When Danzō heard Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, his eyes narrowed slightly as he replied coldly, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hmph! You dare say the incident in the Uchiha compound wasn't your doing?" Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped angrily. "The village is still at war—do you realize how passive Konoha will become if you anger the Uchiha at a time like this?"
"Everything I do is for Konoha!" Shimura Danzō finally stopped pretending. "The Uchiha clan harbors wolfish ambitions and must be eliminated as soon as possible!
"Their resentment toward the village is already nearing its peak. They already have a 'Shisui of the Body Flicker.' If they gain another genius like Uchiha Wen Lan, they'll only become even harder to deal with in the future!"
"Danzō, I am the Hokage!" Hiruzen roared. "All decisions are mine to make!"
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!" Danzō turned and stormed out, slamming the Hokage Office door so hard it echoed throughout the building.
A classic case of 'I'm furious now, you'll regret it later.' Unfortunately, it proved nothing.
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned deeply. As an old friend of many years, he knew exactly what Danzō wanted.
Hiruzen favored slow, cautious pressure—boiling a frog in warm water—while Danzō preferred swift, ruthless cuts.
But Danzō never stopped to think: under his methods, the Senju clan had all but vanished.
If he forcibly moved against the Uchiha, what would the other clans think?
"Someone," Sarutobi Hiruzen said softly.
An ANBU instantly appeared, kneeling on one knee before the Hokage's desk.
"Go to the Land of Crafts and purchase a chakra blade of the highest quality from their leader."
"Yes, Hokage-sir!"
After parting with Fugaku, Wen Lan returned to his room. At a glance, he saw cracks running along his ninja blade and let out a quiet sigh.
"As expected… it broke."
This blade had been with him for several years. It was forged from high-quality refined steel, but after days of intense combat, it had finally developed cracks.
"Still," Wen Lan muttered with a faint smile, "the Third Hokage kept glancing at my sword earlier. He's probably planning to compensate me from that angle."
He sheathed the blade and placed it carefully on the table.
Wen Lan was a sentimental person—there was no way he would throw this sword away.
Early the next morning, Wen Lan was still fast asleep in his nightclothes when he suddenly felt something heavy land squarely on his chest.
Annoyed, he reached out and shoved the furry Akamaru off the bed, rolling over and mumbling, "Go away… let me sleep a bit longer."
"Still sleeping? The sun's already up!" Inuzuka Hana flipped his blanket straight off.
Wen Lan cracked one eye open, utterly helpless. "Hana, I'm really tired… just let me sleep a little more, okay?"
"Don't sweet-talk me like you do Akamaru! Get up!" Hana grabbed his arm and forcibly hauled him upright.
Wen Lan sat up irritably, kicking his legs like a grumpy child. "Ugh—why is it so hard to sleep in once?"
"Heehee, hurry up!" Hana laughed. "The ninja tool shop is having a sale today! Didn't you tell me to keep an eye out for that?"
Wen Lan froze mid-complaint. Then he kicked Akamaru away as it tried to pounce again. "Alright, I'll get dressed."
"Good! I'll wait outside." Hana grabbed Akamaru by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out.
After changing and washing up, Wen Lan left the room and walked out of the Uchiha compound together with Hana.
The sunlight bathed the streets in warmth. Wen Lan took a deep breath and felt his whole body relax.
Hana glanced at his unusually calm expression and chuckled. "You're usually wound way too tight. You should relax like this more often."
"I don't have that luxury," Wen Lan sighed softly. "This is a place where people die at every turn."
Then he added, "By the way, why wait for a sale to visit the ninja tool shop? With Uchiha wealth, there's no need to be so frugal, right?"
"I'm not some pampered Inuzuka princess like you," Wen Lan replied with his hands in his pockets. "Besides, the Uchiha's money belongs to the clan—not to me."
And that was the truth.
After Wen Lan's father fell ill with a bloodline disease, enormous sums had been spent on treatment. Their family fortune was essentially drained, leaving only their old house behind.
Fugaku had tried to support Uchiha Li several times, but Li always refused—he didn't want to owe favors, especially when it involved clan resources.
After Li and his wife Shu passed away, Fugaku felt he hadn't done enough for Wen Lan, and had quietly looked after him ever since.
Hana nodded vaguely, half-understanding.
They arrived at the ninja tool shop. There weren't many customers, but a large banner hung above the entrance:
"Celebrating the Birth of My Daughter — Everything Half Price Today!"
Wen Lan looked up at the banner, the corner of his mouth lifting.
He knew it—this was the day Tenten was born, one of the future Konoha Twelve.
Nearly ninety percent of all ninja tools in the shinobi world were forged in the Land of Crafts.
The Land of Crafts had close trade ties with the Land of Iron and was effectively under its protection.
This nation and village remained neutral, uninvolved in shinobi conflicts, and the Five Great Nations and Villages had jointly agreed not to attack them.
In Konoha, there was only one family that did business directly with the Land of Crafts—
Tenten's family.
Her father was the owner of this ninja tool shop.
Because of their relationship with the Land of Crafts, and Konoha's desire to maintain good relations, most ninja tool shops in the village were essentially run by Tenten's family.
Tenten was, without question, a true little rich girl.
Stepping inside, Wen Lan scanned the dazzling array of ninja tools, the smile on his face growing.
A middle-aged man in dark blue clothing approached with a friendly grin. "Welcome. What can I help you with, Ninja-sir?"
Seeing the resemblance to the future Tenten, Wen Lan immediately recognized him as her father.
In this world, civilians distinguished clearly between civilians and shinobi—anyone wearing a forehead protector, no matter how young, was respectfully addressed as Ninja-sir.
Wen Lan returned the courtesy with a smile. "Hello, sir. I'm looking for weighted iron blocks."
"Weighted iron blocks?" Tenten's father paused, then nodded with a smile. "Of course. We just got new ones in—perfect for ninja training."
He led Wen Lan to a shelf and pointed out several options.
"This one is twenty jin, suitable for beginners. These range from fifty jin up to three hundred—many chūnin use them."
Weighted iron blocks were made from extremely high-density metal—sometimes a palm-sized block could weigh several hundred jin.
They were especially popular among taijutsu specialists.
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