The moment Ōnoki finished reading the first newspaper, he immediately ordered his subordinates to gather every other issue they could find.
What he had just seen was enough to completely overturn his understanding of how the shinobi world operated.
From a ninja's perspective, were these kinds of things really supposed to be shown to ordinary civilians and low-ranking shinobi?
Wasn't this basically handing intelligence out to the public?
Still, despite his rigid way of thinking, Ōnoki had sat firmly in the Tsuchikage's seat for decades for a reason. He was far from a fool.
After calming down, he quickly began considering the deeper implications behind it all. Once he carefully analyzed the contents of the newspaper, he realized that the information being revealed didn't actually damage Konoha in any meaningful way.
To put it simply, most of it was merely scraps of intelligence—surface-level details that wouldn't truly affect a village's overall military structure.
More importantly, publicly releasing this information could even serve as a form of intimidation toward neighboring villages, subtly reminding them that Konoha had always been watching.
That kind of silent pressure alone was enough to deter many people.
In a way, it achieved the same effect as "subduing the enemy without fighting."
From Ōnoki's perspective, it was honestly a rather brilliant move.
Unfortunately, that conclusion didn't last very long.
Once his men managed to gather earlier editions of the newspaper, he suddenly realized the situation might be far more complicated than he originally thought.
Who was Orochimaru? He was Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple, one of the Legendary Sannin, and one of Konoha's highest-ranking commanders.
A person like that, in any village, would have his betrayal buried completely if he defected. Every trace of the incident would be erased as thoroughly as possible. No village would willingly expose such a scandal.
Yet this newspaper had openly reported it.
Not only that—it had apparently been approved by the ANBU.
What exactly did that mean?
No matter how he looked at it, there were only two possibilities.
Either Konoha was suffering from severe internal conflict…
Or this newspaper wasn't a Konoha-controlled organization at all.
The first possibility already seemed highly likely. Publishing information about Orochimaru's defection was not something a united village would normally allow.
And the article itself clearly stated that the source came from the ANBU.
The ANBU belonged directly to the Hokage.
So could Ōnoki interpret this as dissatisfaction within the ANBU toward the reinstated Third Hokage?
Especially considering Minato Namikaze was still alive, perhaps Konoha had already split internally, with political struggles over power beginning to surface openly.
As for the second possibility…
If this newspaper truly belonged to Konoha, then Hiruzen should have had ways to suppress it.
After all, the influence this thing possessed was terrifying.
Even if forcefully shutting it down might cause some backlash, it would still be better than allowing this invisible, suffocating influence to continue spreading over everyone's heads.
But if the newspaper originated from outside Konoha—or perhaps wasn't even tied to the Land of Fire at all—then Hiruzen would have to think very carefully before taking action.
The consequences of suppressing it too aggressively would be severe.
Targeting a commercial organization—especially one backed by the ANBU and not openly violating Konoha's laws—could easily destroy his credibility.
Combined with the scandal surrounding Orochimaru, Hiruzen probably didn't dare act recklessly.
"How interesting…" Ōnoki muttered inwardly while staring at the paper in his hands. "Though the ANBU must've invested quite a bit of money into this thing if they're promoting themselves so heavily."
At the same time, another thought slowly surfaced in his mind.
Should I establish something similar in Iwagakure?
He could clearly see the newspaper's influence. Public opinion could be guided through it with frightening efficiency. If used properly, it would become an incredibly powerful weapon.
However, after reviewing the intelligence reports his own ANBU had gathered during this period, Ōnoki found himself hesitating.
Because he realized something important.
Running a newspaper like this was not nearly as simple as it looked.
Konoha's side had already proven that.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had personally launched his own competing newspaper, yet the results had been terrible. The old man simply couldn't compete against professionals who truly understood how to manipulate public attention.
On top of that, the selling price of these newspapers was absurdly low—so cheap that nearly everyone could afford one.
The initial investment required for something like this would be enormous.
And because of that, the newspaper would inevitably need to make money through other channels.
