"Uzumaki, this is your record at the ninja school, but I found that it doesn't seem to match your actual performance?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen deliberately showed a confused expression. The corner of Uzumaki Yuzuki's mouth twitched, knowing that this was an insinuation about what had happened with the Hyuga clan yesterday. But he was undaunted, reiterating the explanation he had given to Ino before. A good reason could be used repeatedly, and it would never be exposed.
After hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked surprised. "So that's it... What a sensible child. It is precisely because of outstanding talents like you that Konoha can pass on the flames and continue to prosper."
"It seems that yesterday was just a misunderstanding. I will communicate with the Hyuga family and explain things clearly."
He didn't ask why Uzumaki had been hiding for so many years or if he had any other purposes. Instead, he praised Uzumaki fiercely.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's reaction was hard to fathom. How could the old fox's thoughts be easily guessed? But Uzumaki didn't care. Regardless of whether he was trusted or not, as long as you had strength, you could survive any storm.
He responded, "Then please leave it to Hokage-sama."
"Hey, if nothing happens, I'll leave first, right? The family is still waiting for me to cook."
Then, Uzumaki Yuzuki smiled with a relaxed look on his face.
"Leave? Where do you think you're going? If you don't explain your whole story today, you're not going anywhere!"
Suddenly, a cold, sharp voice cut through the air like a gust of wind.
Shimura Danzo pushed the door open with force and strode in. Before Uzumaki Yuzuki could speak, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned.
"Danzo, what do you mean by this?"
Shimura Danzo sneered. "Hiruzhan, don't be fooled by this boy's innocent appearance. Last night, he brutally killed twelve people in my 'root' circle, and his methods were extremely ruthless."
"I seriously suspect that he's a spy sent from other villages! He must be arrested and interrogated immediately!"
Danzo slapped him with an accusation, bringing everything to a head. Sarutobi Hiruzen looked helpless; this was Danzo's usual framing technique.
But Uzumaki Yuzuki had grown up in Konoha—how could he possibly be a spy from another village?
He said, "Okay, Danzo, I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding."
Although Danzo was no angel, the selection for the Root was extremely strict. Each member was a leader among ninjas, much like Anbu. Hiruzen couldn't believe that Uzumaki Yuzuki, still only twelve years old, could have killed twelve elite root members. Age was a factor, and even Kakashi back in the day couldn't have done this.
He instinctively felt that this was yet another of Danzo's manipulations.
"Hiruzhan, you guy!" Shimura Danzo was so angry that he almost exploded. "Why do you always assume that this kind of thing can't happen? Can't you open your eyes and see the world?"
"If I hadn't wanted to monopolize the secret of Wood Style, I would've already exposed the news that Uzumaki Yuzuki might have mastered Wood Style!"
But to everyone's surprise, at that very moment, Uzumaki Yuzuki spoke up.
"That one-eyed freak, are you talking about the twelve people who called themselves Anbu and tried to take me away last night?"
"Yeah, I killed them."
Danzo's eyes lit up. He had been worried about finding a flaw in Uzumaki Yuzuki, but it was as if the boy had come right to his door.
"Hiruzhan, did you hear that? He admitted it himself, and you still haven't ordered his arrest?!" Danzo suppressed his laughter and asked in a deep voice.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Uzumaki Yuzuki in shock. Could he really have killed twelve root members? This talent was even more exceptional than Kakashi's back in the day.
But doubts followed. Hiruzen didn't immediately act but instead asked patiently, "Uzumaki, you must be responsible for what you say. Have you really done such a thing?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Why did you do it?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, clearly puzzled.
Uzumaki Yuzuki took on an innocent expression, as if he hadn't known what was going on at the time, and spoke slowly, "They said they came under the orders of Lord Hokage, but those people were obviously not members of Anbu."
"You could see it in their masks."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and glanced at Danzo with displeasure.
He hadn't expected that Danzo would be so bold as to act in private under the guise of Hokage. Wasn't this tarnishing the honor of the Hokage title?
The ninja bearing the title of Kage was supposed to be the most respected figure in the village. If Danzo was allowed to continue like this, the Hokage's reputation would eventually be destroyed.
Danzo's face darkened. Weren't they questioning Uzumaki Yuzuki right now? Why did it feel like he was the one who was being called out?
Seeing that his words had an effect, Uzumaki Yuzuki continued, "At that time, I thought there were spies from the enemy country sneaking in, so I took care of them."
Uzumaki turned directly to Danzo. "So it turns out these were all your subordinates. In other words, the so-called Hokage order was actually issued by you."
"Hey, this bandaged weirdo, what generation of Hokage are you? Why haven't I seen your statue on Hokage Rock?"
"When can I see the Hokage Rock with your face carved into it?"
Uzumaki Yuzuki pretended to be confused, as though he really didn't know anything about it.
Of course, he wasn't merely mocking Danzo.
Shimura Danzo's breathing quickened, his anger rising fast. Did Uzumaki Yuzuki really think he couldn't hear the sarcasm in his words? He was becoming red with rage, and his cane shook with barely-contained fury.
Danzo leaned on his cane and yelled, "Boy, show me some respect! I am the Hokage's assistant, how is it inappropriate for you to speak to me like that?!"
"You don't count yesterday." Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke calmly from the side.
"Oh... so you're the assistant to the previous Hokage, but you're still not the Hokage. Can you really get things done under the Hokage's banner?"
Uzumaki Yuzuki deliberately emphasized the word "previous" with added weight, making it meaningful.
"Kid..."
Danzo was on the verge of exploding, the atmosphere in the room almost at its breaking point. But Sarutobi Hiruzen intervened just in time to smooth things over.
"Okay, that's enough for today, Danzo. It's best not to let me hear something like this again." He warned, his tone firm.
Danzo snorted, but said nothing. His desire for the Hokage position was clearly not something he would easily relinquish.
"You, Uzumaki, can you tell me how you managed to deal with those twelve 'root' members?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked curiously.
According to his understanding, Uzumaki Yuzuki had never learned any particularly powerful ninjutsu as a child. How had he managed to defeat twelve root elites by himself?
Danzo, meanwhile, grew nervous. Could it be that the secret of Wood Style was no longer something he could hide? Could Uzumaki Yuzuki have learned it? Judging by the traces at the scene, it seemed like he had used some large-scale, powerful Wood Style ninjutsu. This was something even Yamato couldn't achieve.
Was Uzumaki Yuzuki's Wood Style stronger than Yamato's?
Danzo had to find out how Uzumaki Yuzuki obtained the bloodline limit of Wood Style.
"He can't possibly be foolish enough to expose himself..." Danzo thought to himself.
But the truth wasn't what Danzo expected. Uzumaki Yuzuki simply told the truth:
"It was Wood Style. I used the Wood Style: Wooden Dragon Technique. Those trash from under the bandage guy were all gone in the blink of an eye."
Shimura Danzo: "...?"
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