"Don't you know why Danzo Shimura is so audacious?"
Tsunade retorted bluntly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a pang of embarrassment.
There were outsiders present; couldn't she at least give me some face?
"Without a doubt, Danzo Shimura's actions violated the rules of Konoha."
After stating the facts, Tsunade asked, "Old man, what do you suggest we do?"
What else could they do? Of course, they had to handle it officially.
With anyone else, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have been able to resolve the matter privately with Danzo Shimura.
But not Tsunade. Since she had taken the initiative to intervene, there had to be a reasonable outcome.
After all, her status was too important; no one in Konoha dared to ignore her.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered, then suddenly froze. He couldn't remember how long it had been since Tsunade had interfered in Konoha's affairs.
Had she perhaps emerged from the shadows?
No, probably not. Tsunade intervened in this matter because of her good relationship with Nono and Kitazawa.
Regardless of the reason, this was the first time in many years that she had intervened in Konoha's affairs, especially since it involved high-ranking figures like Shimura Danzo .
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into deep thought.
"The cause and effect are so clear, do you really need to think about it for so long?"
Tsunade asked, somewhat displeased by his silence. "Do you intend to protect Shimura Danzo?"
"Of course not," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied immediately, "As the Hokage, I won't allow anyone to break Konoha's rules."
"Fine," Tsunade snorted, "Arrange it now."
"No, you should arrange it," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
Tsunade's gaze sharpened.
"You investigated this matter, so you know the situation best,"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly. "I grant you temporary authority to mobilize the Anbu."
Tsunade paused for a few seconds before understanding. This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's calculated move.
She was to be asked to mobilize the Anbu to handle this matter, especially since it involved Danzo Shimura. Before long, the entire Hidden Leaf Village, and even the ninja world, would know.
Everyone would then misunderstand her, believing that Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, had officially returned to the village.
And during this lull, she might even be aiming for the Hokage position.
"I don't have time. Arrange for someone else to handle it," Tsunade said without hesitation.
"No one else will do," Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "They'll inevitably run into problems facing Danzo and his Root."
"Then you go," Tsunade said, frowning.
"I'm the Hokage, I have too many things to do, I can't handle it all," Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly sighed. "Besides, I'm old, my energy isn't what it used to be."
"..."
Tsunade hesitated, unsure what to say. She wasn't afraid of anything except being manipulated emotionally.
Although she sometimes disagreed with Hiruzen Sarutobi's decisions, he was still her teacher.
"Alright," Tsunade sighed, finally agreeing.
"Haru."
Upon seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately summoned Haru, the ANBU ninja outside the door.
"Hokage-sama," Haru bowed slightly and said.
"From now on, the ANBU will obey Tsunade's orders until the matter is resolved," Hiruzen Sarutobi stated directly.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Haru replied, somewhat surprised, but not much.
Logically, the ANBU are only loyal to the Hokage. However, given Tsunade's status and the fact that it was Hiruzen Sarutobi's order, they naturally had to obey.
Kitazawa, who had silently watched the entire scene, could only think three words: "Shrewd old man."
Even with Tsunade's strong personality, she still fell for Hiruzen Sarutobi's trick. However, saying she fell for it wasn't quite accurate.
After all, Danzo Shimura would fall for such tricks every day.
Kitazawa pondered.
Was Hiruzen Sarutobi planning to abdicate and hand over power? Kitazawa had thought that, as in the original story, the Fifth Hokage wouldn't be chosen until Orochimaru launched the Konoha Crush plan.
It seemed that Tsunade's early return had a greater impact than he had imagined. On the other hand, Hiruzen Sarutobi managed to save his life. With Tsunade becoming Hokage, Orochimaru would most likely not carry out the Konoha Crush plan again.
However, it's not impossible. After all, one of Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plans was to take Sasuke Uchiha away. Unless the massacre didn't happen and Itachi Uchiha didn't defect, Kitazawa wasn't sure if the massacre would still occur.
But he didn't want it to happen. After all, Sasuke Uchiha was his student. If he defected from Konoha like in the original story, Kitazawa would have fewer missions.
"Let's go to the Anbu office."