At least, that was how Ōnoki saw it.
In his eyes, the ANBU had clearly poured money into this newspaper, which was why it dedicated such large sections and extensive coverage to them.
Of course, the reports themselves were objective and grounded in reality. Ōnoki knew very well that most of what was written was true.
But the problem was that the stories were simply too engaging.
Combined with such massive distribution, the effect became overwhelming.
After reading enough of these articles, who wouldn't come away thinking Konoha's ANBU were exceptional? Powerful? Elite?
That alone was already an enormous boost to Konoha's image.
If he wanted to replicate something similar himself, setting aside the terrifying upfront costs, where exactly would he make the money back?
The reason Iwagakure had marched against Konoha during the Third Great Ninja War was largely because they had been poor as well—though admittedly, nowhere near as miserable as Sunagakure.
In fact, as he himself said during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the continuation of wars was largely due to uneven development among villages and serious problems with the distribution of resources.
Add to that propaganda fueled by hatred, and you got such large-scale wars.
"Trying to copy this ourselves probably isn't realistic," Ōnoki muttered with a troubled expression. "And there's no way to completely block this thing either."
To be honest, he didn't want this kind of thing entering his village. But clearly, there was no way to keep it contained.
He had seen ANBU intelligence that these newspapers had already appeared in the small nations around them—countries they treated as "raw material zones," "mission zones," and "battlefields."
Worse still, the newspapers were expanding outward at an alarming speed.
Ōnoki knew it was only a matter of time before they entered the Land of Earth.
In fact, they had probably already made their way into the country. They simply hadn't reached Iwagakure yet.
And since stopping them completely was impossible, Ōnoki also didn't dare outright ban them.
He had no intention of causing a credibility crisis for Iwagakure.
Even if no one inside the village officially endorsed these newspapers, the fact that they could be sold everywhere else except Iwagakure would inevitably send the wrong message.
Wouldn't people start wondering whether Iwagakure was somehow hostile to commerce or development?
And if those newspapers spread such rumors elsewhere, it could deal a serious blow to the village's reputation.
"In that case, let them in," Ōnoki finally decided. "But before that, I want to meet their Editor-in-Chief."
He was a decisive man.
Since he couldn't stop the tide, he might as well guide it instead.
After all, blocking something outright was often less effective than controlling its flow.
As long as the newspaper's narrative could be guided properly, and a mutually beneficial partnership established, then this entire situation might actually become advantageous for both himself and Iwagakure.
"Besides…" Ōnoki glanced down at the paper again, deep in thought. "I noticed they also run advertisements and similar things. Even if I copied the idea myself, the influence would probably never extend beyond Iwagakure."
"But if I use their platform to promote Iwa's specialties and industries, the village could gain quite a bit from it."
Once Ōnoki made a decision, he acted immediately.
Unfortunately, his choice caused quite a headache for the ANBU operatives involved.
Thankfully, from the very beginning of establishing the newspaper organization, Natsuhiko had already been training personnel specifically for external branches.
He had no intention of letting the entire world discover the direct connection between the newspaper and Konoha's ANBU.
And now, that precaution completely protected the secret.
Iwagakure's ANBU eventually tracked down the newspaper branch located within the Land of Grass and formally conveyed the Tsuchikage's desire to meet with the organization's chief.
The moment the message arrived, the branch manager stationed in Land of Grass nearly went numb.
They had only recently established themselves there, yet they had already attracted the attention of the Tsuchikage himself?
Fortunately, the manager was an experienced veteran of the ANBU.
More importantly, he came from a civilian background rather than a shinobi clan, which greatly reduced the chances of his identity being exposed through investigation.
After calmly dealing with Iwa's ANBU, he immediately found an opportunity to relay the information back to Konoha.
The very same day, the report appeared on Natsuhiko's desk.
"So," Natsuhiko asked softly as he looked around the ANBU elites seated below him in the meeting room, "what do you all think about this?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
Honestly, even he hadn't expected this kind of situation to arrive so quickly.
