[Bond] Ch 4: Assassinating the Hokage is Normal

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After listening to Danzo's explanation, Shimura Yami finally understood the whole story.

It turned out that the reason Danzo had been absent for so long was because he had been secretly plotting to assassinate the Hokage!

After the Nine-Tails attack, the youngest and most brilliant Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, sacrificed himself. In response, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, once again took charge. However, he showed no intention of appointing a new Hokage anytime soon.

Normally, a new Hokage must be formally recognized by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. However, due to the village still recovering from the attack, Hiruzen hadn't made the trip to the capital until recently.

Danzo, having received this information early, mobilized all of Root's forces to ambush and eliminate Hiruzen.

The good news? The ambush was a success.

The bad news? The Hokage they assassinated was actually Kakashi in disguise. The real Hiruzen had already seen through Danzo's scheme.

Just as Danzo was reveling in the feeling of sitting on the Hokage's chair, Hiruzen suddenly appeared behind him, scaring the hell out of him.

Although Hiruzen didn't impose any direct punishment, his calm and dismissive attitude deeply wounded Danzo's pride.

And to make things worse, Root had finally found a ninja with Wood Release—only for Hiruzen to lure him away with Kakashi's influence!

Danzo was still cursing as he recalled the incident, even taking a few jabs at the now-deceased Sarutobi Biwako for good measure.

Yami, listening to all this, could only sigh in disbelief.

"Old man, don't push your luck. If anyone else tried to assassinate the Hokage, they'd be dead by now. The fact that the Third didn't strip you of your position as Root's leader is already a huge favor."

"Hah, as if he could." Danzo let out a cold chuckle, his face full of smug confidence. "Technically, Root is part of the Anbu, but Hiruzen has no real authority over it. Even if I were officially dismissed, my men would still follow my orders."

"That is the essence… of a perfect tool, Yami."

"Yeah, yeah, just don't get yourself killed." Yami rolled his eyes. "I'm still in the Academy, and that's his territory."

"He won't touch you." Danzo's tone turned serious. "An assassination attempt is nothing new. I tried to take him out when he first became Hokage, and again when the Fourth took over."

'…What kind of twisted tradition is this?!'

Listening to his grandfather proudly recount his past assassination attempts, Yami didn't even know how to react anymore.

So… assassination was just another way for these two old men to strengthen their bond?

Whatever. As long as it didn't involve him, he didn't care.

After finishing dinner, Yami went back to his room to refine his chakra, while Danzo returned to Root's underground base.

With a light tap of his cane, two masked Root members appeared before him, kneeling respectfully.

Danzo didn't speak immediately. He pondered for a moment before issuing a cold command: "Gather all available intel on Kenjutsu from Konoha and other villages. Compile and categorize it. Also, instruct our spies in the Land of Water to see if we can acquire one of the Seven Ninja Swords."

"Yes," one of the ninja responded before disappearing.

Danzo then turned to the other. "What has Orochimaru been up to lately?"

"He entered his laboratory half a month ago and hasn't come out since. Either that, or… our surveillance skills weren't sufficient to track him."

Danzo snorted but didn't reprimand him. Expecting anyone to successfully monitor Orochimaru was wishful thinking.

Among the three legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was by far the most elusive. Now that the other two had left the village, he had become even more unpredictable.

Currently, their relationship was in a delicate state of cooperation. But since Hiruzen had foiled his plans, Danzo was now considering exposing Orochimaru's human experimentation, forcing him to flee the village.

Even with Hiruzen's influence, there was no way he could protect someone performing live experiments on Konoha citizens.

But before that happened, Danzo wanted to squeeze every last bit of value out of Orochimaru.

Danzo saw that Yami was interested in swordsmanship, and then as his grandfather, he would ensure he had the best possible resources.

However, a swordsman also needed a weapon worthy of their skill.

His top choice was the Thunder God Sword—the personal blade of his former teacher, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. But since that sword was in Hiruzen's possession, obtaining it would be difficult.

His second option? The Kusanagi Sword.

Kusanagi wasn't a single sword but rather a class of legendary blades. Orochimaru supposedly had more than one in his collection.

Danzo smirked. "Let's go."

Slowly, he walked out of the Root base, his pace resembling that of an old man nearing his end.

"Time to pay Orochimaru a visit. I still owe Yami a birthday present for his sixth birthday…"

— — —

Before long, it was time for Academy classes again.

With his bag slung over his shoulder, Yami headed toward the school.

The Shimura clan compound was on the outskirts of Konoha. Along the way, many of his clansmen greeted him with respect, providing him with a steady stream of minor bond rewards.

[0.1 standard Chunin chakra]

[0.2 standard Chunin chakra]

[...]

The system was beginning to show its effectiveness.

One standard Chunin chakra level was equivalent to that of ten average Genin.

By the time he left the compound, Yami had accumulated 1.3 standard Chunin chakra and had even enhanced his Wind affinity.

The system allowed affinities to be merged. While his Wind attribute hadn't yet reached the extreme level, it was clearly improving.

Upon arriving at the Academy, several students being dropped off by their parents spotted Yami and immediately paled, their lips trembling as if they were about to cry.

Yami glanced at them but didn't bother acknowledging them. Instead, he walked straight to his usual seat by the window at the back of the classroom.

These kids were the ones who had previously mocked him for being an orphan.

After hearing their insults, Yami had beaten them so badly they had been out of school for over a week recovering.

Was that the end of his revenge?

Of course not.

If their parents were ninjas, they wouldn't live past this year. They would "gloriously sacrifice" themselves on the battlefield.

And if they weren't ninja…Well, that just made things even easier.

"Yami!"

Just as he was spacing out while watching a bird on a tree branch, a cheerful voice called out. A cute girl with long black hair bounded into the classroom. Upon spotting him, her eyes lit up, and she eagerly ran over to sit beside him.

Yami snapped out of his thoughts, smiling as he ruffled her hair.

"Izumi."

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