Chapter 620: Impact
As news of Danzo Shimura's death spread throughout the Ninja World, Hiruzen simply issued a public announcement confirming it.
To preserve some face for Danzo and maintain the authority of Konoha's higher-ups, Danzo's cause of death was not stated as being killed during an unauthorized solo operation. Instead, the official statement said he had unfortunately sacrificed himself while investigating intelligence.
The news shook Konoha, and residents began discussing among themselves who Danzo Shimura actually was.
Although Danzo had been one of Konoha's higher-ups, ordinary residents did not pay much attention to who held those positions. At most, they knew who the Hokage was.
Furthermore, Danzo had mainly been responsible for difficult, dirty work behind the scenes and rarely appeared in public, making it even harder for ordinary people to recognize him.
Of course, most Ninja still knew of Danzo.
Aside from his reputation as Konoha's pot-stirrer, Danzo was also a powerful Ninja, and that alone was enough for many Konoha Ninja to remember him.
However, due to various reasons, Danzo's overall evaluation among most Ninja was rather average.
Regarding the news of Danzo's death, most Ninja were not concerned with the death itself, but with the possible impact this incident would bring.
Danzo had, after all, been one of Konoha's higher-ups, a powerful figure who controlled the special department known as Root. His death involved many interests.
Because Hiruzen had made preparations as soon as he received the news, nothing happened internally within the village.
The external impact, however, was somewhat alarming. Ninja clans with deep foundations, such as the Nara Clan, quickly received news of Kumogakure's movements against Konoha.
Moreover, as the news continued to ferment, someone discovered a problem.
The news entering Konoha from outside stated that Sōsuke of the Land of Rain had killed Danzo, while Hiruzen's public announcement stated that the investigation was still ongoing.
Various pieces of information intertwined, creating a strange atmosphere within Konoha. The village was no longer as relaxed as before.
Even the training atmosphere in the South Border Forest was slightly affected.
"Lord Danzo is dead…" Yamato sighed while sitting on a large rock.
After spending some time with Mugetsu, he had realized that Danzo was not as good as he had once imagined, but Yamato was still grateful to him.
After all, Danzo had raised him for a considerable period of time, and Yamato was thankful for that.
Therefore, among Mugetsu's disciples, Yamato was the only one who felt sadness over Danzo's death.
"Danzo? You mean Danzo Shimura? So who was he, anyway? A lot of people in the village have been talking about him recently," Obito asked, scratching his head.
He was exactly the type of person who would ask who Danzo Shimura was.
Obito had not even been born during the years when Danzo was active on the battlefield. Combined with other factors, he naturally did not know much about a Ninja named Danzo Shimura.
"He was Konoha's Hokage Assistant," Kakashi answered Yamato's question for him.
"He was the Hokage Assistant? But I haven't heard much about him," Obito said, somewhat puzzled.
"Probably because there wasn't any news about him worth spreading," Kakashi replied flatly.
Ninja like Mugetsu and Minato, who repeatedly achieved great feats on the battlefield, were actually very rare.
After all, that required not only strength, but also luck and the ability to seize opportunities.
Obito thought Kakashi made sense. At the same time, he silently mourned for this unfamiliar Hokage Assistant for 0.01 seconds.
As a Hokage Assistant, he did not even have a single achievement worth mentioning. That was truly pitiful.
"If I become Hokage, I definitely want to be the kind of Hokage who gets several pages in the history books!" Obito thought, clenching his fist.
He found studying incredibly annoying, but the thought of future students having to memorize his deeds made Obito feel unbelievably excited.
As for why he only thought this instead of saying it aloud, Obito knew that the inherently evil Kakashi would definitely laugh at him for overestimating himself.
Although he had grand ambitions, Obito also knew that his current self was indeed not qualified yet, and he would not be able to refute Kakashi's mockery.
He wanted to work hard in secret, then amaze everyone.
"Don't take any missions recently. Wait for my arrangements," Mugetsu reminded his disciples.
From the changes in the Ninja World, Mugetsu could sense Uchiha Madara's impatience.
Madara was growing old and was eager to find a successor to execute his grand plan of resurrection.
Under such circumstances, only by staying in Konoha, by Mugetsu's side, could Obito and Shisui avoid Uchiha Madara's schemes.
Normally, a Jonin could either complete missions alone or lead a team to complete them.
