That night,
the five members of the Mikami and Nohara families shared dinner at the table.
To welcome Yuu and Rin home safely, the meal could be called extremely lavish. From fresh green seasonal vegetables, to golden pan-fried fish, to stewed meat and fruit after dinner… all kinds of dishes were laid out.
Although Konoha's average standard of living was quite good, ranking among the best of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and the Mikami family's financial situation was also fairly decent, a meal like this was still considered rather luxurious. It was not something one saw often on ordinary days.
During the meal,
Nohara Misae specially used tea in place of wine and toasted Yuu to thank him for saving Nohara Hiroshi in Kikyo City.
Yuu said a few polite words and returned the toast.
After that, the topic gradually shifted to daily life. Mikami Tajima enthusiastically talked about the development of the Raw Cola factory, while Mikami Aoi and Nohara Misae shared village prices and gossip. Yuu and Rin quietly ate, occasionally adding a sentence or two in agreement.
There was also the little white dog, Nohara Shiro, who kept lying under the table and looking up at everyone eagerly. Whenever someone tossed him a piece of meat, he would softly bark twice, then happily wag his tail and feast.
After the meal was finished,
Yuu and Rin were the first to get up and clear the bowls and chopsticks, leaving the adults to chat outside. For a while, the living room was filled with cheerful air.
Only when the moon rose above the treetops
did Nohara Misae take Rin and the little white dog home.
Yuu's family began washing up and resting.
During this time, Mikami Tajima came over holding the account book for the Raw Cola business during this period and gave Yuu a "report," then asked some questions.
In the end, Mikami Tajima was only a businessman who had switched careers halfway. He did not have much talent or experience in commerce. Much of his knowledge had been slowly figured out through daily contact, but there were still many things he could not understand and had no one suitable to ask.
Now that Yuu had returned, naturally, they had to discuss things properly.
In truth…
Yuu did not understand business all that deeply either.
After all, he had never done business in this world. He only had some experience and knowledge from his previous life, but whether those things could be directly copied into this world was still unknown.
So for now, he could only give some broad guidance and let Mikami Tajima practice and improve it himself. If there was anything he did not understand, he could ask Ichiraku Daiki or the owner of the barbecue restaurant.
Of course, Yuu did not forget an even more important matter: he planted a Seed of Vitality in each of Mikami Tajima and his wife.
Just like the reason he had previously told Rin, Yuu explained the nature of the Seed of Vitality as a special medical ninjutsu that could be used to heal injuries at critical moments. He told Mikami Tajima and his wife to treat it carefully and not leak information about this technique. They were not to mention it in front of anyone.
While the couple nodded and agreed, they could not help feeling somewhat emotional.
"So little Yuu can already develop ninjutsu on his own now… And judging from the effect of this Seed of Vitality, it's probably at least a B-rank ninjutsu, right? That's truly amazing!"
"Haha, my son Yuu has the bearing of a Hokage!"
Mikami Tajima finally shouted this line with full confidence. Beside him, Mikami Aoi nudged him, but did not refute him.
After all, Yuu was already a jōnin now, and not just any jōnin, but one who had captured Sunagakure's Kazekage alive. Achieving such battle results at this age meant his future was already bright. Even if there were not enough slots and he could not become Hokage, he would definitely become a Kage-level figure. So the statement did not sound wrong.
"Alright, alright, Dad, Mom, you should both rest early. Be careful normally and try not to get injured. This Seed of Vitality is for saving your lives. Don't waste it."
Yuu waved his hand and said.
Planting two Seeds of Vitality in a row still consumed quite a bit of chakra.
As a side note, judging from several "planting" attempts, the chakra required to plant a Seed of Vitality in different people was basically the same, around 0.2 Kakashi, equivalent to the consumption of one B-rank ninjutsu. However, its effect was close to S-rank, making it highly cost-effective.
As for whether there were differences when different people triggered the "rollback"… that could not be immediately concluded. More experimental data would have to be collected before obtaining a definite result.
