Chapter 567

Since the news of Shimura Danzō's death had already spread throughout the ninja world, Sarutobi Hiruzen simply issued an announcement revealing the news.

To save a bit of face for Shimura Danzō and to preserve the dignity of the higher-ups, the cause of Shimura Danzō's death was not that he was killed while acting on his own, but rather that he unfortunately sacrificed himself while investigating intelligence.

This news shook Konoha, and the residents of Konoha discussed among themselves who exactly Shimura Danzō was.

Although Shimura Danzō was one of Konoha's high-ranking officials, ordinary Konoha residents did not care about who the higher-ups were; at most they knew who the Hokage was.

Moreover, since Shimura Danzō was mainly responsible for the dirty and tiring work behind the scenes and rarely showed himself in public, it was even harder for the residents to know him.

Of course, most ninja still knew who Shimura Danzō was.

Aside from his identity as the "Konoha Pot King," Shimura Danzō was also a powerful ninja, and this alone was enough to leave an impression on many Konoha ninja.

However, due to various reasons, Shimura Danzō's overall evaluation in the eyes of most ninja was quite average.

Regarding the news of Shimura Danzō's death, most ninja did not care about it in itself, but rather about the possible impact this incident might cause.

After all, Shimura Danzō was a high-ranking Konoha official, and a high-ranking one with real power over the special department Root, entangling many interests.

As for the impact within the village, since Sarutobi Hiruzen received the news earliest and made preparations, nothing much happened.

The impact outside the village was a bit frightening; clans with deep heritage like the Nara quickly received news of Kumogakure making moves against Konoha.

Moreover, as the news fermented, someone discovered a problem: the information spreading into Konoha from outside was that Sōsuke from the Land of Rain killed Shimura Danzō, while the news announced by Sarutobi Hiruzen was that it was still under investigation.

All kinds of information caused a strange atmosphere to pervade Konoha, no longer as relaxed as before.

Even the training atmosphere in the southern border forest was slightly affected.

"Danzō-sama is dead..." Yamato sat on a large rock and sighed.

After spending some time with Muyue, he discovered that Shimura Danzō was not as good as he had imagined, but Yamato was still grateful to Shimura Danzō.

After all, Shimura Danzō had raised him for quite some time; Yamato was still very grateful for that.

Thus, among Muyue's disciples, Yamato became the only one who would be saddened by Shimura Danzō's death.

"Danzō? That Shimura Danzō? So who exactly is he? Recently a lot of people in the village have been discussing him," Obito scratched his head and asked.

He was one of those who would ask who Shimura Danzō was.

Obito hadn't been born during the era when Shimura Danzō was active on the battlefield, plus other factors, so Obito was not clear about information on the ninja named Shimura Danzō.

"He was Konoha's Hokage's Assistant," Kakashi answered the question on behalf of Yamato.

"So he was the Hokage's Assistant? But I haven't really heard of him," Obito was somewhat puzzled.

"Probably because there was no news worth spreading," Kakashi replied indifferently.

In fact, there were very few ninja like Muyue and Namikaze Minato who repeatedly achieved remarkable feats on the battlefield.

Because this required not only strength, but also luck and the ability to seize opportunities.

Obito felt that Kakashi was right, and at the same time silently mourned for this unfamiliar Hokage's Assistant for 0.01 seconds.

As the Hokage's Assistant, to not even have one noteworthy deed to mention was truly pathetic.

"If I become Hokage, I want to be the kind of Hokage who has several pages of content in history books!" Obito thought, clenching his fist.

He was really annoyed by memorizing things when studying, but thinking about making future students memorize his deeds made Obito extremely excited.

As for why he thought it in his heart instead of saying it out loud, it was because Obito knew that the inherently evil Kakashi would definitely laugh at him for overestimating himself.

Although he had lofty ambitions, Obito knew that he was indeed not qualified now and couldn't refute Kakashi's mockery.

He would work hard in secret and then amaze everyone.

"Don't take on any missions recently; wait for my arrangement," Muyue reminded his disciples.

From the changes in the ninja world, Muyue could sense Uchiha Madara's impatience.

He was too old and couldn't wait to find a successor to be the executor of his resurrection plan.

Under such circumstances, only in Konoha, by Muyue's side, could Obito and Shisui avoid Uchiha Madara's schemes.

Normally, a jōnin could already complete missions alone or lead a team to complete missions.

