'I knew I couldn't escape this kid's perception...'
Hiruzen Sarutobi peered through the crystal ball and suddenly met the boy's sharp eyes. Within his clear gaze, two great suns slowly ignited, blinding and dazzling... In just an instant, it made his old eyes blur, faintly seeing double.
And this phenomenon was clearly a symptom of looking directly at the sun. From this, it was evident... the brat's [Yang Style] seemed to have noticeably improved since the day he demonstrated his [Wood Style]... And calculating the time, it hadn't even been that long...
Hiruzen closed his eyes. Amidst his fluctuating emotions, he waved his hand and dispelled the [Telescope Technique].
*Pop!* As the crystal ball returned to normal, the gaze hovering over the Uchiha clan compound dissipated.
Roy slowly withdrew his gaze and said sarcastically, "It seems our Lord Hokage disagrees with what I said..."
Fugaku and Tsunade both fell silent, neither of them picking up on Roy's words...
One was Hiruzen's direct subordinate and a regular at high-level meetings, while the other was simply his beloved disciple and the most popular candidate for Hokage aside from Minato Namikaze... For various reasons, even though Roy's reminder made Fugaku and Tsunade realize that Hiruzen was spying, whether out of their own standpoints or out of consideration for the Hokage's dignity, neither of them continued to dwell on this topic...
*Clink clatter...* The kitchen curtain dropped as Mikoto Uchiha returned to the kitchen to cook.
Tsunade sat cross-legged on a soft cushion. Looking at the tatami mat she had smashed to pieces in her extreme excitement, she sincerely apologized to Fugaku, "I'm sorry, I will buy a new one to compensate."
Fugaku waved his hand, signaling that it was fine. Instead, he took a deep look at Roy and said, "Jin, you had better be truly confident about this."
The concept of [Resurrection] was simply too shocking!
Let alone Fugaku having never heard of it, even Tsunade, one of the esteemed Sannin, had never heard of such a thing. Otherwise... she wouldn't have been so devastated by the deaths of Nawaki and Kato Dan, eventually even... developing hemophobia and remaining unable to step out of the shadows for so long...
Roy just smiled and said nothing.
Not to mention that [Edo Tensei] could bring people back to life.
In the Naruto world, there were multiple other [Resurrection] ninjutsu that were solidly recorded.
For example, the [One's Own Life Reincarnation] performed by Elder Chiyo to save Gaara.
During the battle at the Cloud Thunder Gorge, Danzo fought Sasuke and consumed a Sharingan to pre-set [Izanagi].
Orochimaru's self-created [Curse Mark Reincarnation], which he based on [Edo Tensei] in his pursuit of immortality.
The [Rinne Tensei], which could be used once the Sharingan combined with [Yin-Yang Style] to finally evolve into the [Rinnegan]... and even,
The unique [Karma Reincarnation] of the Otsutsuki clan, which allowed them to forcefully take over a body by implanting a "Karma" mark into someone else before death... The list went on and on...
The boy could feel Fugaku's care and concern. He was simply afraid that Roy had spoken too confidently too soon, and if he couldn't deliver, he would make a fool of himself. Chuckling softly, he said to Fugaku and Tsunade, "Father, Lady Tsunade, why don't we let time fly for a bit?"
[Edo Tensei] was right there in the [Scroll of Seals].
Roy stood up tall, spreading his arms to stretch lazily. "Since you've already waited over ten years, I don't think a little while longer will hurt..."
Fugaku remained silent.
The man quietly turned his head to glance at Tsunade sitting opposite him.
The woman was visibly thrilled for a moment. Her chest heaved, and her breathing grew faintly heavy, clearly showing that her heart... was far from calm!
'Yes, she's waited over ten years. Others think Lady Tsunade does nothing useful all day, either gambling or getting drunk.'
'But they have no idea that while a broken body can be healed, a "broken heart" is extremely difficult to cure...'
Shizune sat properly behind Tsunade, looking at her with heartache.
The woman, her blonde hair tied into two ponytails draped down her back, took several deep breaths. Staring intently at Roy, she said, "Alright!"
"I will wait."
"I will keep waiting for you."
"Until—"
"I die!"
Roy laughed it off. Having been called over on short notice, it wasn't his usual time to be awake anyway. With a hint of sleepiness, he smiled at Tsunade and said, "It won't take that long. Just wait for me... I'll be right back..."
The boy rubbed Itachi's little head and tossed out a parting remark, "Don't forget to save some breakfast for me."
With another glance,
He took a step forward and instantly merged into the light.