However, for the recipient, triggering "rollback" meant encountering life-threatening danger. So in theory, he could not use Mikami Tajima and his wife, or even himself, for this experiment. He would need to find other experimental samples to confirm these details.
At once, Yuu got up and left his parents' room. Then he returned to his own bedroom, spread his arms, lay down, and fell asleep soon after his head touched the pillow.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning,
Yuu got up early, went out for a morning run, returned home for breakfast, then headed out again refreshed, preparing to find Sarutobi Hiruzen and ask about the Scroll of Seals.
He had not completely decided which ninjutsu he wanted to learn, but he had more or less thought it through. As for which one he could actually learn, he still needed to see what the process for reading the Scroll of Seals was like before making a final decision.
By this time, the sky had already brightened.
More and more people gradually appeared on the streets. Occasionally, a few acquaintances saw Yuu and waved to greet him from afar. Yuu nodded back several times in response.
Just as Yuu crossed a small bridge and arrived on a relatively quiet street,
his steps suddenly paused. Feeling something, he raised his head and saw an elderly figure in a dark kimono, leaning on a cane, appearing at the end of the long street. He seemed to be walking in the opposite direction. Two ninja wearing animal masks stood on either side of him.
"…It's him?"
Yuu secretly frowned.
That was right.
The person opposite him was none other than Shimura Danzō, along with members of Root under him. They had probably returned from the Hokage Building and happened to pass through this district.
Danzō also noticed Yuu. His one eye not wrapped in bandages narrowed slightly, but his steps did not stop. He continued walking toward Yuu, his cane tapping against the ground with a crisp sound.
Yuu's expression did not change either. He walked forward unhurriedly.
Only when the two sides met in the middle of the road, only a few steps apart,
did Yuu give a polite slight nod and say,
"Elder Danzō."
"…Mikami Yuu."
Shimura Danzō spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Your performance during this period has been very good. You defeated Sunagakure's elder Chiyo, captured Kazekage Rasa alive, and solved many problems for the village. As expected of Konoha's rising star."
"You praise me too much, Elder."
Yuu stopped, his tone still calm.
"This is simply my duty as a Konoha ninja."
"Duty…"
Danzō's lone eye narrowed slightly. He repeated the word, then spoke calmly.
"Indeed. Protecting Konoha is the duty of every ninja in the village. It is just that different people always have different understandings of this matter, and therefore carry it out in different ways…
"Mikami Yuu, have you ever understood the nature of Root?"
"?"
Yuu froze slightly.
What did he mean?
Danzō had indeed been interested in him from very early on, and he had indeed sent Root ninja to find him before. It was just that attempt had been disrupted by Orochimaru, so Yuu and Danzō had never made direct contact.
And now, with time having passed, Yuu had become the famous "White Reaper" of the southwestern battlefield and Konoha's current youngest jōnin. Yet Danzō was saying something like this at a time like this…
Could it be that this old man saw Yuu's recent strength growing too quickly, felt tempted, and again developed the idea of recruiting him?
Across from him,
Danzō seemed to see Yuu's confusion. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and explained,
"This war will end one day. At that time, you will sooner or later return to various positions in Konoha and continue contributing your strength.
"Those positions under the sunlight are certainly dazzling, but the complicated rules and meaningless restraints may not allow your talent and ability to be fully displayed. So… perhaps you can consider joining Root, protecting Konoha from the shadows and further developing your talents.
"As the Hokage's assistant, I guarantee that this will be your best choice."
"…"
Alright.
It seemed this old thing really had not given up.
Yuu exhaled lightly and said, "Thank you for valuing me, Elder. However, as far as I know, the force in Konoha responsible for 'protecting the village from the shadows' is mainly the ANBU directly under Lord Hokage, with your Root only coming after that. If I had to choose one to join…
"Wouldn't it be better to go to ANBU? Why should I choose Root, which is basically a defective product?
