After handling things on his end, Kyoichi ordered an Anbu shinobi to deliver an intel report to Minato Namikaze in Amegakure.
Minato Namikaze was truly having a rough time.
Ever since the end of the war, he'd barely had a chance to rest—either constantly on missions or serving as someone's bodyguard. And now? He was even standing in as a substitute teacher for Kyoichi.
On top of all that…
He still had to worry about what was happening back in the village.
Capturing Danzo...
That was no small matter!
No telling what kind of storm that might stir up...
Minato let out a soft sigh.
"Sensei, you've been sighing a lot more lately."
"Yeah... I guess I have."
"Uh…" You guys know he's not actually Kyoichi-sensei, Kakashi muttered inwardly.
These two were the worst.
Always taking advantage of their teacher's mild temperament.
Still…
Without Kyoichi around, it felt like everyone had started slacking off a bit—himself included...
Minato didn't bother responding to their teasing.
Who knew what kind of mess the village was in right now—and they still had no idea when they'd be able to return.
"Sigh!"
I never should've taken this mission in the first place.
If he hadn't, he wouldn't have been drawn deeper and deeper into Kanda Kyoichi's schemes, and maybe he'd even have had some time to spend with Kushina. She was probably furious...
Wait, what the hell am I even thinking?
Minato snapped himself out of it and suddenly felt invigorated again.
He looked toward Shisui and the others.
"You've got time to stand around? Go run a hundred laps—give the Amegakure genin something to think about."
"Huh?"
"Wha—?"
"Yes, sir!"
With a short exchange, the three of them took off running.
Minato's mood improved considerably.
So this... is what it feels like to be the one exploiting people?
I kinda love it.
Just as he was enjoying the moment, a figure approached swiftly.
An Anbu shinobi?
"My lord, this is intel delivered by a ninja hawk."
"Thank you."
Minato knew immediately—Kyoichi must have wrapped things up.
He opened the scroll.
And even the very first line caught him off guard—
There was infighting in the Uchiha clan!
But that wasn't all.
Behind the internal conflict, there were outside forces manipulating things from the shadows—so well hidden that even Kyoichi couldn't detect their form or identity. All he could determine was that their Earth Release techniques were incredibly powerful.
An implanted body that was immune to chakra point disruption...
A terrifying enemy.
Minato continued reading.
The rest of the report was less blood-pressure-raising.
Still...
Kyoichi had actually captured Danzo—and handed him over to the Anbu for interrogation?
Now that was impressive!
"Looks like we'll be able to head home in a few days."
…
Ninja hawks weren't slow.
Kyoichi figured that, at the latest, Minato would receive the message from the nearby Anbu by tonight.
He must've breathed a sigh of relief, right?
These past few days had really worn Minato out. Once he returned, Kyoichi planned to give him some well-earned time off.
A promise is a promise.
"Let's hope I can keep it," Kyoichi thought privately.
There wasn't much he could do.
After all, Minato was currently the only person in all of Konoha who could use the Flying Thunder God technique—many things simply couldn't proceed without him.
Still…
Kyoichi wasn't a devil. He'd try not to assign him any more missions than necessary.
At most...
He'd ask him to train a few shinobi who showed talent in space-time ninjutsu.
For example—
That trio under Genma Shiranui. And Obito, too.
Obito definitely had a natural aptitude for space-time ninjutsu. Sure, the abilities of the Sharingan were partially influenced by one's inner desires, but without the innate talent, he'd never have awakened it in the first place.
Take Shisui, for instance.
He had a strong desire to change the fate of the Uchiha clan—but he also had immense talent in genjutsu. That's how he awakened Kotoamatsukami.
So Obito absolutely had the talent.
The only real concern was—
This guy's brain might be a bit too simple. Could he even handle a jutsu this complex, with such a massive knowledge requirement?
That was a question mark.
Kyoichi thought for a moment and decided—maybe it wasn't worth worrying about.
At the very least…
The three under Genma would definitely make it.
Flying Thunder Formation Technique!
Though...
According to Kyoichi's analysis, Flying Thunder Formation wasn't exactly the same thing as the Flying Thunder God Technique anymore.
It was more like a barrier-based jutsu now.
Having wrapped up Minato's future task planning, Kyoichi turned his attention back to the Danzo situation.
A great deal had already been extracted from Danzo's memories.
Among them...
What angered the Third Hokage most was discovering that Danzo had been secretly making deals with other villages.
Deals even he hadn't known about.
And the memories extracted so far?
They weren't even from the important parts of Danzo's mind.
Just how much had that bastard kept from him?
After reading the report, the Third Hokage didn't even feel like dealing with Danzo anymore.
He deserved to die.
Even if he were publicly executed, he'd have nothing to say in his defense. In fact, that very night, after returning home and reflecting, Hiruzen sent word to Kyoichi:
Don't worry about my opinion. Do what you need to do.
And—
He would personally stand before the village to confess his own failures.
He had once thought that, under his guidance, Konoha was being managed fairly well.
But after seeing the mess Danzo had created in secret?
He realized he had failed.
He had nurtured a tumor.
If Kyoichi hadn't acted decisively, that tumor might have grown out of control.
The Root of Konoha…
Hah...
When the roots rot, who can see it?
He was the one.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And yet he had done nothing. He hadn't even known that Danzo was orchestrating so many underhanded schemes in the shadows.
He sighed heavily.
"I am guilty…"
"Don't overthink it. Try to sleep. Asuma's still sulking around the house lately…"
"Don't worry about him. That kid's just mad that Kyoichi didn't take him on the mission, so now he's brooding at home."
Hiruzen shook his head.
