Naruto: From Kushina Uzumaki onwards, a traitor

Chiba looked at Minato Namikaze with a puzzled expression.

Minato Namikaze looked at Chiba with a flicker in his eyes and continued, "It seems that the only conflict between you and me was that one time. I didn't know that Kushina was so important to you. Actually, I regretted it at the time. If I could have stopped them from bullying Kushina, maybe we would have been good friends."

Chiyu looked calmly at Minato Namikaze, then suddenly scoffed, "No, Minato Namikaze, even without that incident, we wouldn't be friends, because we're fundamentally different kinds of people, and I'd rather you didn't help Kushina."

Minato Namikaze frowned and said, "Why? Jiraiya-sensei and Orochimaru-sama are two completely opposite people, yet they can become friends who entrust their backs to each other. Why can't we?"

Chiyu shook her head and said, "That's really idealistic. We two are fundamentally different from Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru-sensei because I hate you from the bottom of my heart."

Minato Namikaze asked in confusion, "Why would someone hate me? There must be a reason why they hate me, right?"

"What good would it do to tell you? So, some things can't be forced, so don't force them. We just happen to live in the same village, that's all."

Qianyu slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed forward.

Minato Namikaze stood there, watching Chiba's departing figure, unable to comprehend it.

After a long while, Minato Namikaze finally came to his senses and sighed.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I don't think I can ever become friends with Chiba."

...

Because Chiba traveled all night, he arrived in Konoha at noon the next day.

Instead of immediately searching for Kushina Uzumaki, Chiba went to the Hokage Building to give the scroll Orochimaru had given him to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and also picked up the appointment letter to go to the Land of Grass.

Chiyu arrived at the Hokage Building office and knocked on the door.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice came through: "Please come in."

Chiba opened the door and went in, and was surprised to find that in addition to Hiruzen Sarutobi, there was another man of similar age in the office.

He had brown hair with neat sideburns, two narrow eyes with a cunning and deep gaze, a forked scar on his chin, and a slightly gloomy complexion with deep wrinkles, giving him an impression of being sinister and shrewd.

Although it was the first time they had met, Qianyu recognized the man in front of her immediately.

Danzo Shimura, the leader of Root and an assistant to the Hokage.

Chiyu greeted the two respectfully, saying, "Lord Hokage, Lord Danzo."

When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that it was Chiba, his serious expression immediately turned amiable: "It's Chiba. It's been a while. You seem to have grown a lot. I've been keeping an eye on you. You were very active in the war against the Cloud Ninja in the Land of Hot Springs and completed many very difficult tasks."

Chiyu habitually started flattering: "Thanks to Orochimaru-sensei's guidance and the Hokage's trust, I have been able to grow to my current level."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with satisfaction.

It's unbelievable that Chiba, who was disliked by everyone back then, has grown to this extent and become a very reliable Konoha ninja.

Although the situation in Konoha is not good right now, outstanding ninjas such as Chiba, Minato Namikaze, and the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho have gradually shown their talents.

With these new recruits, Hiruzen Sarutobi became increasingly confident about the upcoming war.

Chapter 89 Danzo

In the Hokage's office in the Hokage Building.

Chiba met Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.

Chiyu took out the scroll Orochimaru had given him and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Lord Hokage, this is a summary of information about the current situation in the Land of Hot Springs that Orochimaru asked me to give you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the scroll and began to read it.

At this moment, Danzo looked at Chiba and said, "I heard that you led four Uchiha clans on a mission in the Land of Hot Water?"

Danzo's voice immediately gave the impression that he was about to do something bad.

Chiba nodded and said, "Lord Danzo, yes, it was Orochimaru's order that I, as the captain, led four Uchiha ninjas."

Danzo squinted at Chiba and asked, "Is it just because of Orochimaru's orders?"

Chiba said again, "Yes, it's only because of Orochimaru-sensei's orders."

Danzo was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What do you think of the Uchiha clan?"

Chiba looked at Danzo with a puzzled expression.

When Danzo asked him this question, it was most likely to confirm his stance.

However, it is inappropriate for a Jonin to express his opinion on the Uchiha clan here, whether it is a positive or negative evaluation.

Danzo said expressionlessly, "I remember you seem to have a deep conflict with the Uchiha clan. Now that you've accepted the mission to lead four Uchiha ninjas, has the conflict been resolved?"

Qianyu calmly replied, "There's no question of reconciliation. We're all from the same village, and personal conflicts are nothing compared to the village's situation."

Danzo, being a shrewd individual, was naturally able to understand the unspoken meaning in Chiba's words.

The conflict between Chiba and the Uchiha clan has not been resolved; he only leads the team because it is a mission.

Danzo's lips curled into a smile: "Chiba, is that right? You're quite good. Have you ever thought about joining my Root?"

Chiba was startled. He was trying to recruit Hiruzen Sarutobi to Root right in front of him?

Isn't this not good?

Moreover, he doesn't want to go to the root now.