Tsunade left the Hokage's office without another word. Given her personality, once she agreed, she wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. That's what you call decisive action.
The Anbu has an office in the Hokage Building. It's usually used by Captain Haru and others. The Anbu has a total of seventy members.
From top to bottom, the team consists of the Captain-Commander, the Vice-Captain-Commander, and the captains of the four squads.
Each squad has seventeen members, divided into four teams.
In the original work, Itachi Uchiha became a squad leader of the Anbu at the age of thirteen.
As for the current Captain-Commander of the Anbu, he is Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son and also Konohamaru Sarutobi's father.
Konohamaru Sarutobi has a significant role in the original work, serving as Naruto Uzumaki's sidekick.
However, he is only two years old now.
"I need to know the location of Root member Kabuto Yakushi immediately," Tsunade commanded after sitting down in her office chair.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Haru paused, then reminded her, "but investigating the location of Root members will surely be discovered by Lord Danzo very soon."
Both the Anbu and Root are considered intelligence agencies. Their members are the elite of the elite.
However, Root's brainwashing-like training makes its members slightly stronger than those of the Anbu.
"I know," Tsunade said nonchalantly, "Just do as I say."
Haru nodded and turned to leave.
"Given Danzo Shimura's personality, he definitely won't let me have my way,"
Tsunade said, rubbing her temples. "We need to race against time and get Kabuto back before Root makes a move."
"What candidates does Lady Tsunade have?"
Kitazawa asked.
"This person needs to be both powerful and capable of counter-tracking and infiltration," Tsunade said thoughtfully. "The most suitable person in the Anbu is Kakashi Hatake."
Kitazawa nodded. But just then, four lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[Genius shouldn't be confined to school. With your strength, you should be renowned throughout Konoha.]
[Current Mission: Safely escort Kabuto Yakushi back to Konoha.]
[Mission Reward: Yin Healing Wound Destruction.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
This could trigger a mission? But the reward wasn't bad.
Yin Healing Wound Destruction, an A-rank medical ninjutsu used by Kabuto Yakushi in the original work.
It can predict the enemy's attack location and heal accordingly, effectively negating the damage. If the enemy's attack is too fierce, although it cannot completely negate it, it can minimize the damage caused by the attack.
Simply put, it is a very useful medical ninjutsu.
Moreover, judging from the original work, neither Tsunade nor Shizune knows Yin Healing Wound Destruction.
Kitazawa thought about it and decided to accept. Although this matter has some danger, it is still within an acceptable range.
With his current strength, plus Kakashi Hatake, even if they encounter Onoki, they can escape even if they can't beat him.
In addition, Kitazawa also trusts the system. Because the difficulty of the mission is linked to the mission reward.
A-rank Yin Healing Wound Destruction is certainly very valuable, but it is unlikely to encounter a strong person like Onoki or Danzo Shimura. Jonin is already the limit.
If the reward is something like the Rinnegan, then Kitazawa really has to consider the matter of his life.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm going too."
Kitazawa came back to his senses and said.
"You?"
Tsunade paused, shaking her head. "You're not a member of the Anbu, what are you going to do?"
"I can mislead Danzo Shimura," Kitazawa explained. "With Root's capabilities, Kakashi's departure from the village will be discovered soon enough. Let me take him with me."
"Wouldn't you be even more conspicuous if you went too?"
Tsunade asked, puzzled.
"I'll have Kakashi transform into my student, and we'll leave the village openly,"
Kitazawa smiled. "It's called 'the darkest place is under the lamp.'"
"No way," Tsunade hesitated for a moment, but still refused.
"Lady Tsunade, do you think my strength isn't enough?"
Kitazawa guessed her thoughts and asked.
"Indeed," Tsunade admitted. "Although your medical ninjutsu is good, medical ninjutsu can't be used in combat."
"I'm quite confident in my genjutsu, wind style, and fire style techniques," Kitazawa said with a light cough. "And I've also learned the Rasengan and the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
"..."
Tsunade hesitated upon hearing this. Kitazawa's method did sound quite plausible.
Shimura Danzo would never have dreamed she would send a ninja academy teacher to rescue Kabuto.
