing new. They sounded no different from:
"When will we get the kid into a good school?"
"Did you sort out my brother's job?"
"Mom's been sick lately, have you checked in?"
Headaches, yes. Shocking? Not really.
His reply was equally old married couple in tone:
"I'm killing him, I'm killing him."
Lazy, perfunctory, and completely half-assed.
To them, Danzō wasn't Konoha's high-ranking elder, commander of Root, and so-called Darkness of the Konoha. He was just another middle-aged man's unavoidable pain in the ass.
Of course, Nonō wasn't satisfied. She deployed the most terrifying weapon in any kunoichi's arsenal—the art of coquettish whining. Tugging at Yujiro's arm, she drawled:
"You always say that~ But can you really do it?"
Yujiro grimaced.
"A man can't admit he can't. But Danzō's a tough nut to crack, you know?"
"Tough or not, he has to go. Lately, his suspicion of me has been growing stronger. If we don't take him out first, he'll come for us."
"…Really?"
"Of course it's real."
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Read without context, the exchange sounded like a scheming couple plotting against some poor cuckolded fool in secret.
And in a sense… that was exactly right.
Except here, Yujiro and Nonō were on the side of justice.
Yes, Danzō was called "the Shadow Hokage," and yes, he carried countless sins in Hiruzen's place. But calling him an "innocent victim"? Even the simplest idiot would laugh out loud.
From a personal angle, too, Yujiro and Nonō had every reason to want him dead.
Because Danzō coveted the Uchiha's eyes.
The Sharingan fused with Hashirama's cells—the union of Yin and Yang chakra. Orochimaru wanted it. And so did Shimura Danzō.
But desire wasn't enough.
For the Uchiha, desire meant death.
The Hyūga had their cursed caged-bird seal; the Uchiha had something far simpler—murder.
Anyone who coveted their eyes was killed.
One thief? Dead. A thousand? Dead. A legion? All dead. Kill until no one dared anymore, until fear itself preserved the Sharingan.
In the chaos of the Warring States, this was how the Uchiha survived. And for fifty years after founding Konoha with the Senju, no one dared covet their eyes.
Until the Night of the Massacre.
After that, Sharingan became bargain-bin goods. Danzō wore them on his arm like disposable batteries.
The thought filled Yujiro with a fury so intense, it nearly pushed him into awakening the Mangekyō right there.
---
No matter how people tried to whitewash him, the stench of Uchiha Itachi's bloodshed could never be scrubbed away.
The massacre hadn't even happened yet, and still Yujiro looked at Itachi differently—never with forgiveness.
Call it petty, call it prejudice—he didn't care.
Pain was only real when the knife cut your flesh.
Compared to that twisted prodigy, Sasuke was at least honest.
For all his flaws, his one redeeming trait was revenge.
When Itachi lived, he sought Itachi. When Itachi died, he hunted Danzō. His goal was clear, his attitude unwavering. If only he'd posture less and act more decisively, Yujiro would've given him full marks.
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"So yes—Danzō will die. It's only a matter of time."
Yujiro calmly explained Danzō's path to ruin, putting Nonō's heart at ease.
"Good. Just… make it soon, if you can."
Yakushi Nonō sighed softly.
"That man is becoming more unbearable by the day."
Why Yujiro Wants Danzō Dead, and Why Nonō Wants It Even More:
Yujiro's reason for killing Danzō was simple.
Nonō's reason was even simpler:
"You know too much."
As Danzō's prized undercover operative, Yakushi Nonō carried secrets she was never meant to know.
Even though she'd half-retired, living quietly as an orphanage director—a role no shinobi should bother targeting—Danzō was not the kind to let things slide.
Danzō Shimura wasn't just paranoid; he was twisted. The kind of man who believed in killing not just bodies, but hope itself.
His message to her had been clear enough:
"If you stop working for Root, then I'll cut your orphanage's funding."
What he really meant was:
"The dead don't need funding."
Because only corpses keep secrets.
And Nonō, being no fool, saw right through him. Danzō's words didn't represent Konoha's high council. The high council's stance didn't always represent Konoha's actual interests. And Konoha's so-called Will of Fire? That was often the farthest thing from what truly benefited the village.
So yes—her decision to plot Danzō's downfall was only natural. But it wasn't until she linked up with Uchiha Yujiro—someone who shared her contempt for Danzō—that her thoughts turned to action.
Otherwise? Facing down an elite of Danzō's caliber was suicide. Against Nagato he slunk away; against Nonō, he would crush without hesitation. Without Yujiro at her side, Nonō would have resigned herself to silence.
But Danzō, in his arrogance, practically handed them to each other.
He tasked Nonō with monitoring Yujiro. Yujiro, in turn, discovered her other identity.
Two clever people with a common enemy—it was inevitable they'd "collaborate." First on schemes to topple Danzō… then in each other's bed.
Piece by piece, Nonō leaked everything—Root's secrets, Danzō's black operations, his dirty history. She even offered up herself as Yujiro's amusement, trading it all for one promise:
He would kill Danzō and set her free.
And if he failed? Then at least he would look after the orphans, making sure they had food and shelter.
As for "running away"? That was never an option. Her weakness was too obvious—the Konoha orphanage.
So long as it stayed, she stayed.
For Nonō, that was a tragedy.
For Uchiha Yujiro, though, it was convenient.
After all, holding a girl's weakness over her might be called immoral.
But fortunately—Uchiha Yujiro didn't have morals.
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