Sasuke, who had just finished a day of training, was walking towards the Uchiha Clan with a tired expression.
He had been enduring such arduous training for a long time now all for the purpose of revenge.
"Hmm?"
But as he walked, he suddenly heard someone calling his name, which made him turn his head to look.
Then, he happened to see Naruto, who he had felt a strange sense of closeness to since childhood yet also found extremely annoying, and...
"Takemi?"
Sasuke also knew Takemi. He was a few years older than him and a rather capable fellow.
Moreover, he had heard that he had sent all his teammates to the hospital, becoming the only one to graduate.
"You trained until so late?"
As he was thinking, Takemi had already walked over with Naruto.
After sizing up Sasuke, he turned to Naruto and said, "Look, this is the attitude of someone becoming a ninja. I remember he was your class' top student, right? This is the difference."
"Tch."
Naruto annoyedly covered his ears. He didn't know why but he always felt annoyed whenever he heard something about Sasuke.
Naruto said, "I will definitely surpass him, become a ninja, and even become the Hokage!"
"Idiot." Sasuke didn't hold back either, lightly snorting.
"Talk after you successfully pass the exam."
"Damn Sasuke..."
Naruto immediately got annoyed. He rolled up his sleeves, while Sasuke watched Naruto with cold eyes.
Takemi had no intention of stopping them at all. This pair of 'brothers' were quite interesting.
Besides, he was still thinking about whether he could trigger some missions from these two.
One Sage Mode boosted his bloodline to 5%. If he can get his hands on their Chakra from a mission, he wouldn't dare to imagine how much his bloodline would...
"Hmm?"
However, just as he was watching the two argue with relish, he suddenly felt a strange palpitation.
He felt as though he had been targeted by something. This feeling was so clear and conspicuous.
"What's going on?"
Takemi didn't dare to act rashly. He remembered that the Anbu had indeed been following Naruto, but they had left when he and Naruto had met up with Kakashi, Jiraiya, and others.
So, who could it be?
[New Side Mission]
[The Dead Last Shouldn't Be So Arrogant]
[Actively Attack and Confront Obito]
...
Alright, now he knew who had arrived.
But now, he was even more confused. What was Obito doing running over here?
And confronting him...
He might not be afraid of normal ninja battles, but Obito?
Relying on a single Mangekyo Sharingan, he had become one of the most difficult people to deal with in the Ninja World.
"But this is Konoha, and that exclusive mission for Kakashi..." Takemi muttered to himself.
At this moment, Sasuke also seemed too lazy to argue with Naruto.
He walked over and whispered, "I haven't congratulated you yet on successfully passing the assessment."
"Hmm? Thanks..."
Takemi recovered and nodded, but his expression was also a bit strange.
Sasuke personally congratulating him?
They weren't exactly close, were they?
"Right..."
As expected, Sasuke immediately changed his tone. "I heard that sending all your teammates to the hospital also counts as success, is that right?"
"..."
Takemi rolled his eyes. This matter was getting more and more outrageous as it spread.
Takemi said, "That depends on your supervising Jonin's mood and your personal ability. I just got lucky."
"Tch, lucky indeed. You even left the village."
Naruto muttered softly from the side, while Sasuke directly grasped the key point.
"Left the village..."
He had always longed to become a ninja early so he could leave the village and kill Itachi. This was his biggest obsession.
"Yes, left the village."
Takemi also made a decision in his heart.
As he reached into his pouch and fumbled around, he spoke, "Moreover, we met someone this time when we went out. You're also very familiar with this person."
"I'm also familiar?" Sasuke frowned. He seemed to have realized something.
Takemi smiled and continued, "Yes, that person is Itachi."
The moment he heard that name, Sasuke's face twisted. This intense hatred even startled Naruto, who was standing beside him.
"Moreover, he has also joined an organization." Takemi continued.
At this moment, his hand suddenly withdrew from the pouch.
"The members of that organization are all very dangerous, for example..."
The next moment, several kunai with explosive tags flew straight towards a large tree nearby.
Boom—
A violent explosion and firelight intertwined, appearing dazzling on this peaceful night.
"You..."
Sasuke and Naruto were both startled, but soon they discovered a hazy figure faintly visible beside the large tree that had been blown apart.
It was also at this moment that Takemi's voice sounded again.
"This guy..."
"Jiraiya is back?"
Inside the Root base, Danzo was looking at the documents in his hand.
Although he had been dismissed due to the Uchiha Clan's destruction, he believed that he would make a comeback one day.
After all, he was fine even after trying to assassinate his old friend Sarutobi Hiruzen, let alone the fact that he had also solved a big problem for Konoha.
So he would still acquire information within Konoha to make some simple judgments.
"What is he back for? Could it be..."
His expression was somewhat hesitant. Suddenly, he thought of something, and his face darkened.
Damn it, he isn't here to inherit the Hokage position, is he?
"Long time no see, Danzo."
But just then, a familiar voice sounded, and this voice made his body stiffen even more.
"You haven't been here for a long time, Hiruzen."
Fortunately, his professional composure was still very high. He quickly calmed down and entered a work state.
Danzo said, "How rare. You, who are so busy, finally have time to visit your good friend today?"
"Didn't you bring this upon yourself?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat opposite Danzo, holding a pipe in his mouth.
He sighed and said, "You shouldn't have acted against Shisui, and you shouldn't have let Itachi do all of that. The Uchiha were always members of Konoha, you..."
"Hiruzen, that's enough."
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish speaking, Danzo shook his head disdainfully and said, "Don't you know the ability of Shisui's Mangekyo? Could you be at ease letting him live?"
"Letting Itachi do that prevented civil unrest within Konoha and even kept your hands clean. Are you still not satisfied?"
"Besides, everything I did was for Konoha. I merely inherited the will of Tobirama-sensei!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "You are truly hopeless. Have you forgotten Kagami? What do you think he would think if he saw all of this?"
Danzo said without faltering, "Kagami was just a minority. The vast majority were like Setsuna. I just did the right thing!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo, who was sticking his neck out, completely in a 'I'm absolutely right' posture, and felt a surge of anger.
He gazed coldly at Danzo, his mouth moving slightly, and Danzo seemed to sense something.
"Enough. You didn't come here just to argue with me, did you?" Before the words 'I am the Hokage' could even be spoken, Danzo preempted him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his brow. After a moment, he finally spoke, "Regarding Kirigakure, how many people does Root still have there, and how do we activate them?"
"Kirigakure?"
Danzo's eyes lit up. He finally knew the reason Sarutobi Hiruzen was looking for him.
The situation in Kirigakure was very complex, and penetrating it was no ordinary task. And his Root specialized in doing these kinds of things before. And he also realized that this was an opportunity.
"My people are still there, but only I can activate them."
"Danzo, don't go too far."
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had anticipated this, he still frowned as he looked at Danzo.
"I can restore some of your authority, but everything must be task-oriented. The impact you've caused is too negative, and everyone isn't foolish."
"Hmph, I said everything I did was for Konoha. I don't care how others see it."
Danzo lightly snorted. He also knew he had to take things step by step, so he didn't mind.
"As for the tasks, don't worry. If I couldn't handle things like this, you wouldn't have kept me to continue serving Konoha back then."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. Danzo's 'professional competence' was trustworthy. Just as he was about to continue advising Danzo, an Anbu suddenly rushed in.
"Lord Hokage, something has happened..."