Gen Takuya watched Minato continue mulling over potential assistants.
He couldn't recommend anyone—not safely. Minato's camp wasn't a monolith, and even a "small" suggestion could offend someone if it leaked.
He didn't fear making enemies.
But the things he was doing demanded low-profile caution.
So he changed the subject instead.
"Hokage-sama, there's no need to rush. In a few years, when your student Hatake Kakashi matures, he'll be a reliable right hand."
"Kakashi…" Minato smiled. "He still needs a few more years of experience."
Gen Takuya nodded.
As long as Minato didn't die, Kakashi wouldn't truly sink into the darkness of ANBU the way he did in the original timeline—until Might Guy dragged him back into the light.
With Minato and Uzumaki Kushina around, Kakashi could recover slowly.
And from the later slice-of-life additions, it was clear Minato and Kushina treated their three students very well—
Which only made Uchiha Obito's eventual betrayal all the more monstrous.
In truth, Minato had many people he could use.
The Third Hokage had stepped down, but his experience in handling village affairs—especially mediating conflicts—could still help. Political strategy, maybe not.
The two elder advisers could also be used. Compared to Danzō, they were relatively neutral.
Stubborn, yes.
But competent for logistics.
Even the manga showed they handled rear support during wartime reasonably well—they didn't drag the front lines down.
And despite how often they seemed to "support" Danzō, their actions later were revealing. After the Third Hokage's death, the very next day—knowing Danzō wanted the seat—they still recommended Jiraiya to the daimyo after their meeting.
That alone was worth pondering.
They were fundamentally different from Danzō.
During the Nine-Tails disaster, the two advisers fought on the front line alongside the Third Hokage. If Minato hadn't arrived in time to teleport the Nine-Tails away before it fired a Tailed Beast Bomb, those two would've died right there.
And Danzō?
Not seen once.
Root didn't appear either—not even to evacuate civilians.
So yes, the advisers' thinking was fossilized.
But their loyalty to Konoha was real.
Their experience was also real—take the useful parts, discard the rot.
And even if you ignored them entirely, Nara Shikaku's generation had already grown into full strength.
Minato had plenty of people to rely on.
Compared to him, the Third Hokage's second term in the original timeline had been truly brutal—
The Nine-Tails disaster wiped out countless shinobi.
Minato died.
Orochimaru defected.
The Nine-Tails was sealed into an infant—meaning the village's "nuclear deterrent" was effectively locked away.
Outside the village, Kumogakure and Iwagakure were emboldened by Minato's death and Konoha's weakened state, pushing toward conflict again.
Tsunade had hemophobia and couldn't use her full strength.
Inside, the Hyūga clan rose more and more, even daring to treat the Hokage's authority as optional—later even skipping crucial peace talks because of a daughter's birthday celebration…
And somehow, Konoha still endured.
A dying camel was still bigger than a horse.
…
When Minato later gathered the advisers in the meeting room, Gen Takuya—forced to speak first—explained the barrier issue again, looking utterly dead inside.
After he finished, the advisers exchanged glances.
No objections.
It didn't touch their interests, and it benefited the village. Why would they oppose it?
"Alright," Minato said. "Then the Sealing Unit will handle this in full."
His gaze landed on Gen Takuya.
"Gen Takuya. Get it done quickly."
"Yes."
Gen Takuya nodded.
And in this formal setting, Minato finally stopped calling him "senpai."
Gen Takuya leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable.
At last.
He could tamper with Konoha's Great Barrier openly.
Then he slumped again.
Because once you sat in meetings like this, you didn't get to leave early.
…
Finally, the long meeting ended.
Gen Takuya stumbled out with a blank stare.
Honestly, even in his previous life, he'd been crushed under meetings.
He was an "introvert."
He hated this kind of thing.
Now?
Even if someone begged him to become Hokage, he wouldn't want it.
Too much trouble. No time to train. What was the point?
Back at the Sealing Unit, he briefly explained the mission he'd accepted on behalf of the unit and distributed tasks.
He was a small leader now.
He couldn't do everything personally.
Let subordinates handle the repetitive work.
He would inspect the results later—and carve his own hidden backdoor into the barrier when the time came.
After assigning the work, he sank back into fuinjutsu research.
But then, in the afternoon—
A shinobi wearing a gray-striped mask walked into his office.
"You are…?"
Gen Takuya frowned.
He recognized the identity immediately.
Root.
ANBU masks were usually white and animal-themed. Root masks were different—cold, uniform, unmistakable.
"Gen Takuya," the Root shinobi said emotionlessly. "Our lord requests your presence."
"Your lord?" Gen Takuya's eyes narrowed. "And who is that?"
"The lord is Root's commander—Shimura Danzō-sama," the Root shinobi replied, reverence seeping into his voice.
Gen Takuya tilted his head. "Why would someone like him want me?"
"Go and you'll know."
"…Fine. Wait a moment."
Gen Takuya didn't refuse. Many shinobi had already seen him being escorted by Root. And right now, Danzō did not possess Kotoamatsukami.
If a fight broke out, Gen Takuya doubted he could defeat Danzō.
The man was a Wind Release master who could cut through even Susanoo.
And Danzō already had a Sharingan—his right eye should've been Uchiha Kagami's three-tomoe. He also possessed Izanagi somehow, making him a nightmare to deal with.
Still—
If Gen Takuya didn't aim to kill him, and focused only on escape…
He could do it.
After packing away the scrolls in the lab, Gen Takuya followed the Root shinobi through layers of hidden doors until they reached a sunless, secluded place.
An old man stood there with a cane.
Head and right eye wrapped in bandages.
A gray-black kimono.
One arm completely concealed.
Shimura Danzō.
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