Natsuhiko had anticipated that his newspaper would eventually attract the attention of the Kage from other villages.
What he hadn't expected was for it to happen this quickly.
Things had progressed so fast that he hadn't even fully completed his preparations yet.
Those people wanted to meet the "Editor-in-Chief" of the newspaper company, but the problem was that Natsuhiko hadn't actually prepared anyone for the role at all.
In other words… this was becoming a rather dangerous issue.
As Natsuhiko wrestled with the headache, the expressions of everyone seated below him in the meeting room looked similarly strange.
Sora and Renge both wore troubled expressions, clearly already thinking about who they could possibly send to deal with this situation.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, Trout, and Antelope exchanged glances with one another.
The three division commanders hadn't participated deeply in this particular operation. They only knew that some members of their divisions had been reassigned elsewhere, but beyond that, they knew very little.
At the outermost seat, Mole scratched his head with a pained look on his face.
Mole was one of the people recently promoted by Natsuhiko, and the division under his responsibility was the batch of Root personnel that Natsuhiko had taken over.
Natsuhiko actually knew him fairly well.
Back when they were younger, the two had served in the same squad, and during the division commander selection exams, Mole had even been one of Natsuhiko's competitors.
Later, after Natsuhiko became Commander of the ANBU and began cleaning up and restructuring the organization, Mole had remained within the ANBU ranks.
Naturally, Natsuhiko wouldn't overlook someone like that.
After hinting to Antelope to promote him to squad leader, Natsuhiko observed him for a long period of time. In the end, once he took control of Root's external operations department, he placed Mole in charge of it.
However, the number of personnel in that department was enormous.
If everything were counted together, the total manpower probably exceeded that of an entire ANBU department.
Naturally, Natsuhiko couldn't let Mole handle all of that alone. He had arranged several trusted individuals to assist and oversee the operation together.
Those people included Kakashi, Pakura, and the four members of Internal Affairs.
In truth, there were quite a few people managing the operation behind the scenes. Officially, however, Mole remained the public face of the department.
Thankfully, Mole himself didn't care much about that.
He possessed enough self-awareness to understand his own shortcomings.
He knew there was still a great deal he needed to learn, and he also understood that he wasn't fully qualified for the position yet.
More importantly, he knew perfectly well that he had only reached this point because of Natsuhiko.
Because of that, he never complained.
He simply carried out every task assigned to him honestly and diligently, never grumbling about unnecessary things.
Still, today's situation genuinely gave him a headache.
His current position within the ANBU was already rather unique, and only after standing at this level did he begin to understand just how many complicated matters existed behind the scenes.
He suddenly realized there were far too many things he simply didn't know how to handle.
Finding capable fighters was easy.
The ANBU had plenty of those.
But finding someone suited for this kind of role…
They had clearly made preparations, yet not enough.
"This situation came far too suddenly," Renge finally said helplessly after a long silence. "Our preparations weren't thorough enough. The training for the newspaper president role hasn't even been completed yet. This really is…"
"The plan couldn't keep up with reality," Sora finished with a sigh. "It's technically a good thing, but honestly, it's also a huge headache."
"And what about you all?" Natsuhiko tilted his head slightly before looking toward Kakashi and the others. "Any ideas? Or perhaps someone you'd recommend?"
For infiltration and undercover assignments like this, candidates were usually selected from combat personnel.
However, anyone chosen needed to be exceptionally intelligent.
In some situations, even administrative personnel had to participate in the selection process.
After all, in matters like these, political and administrative talent could sometimes be far more useful than combat ability.
After thinking for a moment, Kakashi suddenly spoke.
"How about giving Nara Rokushiro a try?"
"Nara Rokushiro?" Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow slightly.
Kakashi nodded.
"He's been in the ANBU for quite a long time. I've reviewed his records before. He's highly intelligent and has completed a considerable number of missions."
