Leveraging the brief moment of shock caused by Mizuki's death, Allen instantaneously switched from Chakra Mode to his Nen ability mode. Using the corpse as cover, he conjured two copies of the Scroll of Seals and stuffed them both into his waist pouch.
Needless to say, one copy was for his own collection, while the other was intended for Danzo.
Dragging Mizuki's corpse behind him, he walked straight up to Naruto Uzumaki and Iruka, stating bluntly, "Let's go. Follow me back to the village. Hokage-sama and Danzo-sama are waiting."
"Naruto... he won't be in trouble, will he?" Iruka asked, his voice thick with anxiety.
He knew all too well that Root was no ordinary organization. When it came to those who jeopardized the village's interests, they were notoriously merciless. He feared that if Root truly involved itself in this incident, his student would face a horrific punishment.
"Don't worry. For the time being, the village hasn't found anyone else with the potential to become the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, so Naruto Uzumaki is safe for now. However, if he continues to act out like this, or if a more suitable candidate appears, that might change," Allen hinted with meaningful subtext.
Hearing this, Iruka instinctively moved to shield Naruto behind his back. He could sense a raw, undisguised malice radiating from the tone of this young-looking shinobi.
Fortunately, Allen was merely intentionally intimidating Naruto before leading the way back to Konoha.
When the trio arrived at the Hokage Residence building, Danzo was already there waiting, exactly as planned. From the dark, brooding expression on the Third Hokage's face, it wasn't hard to guess that he had just suffered a significant setback at the hands of his old rival and was currently suppressing a belly full of rage with nowhere to vent.
"Danzo-sama, as per your instructions, the rogue ninja Mizuki has been executed on the spot. The Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki and the Scroll of Seals have been recovered intact."
As he spoke, Allen unslung the Scroll of Seals from his back and placed it on the floor. From start to finish, he never once looked the Third Hokage in the eye.
"Excellent! You've done well. Since the Scroll of Seals and the Jinchuriki have been recovered, I shall leave the rest for Hokage-sama to handle. I trust he will provide everyone with a satisfactory explanation. After all, the fact that the Scroll of Seals was so easily stolen by an Academy student suggests a gross dereliction of duty. Should a similar situation arise again, I will have reason to believe the Hokage Guard and the Anbu are no longer capable of protecting the village's secrets, and I will immediately convene the Elders to discuss a solution."
After delivering this remark laden with irony and hidden threats, Danzo stood up and slowly walked out the door with Allen in tow.
Watching their receding figures, the Third took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. He glared at the bewildered boy standing before him and asked, "Naruto! Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused this time?"
"I... I'm sorry. I just wanted to learn a powerful jutsu so I could graduate from the Academy," Naruto replied, his head hanging low. No matter how airheaded he was, the reality of Mizuki's death made him realize this was on a completely different level than his previous pranks.
"Sigh, forget it. Since you were manipulated and aren't technically a shinobi yet, I won't hold you responsible. Go now. I hope a situation like this never happens a second time, or else even I won't be able to save you."
The Third Hokage sighed helplessly and waved his hand for Iruka to take Naruto away.
Once the pair had left the office, he stood up and watched the blond boy through the window. Without turning around, he asked, "Well? What jutsu did Naruto Uzumaki learn from the scroll?"
"It was the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" an Anbu member appeared and provided the answer.
"Multi-Shadow Clone? And here I thought he might inherit the Fourth's spatial talent and learn the Flying Raijin Technique. Well, this is fine too. Furthermore... did the Root operative open the scroll or peek at the forbidden techniques recorded within?" the Third continued, puffing on his pipe.
The Anbu member shook his head without hesitation. "No. That Root shinobi simply took the scroll back from Naruto. He never opened it from start to finish."
"Hmph. Danzo certainly handled this without leaving a single opening." A look of frustration and anger crossed the Third Hokage's face.
He would never forget the scene a few minutes prior when his old friend had stormed into the office with his men to humiliate him. Even the two Advisors felt he had overstepped his bounds in this matter. Had an enemy force been watching and seized the chance to steal the scroll, or worse, kill or abduct the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Worse still, Danzo had used the incident as a pretext to demand severe punishment for all personnel involved in tonight's security failure. Those people were staunch loyalists to the Hokage faction, his 100% trusted inner circle!
If he went through with it, some might grow resentful or come to view him as old and weak, prompting them to switch sides. But if he didn't, word that the Hokage was playing favorites and breaking shinobi rules would spread through the village like wildfire. Once the rules were viewed as worthless, Konoha would be on the brink of collapse.
Without a doubt!
This was a "Difficult Choice" modeled after the trials in the world of Hunter x Hunter! Through this choice, Allen would be able to see clearly whether this old man truly cared for Konoha or was merely a filthy politician obsessed with power.
…
Meanwhile, in a secret chamber within the Root headquarters, Danzo was holding the copied Scroll of Seals, his face beaming like a blooming chrysanthemum. "Hahaha! I never imagined you could actually pull it off. This time, no matter what choice the Third makes, he will lose something. Whether the position of Hokage is more important to him or the rules of the village... we shall wait and see."
"Regardless of his choice, he will inevitably be forced to step down as Hokage. It looks like a choice between two options, but in reality, the outcome remains the same. Congratulations, Danzo-sama; you are about to achieve your heart's desire," Allen complimented with a smile.
"Mm! Once I take that seat, I will leave Root in your hands. Additionally, how is Orochimaru's plan progressing?" Danzo stroked his chin, looking quite self-satisfied.
"It's underway. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, has agreed to join. However, based on my observations, Orochimaru seems to have some other schemes in mind," Allen intentionally provided some vague information.
"Other schemes?" Danzo frowned instinctively. "Keep an eye on him. Orochimaru is no ordinary shinobi. Regardless of what he's plotting, we must ensure that the primary plan is executed smoothly."
"Understood. If necessary, I will take over the plan personally."
Allen gave the promise with a look of utmost sincerity.
He had already worked it all out. When the Konoha Crush plan began, he would use the chaos to get close to Danzo, seize that arm made of the First Hokage's cells and Sharingans, and claim Shisui's Mangekyo from his eye socket.