That boy was still too immature.
This mission wasn't just a task—it was an excuse to get the slightly risky Shisui out of the village, and Kakashi was brought along for some mental healing.
As for Kurenai…
That came down to team composition.
A team of three all specialized in frontal assault? That clearly didn't align with Kyoichi's strategic thinking. So it was only natural Asuma wasn't included.
If he couldn't even understand that—then he wasn't fit to be a chūnin.
…
The next day...
A strange and shocking notice appeared on the bulletin board outside the Hokage Tower.
"Konoha Jōnin Shimura Danzo, for forming the Root organization without authorization, violating numerous Konoha regulations in secret, supporting illegal experiments, and harming the citizens of the Land of Fire... is guilty of multiple crimes and beyond forgiveness. He will face public judgment today at noon in front of the Hokage Tower."
Public judgment?
People blinked in surprise—then excitement rippled through the crowd.
Danzo…!
This was the head of Root—the former power figure of Konoha. Many people had long held resentment toward him… they'd just never dared to say it aloud.
But now…
With the Fourth Hokage ascending, and Danzo about to be publicly tried?
This…
Things had gotten very serious.
"Isn't this putting that one on the spot?"
Yūhi Shinku furrowed his brows, visibly confused. He hurried to the Hokage's office, hoping to discuss this with Tsunade or Kyoichi, only to remember—Kyoichi was out on a mission, and Tsunade was nowhere to be found, likely buried in work.
Left with no choice, Yūhi Shinku stood at the base of the Hokage Tower, staring blankly at the building for a long time, lost in thought. It wasn't until noon approached that he finally snapped out of it.
By then…
He noticed the crowd growing larger.
A squad of ANBU had begun maintaining order around the plaza.
It seemed…
All he could do now was wait for the proceedings to unfold.
With a deep sigh, he stood quietly to the side, watching.
Not long after—
Tsunade and the Third Hokage appeared atop the Hokage Tower. Meanwhile, on the first floor, a masked ANBU shinobi wearing a tiger mask led Danzo out—completely sealed by a series of binding techniques.
Danzo had already regained consciousness.
Though his body was immobilized by the sealing jutsu, his head and eyes were free to move. He couldn't speak yet, but he would be given a chance to speak later.
On the way out, Danzo stared hard at the villagers on either side of the street.
And those villagers?
They instinctively averted their eyes in fear.
Kyoichi made no move to stop it.
This was Danzo's final appearance—why deny him this last shred of posturing?
Let him have it...
As for the possibility that he might sway public opinion?
Let him try. Once the evidence was laid bare, no words would matter.
The only real concern was Orochimaru.
Danzo, in desperation, was certain to drag him into this, and Orochimaru's name would inevitably surface. But since he didn't care, why should Kyoichi?
Orochimaru's current lifestyle was practically a form of self-imposed confinement.
And yet…
He was thriving.
Because it was his idea to be "confined."
At the research facility, as long as he stayed within the rules, he could pursue whatever studies he wished. The village even provided resources. For anything outside the rules...
He simply started with borderline topics.
That was Kyoichi's method.
And Orochimaru had learned it very well.
Take now, for example—he was officially researching Wood Release. But at the same time, he submitted a request to study Sage Mode.
After all, Hashirama Senju hadn't just been powerful because of Wood Release. His Sage Physique had played a massive role.
Many people had long dreamed of mastering Sage Mode.
Orochimaru included.
And as one of the summoners contracted to Ryūchi Cave, one of the three legendary sacred sites, he knew well that the White Snake Sage had lived for a very, very long time.
Maybe Sage Mode… was a path to immortality.
And since that fell within the scope of approved research, the village offered Orochimaru ample resources and assistance—as long as no human experimentation was involved.
Kyoichi also approved the use of artificial ninja beasts as test subjects.
The lab-grown kind.
Sure, they were no substitute for real ninja, but it was better than nothing.
All things considered—
Orochimaru was quite satisfied with the research institute. As long as no one disrupted his work and he had something worth studying, he could easily spend the rest of his life there.
So…
A little mudslinging? That was no threat to him.
He couldn't care less about how the villagers saw him. In fact, when it came to Danzo's public execution, Orochimaru was all in.
"Everyone," Kyoichi began, standing before the gathered villagers, "some regrettable events have recently occurred within the Uchiha clan. But what's even more heartbreaking for the Hokage is the behavior of the head of ANBU's training division—Shimura Danzo."
"He ignored repeated bans, secretly manipulating and funding others to restart First Hokage cell transplantation experiments. Worse, he coveted the secret techniques and kekkei genkai of various clans."
"For the sake of expanding Root, he forced countless civilians and orphans into brutal training programs. The death toll… is incalculable."
At his signal, a few ANBU escorted several individuals to the stage.
Leading them was Kō, the one who would one day be known as Yamato.
Following behind him were the newly rescued orphans and civilians—children who had been resisting ANBU inside Root's underground base, unaware they had already been rescued. They had been told this was just another test.
Kyoichi explained every detail, leaving nothing out.
The crowd fell into a stunned silence.
Everyone knew Danzo was no saint—but no one expected his crimes to run this deep. In comparison, the illegal experiments paled in severity.
Those had killed dozens.
But Danzo's Root division?
It could easily be hundreds, maybe thousands.
Anger simmered among the villagers. Some clenched their fists; others trembled. Many looked like they wanted to tear Danzo apart on the spot.
Meanwhile, Shimura Kōhei, hiding in the shadows, was quietly relieved.
Thank goodness I cut ties early…
Otherwise—
The entire Shimura clan might have been dragged into the grave with Danzo.
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