Chapter 683

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

In order to save some face for Shimura Danzō and preserve the dignity of the high command, the cause of his death was not reported as being killed while acting on his own, but rather as a tragic sacrifice during information gathering.

This news shook Konoha, and its residents began discussing who exactly Shimura Danzō was.

Although Shimura Danzō was one of Konoha's high-ranking officials, ordinary villagers did not concern themselves with who those officials were—at most, they knew who the Hokage was.

Added to that, since Shimura Danzō was mainly in charge of shady, behind-the-scenes dirty work and rarely showed his face in public, it was even harder for the residents to recognize him.

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

Aside from his identity as the "Pot King of Konoha," Shimura Danzō was also a powerful shinobi, and that alone was enough for many Konoha ninja to have an impression of him.

However, due to various reasons, his overall reputation among most shinobi was quite poor.

Regarding the news of Shimura Danzō's death, most shinobi did not care about the event itself, but rather about the potential impact it might cause.

After all, Shimura Danzō was a high-ranking figure in Konoha, a powerful official in control of the special department Root, and was entangled in numerous interests.

Within the village, since Sarutobi Hiruzen had learned the news early and made preparations, nothing major happened.

The impact outside the village was more alarming; clans like the Nara, which had deep foundations, quickly received news that Kumogakure was making moves against Konoha.

Moreover, as the news fermented, people noticed a problem: the information coming into Konoha from outside said that Sōsuke of the Land of Rain had killed Shimura Danzō, while Sarutobi Hiruzen's announcement claimed the investigation was still ongoing.

All sorts of information created a strange atmosphere pervading Konoha, no longer as relaxed as before.

Even the training atmosphere in the Forest of the Southern Border was somewhat affected.

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

After spending time with Muyue, he had come to realize that Shimura Danzō was not as good as he had imagined, yet Yamato still felt grateful to Shimura Danzō.

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

Thus, Yamato became the only disciple of Muyue who would grieve over Shimura Danzō's death.

"Danzō? That Shimura Danzō? So who is he, anyway? A lot of people in the village have been talking about him lately." Obito scratched his head and asked.

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

The era when Shimura Danzō was active on the battlefield was before Obito was born, and coupled with other factors, Obito had no information about the shinobi named Shimura Danzō.

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

"He was actually the Hokage's Assistant? But I hardly ever heard anything about him." Obito was a bit puzzled.

"Probably because there were no achievements worth spreading." Kakashi replied indifferently.

Shinobi like Muyue and Namikaze Minato, who repeatedly distinguished themselves on the battlefield, were actually rare.

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

Obito felt that Kakashi was right, and at the same time he offered a brief 0.01-second moment of silence for that unfamiliar Hokage's Assistant.

Being the Hokage's Assistant without a single notable achievement to speak of—truly pitiful.

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

When studying, he really hated memorizing things, but the thought of making future students memorize his exploits got him incredibly excited.

As for why he thought this in his mind 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 harbored lofty ambitions, Obito knew he wasn't yet qualified now, so he couldn't refute Kakashi's mockery.

He would work hard in secret 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 feel Uchiha Madara's impatience.

He was growing too old and was eager to find a successor to act as the executor of his revival plan.

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

Normally, jōnin could already complete missions on their own or lead squads to complete them.

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

Namikaze Minato had mentioned having 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 Namikaze Minato's proposal and listed several reasons to convince him.

All the disciples nodded.

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

Shisui showed a somewhat conflicted expression.

He could sense the uniqueness of the Training Team—it was an Anbu even more special than the regular Anbu, and it might be helpful for his plan to change the Uchiha.

But if he joined such a special department, he certainly wouldn't 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 thoughts," Muyue said.

Resolving the Uchiha problem requires balancing both within and outside the clan, but "outside the clan" does not necessarily mean joining a department like the Training Team.

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

As Shisui's teacher, not to say he could solve all of Shisui's difficulties, but shielding him from some storms was no problem.

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

After thinking it over carefully, Shisui decided he should seize this rare opportunity.

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

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

For other Uchiha, it was already difficult to join such a confidential department, and getting promoted was even harder.

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

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

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't break his promise. Except for some confidential documents useless to the Training Team, all other Root assets were transferred to the Training Team.

Although the Training Team currently had only two people besides Shisui who hadn't joined yet, they still had quite a lot of various resources.

Shisui thanked Muyue and then began training.

After training time ended, Muyue didn't 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 welcoming, Yamato?" Muyue said with a chuckle as he looked at Yamato.

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

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

The house Yamato currently lived in was arranged by Shimura Danzo before, 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 walking into Yamato's home, Muyue headed to the kitchen.

When a disciple was unhappy, of course he should let him taste some delicacies delicious enough to 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?" Muyue asked after placing the last dish on the dining table.

The Ninja Academy usually enrolls at five or six years old. Now Yamato was already eight; if not for his special identity, he should have gone to the Ninja Academy long ago.

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

"Is it the Ninja Academy?" Yamato replied, restraining himself from looking at those exceptionally tempting dishes.

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 said, seeing through Yamato's thoughts and picking up a piece of meat into his own bowl.

Strictly speaking, Yamato was actually an unregistered person; his identity was still arranged by Shimura Danzo.

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

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

"How long does one 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 immediately scooped up some rice. After chewing for a while, he showed a happy expression.

"Fast can be one month or even two weeks; slow can be six years. Personally, I recommend you stay for at least two years." Muyue thought for a moment and said.

Among his disciples, Yamato was considered relatively unfortunate. First, he was captured and became an experimental subject of the near-certain death Hashirama cell experiment.

He barely survived and lost his memory. Then he was picked up by Shimura Danzo, and for a long time, he was gaslighted by Danzo, who instilled his twisted ideology into him.

So Muyue hoped Yamato could have a joyful campus life.

With Yamato's current strength, going to the ninja academy would be a complete dimension-reducing strike; he would be the absolute protagonist.

As soon as Yamato heard the number six years, his eyes widened slightly. His life so far had only been one point three three six-year periods.

"Teacher Muyue, is there hope for me to become a Wood Release ninja like the First Hokage?" Yamato did not answer the question about no; instead, he suddenly asked.

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

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

The chakra of an ordinary tailed beast is already terrifying enough that ordinary ninja can hardly reach it. Compared to the Nine-Tails, the chakra of ordinary tailed beasts falls far short.

But compared to Hashirama Senju, even the Nine-Tails had to step back. The terrifying amount of Hashirama's chakra was evident.

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

"I will go to the ninja academy and then graduate as a ninja as quickly as possible. When that time comes, please train me even more strictly, Teacher Muyue!"

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

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

Muyue showed a slightly helpless expression. Sometimes being precocious wasn't a good thing. Why did they all have such a sense of responsibility? Children 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 the ninja academy for at least a year." Muyue tapped Yamato with his index and middle fingers together and said.

Land of Hot Water, Konoha Ninja Forces Base.

"Died just like that? What a pity." Orochimaru put down the documents in his hand, and his perpetually expressionless face showed a slight ripple.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Replacing a commander before battle is a major taboo. Without a suitable reason, the Konoha higher-ups could not possibly let him return to Konoha at this time.

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

Orochimaru now very much hoped that Danzo had properly dealt with the traces. If exposed, he only had the path of defection.

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

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

But if it came to giving up everything in Konoha, he wasn't willing either. He had built up his current achievements over many years. 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 concerning Danzo and himself, as well as the war with Kumogakure, he didn't 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.: mhtxs

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