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Hiruzen Sarutobi surveyed the surroundings; they were mostly familiar faces. It was just Itachi Uchiha being here that Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't expected. The eldest son of the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi still knew of him.
"Lord Hokage," Itachi Uchiha stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Fugaku has been quite busy lately. You should assist your father more. Wait, isn't today supposed to be school time?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly realized. Wasn't today supposed to be the Konoha Ninja Academy's school day? Why was Itachi Uchiha here?
"Reporting to Lord Hokage, I left a shadow clone there to study. My main body is training," Itachi Uchiha stated calmly. He used to be a staunch supporter of the Hokage faction, but now, under the subtle influence of Shinji and Shisui, he seemed to have developed some other thoughts about the definition of Hokage.
"Shadow clone? Truly an excellent ninjutsu," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, somewhat surprised. He didn't expect Itachi Uchiha to have learned the Shadow Clone Technique at such a young age. Moreover, being able to support his main body training outside continuously, this chakra amount was quite considerable.
"Karin, Deidara, Itachi, you three go upstairs and train first. Lord Hokage and I will have some tea and chat," Shinji smiled faintly, then waved his hand to send Karin and the others upstairs. After all, Karin currently held the Uzumaki clan's ninjutsu; Shinji didn't intend for Hiruzen Sarutobi to know about this yet.
"Okay, Lord Shinji," Karin stood up, gathered the documents on the table, and then several people went upstairs. Of course, Karin returned to her own room, while Deidara and Itachi were in another room. Mmm. Training! Confirmed.
...
...
"Lord Hokage, don't you need to deal with the Nine-Tails matter today?" Shinji quickly swapped out Hiruzen Sarutobi's tea leaves. Serving someone with their own tea leaves, thinking about it felt quite comfortable. Soon, the leisurely aroma of tea filled the entire room.
"Is this still my tea?" Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't answer Shinji's question, instead picking up the teacup himself and examining it carefully. His tea leaves were very expensive. If Tsunade hadn't stolen some to give to Shinji before, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself wouldn't bear to use so much for drinking.
"Is it or isn't it? That depends on how Lord Hokage defines it," Shinji picked up his teacup, blew gently, and then drank it all down. This tea was still delicious.
"Let's not talk about this. I came looking for Boss Shinji today. Boss Shinji should know what it's for, right?" Hiruzen Sarutobi swirled the teacup in his hand, looking playfully at Shinji.
"That, I wouldn't know. Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi, please elaborate?" Shinji smiled faintly. He wouldn't proactively discuss matters until Hiruzen Sarutobi stated the reason.
"This morning, the Nine-Tails Demon Fox's seal suddenly loosened somewhat. Some leaked Nine-Tails aura caused some panic among the villagers. Does Boss Shinji know about this?" Hiruzen Sarutobi stared into Shinji's eyes, full of scrutiny.
"I do know about that. Is there any problem with it?"
"There was a victim in this incident. A nanny killed by the Nine-Tails' aura," Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped the desktop, his gaze already becoming sharp.
"Oh? A nanny killed by the Nine-Tails' aura... Then what does Lord Hokage plan to do?"
"After the Yamashiro clan's memory search, Boss Shinji, don't you need to explain why you appeared at the final node of the memory?" Hiruzen Sarutobi slapped a piece of paper down. It was a photo quickly developed at a photo studio after the Yamashiro clan extracted the memory. In the photo, Shinji stared indifferently at her.
"Lord Hokage, I did indeed go there today," Shinji chuckled lightly. So it was the Yamashiro clan? The Yamashiro clan was too inconspicuous; even Shinji himself hadn't remembered this clan's existence.
"What were you doing there?" Hiruzen Sarutobi pressed further.
"Naturally, I went there because I had business. But Lord Hokage, you wouldn't think this matter has anything to do with me, right?" Shinji chuckled lightly. He knew he was already somewhat suspicious in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, but the suspicion wasn't the greatest.
"Then what was Boss Shinji's reason for going there?" Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly put down the teacup in his hand. This was what Hiruzen Sarutobi truly wanted to ask.
"Me? That place is very close to the training ground. This morning, I took Deidara, Karin, and Itachi there to train."
"And then?"
"And then? Then while they were training, I went for a walk around. Wasn't it just coincidence that I encountered that incident?" Shinji stated these things directly. Anyway, he was telling the truth; he indeed just happened to encounter it. You couldn't possibly restrict me from walking in unrestricted areas, right?
"Nothing else? Then after the Nine-Tails' energy erupted, you were actually unharmed?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said disbelievingly.
"This humble person naturally has some means of self-protection. Otherwise, how could I survive in this world full of war? Right, Lord Hokage?" Shinji had no intention of taking Hiruzen Sarutobi's bait, instead following his words to dismantle them, showing no intention of falling into a trap.
"Naturally. But Boss Shinji, since you were there at the time, could you tell me what exactly happened at the scene?" Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't let Shinji off so easily, asking another question.
"Of course, I can. At that time, I saw a woman holding that... that child, meaning Naruto, going to the riverside. I was also a bit curious at the time, so I followed from afar."
"And then?"
"And then? Then the woman suddenly placed Naruto by the river, then raised the small knife in her hand wanting to stab Naruto. Finally, the Nine-Tails' power erupted from Naruto's body and blasted the woman away."
Hearing Shinji's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat believed him. These were basically consistent with the images he saw from the Yamashiro clan. And... in the entire memory, only the last frame showed Shinji. So this matter shouldn't have much to do with Shinji?