However, Obito and the others were in a special situation. On one hand, they were too young, so young that they had broken Konoha's Jonin age record. On the other hand, there was Mugetsu's interference.
Minato had once suggested letting Kakashi and the others lead teams on missions, not because Konoha needed more Jonin teams, but because he wanted them to grow through leadership experience.
Mugetsu firmly rejected Minato's proposal and listed several reasons to persuade him.
All the disciples nodded.
After that, Mugetsu called Shisui aside alone and explained the matter of the training squad to him.
Shisui showed a somewhat conflicted expression.
He could sense the special nature of the training squad. It was Anbu, yet even more special than Anbu, and it might help him with his plan to change the Uchiha.
But joining such a special department would definitely prevent him from being as carefree as before. He would no longer have as much time to train with Mugetsu, Obito, and the others.
"If you want to join, I will arrange a squad leader position for you. If you don't want to join, then don't. There's no need to force yourself. Just choose according to your true feelings," Mugetsu said.
Solving the Uchiha problem required considering matters both inside and outside the clan, but this external aspect did not necessarily mean joining a department like the training squad.
Hiruzen had not said that Shisui absolutely had to join the training squad either. He had only said that Shisui was a suitable candidate.
As Shisui's teacher, while Mugetsu could not solve every difficulty for him, helping him withstand some storms was certainly not a problem.
"Teacher Mugetsu, I'll join!" Shisui replied with a serious expression.
After careful consideration, Shisui believed he should seize this rare opportunity.
This was an advantage no other Uchiha Ninja possessed, apart from him and Obito.
Mugetsu was the head of this new department, and in this department, as long as they performed meritorious deeds, they would definitely receive the rewards they deserved.
It would be very difficult for other Uchiha to join such a secret department, and even harder for them to be entrusted with important roles.
"Good. I'll notify you when it's time to report to the training squad," Mugetsu nodded.
Thanks to Danzo, although the training squad was a newly established department, it already had its own independent base, the former Root Base.
Hiruzen did not go back on his word. Aside from some confidential documents useless to the training squad, all other Root assets now belonged to the training squad.
Although the training squad currently only had two people aside from Shisui, who had not officially joined yet, its resources were indeed considerable.
Shisui thanked Mugetsu, then began his training.
After the training session ended, Mugetsu did not return to his home in the main urban area. Instead, he walked over to Yamato.
"Teacher Mugetsu?" Yamato looked at Mugetsu in confusion.
"I felt like visiting your home today. Does Yamato not welcome me?" Mugetsu smiled at Yamato.
"Of course, you're welcome," Yamato quickly explained, feeling slightly touched.
Mugetsu was always like this. He could always detect his emotions in time, then offer comfort.
The house Yamato currently lived in had been arranged by Danzo before. It was located at the furthest edge of the suburbs.
Fortunately, the place where Mugetsu and the others usually trained was also quite remote, so Yamato's home was actually the closest to their regular training ground.
After entering Yamato's home, Mugetsu walked toward the kitchen.
When a disciple was unhappy, of course he should let him taste delicious food that could change his mood.
Yamato waved his hand, indicating that he did not want to trouble Mugetsu, but in the end, Mugetsu persuaded him, and he obediently sat at the table to wait for dinner.
"Do you want to go to school?" Mugetsu asked after placing the last dish on the dining table.
Ninja Academy usually started at five or six years old. Yamato was already eight. If his identity were not special, he should have entered the Academy long ago.
Mugetsu had long wanted to send Yamato to school, but he could not explain it to Danzo, so it had never been possible.
"To the Ninja Academy?" Yamato replied while restraining himself from looking at the exceptionally tempting food.
This was food made by Mugetsu, and Yamato felt that Mugetsu should eat first.
"Yes. Once you graduate from the Ninja Academy, you'll be a formal Konoha Ninja," Mugetsu said. Seeing through Yamato's thoughts, he picked up a piece of meat and placed it in his own bowl.
Strictly speaking, Yamato was actually an unregistered person. His identity had been arranged by Danzo.
Yamato's previous identity as a Root Ninja was not registered in Root's member directory either. He was a Ninja recognized only by Danzo, not a true Konoha Ninja.
Of course, with Danzo's power, arranging a Ninja identity for Yamato would not have been difficult. It was just that Yamato's strength had still been too weak, and Danzo had been worried about Hiruzen discovering him.
