"Lord Danzō," the Root shinobi knelt on one knee. "Gen Takuya has been brought."
"Hm." Danzō nodded, then looked at Gen Takuya.
"What do you want?" Gen Takuya asked calmly.
Danzō's gaze was heavy.
"I heard about today's meeting," he said. "Your proposal was… good."
"This was something I should do for Konoha," Gen Takuya replied.
"Hm."
Danzō reached into his kimono and produced a scroll.
"This is fuinjutsu," he said. "Consider it your reward."
Gen Takuya hesitated. "That… doesn't seem appropriate."
"It's fine," Danzō said, tossing it to him. "This is the reward given by Root's commander."
Gen Takuya caught it and paused, as if weighing the choice.
"Then… I won't refuse."
"Hm. Since it's a reward, take it. Continue working for Konoha. If you do well, there will be more."
"Thank you, Danzō-sama," Gen Takuya said, smiling.
"Hm. Return and continue your research. Remember what I said. Work for Konoha, and I won't treat you poorly."
With that, Danzō turned and left with the Root shinobi.
Gen Takuya remained alone, looking down at the scroll in his hands.
Slowly, a mocking curve rose at the corner of his mouth.
So that was it.
Minato had promoted him. His rise had momentum.
Danzō was applying poison early—trying to plant a nail.
Not because Gen Takuya mattered.
But because Minato shouldn't have people who belonged to him.
The problem was—
Minato wasn't that kind of man.
Danzō, however, was the kind who assumed everyone else thought the way he did.
Gen Takuya was almost certain the "reward" scroll was useless.
He opened it casually, glanced at the contents—
And his mockery deepened.
Even when recruiting people, Danzō couldn't be bothered to pay a real price.
If he'd handed over something like the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing…
Then Gen Takuya might actually have considered it.
After all—what did Danzō's crimes have to do with him?
Though… whether Danzō even knew Reverse Four Symbols Sealing at this point was questionable.
Either way, he was stingy.
The seals inside were the kind Gen Takuya had already studied and discarded long ago.
At least Danzō had gotten one thing right—he knew Gen Takuya liked fuinjutsu.
So how should Gen Takuya handle this scroll?
Simple.
He'd give it to Minato later.
Minato wouldn't suspect him over something this small. But Gen Takuya also couldn't pretend forever that he'd never push back against Danzō.
This wasn't about "testing a girlfriend's patience."
This was real.
And Gen Takuya had no intention of testing Minato's tolerance.
He yawned and headed back toward the Sealing Unit.
As far as Gen Takuya was concerned, Danzō was… unimpressive.
The man styled himself Konoha's darkness, a shadow doing what needed to be done—
But Gen Takuya thought he wasn't ruthless enough.
People said the Third Hokage "spoiled" Danzō—turning a blind eye as long as he stayed within limits.
And it certainly looked that way.
But if Gen Takuya had been Danzō…
After obtaining Shisui's Kotoamatsukami—even with its limitations—
There were ways to operate.
Cut off Konoha's ability to contact Jiraiya and Tsunade with Root.
Then use the Third Hokage's indulgence and Kotoamatsukami, under conditions that didn't implicate himself, to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Would that really be difficult?
Minato was already dead in that timeline.
Orochimaru had defected.
Jiraiya and Tsunade weren't in the village.
Who was left to threaten him?
Asuma? Kakashi?
Even if he started as "Acting Hokage," once he held the authority, it would be easy to merge Root and ANBU and erase the word "acting."
So why hadn't Danzō done it?
Because he wasn't ruthless enough.
Because Sarutobi Hiruzen was his closest friend.
Because his feelings ran too deep.
He wouldn't strike Hiruzen.
He wouldn't use Kotoamatsukami on him.
Already living in darkness—why not walk all the way to the end?
Instead…
He looked like a clown.
Gen Takuya walked back, the mockery still lingering in his eyes.
Danzō was a perfect warning sign.
A negative example.
If Gen Takuya wanted something, he couldn't chase it endlessly and still fail at the end.
If he wanted it—
He had to take it.
Even if the methods were a little extreme.
…
In the following days, the barrier modification entered its final phase, reaching the portion Gen Takuya had to complete personally.
Repetitive work went to subordinates.
Delicate work required his own hands.
He inspected what his men had done and nodded. Their sealing skill wasn't top-tier, but under Uzumaki guidance, their foundations were solid.
Now came the last steps.
The barrier needed to be perfect—ideally never requiring another modification.
And he could only leave a single backdoor.
Because the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was also an elite fuinjutsu master.
More backdoors meant more flaws.
More flaws meant a higher chance Minato would personally inspect the barrier.
And then—
He might find what Gen Takuya had hidden.
For now, Gen Takuya didn't want to fall out with Minato.
Even if he eventually left the village.
It wasn't that he feared Minato.
It was the two "protagonists" behind him.
Behind them stood the Sage of Six Paths.
Those two could die and still get kicked back from the underworld.
Like Sasuke—heart stopped, then lived.
Like Naruto—chakra pathways severed, the Nine-Tails nearly dying, and yet he bounced back.
Gen Takuya seriously suspected that if he ever went too far against those two…
The Sage of Six Paths might personally show up and slap him straight into the afterlife.
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