Just as Chiba was pondering how to politely refuse Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi had finished reading the scroll in his hand and said with a smile, "Danzo, Chiba is now a pillar of Konoha and should continue to be active on the battlefield. He cannot join your Root."

The situation in the Land of Hot Springs is currently very stable, and the situation on other battlefields is also quite good. We can now accumulate strength and send a large number of low-ranking ninjas to the battlefield to train and enhance their abilities.

Danzo sneered, "Don't be too optimistic. According to the intelligence gathered by my Root ninjas, that old codger from Iwagakure has already sent ninjas to make contact with Kirigakure."

You sent so many ninjas to Kirigakure only to be turned away, but Kirigakure received the Iwagakure ninjas. This means that there is a high probability that Iwagakure will cooperate with Kirigakure.

Once Kirigakure explicitly cooperates with Iwagakure, the alliance of the three major ninja villages—Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure—will definitely launch a direct attack on Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said helplessly, "Of course I know about this situation. We've been suppressing it for so long, so it's nice to finally have some good news. As for the cooperation between Iwagakure and Kirigakure, there's no need to be so pessimistic."

Danzo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with surprise: "What news did you get?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile vanished, and he said seriously, "You should know about the Blood Mist Village created by the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure, right?"

Danzo nodded: "I do know that. It seems to be a policy designed to select powerful ninjas, right?"

After taking a puff of his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "That's right. According to the intelligence we ninjas gathered after infiltrating Kirigakure, this policy of Kirigakure has indeed selected many powerful ninjas, but the mortality rate of other ninjas is too high. If this continues, Kirigakure may very well fall into a predicament of lacking external forces."

Danzo frowned: "You don't think Kirigakure will cooperate with Iwagakure?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, "No, as long as there is profit, cooperation between Kirigakure and Iwagakure is inevitable. However, Kirigakure's lack of external forces is also an opportunity for us. Do you think Onoki and A are the kind of guys who would suffer losses?"

Danzo understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's meaning: "You mean Onoki and Aina will kick out Kirigakure, and then we can turn Kirigakure against them?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "No one knows how things will develop in the future, but Kirigakure is very likely to be a breakthrough point for us. Moreover, Onoki is not a peaceful guy, so I don't think we need to be too pessimistic about the current situation in Konoha. We still have many opportunities."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Chiba again: "Sorry, Chiba, we were so busy chatting that we forgot about you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a scroll from the drawer and handed it to Chiba: "This is your transfer order to the battlefield in the Land of Grass."

Qianyu accepted the scroll and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi then asked, "There's one more thing. Orochimaru told me that you're not planning to bring three genin this time, but instead intend to take on a disciple directly?"

Chiyu replied with the prepared statement, "Yes, Hokage-sama, because my mobility is suitable for solo operations and not for leading a three-person team, I plan to take on a disciple and teach him directly on the battlefield."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said kindly, "Well, that's good. The Ninja Academy graduation exam is in a couple of days. You can choose a graduating genin as your disciple then."

Qianyu lowered her head slightly and said, "Yes, then Lord Hokage, Lord Danzo, I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take my leave now."

"Go."

Qianyu left the office and let out a long sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, Chiba suddenly encountered Danzo in the office, and Danzo even tried to recruit him, which caught Chiba completely off guard.

Although it was their first meeting, Danzo's infamy was deeply etched in Chiba's mind.

Qianyu frowned slightly. Now she could be considered to have officially entered Danzo's field of vision and been targeted by him.

Danzo is a truly ruthless man who will stop at nothing to get things done.

In the future, I'll have to be wary of Danzo when handling things.

After leaving the Hokage Building, Chiba smiled and headed towards Mito Uzumaki's residence.

Inside the office.

Danzo asked Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Do you think he's suitable?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't react immediately: "What are you talking about?"

Danzo said with a gloomy expression, "Of course it's the Uchiha clan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression immediately hardened: "Danzo, Konoha needs the Uchiha's power right now! It's not the time to solve their problem."

Danzo reminded him, "So what happens after the war ends? The Uchiha are so actively participating in the war now, isn't it because they want to return to the center of power in Konoha? I believe you are aware of the dangers the Uchiha pose, so we must start thinking about this as soon as possible."

Chapter 90 Stand on My Side

Danzo urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to consider the Uchiha clan's affairs as soon as possible.

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into deep thought.

With the Uchiha clan so actively involved in the war, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally knew what they wanted.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never allow the Uchiha clan to return to the center of power in Konoha.

The Uchiha clan is now universally despised in Konoha.

It wasn't just Danzo, who hated the Uchiha, who wanted to abolish the Uchiha clan; even he wanted to abolish the Uchiha clan.

However, the Uchiha clan's power was too great, and even he, as the Hokage, could not be too radical in matters concerning the Uchiha clan.

Moreover, Konoha is not in a good situation right now, as it is during a war.

The power of the Uchiha clan is of particular importance.

What Hiruzen Sarutobi was most worried about was what would happen after the war.