"How long do I have to study at the Ninja Academy before becoming a Ninja?" Yamato also picked up a piece of meat. After putting it in his mouth, he immediately scooped up some rice. After chewing for a while, he showed a happy expression.
"If you're fast, one month, or even two weeks, is possible. If you're slow, six years. Personally, I recommend you stay for at least two years," Mugetsu thought for a moment and said.
Yamato was one of the more unfortunate among his disciples.
First, he had been captured and turned into an experimental subject for the deadly Hashirama cells experiment.
He had barely survived, losing his memories, only to be picked up by Danzo, who then continuously manipulated him with twisted ideology.
Therefore, Mugetsu hoped Yamato could have a joyful school life.
With Yamato's current strength, going to the Ninja Academy would be a complete dimensional crush. It would be purely like a novel protagonist entering the beginner village with endgame stats.
When Yamato heard the words "six years," his eyes widened slightly.
His entire life had only been a little over one and a third of six years.
"Teacher Mugetsu, do I have a chance to become a Wood Release Ninja like the First Hokage?" Yamato suddenly asked, not answering the question.
"It's very difficult. Almost impossible," Mugetsu replied as tactfully as he could.
What was abnormal about Senju Hashirama was not only his Wood Release, but his terrifying Chakra.
The Chakra of an ordinary Tailed Beast was already far beyond the reach of ordinary Ninja. Compared to the Nine-Tails, however, an ordinary Tailed Beast's Chakra was quite a bit less.
But compared to Senju Hashirama, even the Nine-Tails had to step aside. That alone showed how terrifying Senju Hashirama's Chakra reserves were.
"So there is still a small possibility? I want to become a Ninja like the First Hokage, someone who can protect the village and stop wars," Yamato said with a resolute expression.
"I want to go to the Ninja Academy, graduate as quickly as possible, and become a Ninja. Then, Teacher Mugetsu, please train me even more strictly!"
Danzo's death had made him somewhat sad, but what made Yamato even more uneasy was the future.
If Mugetsu also sacrificed himself like Danzo…
He wanted stronger power. Power that could protect the people and things he cared about.
Mugetsu showed a somewhat helpless expression.
Sometimes, being precocious was not a good thing.
Why were all of them so responsible? 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 happen overnight. You'll have to study in the Ninja Academy for at least a year," Mugetsu said, tapping Yamato's forehead with his index and middle fingers.
Land of Hot Springs, Konoha Ninja Force Base.
"So he died just like that? What a pity."
Orochimaru put down the document in his hand. His usually expressionless face showed a slight ripple.
He had received news of Danzo's death, not only through Konoha's official announcement but also through information circulating in the Ninja World.
"The experiment can only be paused…" Orochimaru sighed softly.
He felt no sadness over Danzo's death.
Just as Danzo had only regarded him as a tool for experiments, Orochimaru had likewise only regarded Danzo as a useful collaborator, not a comrade like Jiraiya or Tsunade.
What worried Orochimaru was whether his experiments could proceed smoothly, and whether his cooperation with Danzo had been exposed.
They had done too many things that crossed the line together. If exposed, Orochimaru would not only lose his chance to compete for the position of Hokage, but Hiruzen sparing his life would already count as an act of old sentiment.
Orochimaru had originally planned to return to Konoha and eliminate any information that might expose him, but Kumogakure's sudden actions disrupted that objective.
Replacing a commander before a war was a major taboo. Without a suitable reason, Konoha's higher-ups would not allow him to return to Konoha at this time.
After realizing how difficult it would be to return, Orochimaru simply did not apply, knowing it would not be approved anyway.
Orochimaru now desperately hoped that Danzo had handled the traces well. If he was exposed, then defection would be his only path.
Orochimaru did not sit idly by. He actively searched for ways to contact his subordinates in Konoha, wanting to understand the situation there and the impact of Danzo's death on the village.
He was not greedy for his power in Konoha. To him, power and money were nothing more than means to achieve his goals. He was not obsessed with power or money themselves.
But for Orochimaru to abandon everything in Konoha, he could not bear it. He had worked for many years to reach his current results. If he defected, he would have to start from scratch, wasting a great deal of time again.
A person's energy was always limited, even for a genius like Orochimaru.
When he focused his energy on Danzo, on his own affairs, and on the war with Kumogakure, he no longer had as much energy to analyze other matters.
Thus, Kumogakure's Ninja Force quietly arrived in the Land of Rice Fields by boat and began their operation.
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