However, Obito and the others had a rather special situation: on one hand, they were too young, young enough to break Konoha's jōnin age record, and on the other hand, there was Muyue's intervention.

Minato Namikaze had mentioned letting Kakashi and the others lead their own teams on missions, not so much to increase the number of jonin squads in Konoha, but to train them through leadership.

Muyue firmly rejected Minato Namikaze's proposal and listed several reasons to convince Minato Namikaze.

All the disciples nodded.

Immediately after, Muyue called Shisui aside alone and explained the matter of the Training Squad to Shisui.

Shisui showed a somewhat conflicted expression.

He could sense the uniqueness of the Training Squad; it was an Anbu even more special than the regular Anbu, and it might help his plan to change the Uchiha.

But if he joined such a special department, he certainly wouldn't be as idle as before, and wouldn't have as much time to train with Muyue, Obito, and the others.

"If you want to join, I'll arrange a squad leader position for you. If you don't want to join, then don't. Don't force yourself. Just follow your true feelings and choose." Muyue said.

Solving the Uchiha problem requires balancing internal and external clan matters, but 'external' doesn't necessarily mean joining a department like the Training Squad.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also didn't insist that Shisui join the Training Squad; he only said that Shisui was a suitable candidate.

As Shisui's teacher, even if he couldn't solve all of Shisui's difficulties, he could still shield him from some storms.

"Teacher Muyue, I'll join!" Shisui answered with a serious face.

After careful consideration, Shisui thought he should seize this rare opportunity.

This was an advantage that no Uchiha ninja other than him and Obito possessed.

Muyue was the top leader of this new department. Within this department, as long as they had merits, they would definitely reap the rewards they deserved.

It was already difficult for other Uchiha to join such a confidential department, and being entrusted with important roles was even harder.

"Good, I'll notify you when it's time to report to the Training Squad." Muyue nodded.

Thanks to Danzo Shimura, although the Training Squad was a newly established department, it already had its own independent base — the former Root base.

Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his word; except for some confidential documents useless to the Training Squad, all other Root assets were turned over to the Training Squad.

Although the Training Squad currently only had two people besides the not-yet-inducted Shisui, it still had plenty of various resources.

Shisui thanked Muyue and then began training.

After training time ended, Muyue did not return to his home in the main city district, but instead walked over to Yamato.

"Teacher Muyue?" Yamato looked at Muyue in confusion.

"I feel like visiting your home today. Are you not welcome, Yamato?" Muyue said with a smile as he looked at Yamato.

"Of course you're welcome." Yamato quickly explained, feeling a bit moved inside.

Muyue was always like this, able to promptly sense his emotions and then offer comfort.

The house Yamato currently lived in was previously arranged by Danzo Shimura, located in the outskirts of the outskirts.

Fortunately, the place where Muyue and the others trained was also quite remote, so Yamato's home was actually closest to their usual training spot.

After entering Yamato's home, Muyue headed to the kitchen.

When a disciple was unhappy, of course he should let him taste some delicious food that could change his mood.

Yamato waved his hand to indicate he didn't want to trouble Muyue, but in the end he was convinced by Muyue and obediently sat at the table waiting for the meal.

"Do you want to go to school?" After placing the last dish on the dining table, Muyue asked.

The Ninja Academy usually enrolls students at age five or six, and Yamato was already eight years old. If not for his special status, he should have been attending the Ninja Academy long ago.

Muyue had long had the idea of sending Yamato to school, but he couldn't explain it to Danzo Shimura, so he had never been able to proceed.

"To the Ninja Academy?" Yamato restrained himself from looking at the unusually tempting dishes and replied.

These were dishes made by Muyue; he felt that Muyue should eat first.

"Mm, after graduating from the Ninja Academy, you'll be an official Konoha ninja." Muyue saw through Yamato's thoughts and picked up a piece of meat into his own bowl.

Strictly speaking, Yamato was actually an undocumented person; his identity had been arranged by Danzo Shimura.

Yamato's previous identity as a Root ninja was not registered in the Root member directory; he was a ninja recognized only by Danzo Shimura, not a true Konoha ninja.

Of course, with Danzo Shimura's power and influence, arranging a ninja identity for Yamato was not difficult; it was just that Yamato's strength was too weak, and Danzo Shimura was afraid of being discovered by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"How long do I need to study at the ninja school before I can become a ninja?" Yamato also picked up a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and immediately shoveled some rice. After chewing for a while, he showed a blissful expression.