"It's just that he's incredibly lazy. Combined with his clan's recommendation, he eventually joined the ANBU because he wanted a relatively stable and peaceful position."
"Still, he learns incredibly fast," Kakashi continued calmly. "I think he should be capable of handling this mission."
"Oh?" Natsuhiko narrowed his eyes slightly as he began seriously considering the suggestion.
Nara Rokushiro was a member of the Nara Clan who had been sent into the ANBU by his family.
And honestly, the man perfectly embodied both the strengths and weaknesses of the Nara bloodline.
He was extremely intelligent… and unbelievably lazy.
Within the ANBU, he belonged to the type who never sought attention, yet consistently demonstrated exceptional ability whenever it mattered.
Someone like that was impossible for Natsuhiko to ignore.
After all, he was a member of the Nara Clan.
In fact, Rokushiro had already been included in this overall plan, but because he kept such a low profile, Natsuhiko had almost forgotten about him entirely.
Now that Kakashi brought him up again, Natsuhiko immediately recalled the man's capabilities.
And once he thought about it carefully, he realized there was no reason not to make proper use of him.
The Nara Clan certainly had many distinctive traits, but no matter how obvious those traits were, they could still be adjusted or hidden through enough preparation.
"Besides," Natsuhiko thought to himself, "with how smart that guy is, even if he has to deal with an old fox like the Tsuchikage, it should still be manageable."
At that point, he had basically made his decision.
Letting talent like this sit unused would be an incredible waste.
Besides, it wasn't as though Natsuhiko intended to station him outside the village permanently. Even if Rokushiro agreed, the Nara Clan would never approve of it.
For now, having him handle this troublesome situation was more than enough.
And if he performed well, perhaps even more authority could gradually be handed over to him in the future.
After all, that itself was a form of power.
...
"What a drag!"
Inside the newspaper branch located in the Land of Grass, Nara Rokushiro slumped lazily in his chair, looking utterly drained of energy.
Thankfully, his trademark pineapple-shaped hairstyle had already been shaved off.
Otherwise, one glance at him would have been enough for anyone to immediately identify him as a Nara.
Rokushiro appeared to be only in his twenties or early thirties, yet his work record was surprisingly extensive.
What made him particularly interesting was that no matter where he worked or what kind of job he handled, he was never especially noticeable at first.
However, once people later reviewed his records or reflected on his performance, they would inevitably discover the same conclusion every single time.
Outstanding.
Without exception.
He was an oddly unique genius—one crippled by extreme laziness.
After finishing a previous assignment under Konoha's political affairs department, he had been personally approached by Nara Shikaku, who recommended that he join the ANBU.
Rokushiro himself had no objections.
After all, he knew very well that even if he entered the ANBU, he would never become a frontline combat ninja.
Since that was the case, what exactly did he have to worry about?
Still, just to be safe, he discussed the matter with Shikaku beforehand.
As the clan head, Shikaku naturally prioritized protecting his clansmen, so he had no reason to oppose the arrangement.
Although the Nara Clan possessed respectable combat abilities, everyone knew their true specialty lay elsewhere.
Strategy.
Planning.
Tactical analysis.
Because of that, Rokushiro smoothly entered the ANBU's administrative division and began an entirely new chapter of his career.
What he hadn't expected, however, was just how drastically the ANBU itself would change afterward.
No one could have predicted that within only a few short years, the entire organization would transform almost beyond recognition.
First, one of the division commanders died during a mission.
Then Konoha's youngest-ever division commander rose to power.
Not long after came the Nine-Tails incident. The former ANBU Commander was directly eliminated, while that same young division commander ascended to become the new Commander of the ANBU.
All of it gave Rokushiro an enormous headache.
He could clearly see that there were countless hidden issues and political undercurrents involved behind the scenes.
But he had absolutely no desire—nor the courage—to become deeply entangled in them.
The Nara Clan had always possessed its own way of surviving within Konoha.
And he had no interest whatsoever in disrupting that balance.