"Besides, on the Mount Kikyo battlefield, I had some contact with several ninja from your organization. To be honest, our impressions of each other were not good. If I worked with them… I'm afraid that one day, I might die with six kunai in my back."
"…What did you say?!"
Danzō's grip on his cane suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning slightly white.
One of the two Root members beside him abruptly widened his eyes and shouted sternly,
"Brat, don't think you can run your mouth here just because you defeated a few Suna ninja! Root is Elder Danzō's painstaking creation. How dare you speak disrespectfully!
"That's right, apologize to the elder immediately! Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?"
Yuu raised an eyebrow and looked directly at the Root ninja.
Back when he had just joined Minato's team, he had indeed not dared to do anything to Shimura Danzō or Root. If Orochimaru had not stepped in and helped him, he might really have had to act submissively toward Danzō and grow quietly under the other party's pressure for a while.
But now…
Forget these two Root ninja—even Danzō himself, what could he do to him?
Although this man was a ninja from the same generation as Sarutobi Hiruzen, and his paper stats were slightly higher than Rasa's, making him a somewhat powerful Kage-level expert, right now he still did not have that arm full of Sharingan. The trump cards he could bring out were nothing more than Wind Release ninjutsu.
And not long ago, Yuu had just activated the Heavenly Fire Judgment bond and had not yet had time to test it against anyone.
If Danzō was willing to sacrifice himself a little and serve as a sparring partner for him…
Yuu would actually be quite willing.
Of course…
To sit in the position of "the Darkness of the Ninja World," Danzō was still deeply scheming. He would not lose control so easily.
After a brief flash of anger, he calmed down and coldly rebuked,
"Kō, stand down."
"Lord Danzō…"
The Root ninja called Kō still wanted to say something, but Danzō shot him a cold look, and he fell silent like a cicada in winter, saying no more.
After that, Danzō looked at Yuu and slowly said,
"Mikami Yuu, you are still too young. You do not understand the principles of light and shadow. ANBU and Root are like shadows beyond the reach of sunlight. They are two sides of the same whole, both indispensable.
"And in this chaotic world, the existence of shadow is often more important than light, and better reflects a person's talents. It is a necessary path for strength and advancement.
"This old man sees that you are young and promising, a rare talent worth cultivating, and cannot bear to see your hands and feet bound by unnecessary rules. That is why I extend this invitation. Opportunities are rare, young man. Think carefully, and do not ruin your own future."
After saying this,
Danzō did not wait for Yuu's reply. Leaning on his cane, he turned and left. The two Root ninja quickly followed him, and their figures soon disappeared around the corner of the street.
Only after their chakra presences vanished from his perception range
did Yuu let out a long breath. Then he lowered his eyelids slightly, hiding the cold light in his eyes.
Strictly speaking, Danzō's words were not completely without precedent. Konoha did indeed have a tradition of throwing talented but young junior ninja into ANBU for training.
For example, Kakashi in the original story joined ANBU after the Ninja World War ended. The later Shisui and Itachi did the same.
But… ANBU and Root were different. The former could still be called Konoha's shadow force, while the latter was completely Danzō's private army. Once one fell into it, it would not be so easy to withdraw cleanly.
"Maybe…"
He should find an opportunity to get rid of Danzō.
But this matter was somewhat difficult. After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude toward Danzō was extremely ambiguous. Unless Danzō committed some truly major mistake, Yuu's weight in Hiruzen's eyes was still far below Danzō's.
If he and Danzō really fought to the point of no return, or even one of them died, then even with Tsunade and Namikaze Minato helping cover for him, it probably would not be easy to cover up.
"Forget it. I'll talk about it later."
"When I see the Third in a bit, I'll first 'report' Danzō's words to him. Then I'll find Tsunade later and talk to her too… I'll hear their opinions first."
Yuu thought this through.
Having made up his mind, Yuu no longer lingered. He turned around and strode toward the Hokage Building.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!