"Fast would be a month or even two weeks, slow would be six years. I personally recommend you stay for at least two years." Mu Yue thought for a moment and said.

Among his disciples, Yamato could be considered one of the more tragic ones. First, he was captured and became a test subject for the deadly Hashirama cell experiments.

He barely survived but lost his memories, only to be picked up by Shimura Danzo, who long-term gaslighted him and instilled his twisted ideals.

So Mu Yue hoped Yamato could have a pleasant school life.

Given Yamato's current strength, going to ninja school would be a complete stomp—pure protagonist material.

Upon hearing the number six years, Yamato's eyes widened slightly. His entire life had only been 1.33 six-year spans.

"Teacher Mu Yue, is there any hope that I could become a Wood Style ninja like the First Hokage?" Yamato didn't answer Mu Yue's question but suddenly asked.

"Very difficult, almost impossible." Mu Yue replied as tactfully as possible.

What made Hashirama Senju monstrous wasn't Wood Style, but his terrifying chakra.

The chakra of an ordinary tailed beast was already terrifying enough for ordinary ninjas to barely reach, and compared to the Nine-Tails, ordinary tailed beast chakra was still far inferior.

But compared to Hashirama Senju, even the Nine-Tails had to step aside. The sheer magnitude of Hashirama Senju's chakra was evident.

"So there's still a small possibility? I want to become a ninja like the First Hokage, able to protect the village and stop wars." Yamato said with a resolute expression.

"I'll go to ninja school, then graduate as fast as possible to become a ninja. At that time, please train me more strictly, Teacher Mu Yue!"

Shimura Danzo's death made him a little sad, but what made Yamato even more uneasy was the future. If Mu Yue also sacrificed himself like Shimura Danzo...

He wanted stronger power—power to protect the people and things he cared about.

Mu Yue showed a somewhat helpless expression. Sometimes being mature too early wasn't a good thing. Why did everyone have to be so responsible? Kids under ten should just enjoy life.

"Even if you want to become a ninja like the First Hokage, it's not something that can be done overnight. You need to study at ninja school for at least a year." Mu Yue tapped Yamato with his index and middle fingers together.

Land of Hot Water, Konoha Ninja Force Base.

"Died just like that? What a shame." Orochimaru put down the documents in his hand, a rare slight ripple appearing on his normally expressionless face.

He had received news of Shimura Danzo's death—not only the official announcement from Konoha but also some information circulating in the ninja world.

"The experiments will have to be suspended..." Orochimaru sighed slightly.

He did not feel sad about Shimura Danzo's death. Just as Shimura Danzo only treated him as a tool for experiments, Orochimaru likewise only regarded Shimura Danzo as a convenient partner, not a comrade like Jiraiya or Tsunade.

What worried Orochimaru was whether his experiments could continue smoothly and whether his cooperation with Shimura Danzo had been exposed.

They had done too many over-the-line things together. Once exposed, Orochimaru couldn't even hope to compete for Hokage; if Hiruzen Sarutobi spared his life, it would be out of old sentiment.

Orochimaru originally wanted to return to Konoha to eliminate information that might expose him, but Kumo's sudden action thwarted his goal.

Changing commanders before a battle was a major taboo. Without a proper reason, the Konoha higher-ups would never allow him to return to Konoha at this time.

After realizing the difficulty of returning to Konoha, Orochimaru simply didn't bother applying, since it wouldn't pass anyway.

Orochimaru now desperately hoped that Shimura Danzo had properly handled the traces. If exposed, he would have no choice but to defect.

Orochimaru did not sit idly by. He actively tried to contact his subordinates in Konoha to understand the situation there and the impact of Shimura Danzo's death on Konoha.

He was not greedy for his power in Konoha. Whether it was power or money, they were merely means to achieve his goals. He was not obsessed with power or money themselves.

However, Orochimaru was unwilling to give up everything in Konoha. He had spent years building up his current achievements. If he defected, he'd have to start over and waste a lot of time.

A person's energy is always limited, even for a genius like Orochimaru.

When he focused his energy on matters concerning Shimura Danzo and the war with Kumogakure, he had less energy to analyze.

Thus, Kumo's ninja forces quietly arrived in the Land of Fields by boat and began their operation.

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