"Then did you see anything else?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked calmly. He took out his pipe from his pocket, intending to smoke, but then realized. Since he had bitten off the stem of the pipe just now, he couldn't smoke at all now and could only reluctantly put it back in his pocket.
"See anything else... I did. Lord Hokage, but you might not believe this," Shinji suddenly remembered something.
"What is it? Just say it," Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. What couldn't be said at this time?
"Actually, before you arrived, two Root ninjas came," Shinji held up two fingers.
"Two Root ninjas?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. Root again. Whether it was the missing points in this woman's memory or the Root ninjas Shinji mentioned now. Danzō's shadow always appeared at the most opportune moments.
This forced Hiruzen Sarutobi to reconsider his initial guess. Root, or rather Danzō, had inextricable connections to today's incident. Even thinking deeper... could Danzō be the final person? Thinking this way was also quite possible. In Hiruzen Sarutobi's view, Danzō's recent behaviors all indicated he had something to hide.
Especially today when viewing the memories at the Yamashiro clan's place. According to Hiruzen Sarutobi's understanding, if this matter truly had nothing to do with Danzō, then Danzō would likely demand to watch directly. The kind where even if Hiruzen Sarutobi forbade him, he would still follow along to watch. But Danzō didn't. This made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel Danzō was definitely inseparable from this matter.
"Yes, two Root ninjas. One seemed to be called something like... Ding. I don't know the specifics. Anyway, you know," Shinji said with a smile. Believing this intelligence could let Hiruzen Sarutobi know something.
"I understand. But... Boss Shinji, to ensure the authenticity of the intelligence, how about you come with me to the Yamashiro clan to take a look?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a forced smile. He now not only suspected Danzō but even felt this Shinji definitely knew something too. Thus, what he wanted to do more now was to drag Shinji over too, give him a full-body checkup.
"Let's not go, Lord Hokage," Shinji narrowed his eyes. This Hiruzen Sarutobi was really a bit...
"Then what if I want to force you to go?" Hiruzen Sarutobi slightly rose, looking playfully at Shinji. Following Hiruzen Sarutobi's movement, several ANBU behind him directly pushed open the door and walked in. Hiruzen Sarutobi's action was their command. With just one order from Hiruzen Sarutobi, this group of ANBU would directly tie Shinji up and take him away.
"I won't go. Lord Hokage, you seem to have forgotten something..." Shinji put his hands together, his eyes already carrying some coldness. He welcomed guests, but if they were guests with ulterior motives. Then Shinji wouldn't be so polite.
"What thing?"
"Sorry, since they are not customers of this shop, so..." Shinji directly waved his hand. Then those few ANBU seemed to be pulled by some mysterious force. Instantly, they were rejected directly outside the All-Purpose Shop. Yes, Shinji used the 'Reject Guest' function, which could only be used three times a day.
[Function 4: Reject Guest (Within the All-Purpose Shop, the Host has three uses of the Reject Guest function per day. Rejected individuals cannot enter the All-Purpose Shop again that day)]
Watching Shinji's action, Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. When Shinji waved his hand just now, it was still that strange space-time ninjutsu. The several ANBU behind Hiruzen Sarutobi were directly sent outside the All-Purpose Shop! Clearly, Shinji was giving feedback to his words. Meaning, if you say such things again, then you won't be a guest of our All-Purpose Shop either, and things will get interesting then.
"Boss Shinji, why must you do this? I was just discussing with you. But now that you've acted, then... aren't you giving me, Sarutobi, no face?" Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, the Hokage robe on his body seemingly making his aura somewhat imposing.
"What, Lord Hokage intends to make a move?" Shinji looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had already entered a state of alert. He didn't feel angry, but just looked at him with a smile. Of course, Shinji's tone also began to sound somewhat unpleasant.
"Hehe, you are a villager of our Konoha. As the Hokage of Konoha, how could I possibly attack a villager?" Hiruzen Sarutobi stared into Shinji's eyes, then bent down, his aura instantly reverting to that of a lewd old man. Then, holding the broken pipe in his mouth, he intended to leave.
"Wait, Lord Hokage," Suddenly, Shinji called out to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"What is it, Boss Shinji? Planning to come with me to the Yamashiro clan?" Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around, his eyes carrying a threat.
"Of course not. I just wanted to remind you, you haven't paid yet," Shinji pointed to the cash box on the counter.
...
...
"Boss Shinji's business really isn't cheap," Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened for only a second before returning to its initial appearance. He chuckled hehe, came to the cash box, took something out of his pocket, and placed it in the cash box. Then, he turned and left the All-Purpose Shop.
[Ding!]
[System upgrade complete. Specific functions are as follows]
[Update Time: 720/720 minutes]
Shinji looked at the system prompt. Turns out the system upgrade time was up. Then let's see what functions have been updated.
[Ding!]
[All-Purpose Shop Function Details]
[Function 1: As a spawn point, the Host can return directly to the shop once per day (unlimited distance, unblockable, can bring people). Current uses: 1/2]
[Function 2: The All-Purpose Shop has characteristics (will not wear down, cannot be damaged)]
[Function 3: Within the All-Purpose Shop, the Host possesses five uses of Invincible Golden Body per day (immune to damage). Current uses: 5/5]
[Function 4: Reject Guest (Within the All-Purpose Shop, the Host has three uses of the Reject Guest function per day. Rejected individuals cannot enter the All-Purpose Shop again that day)]
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