In a flash, drifting with the light, he used [Light Style] to break the limits of space. He floated out the window along the sunlight, leaving only a faint, hazy silhouette of light shooting towards the very center of Konoha's commercial district.
That was where the Hokage Rock stood.
It was also where the Hokage Building was located.
And more importantly, it was the place where the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and several Hokage advisors regularly worked!
"This child... rushing off so impatiently, how improper."
*Whoosh!* A gust of wind blew in, rustling the hair of the people in the room...
Turning his head to look out the window, watching Roy leave, Fugaku kept a straight face and scolded Roy with feigned anger.
A faint gaze subsequently fell upon him.
The man turned his head to see Tsunade with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at him coldly. "If you're not satisfied with him, you can adopt this child out to me."
"I don't have any sons or daughters of my own anyway. We might as well change his surname to [Senju]."
Fugaku: "..."
He gave an awkward smile, pretending not to hear, and simply poured Tsunade another cup of tea. "Drink your tea, drink your tea..."
As for "adoption" or "changing surnames"... he didn't mention a single word.
It made Tsunade unable to resist a cold snort, filled with unspeakable envy...
It was a cool and pleasant morning. Itachi watched the two of them silently from the side, then cast another glance out the window, silently muttering in his heart, 'Nii-san...'
He obediently stood up, picked up a broom resting in the corner, and began sweeping up the debris around the low table.
Seeing this, Shizune said gently to the boy, "Let me do it."
As she spoke, without waiting for Itachi to react, she took the broom from the boy's hands and started sweeping herself... Sunlight shone through the window lattice onto the floor, forming several spots of light. As Shizune swept the floor, they vanished and reappeared... just like Roy, shuttling through the light, flickering in and out of existence. In no time at all, he had crossed nearly half of Konoha's commercial district.
With another step,
He stepped out of the light.
Slowly, his figure materialized in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi's large desk in the Hokage's office.
*Swish...*
*Swish...*
"You shouldn't have come..."
"But I'm already here..." Roy's feet slowly landed on the smooth wooden floor. With a sweeping glance... he noticed that besides Hiruzen, there was an old man sitting on the sofa against the south wall. He leaned on a cane, with one arm and half of his face tightly wrapped in bandages.
The moment the boy, wreathed in a solar halo, revealed his figure...
A sharp, piercing gaze suddenly crashed down upon him!
Roy spread his hands, glanced at the one-eyed old man, and tilted his head towards Hiruzen. "It seems I really came at a bad time."
The corner of Hiruzen's mouth twitched imperceptibly. He glared at Roy in annoyance, then said to the one-eyed old man, "Danzo, you may leave for now."
"Space-Time Ninjutsu? Since when could the Uchiha produce a second Minato Namikaze?" Danzo fixed his gloomy gaze entirely on Roy, treating Hiruzen's words like a passing breeze as he spoke on his own... The coldness and sarcasm in his words spread out, immediately causing Hiruzen to frown, a trace of displeasure surfacing on his face.
He pulled a long face and was just about to say something when he suddenly saw... Roy slowly turn his body to face Danzo directly, smiling as he said, "You're blind, so isn't it only natural that you couldn't notice?"
Hiruzen simply stopped talking. He leaned back comfortably against his chair, opened the teacup placed in front of him, and leisurely began to sip his tea. Unsurprisingly, he heard a cold snort!
The visible half of Danzo's face instantly darkened. He slammed his cane heavily against the floor, letting out a muffled *thud*!
His remaining left eye, unhidden by bandages, glared at Roy as viciously as a venomous snake. "Sharp-tongued brat, do you know who you're talking to?"
"Oh, so it's Lord Danzo!" Roy exclaimed in sudden realization, pretending he had just noticed Danzo. He apologized, "Sorry, I thought it was some stray dog barking on the side of the road. I didn't notice Lord Danzo for a moment. My bad, my bad."
*Pfft!* Hiruzen nearly spat out his mouthful of tea, almost choking to death on the liquid he had just swallowed. He coughed awkwardly a few times and waved his hand at Roy and Danzo, who had suddenly looked over. "Cough, cough... don't mind me. I'm just looking at the battle reports..."
Danzo: "..."
A vein visibly popped on his forehead, though he quickly concealed it... This "Shadow of the Hokage," who had defiled Uchiha corpses, looked at Roy dangerously. The words Orochimaru had spoken to him before defecting automatically surfaced in his mind... Remaining impassive, he forcefully suppressed the anger that suddenly flared up in his chest. Pretending not to hear the hidden insult in Roy's words, he merely asked, "What are you doing here?"