Yet after the newly appointed Commander from the Senju Clan rose to power—especially after displaying overwhelming brilliance during the Nine-Tails incident—Rokushiro realized just how terrifying Konoha's internal power struggles truly were.
One after another, former colleagues of his were removed from the ANBU by the new Commander.
Even many people from the Operations Division suffered mysterious downfalls for reasons no one dared openly discuss.
At one point, Rokushiro had honestly believed that he would eventually be removed from the ANBU as well.
What surprised him, however, was that not only had he remained, but over time even the Nara Clan itself had gradually begun aligning with Natsuhiko's faction.
As for that change, he had little to say.
He wasn't part of the clan's leadership. His responsibility was simply to do his job properly.
Still, there were certain things that left him deeply emotional whenever he thought about them.
For example, Orochimaru's defection.
And Danzo's death.
Rokushiro knew perfectly well that behind both incidents, the shadow of his Commander was definitely present.
"That young, yet already so ruthless and capable…" Rokushiro sighed inwardly. "The younger generation is honestly terrifying."
And it truly was terrifying.
In all his years as a shinobi, he had never encountered anyone like Natsuhiko before.
What shocked him even more was that this Commander's mind seemed even sharper than most members of the Nara Clan.
Natsuhiko had actually created an entire newspaper organization on his own.
Rokushiro didn't know every detail of its true purpose, but he could more or less guess.
At its core, this thing was a weapon capable of guiding and controlling public opinion.
And considering how aggressively Natsuhiko had been expanding its influence beyond Konoha, it was obvious that the man intended to use newspapers as a form of soft infiltration.
The principle behind it was simple.
Through constant exposure to carefully crafted stories and information, people in other villages would gradually begin to recognize Konoha's strengths and advantages.
Over time, dissatisfaction toward their own nations and villages would quietly take root.
And without anyone even realizing it, the entire situation would slowly shift in Konoha's favor.
Nara Rokushiro was a very intelligent man.
Precisely because he was intelligent, he understood just how frightening Natsuhiko's methods truly were.
And because he understood them, he admired Natsuhiko's talent and ability even more.
What he never could have imagined in his wildest dreams, however, was that he himself would be dragged into this plan and selected to be trained as one of the newspaper organization's managers.
"Why am I this unlucky…"
He had complained about it internally more than once.
Of course, deep down he understood perfectly well why he had been chosen.
Someone with extensive mission experience who could also handle administrative work was naturally ideal for this role.
But the problem was that he hated trouble.
And he genuinely didn't want to take such risks.
Unfortunately for him, he worked for the ANBU.
And the head of the ANBU was Senju Natsuhiko—a man known for being both ruthless and decisive.
On top of that, even the Nara Clan had already thrown its support behind him.
Under those circumstances, Rokushiro really had no reasonable way to refuse.
Left with no choice, he obediently underwent the required training, all while comforting himself with the thought that there was probably no way this assignment would actually fall onto his shoulders.
Sadly, he had underestimated both the influence and the spread of the newspaper.
Or perhaps more accurately, even the ANBU themselves hadn't expected the results to be this successful.
Everything had expanded too quickly, and before their preparations were fully complete, people had already come knocking at their door.
Where was he even supposed to complain about luck this terrible?
In the end, he could only allow himself to be pushed forward like a duck forced onto a perch.
His pineapple hairstyle—which he had maintained for who knew how many years—was shaved off, and after undergoing a complete disguise makeover, he was sent directly to the Land of Grass.
He knew very well who he would be meeting this time.
The Tsuchikage.
Honestly speaking, he really was nervous.
Ōnoki was absolutely not someone easy to fool.
"I just hope I get through this safely…"
Rokushiro sighed inwardly.
But after a moment, he quickly calmed himself and mentally reviewed the identity he was about to play once again.
He was now the eldest son of the newspaper company's editor-in-chief.
His name was Uesugi Rokushiro.
His "father" had remained in the Land of Fire and would not be attending personally. If questioned further, the explanation would be simple:
His father was currently discussing matters with the Commander of the ANBU and therefore had no time to come in person.
