Chapter 620: Impact

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

To save a bit of face for Shimura Danzo and maintain the dignity of the higher-ups, the official cause of Danzo's death was not that he was killed while acting on his own, but that he died a martyr while investigating intelligence.

This news shook Konoha, and the villagers began discussing who exactly Shimura Danzo was.

Although Shimura Danzo was one of Konoha's higher-ups, ordinary Konoha residents didn't care who those higher-ups were; at most, they knew who the Hokage was.

On top of that, since Shimura Danzo mainly handled the dirty, behind-the-scenes work and rarely showed his face, it was even harder for the residents to know him.

Of course, most ninja did know who Shimura Danzo was.

Besides his identity as the "Pot King of Konoha," Shimura Danzo was also a powerful ninja, and just that alone was enough to leave an impression on many Konoha ninja.

However, for various reasons, Shimura Danzo's overall reputation in the eyes of most ninja was quite average.

For most ninja, the death of Shimura Danzo itself wasn't what mattered; what mattered was the potential impact this incident might cause.

After all, Shimura Danzo was a Konoha higher-up, a powerful figure in charge of the special department known as the Root, and he was entangled in numerous interests.

As for the impact within the village, since Sarutobi Hiruzen had received the news early and made preparations, nothing really happened.

The impact outside the village was somewhat frightening. Ninja clans with deep foundations like the Nara quickly learned that Kumogakure was making moves against Konoha.

Moreover, as the news fermented, people noticed a problem: the information flowing into Konoha from outside said that Yusuke of the Rain Country killed Shimura Danzo, but the announcement by Sarutobi Hiruzen claimed the matter was still under investigation.

All this information created a strange atmosphere throughout Konoha, no longer as relaxed as before.

Even the training atmosphere in the southern forest was somewhat affected.

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

After spending some time with Muyue, he had discovered that Shimura Danzo wasn't as good as he had imagined, but Yamato still felt grateful to him.

After all, Shimura Danzo had raised him for quite some time, and Yamato was truly grateful for that.

Thus, among Muyue's disciples, Yamato was the only one who grieved over Shimura Danzo's death.

"Danzo? That Shimura Danzo? So who exactly is he? Lately, a lot of people in the village have been talking about him." Obito scratched his head and asked.

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

Obito wasn't born yet during the era when Shimura Danzo was active on the battlefield, and combined with other factors, he was not familiar with the information about the ninja named Shimura Danzo.

"He was the Hokage's Assistant in Konoha," Kakashi answered the question for Yamato.

"He was the Hokage's Assistant? But I haven't heard much about him," Obito said, somewhat puzzled.

"Probably because there was nothing worth spreading about him," Kakashi replied blandly.

There were actually very few ninja like Muyue and Minato Namikaze who repeatedly achieved great feats on the battlefield.

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

Obito thought Kakashi was right, and at the same time silently mourned for this unfamiliar Hokage's Assistant for zero point zero one seconds.

As the Hokage's Assistant, to not even have a single deed worth mentioning was truly pathetic.

"If I become Hokage, I definitely want to be the kind of Hokage who fills several pages in history books!" Obito clenched his fist and thought.

When he studied, he hated memorizing, but the thought of making future students memorize his deeds got him incredibly excited.

As for why he only thought it instead of saying it out loud, it was because he knew that the inherently evil Kakashi would definitely laugh at him for overreaching.

Although he had lofty ambitions, Obito knew he wasn't qualified yet and couldn't refute Kakashi's mockery.

He would silently work hard and then amaze everyone.

"Don't accept any missions recently. Wait for my arrangements," Muyue warned his disciples.

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

He was too old and couldn't wait to find a successor to execute his resurrection plan.

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

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

However, Obito and the others' situation was special. On one hand, they were too young—so young that they broke Konoha's jonin age record—and on the other hand, there was Muyue's interference.

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

Muyue firmly refused 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 to Shisui about the Training Squad.

Shisui showed a somewhat conflicted expression.

He could sense the special nature 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 would certainly not be able to be as free 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 choose according to your true feelings," Muyue said.

Solving the Uchiha problem requires taking into account both inside and outside the clan, but "outside the clan" does not necessarily mean joining a department like the Training Squad.

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

As Shisui's teacher, even if he couldn't help Shisui solve every difficulty, it was still fine to shield him from some troubles.

"Muyue-sensei, I'll join!" Shisui replied with a serious expression.

After thinking it over seriously, Shisui felt he should seize this rare opportunity.

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

Muyue was the head of this new department. In this department, as long as they had achievements, they would definitely reap the rewards they deserved.

Other Uchiha would find it difficult to join such a classified department, and being given important positions would be even harder.