Roy looked at Danzo in astonishment, as if looking at an idiot. He pointed at the door of the Hokage's office and said, "The door is right there. If you can come in, why can't I?"
"This is the Hokage's office, not a Ninja Academy classroom! Students are not allowed to enter without permission!"
"I'm sorry to inform you, Lord Danzo, but with the Hokage's special permission, I have graduated early. I am no longer a student, but a... ninja!"
"Brat," Danzo suddenly raised his voice. "A ninja needs to be announced even more so, let alone... a lowly ninja like you who isn't even a Genin..."
"True," Roy nodded in deep agreement. He simply turned his head to look at Hiruzen and asked, "Lord Hokage, may I come in?"
Hiruzen was pretending to read the battle reports spread out in front of him when he suddenly heard Roy's voice, encrypted with Nen, slowly transmitting into his mind: "Lord Hokage, you wouldn't want the only [Wood Style] ninja in the village to die on the battlefield, would you?"
The corner of Hiruzen's eye twitched violently. He helplessly raised his head and said faintly to Danzo, "I was the one who called him here."
"Hiruzen... you!" Danzo looked over in astonishment...
Hiruzen waved his hand at the right moment. "Alright, you may leave for now."
"The matters on the frontlines still require a Jonin meeting for careful consideration and discussion. It's not something that can be hastily decided in a short time... We will talk about it when Jiraiya's letter arrives."
Danzo Shimura rubbed the cane in his hands. With half of his face covered by bandages, his expression was unreadable. The remaining half narrowed its eye coldly. Amidst his chilling gaze,
He constantly shifted his look between Roy and Hiruzen.
His butt seemed glued to the sofa, stubbornly refusing to move.
Seeing this, Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, his tone turning unfriendly. "Are you still not leaving?"
Danzo snorted coldly on his own and said, "I believe that as an advisor, I have the right to audit."
"You do," Hiruzen said flatly as he picked up the Hokage hat resting on the corner of his desk and placed it on his head. Expressionless, he continued, "But I think you've misunderstood one thing."
With the hat on his head, Hiruzen's aura suddenly changed. He looked at Danzo with authority and said, "I am not discussing this with you."
"It is an order!"
"And I—"
"Am the Hokage!"
*Boom!* An invisible pressure descended straight onto Danzo!
For a moment, the stern-faced Hiruzen faintly overlapped with the Hokage monument sitting on the Hokage Rock outside the window.
It made the corner of Danzo's mouth twitch uncontrollably.
Leaning on his cane, he stood up.
Forced by the Hokage's authority... he could no longer stay seated. With a cold snort, he slammed the door and left!
"Hmph!"
"You will regret this!"
A faint, sinister cold snort drifted in from under the crack of the heavily slammed door...
Hiruzen let out a soft sigh. He casually took off the Hokage hat, pulled his old pipe from a drawer, lit it, and took a deep drag. Opening his mouth, he exhaled a ring of smoke with a *puff*, then glared at Roy in annoyance. "Very well. It's been years since anyone dared to threaten me like that. You're the first, kid!"
Roy watched Danzo leave. Finally, he took a deep look at the arm wrapped in layers of bandages, then turned his head, putting on a smile. Acting entirely at home, he found a chair and sat down...
He smiled and said, "Me too."
"It's been years since anyone dared to spy on me so blatantly. You old geezer, you're also the first!"
Old geezer... The corner of Hiruzen's eye twitched imperceptibly again. He nearly choked on the smoke he had inhaled into his lungs. Using a dry cough as cover, he forcefully explained, "I wasn't spying! I was showing concern for the younger generation!"
"If it were anyone else, see if I'd even bother looking!"
"You ungrateful brat..."
"Is that so?" Roy looked at Hiruzen expressionlessly.
His clear, bright gaze faintly harbored the presence of a great sun, instantly causing Hiruzen's eyes to sting slightly. It reminded him of how Roy had just caught him in the act, forcing him to awkwardly dispel the [Telescope Technique].
*Tick tock...* The clock ticked away the seconds...
For the first time since Danzo slammed the door and left, the massive Hokage's office fell into a long silence...
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, locking gazes with Roy across the desk... After a long while, seeing that the boy stubbornly refused to let the matter go, he sighed helplessly and conceded, "You win. I won't spy on you anymore..."
Roy's expression relaxed. He slowly leaned back against his chair, faced Hiruzen, and extended his right hand. "Compensate me for emotional damages..."
Hiruzen's eyes widened. "What kind of compensation do you want?!"
"The Scroll of Seals," Roy narrowed his eyes and said. "I want to read the [Scroll of Seals]!"