After all, obtaining so much information from the ANBU without having any connection to them whatsoever would be an obvious lie no one would believe.
As for everything else…
That depended entirely on Rokushiro himself.
Within the boundaries of his assigned identity and limitations, he would have to improvise according to the situation.
That was his mission.
And that was exactly why he had been chosen.
"I hope everything goes smoothly…"
Rokushiro silently repeated the prayer in his heart.
Just then, one of the staff members hurried over to his side.
Rokushiro recognized him immediately.
He was the person in charge of this newspaper branch—and also an ANBU operative.
Without saying a word, the man simply made a hand signal.
The moment he saw the signal, Nara Rokushiro immediately understood.
Ōnoki had arrived.
...
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Natsuhiko was walking home while casually chatting with Pakura and Renge beside him.
He had been saying he would invite Pakura over for dinner for quite some time now.
In fact, he had nearly forgotten about it altogether.
Fortunately, he finally remembered today, so right after work ended, he directly stopped Pakura outside the ANBU headquarters.
Truthfully, Pakura lived right next door to him. A simple greeting would have been enough.
Still, Natsuhiko felt that formally inviting her was more appropriate, which was how the current situation came about.
To be honest, Pakura had genuinely been startled when she ran into Natsuhiko waiting for her outside the ANBU building after work.
And when she learned that he was inviting her to his home for dinner, she was even more surprised.
Even so, she didn't really have any intention of refusing, so she simply followed along with Natsuhiko and Renge.
Along the way, the three chatted casually about random things, and the atmosphere remained fairly relaxed and pleasant.
Unfortunately, Natsuhiko suddenly steered the topic back toward work at the worst possible timing, causing both women to sigh helplessly.
When it was time to rest, shouldn't they stop thinking about work already?
At least, that was how the two women saw it.
There was absolutely no need to discuss work during private time.
More importantly, it completely contradicted Natsuhiko's own policies.
After all, he was the one who always emphasized that work and rest should remain separate.
Work during work hours.
Rest properly during rest hours.
Yet now, while walking with two women after work, he somehow circled the conversation right back to official matters again.
It was honestly a little exasperating.
Even the usually cold and composed Renge frowned slightly at his attitude.
In her eyes, Natsuhiko was excellent in nearly every aspect.
He was intelligent, ambitious, and overwhelmingly powerful.
Without question, he would become the man who led the Senju Clan back to its peak.
And yet…
This man seemed utterly uninterested in women.
From beginning to end, his attention never appeared to linger in that direction at all.
Renge could tell very clearly that both Uchiha Sora and the woman beside her—Pakura—harbored varying degrees of affection toward Natsuhiko.
There was no need to mention Sora.
She had once been Natsuhiko's classmate, and he had helped her many times over the years.
That girl had clearly kept him in her heart ever since.
As for "Phoenix," whose real name was Pakura, she was a Bloodline ninja from Sunagakure.
When Renge first learned about her identity, even she had been shocked.
However, after understanding Pakura's past—especially after learning how Natsuhiko had exposed Sunagakure's schemes and ultimately rescued her—everything became easy to understand.
Renge herself didn't particularly mind the fact that her fiancé attracted so much attention.
Outstanding people would naturally draw others toward them.
No one was blind.
Besides, she also understood that Natsuhiko might not necessarily feel that deeply about her either.
After all, their engagement had been arranged entirely by their clans.
And her fiancé happened to be someone exceptionally skilled at breaking established rules.
Just looking at Konoha's current situation was enough proof.
The entire political structure of the village had practically been reshaped by Natsuhiko alone.
Renge quietly sighed inwardly.
She honestly didn't know how far her relationship with Natsuhiko would ultimately go.
For now, all she could do was take things one step at a time.
"Don't worry," Renge finally said in her usual cool voice. "I'm sure Rokushiro-kun will handle things properly."
"He's an outstanding member of the ANBU, and more importantly, he was personally chosen by you, Natsuhiko-kun. I trust your judgment."
