The Shimura Actually Has Ice Release

A month later, in the Hokage's office.

Having learned that Jiraiya had regained mobility and suffered no lasting aftereffects, Hiruzen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was just about to use his crystal ball to observe the villagers' lives, as usual, when he heard footsteps approaching outside the room.

There was no knock. The visitor pushed the door open directly and walked step by step toward Hiruzen.

"Danzō, is something the matter?"

Relieved that he hadn't yet activated his Telescope Technique, Hiruzen looked up at his old friend, asking curiously.

"I have a plan and need your help."

Expressionless, Danzō placed a scroll from his left hand onto Hiruzen's desk. His single eye locked tightly on the other man.

"A plan?"

Hiruzen took the scroll in confusion, and the moment he finished reading it, he firmly objected:

"Danzō, this plan is far too aggressive. I will not approve it!"

Staring at his old friend in shock, Hiruzen couldn't believe how bold Danzō had become—to the point of trying to target the Jinchūriki of other villages.

But Danzō was already prepared for such a reaction. He replied in a slow and steady tone:

"Hiruzen, for the sake of protecting Konoha, you must agree."

"Danzō, you should understand how vital Jinchūriki are to a village. If anything goes wrong, it could destabilize the already fragile situation, and war might break out prematurely!"

Gripping the scroll tightly, scenes of the major hidden villages uniting to attack Konoha played out in Hiruzen's mind.

"But if it succeeds, the war could be delayed by many years. Tailed Beasts must be sealed into Jinchūriki while they're still young, so they can grow together. If something happens to a Jinchūriki, you know very well how much time and effort is needed to raise another."

Without looking at Hiruzen's eyes, which were nearly ablaze with anger, Danzō slightly narrowed his single eye, his tone flat:

"Besides, I'm not trying to steal their Tailed Beasts—just create some accidents that force the villages to replace their Jinchūriki."

"During the time it takes to cultivate new ones, no hidden village will initiate war. Isn't that so?"

Listening to Danzō's reasoning, Hiruzen's stance softened somewhat:

"But the targets are Jinchūriki, and they're heavily protected by their villages. Even if you and I personally acted, I fear that..."

"That's why we need your students. I've heard Jiraiya has returned to the village. Both he and Orochimaru are experts at infiltration. They can operate independently and suppress unruly Iwagakure and Kumogakure."

Seeing Hiruzen waver, Danzō finally revealed his true aim:

"If my Root had that level of capability, I would've done it myself. I wouldn't be here wasting words with you."

"Jiraiya and Orochimaru... they are indeed top-tier infiltration specialists. But if they fail..."

Hiruzen couldn't help hesitating. These were his prized students, the backbone of Konoha.

Danzō's plan promised great rewards—but came with even greater risks.

If Jiraiya and Orochimaru perished on the mission, Konoha's strength would suffer severely.

"A ninja's fate is to sacrifice. Other ninjas can die—so why not your students? If it's for Konoha, I would sacrifice even my own son."

Danzō pressed harder, leaving Hiruzen no room to think.

Hearing that, Hiruzen had nothing more to say. His brows furrowed tightly as his mind churned.

After a long silence, Hiruzen finally said quietly:

"Leave the scroll. I'll arrange for someone to handle it."

"My Root—"

Danzō began to speak again, but was cut off by Hiruzen:

"There's no need for cooperation from your Root. I'll dispatch ANBU directly under the Hokage."

Hearing this, Danzō gave Hiruzen a deep look. His mouth opened slightly as if wanting to speak, but in the end, he said nothing. He turned and left with slow, heavy steps.

At the doorway, Danzō finally couldn't hold back. He turned and looked at Hiruzen:

"You're too soft, Hiruzen."

This time, no rebuttal came.

Slowly rising smoke obscured the view between the two old comrades.

...

"Kid, your moves aren't bad, but your counterattacks have too much killing intent."

In the hospital courtyard, Jiraiya—just recovered enough to move around—sat on a bench, watching Takeshi sparring with Tsunade.

Compared to the whip-like reflexes of Shimura Ikku or the zero-frame starters of Aburame Ryōma, Tsunade's style was all about bold, wide-open strikes.

For Takeshi, who had honed strong evasive instincts after years of beatings, fighting Tsunade wasn't too difficult.

Of course, that was also because Tsunade wasn't going all out—otherwise, he might end up like Jiraiya had.

"I surrender!"

Takeshi had just dodged one of Tsunade's punches and was about to launch a counterattack from a blind spot, when he suddenly saw Tsunade twist her body with incredible force, about to flick his forehead.

Panicked, he raised his hands in surrender.

"Hmph, not bad, kid. At least you know when to give up."

Tsunade gave him a playful flick to the forehead, smiling as she watched Takeshi crouch down and clutch his head in pain. Then she strode over to Jiraiya.

"Alright, you keep playing with the kid. I've got work to do."

Since she had to look after Jiraiya, Tsunade—whose pockets were quite empty—had accepted the hospital's offer and now spent her spare time training the medical staff.

As for Takeshi, he hadn't come to deliberately show off in front of Jiraiya.

The truth was...

Obito had been accidentally caught in the blast of Tsunade's punch and ended up hospitalized too.

To ensure Obito didn't fall behind in his studies during his hospital stay, Ito Makoto had assigned Takeshi—who seemed closest to Obito—to bring him class notes after school.

"So, where's Rin? Why didn't she come?"

Obito, sitting at the other end of the bench with a bandage on his face, looked up at Takeshi with a pout.

"Rin and the others are in class. What, you're upset I came to visit you instead?"

Seeing Obito act so ungrateful, Takeshi gave him a light smack on the head.

Tch. That hurt!

If it weren't for the chance to escape from Shimura Ikku's cotton-picking-style training, he wouldn't have come at all.

"It's not that, it's just..."

Obito muttered, looking away:

"I don't want to sit next to that perverted voyeur."

The so-called "perverted voyeur" twitched with anger at Obito's words:

"You brat! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have nearly been killed by Tsunade!"

Jiraiya had figured it out. This Uchiha brat was even more annoying than the Shimura one. That one was sly, but this one was a reckless idiot!

"You dare act like you're in the right for being a peeping tom?!"

Obito's voice grew louder, drawing the attention of nearby nurses.

Seeing the women of the hospital glaring at him with hostility, Jiraiya panicked and reached out to cover Obito's mouth before he blurted out any more incriminating truth.

"Alright, you two. You're being discharged tomorrow anyway, so stop sulking. Try smiling for once."

Watching the two of them bicker, Takeshi couldn't help feeling like they got along surprisingly well.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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