"Okay, 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 did not go back on his word; except for some classified 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, they still had quite a lot 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 area, but instead walked over to Yamato.

"Muyue-sensei?" Yamato looked at Muyue in confusion.

"I feel like visiting your home today. What, am I not welcome, Yamato?" Muyue said cheerfully, looking at Yamato.

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

Muyue was always like this—able to sense his emotions in time and then give comfort.

The house Yamato currently lived in was arranged by Danzo Shimura back then, and it was 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 the closest to their usual training spot.

After entering Yamato's house, Muyue headed toward the kitchen.

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

Yamato waved his hand, indicating 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?" Muyue asked after placing the last dish on the dining table.

The Ninja Academy usually admitted students at five or six years old; now Yamato was already eight. If not for his special status, he should have gone to the Ninja Academy long ago.

Muyue had long thought of sending Yamato to school, but he couldn't explain it to Danzo Shimura, so it had never been possible.

"To the Ninja Academy?" Yamato answered, restraining himself from looking at those unusually tempting dishes.

This was food made by Muyue. He felt that Muyue should eat first.

"Mm, after you graduate 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 unregistered person; his identity had been arranged by Danzo Shimura.

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

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

"How long do you need to study at the Ninja Academy to become a ninja?" Yamato also picked up a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, then quickly scooped up some rice, and after chewing for a while, showed a happy expression.

"If fast, it could be one month or even two weeks; if slow, six years. Personally, I recommend you stay for at least two years." Mu Yue thought for a moment and said.

Among his disciples, Yamato was quite unfortunate. First, he was captured and became a test subject in the nearly-deadly Hashirama cell experiment.

He barely survived but lost his memory, and was then picked up by Shimura Danzo, who long-term manipulated him and indoctrinated him with his twisted ideals.

So Mu Yue hoped that Yamato could have a joyful campus life.

With Yamato's current strength, going to the Ninja Academy would be a complete overkill; he's pure novel protagonist material.

When Yamato heard the number six years, his eyes widened slightly. His entire life so far had only been about 1.33 six-year periods.

"Teacher Mu Yue, is there hope for me to become a Wood Release ninja like the First Hokage-sama?" Yamato did not answer the question about there being no hope, and suddenly asked.

"It's very difficult, almost impossible." Mu Yue replied as tactfully as possible.

What was abnormal about Senju Hashirama was not his Wood Release, but his terrifying chakra.

The chakra of an ordinary tailed beast is already so terrifying that ordinary ninja can barely match it, and compared to the Nine-Tails, ordinary tailed beasts' chakra is far inferior.

But compared to Senju Hashirama, even the Nine-Tails has to take a step back. This shows how terrifying Senju Hashirama's chakra amount was.

"So there is still a little possibility? I want to become a ninja like the First Hokage-sama, who can protect the village and stop wars." Yamato said with a resolute expression.

"I will go to the Ninja Academy, then graduate as quickly as possible to become a ninja. When that time comes, please train me more strictly, Teacher Mu Yue!"

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

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

Mu Yue showed a somewhat helpless expression. Sometimes being precocious is not a good thing. Why does everyone have such a sense of responsibility? Kids under ten should just enjoy life obediently.

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

……

Land of Hot Water, Konoha Ninja Force Base.

"So he died like that? What a shame." Orochimaru put down the documents in his hand, and his perpetually expressionless face showed a slight ripple.

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

"The experiments can only be suspended..." Orochimaru sighed softly.

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

What worried Orochimaru was whether his experiments could proceed smoothly, and whether his collaboration with Shimura Danzo had been exposed.

They had done too many things that crossed the line together. Once exposed, Orochimaru would not even be able to compete for Hokage, and if Sarutobi Hiruzen spared his life, it would only be out of old friendship.

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

Changing commanders before a battle is a major taboo. Without a suitable reason, Konoha's high-ranking officials would not let him return to Konoha at this time.

After realizing the difficulty of returning to Konoha, Orochimaru simply did not apply, since it would not be approved anyway.

Orochimaru now greatly hoped that Shimura Danzo had properly handled the traces. If exposed, he only had the path of defection.

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

He was not attached to his power and influence in Konoha. Whether power or money, they were merely means to achieve his goals; he did not crave power or money themselves.

But to ask Orochimaru to give up everything in Konoha – he was reluctant to do that. He had spent years building his current achievements; if he defected, he would have to start from scratch, wasting a lot of time.

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

When he concentrated his energy on matters related to Shimura Danzo and the war with Kumogakure Village, he did not have much energy left for analysis.

And so, Kumogakure's ninja forces quietly arrived by ship in the Land of Rice Fields and began their operations.