"Is that so?" Natsuhiko rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
After a brief silence, he finally shook his head slightly and spoke again.
"To be honest, I'm not completely sure how well Rokushiro will perform either."
"After all…"
"The person he's facing is one of the oldest foxes in the entire shinobi world."
"An old fox…" Pakura twitched slightly at Natsuhiko's choice of words.
Was it really appropriate to describe one of the Five Kage so casually like that?
But after thinking about it more carefully, she had to admit that Ōnoki had occupied the position of Tsuchikage for far too long.
A man who had survived and ruled for that many years was probably every bit the cunning old fox Natsuhiko described.
Pakura herself had personally experienced being manipulated by Rasa, and she had also witnessed how Natsuhiko had schemed against countless people on his way to where he stood now.
As a Kage, there was no way Ōnoki would be inferior in that regard.
Still…
If Ōnoki was an old fox, then what exactly did that make Natsuhiko?
"A little fox?" Pakura thought subconsciously.
But the image of a white-haired fox immediately appeared in her mind, causing her to shake her head slightly.
For some reason, that comparison felt strangely inappropriate.
The group chatted and laughed along the way, and before long they arrived at Natsuhiko's home.
Looking at the large residence before her, Pakura couldn't help feeling somewhat emotional.
Her own home was actually very close by, yet she had never once stepped inside this place before.
This was her first time visiting Natsuhiko's home.
And beneath her surprise and curiosity, there was also a faint trace of excitement she couldn't quite explain.
"Welcome," Natsuhiko said with a smile as he invited her inside.
However, the moment he stepped through the entrance himself, he suddenly paused.
There was an extra pair of shoes at the doorway.
Clearly, someone had arrived before them.
Renge noticed it as well. After thinking for only a moment, she more or less guessed who the visitor was.
Natsuhiko had reached the same conclusion.
Sure enough, when the three entered the living room, they saw an elderly man calmly seated there, leisurely sipping tea.
It was Senju Shoma.
"Long time no see, Elder Shoma," Natsuhiko greeted him with a smile.
Renge also bowed politely toward him.
Only Pakura seemed slightly awkward now.
She definitely hadn't expected to encounter someone from the Senju Clan here—especially someone who clearly held considerable status within the clan.
"It really has been a long time, Natsuhiko." Senju Shoma nodded calmly.
His gaze briefly swept over Renge and Pakura before he suddenly laughed openly.
"It seems I chose a rather poor time to visit."
"It's just friends gathering together," Natsuhiko replied casually with a small shake of his head. "There's no such thing as a bad time."
After saying that, he looked at Shoma somewhat curiously.
"So, Elder, what brings you here today?"
"There are indeed a few things I'd like to discuss with you." Shoma slowly set down his teacup before standing up.
Then he looked directly at Natsuhiko with unusual seriousness.
"Alone."
"I hope you have the time."
"Of course." Natsuhiko chuckled softly before turning toward Renge and Pakura.
"You two rest for now. I'll go speak with the elder for a bit."
With that, Natsuhiko decisively followed Senju Shoma out of the living room.
Truthfully, he was rather curious about why the elder had come looking for him.
Over the past few years, he had been overwhelmingly busy and naturally hadn't spent much time visiting Shoma.
Perhaps because of that, the elder had begun feeling dissatisfied.
Once the two arrived at the balcony, Senju Shoma stopped walking.
After remaining silent for quite a while, he finally let out a long sigh.
"It's been a long time since we've truly sat down and talked properly, hasn't it?"
"My apologies, Elder," Natsuhiko replied with a slight nod. "It really has been a while."
"I know you're busy," Shoma said as he shook his head lightly. "After all, you're the Commander of the ANBU now."
"But even so, I still hope I can help you sometimes."
"And I also hope to understand certain things."
"For example… some of your real thoughts."
He paused briefly before his gaze sharpened.
"And…"
"Was Danzo killed by you?"
...
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