"Why don't you, Lady Tsunade, personally test my strength?"
Kitazawa asked after a moment's thought. He also wanted to test Tsunade's strength to understand the gap between himself and top-tier ninjas.
"So confident?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, flicked her wrist, and said, "Alright, let's have a match before the Anbu results are in."
She was also curious about Kitazawa's strength. Besides, he might become her student in the future, so it was reasonable to learn about him beforehand.
The two arrived at a nearby training ground.
"I'll go easy on you," Tsunade said with a smile.
Have I offended you?
Kitazawa's lips twitched; he sensed something was amiss. Besides being a medical ninja, Tsunade is also a powerful taijutsu ninja.
In the original work she primarily relies on superhuman strength, her strength was enough to break even Madara Uchiha's Susanoo.
"It begins, Kitazawa."
Tsunade's lips curled slightly, and she vanished from her spot in an instant.
A whooshing sound rang out.
Tsunade's fist appeared directly in front of Kitazawa. But just as she was about to strike Kitazawa, she abruptly stopped.
Tsunade turned around and saw a tree entangled around her. It wasn't Wood Style, but rather Demon Illusion: Tree Binding Death.
Tsunade snorted softly, casually forming a hand seal to break the genjutsu.
Whoosh!
Tsunade slightly turned her head and saw a spinning shuriken coming towards her.
This was Wind Style: Rotating Shuriken.
Tsunade reacted quickly, instantly throwing out over a dozen shuriken.
Clang clang clang clang.
The Wind Style: Rotating Shuriken was quickly neutralized.
Tsunade followed closely, clenching her fist, and charged towards Kitazawa.
Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
Kitazawa formed hand seals and unleashed shuriken, flames erupting as he did so. A massive swarm of flame-encased shuriken blanketed Tsunade.
Heaven Kick of Pain!
Tsunade raised her leg and stomped down hard. The ground cracked, countless pebbles flying into the sky with terrifying force. The fiery shuriken scattered instantly.
Body Flicker Technique!
Tsunade passed through the flames and pebbles, arriving before Kitazawa.
But instead of Kitazawa, five appeared before her.
Severe Leaf Hurricane!
The two Kitazawa at the front charged forward from the left and right.
Undeterred, Tsunade took a step, her speed exploding, and with both hands outstretched, her two powerful punches slammed into their right kicks.
Two loud booms!
The two Kitazawa shuddered, the terrifying destructive force spreading from their right feet throughout their bodies.
They screamed and vanished into smoke.
The wind howled.
The Kitazawa on the left formed hand seals and used Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets.
He transformed into a machine gun, spewing out a continuous stream of bullet-like gusts of wind.
Simultaneously, two Kitazawa circled behind Tsunade, Rasengans appearing in their palms.
Facing the combined attack of three Kitazawa, Tsunade easily dodged the continuous barrage of wind. She spun around, smashing the Rasengan with a single punch, sending it flying with the force of the impact.
Heaven Kick of Pain!
The Kitazawa running towards her from behind stumbled, the Rasengan plunging into a deep crater along with him.
"Looks like you're the real Kitazawa."
Tsunade looked at Kitazawa, who had used Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets. His face was somewhat pale due to the return of the shadow clone. Tsunade chuckled, accelerating and punching Kitazawa.
Bang!
Kitazawa turned into smoke and vanished from the spot.
"Shadow clone?"
Tsunade was stunned for a moment, then heard the sound of wind breaking behind her.
The First Gate of the Eight Inner Gates opens!
The Kitazawa she had previously knocked away transformed into a blur, his speed more than twice as fast as before.
Rasengan!
He raised his right hand, highly condensed chakra gathering in his palm. Tsunade's pupils contracted involuntarily.
In the nick of time, she tilted her head, grabbed Kitazawa's wrist with her right hand, and pressed down forcefully.
The Rasengan slammed into the ground, sending debris flying and creating a large crater.
"Alright, that's enough of the sparring."
Tsunade released her hand, took a step back, and said, "Your strength is greater than I imagined; you are indeed capable of this mission."
