After Shinji left, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately sent someone to summon Danzō.
Upon meeting, without any pleasantries, he directly questioned, "How did you handle the matter I entrusted to you a few days ago?"
"What matter?"
"The cooperation with Mist Hidden's consultant, Akagi Shinji."
"Ah, I remember now. What about it?"
Danzō didn't take it seriously at all, not even considering Akagi Shinji as someone to be taken seriously.
Seeing his attitude, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank, and he began to suspect.
"How did you arrange it? Did you not distribute the funds?"
Danzō smiled. "It was just a matter of consuming some chakra, why would it require so much funding."
"So you used my name to issue mandatory missions?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was truly enraged this time!
He had sent people to investigate earlier, and the results almost made him die of anger!
However, Danzō remained unfazed. "So what? Didn't you tell me to arrange it as I saw fit? What did I do wrong? The money saved is enough to replace how many new pieces of equipment. Besides, didn't I give them some 'nutritional fees' as compensation? That's already enough..."
"Enough!"
Bang!
Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the table, glaring at his old friend, feeling like he was looking at a stranger.
"I haven't settled the score with you yet for letting Root members clean up the battlefield and snatch bodies last time! Now you're brazenly withholding funds. Do you really think I, the Hokage, am dead?!"
"If you're not dead, then I'll die. Remember to send some capable guys next time you send someone to kill me. Kakashi Hatake, who has been missing for a long time recently, seems like a good candidate. Lord Hokage, do you think I might encounter him on my way back?"
"Danzō, you!"
The two stared at each other, neither backing down.
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that he wasn't the one who did that last time, and even Danzō knew it wasn't him, but that didn't stop Danzō from using it as an excuse.
Or rather, Danzō had always had Hiruzen Sarutobi cornered in his life!
"Hmph!"
As expected, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally snorted coldly and broke the silence.
"From now on, you are no longer responsible for this matter. Return all the money you embezzled within three days, or [Root] will receive no funding for three years."
Danzō remained silent, neither confirming nor denying.
"The threat of curse spirits is growing. It's time for us humans to unite. Look at this."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed in his heart and then spoke meaningfully, with a double entendre.
Danzō picked up the plan and looked at it expressionlessly, his thoughts unknown.
"What do you think?"
"Wishful thinking. No one will come."
Danzō commented bluntly and threw the document back.
"No, someone will come. At least I have already received the commitment from the Mizukage and the Kazekage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and smiled.
Danzō finally showed a look of surprise. It wasn't surprising that Mist Hidden would agree, but how did Sand Hidden agree?
He instinctively felt something was amiss, perhaps another conspiracy, but he had no evidence, only speculation. So he simply stopped talking about it.
"Mist Hidden, Sand Hidden, plus our Konoha. This way, three of the Five Great Ninja Villages are gathered. It would be best if Cloud Hidden and Stone Hidden also join, but even if they don't, it's enough."
"Hmph, since you've already made up your mind, why are you asking me?"
"What do you think? I'm warning you. If I find out you've been up to any more tricks during the Chūnin Exams, I will no longer overlook it out of consideration for our past relationship!"
A few minutes later, Danzō walked out of the Hokage's office with a grim expression.
Clearly, Hiruzen Sarutobi's threat this time was not just empty words.
This also made him realize the importance of power once again.
If he were the Hokage, who would dare to dictate to him!
"Just wait, Hiruzen. Sooner or later, I will replace you and sit in that position. You won't be able to stop me."
...
After Hiruzen Sarutobi personally took over, Shinji finally completed all attribute chakra within three days.
Konoha was indeed a major power. What Shinji found extremely difficult, Yin and Yang attributes, were directly handled by the Ino-Shika-Chō families.
The secret techniques of the Nara and Yamanaka clans were nature transformations of Yin-attribute chakra, while the Akimichi clan's Expansion Jutsu was essentially a nature transformation of Yang-attribute chakra. There was no need for medical ninjas to be involved.
As for the price Hiruzen Sarutobi paid to get these three clans to help, that was none of Shinji's business, as he had already paid his money.
Thus, the current progress became:
[Six Eyes (Eye of the Sky) Modification Scroll (Unique)]
Modification Conditions:
1. Consume 200,000 Curse Soul Value. (49800/200,000)
2. Collect the eyeballs of five different Special Grade Curse Spirits. (2/5)
3. Collect seven chakra attributes: Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Yin, and Yang. (Total progress 100%)
...
Although completing condition 3 had almost exhausted all his savings, including the Seven-Colored Mist Pearls.
But this deal was very worthwhile.
He didn't have the time to collect them bit by bit. Wouldn't it be better to kill two more curse spirits with that time?
If possible, he even wished he could complete the first two conditions with money.
To borrow legend's words, if something can be solved with money, is it even considered a problem?
Thus, all of Shinji's objectives in coming to Konoha had been achieved.
He also gained some favorability, which could be considered preparing for the future. What if, one day, he could even trick Might Guy into becoming his own person?
Right, people should have dreams.
As for the matter of Cyber, Hiruzen Sarutobi had also asked him about it, and Shinji had managed to brush it off.
If that old rascal knew the real reason Cyber attacked, he would probably turn hostile on the spot.
But what he didn't know was that the day after Cyber attacked Konoha, Iruka had brought Naruto to see Hiruzen Sarutobi, and it seemed he had said a lot.
As for the exchange of information between Konoha and Sand Hidden regarding 'Sand Spirit' Cyber, that was a story for another time.
With all his objectives achieved, Shinji prepared to leave Konoha.
To find the next person to be his pawn, no, he meant to continue helping other countries eliminate the harm caused by curse spirits.
Anyway, neither Hidan nor Tobi liked staying in Konoha, and neither did he; he felt somewhat stifled.
But just as he was about to leave, a brat suddenly showed up and, with just one sentence, almost made him pay eighteen thousand!
"Akagi Shinji, that night five years ago, did we meet?"
Uchiha Sasuke looked up, his expression stubborn, his eyes determined.
____________________
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