Chapter 21: Danzo's plan for Kira
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"Hiruzen, are you out of your mind?!"
Danzo slammed his cane against the floor in frustration, his expression full of disappointment. "Precisely because Uchiha Kira is so talented, you shouldn't let Tsunade be the one to teach him!"
"You saw her attitude just now. She's been dissatisfied with both of us for a long time. Who knows what kind of ideas she might instill in Uchiha Kira?"
"Besides, she has no control over an Uchiha."
"The only way to handle this properly is to hand him over to me. Let him join the Root. I'll personally train and indoctrinate him. I swear, I will turn him into a loyal servant of Konoha—loyal to us, unwaveringly!"
"Hiruzen, you must listen to me this time!"
The more talented Uchiha Kira appeared, the more reluctant Danzo was to let him slip through his fingers. He couldn't afford to lose this opportunity.
"Perhaps... perhaps this Uchiha Kira has the potential to awaken the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan. And when that happens... heh! Those eyes will be mine."
A sinister thought crept into Danzo's mind. He craved the Uchiha's power.
If he could obtain a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, he was convinced that he wouldn't be any weaker than Uchiha Madara himself.
"It's a shame... the Wood Release experiments have never succeeded. Otherwise, if I had Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan, even Madara and the First Hokage would be beneath me. The entire shinobi world would bow at my feet."
Danzo sighed internally, lamenting his lost ambitions.
However, Hiruzen's expression turned ice-cold upon hearing Danzo's words. His sharp gaze locked onto him as he questioned, "Danzo! Do you think I owe you respect? Have my orders lost all meaning to you?"
"How much clearer do I need to be?!"
"Uchiha Kira is my disciple's grandson! I order you not to lay a hand on him. If you do, don't blame me for what happens next! Hmph!"
Hiruzen knew exactly what Danzo was scheming.
If Kira were handed over to Danzo, it was only a matter of time before the boy was turned against him.
Danzo had never hidden his ambitions.
Besides, Hiruzen had already decided—Uchiha Kira was the key to his plans for controlling the Uchiha Clan. There was no way he would compromise on this.
To him, Danzo's methods were too extreme, too crude. Destroying the Uchiha was foolish.
Wouldn't it be better to bring them under his control?
Neither of them seemed to care about Uchiha Kira's own opinion.
And in their minds, they were both convinced of victory, as if Uchiha Kira was already theirs to mold as they pleased.
They didn't even consider what Tsunade thought.
Or what the Uchiha Clan itself thought.
Truly, these two old friends were alike—both equally shameless.
"You—!"
Danzo's face darkened at Hiruzen's blunt rejection. His grip on his cane tightened as his eyes flashed with a cold glint. Slamming the cane onto the floor, he snarled, "Hiruzen, you will regret this!"
With that, he stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
As he walked away, a sneer crept onto his lips.
"Hiruzen, do you really think that just because you told me not to act, I'll obey?"
"Not a chance!"
"The more you try to keep him from me, the more I want to take him for myself."
"Mark my words—I will turn Uchiha Kira into the perfect tool, the perfect weapon. And when the time comes, the first thing I'll have him do is take you down! Hmph!"
Back in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen's face remained dark.
"Danzo is getting more and more reckless. It seems I need to start limiting his power and curbing the Root's influence."
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Hiruzen had visited Kira several times.
Every visit, he would spend hours talking to him, attempting to instill the so-called 'Will of Fire.'
Kira, of course, listened with an eager and respectful expression, acting as if he deeply admired Hiruzen.
This flattered the old man greatly.
As for what Kira actually thought... well, only he knew the truth.
Tsunade, watching this unfold, said nothing.
After all, Hiruzen was still her teacher.
But she knew better than anyone how intelligent Kira was.
Did her teacher really think he could brainwash Kira? Fool him with mere words?
Please. That was like winking at a blind man—completely pointless.
This kid saw the world from a perspective far beyond anyone in Konoha.
His worldview and beliefs were already deeply ingrained. There was no way Hiruzen's shallow words could shake him.
If anything, she worried Hiruzen would be the one getting tricked in the end.
And if that happened…
Heh.
She would just laugh at her old teacher's misfortune.
The cycle of master and student, in all its irony.
.....
One day later, in Tsunade's office—
"You don't have to come to the hospital as often anymore. Focus on your training."
"You haven't really worked on your combat ninjutsu yet, have you?"
"Here, take this. It's the training guide for my signature Taijutsu technique—Super Strength. Study it on your own, and if you have questions, just ask me."
"Now scram!"
Tsunade waved him off impatiently.
She was exhausted from teaching him!
She had personally witnessed Kira surpass her in medical ninjutsu within just three months.
The student had already outdone the master.
To think she once considered herself a genius.
But next to Kira, she felt as dumb as a pig.
This brat was seriously messing with her self-esteem!
"Sensei… are you abandoning me?" Kira looked at her with pitiful eyes.
"Ugh—gross! You're making my skin crawl!" Tsunade shuddered, rubbing her arms.
She immediately grabbed his cheeks and stretched them. "Don't think just because you're cute you can do whatever you want! I know how mature your thoughts are, you little devil!"
This brat was nothing like an ordinary kid.
"I'm innocent! I swear, Sensei!" Kira raised his hands in surrender, looking at her with an aggrieved expression.
Seriously, what was her deal? Why did she always have to mess with his face?
"Hah!" Tsunade scoffed before suddenly pulling him into a tight hug and ruffling his hair into a mess.
Then, just as quickly, she pushed him away. "Get lost already!"
"Tch. Heartless woman!" Kira muttered before making a quick escape.
Watching him go, Tsunade chuckled. "This brat…"
Heartless woman? Please. She was his teacher, not his girlfriend!
As Kira walked toward the Uchiha district, he thought to himself.
"I've mastered medical ninjutsu and can now refine it to perfection over time."
"Now, it's time to start developing my combat abilities."
But just as he reached a quiet area, something caught his eye.
"Swish!"
Four masked shinobi suddenly leapt out from the trees, surrounding him.
The leader spoke in a cold, emotionless voice. "Uchiha Kira, come with us. Lord Danzo requests your presence."
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