In fact, Kitazawa had greatly surprised her. His proficiency in medical ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, fire style, and wind style was extremely high. He even knew the Eight Gates.
Tsunade hadn't seen such a versatile ninja in a long time. If we only consider medical ninjas, then he was the second most capable medical ninja besides herself.
Why do medical ninjas need teammates to protect them?
It's not that they're unwilling to learn other ninjutsu, but rather that they don't have the energy and time to learn them.
Tsunade's previous impression of Kitazawa was that of a medical ninjutsu genius, but now it had changed; he was now a ninjutsu genius.
She is more than qualified to be her student.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa said, letting out a breath.
Tsunade was indeed more impressive than he'd heard; her monstrous strength alone had him completely overwhelmed. And it was clear she hadn't used her full strength, or rather, she hadn't taken this sparring seriously.
Kitazawa, however, didn't use his full strength either. He dared not use his Byakugan, Gentle Fist, or any of his secret techniques.
If he had, he could have definitely caught Tsunade off guard. After all, ninja warfare was intelligence warfare.
The two returned to the Anbu office.
"Lady Tsunade," Haru said after a moment, pushing open the door and handing over a scroll.
"Go and call Kakashi."
Tsunade opened the scroll and glanced at it; it contained the exact location of Kabuto in Hidden Stone.
After reading it, she handed the scroll to Kitazawa.
"Lady Tsunade," Kakashi Hatake, with a deadpan expression, entered the Anbu office.
He glanced at Kitazawa, somewhat surprised, but didn't ask further.
"I have a mission for you," Tsunade said bluntly. "You and Kitazawa will team up and go to Hidden Stone to meet a Konoha ninja."
"...?"
Kakashi Hatake had no questions about the mission itself, but he was very suspicious of Kitazawa.
Kitazawa was just a mediocre ninja academy teacher; wasn't sending him on an ANBU mission just asking for trouble?
"This mission is designated S-rank," Tsunade said after a moment's thought.
Kitazawa's heart skipped a beat; this was an unexpected bonus. As a ninja, there were ninja files recording the number of missions completed and their completion levels.
The more impressive the resume, the more sought-after by employers. Furthermore, theoretically, there were also requirements regarding the number of missions required for the Chunin Exams and Jonin Exams.
"Kakashi, if you have any questions, Kitazawa will explain them to you on the way."
Tsunade waved her hand and said, "You guys set off now."
"Okay."
Kitazawa paused for a moment, then reminded her, "As for the Ninja Academy, please have Lady Tsunade send an ANBU ninja to impersonate me."
"You're very thoughtful."
Tsunade nodded in satisfaction and said, "I'll arrange it."
"Kakashi, please transform into the appearance of a six-year-old child."
Kitazawa said with a smile.
Hatake Kakashi silently formed hand seals. He was an ANBU ninja, and even if Tsunade's orders were problematic, he had to obey.
"Haru, you guys keep a close eye on Shimura Danzo and Root's movements."
After Kitazawa and Hatake Kakashi left, Tsunade said calmly, "I estimate it won't be long before they notice."
She could stop Shimura Danzo and Root, but at most she could only stop a portion of them; there would definitely be some who slipped through the net.
After all, Shimura Danzo had been operating in Konoha for so long.
"Yes."
Haru immediately replied.
"If they make a move, call Nono over," Tsunade added after a moment's thought.
...
This wasn't Kitazawa's first time leaving Konoha. Before becoming a Chunin, he had undertaken numerous missions.
Each one was nerve-wracking, but fortunately, he was lucky enough to avoid any high-risk missions. After becoming a Chunin, he immediately went to the Ninja Academy to become a teacher.
This time, leaving Konoha, his mindset was different; he didn't need to be as anxious as before.
After registering with the two gatekeepers of Konoha, Kitazawa and Kakashi Hatake left the village.
"Kitazawa," Kakashi Hatake instructed as soon as they left the village, "After leaving the Land of Fire, follow my orders."
Kitazawa knew he wasn't trying to seize command, but rather worried about his safety. However, this also showed that Kakashi Hatake didn't trust him at all.
But this was normal.
Kitazawa was still the old version in Kakashi Hatake's eyes, not updated yet.