"Damn it, Jiraiya really came back to snatch the Hokage position!"
Inside the Root base, Danzo's mood was exceptionally foul.
He hadn't forgotten the words he had heard when he had pushed open the door to Sarutobi Hiruzen's office yesterday, those words truly chilled him to the bone.
He couldn't understand why. Why did everyone deliberately avoid him when discussing the Hokage?
It was as if he was destined never to attain the Hokage position.
More than 30 years ago, he embarked on a journey from Konoha, participated in the Second Great Ninja War, and protected Konoha from invasion.
Due to a single second of hesitation back then, he lost to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Did that single mishap mean that the Hokage position would never be his?
"No need to rush. I must slowly find a way."
Although Danzo was extremely discontent, he still felt a bit timid when it came to actually provoking Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After all, he hasn't been officially reinstated yet, and he still needs time.
Even though he was 70, who decreed that Konoha couldn't have a 70 year old Hokage?
"First, do what needs to be done well."
Danzo knew he could only do his best for now, striving for further advancements in intelligence to gain more opportunities.
But the problem was, he was also worried about one thing. If he gathered intelligence, it would be troublesome if Jiraiya ended up benefiting from it.
"So, the intelligence must be split, preventing Jiraiya from accessing the real information, yet making it not seem like fake information!"
Danzo's mind raced. Obito, the mysterious organization—these were his concerns, and his missions.
Through these matters, his authority had recovered a bit, as Root also needed more people to handle affairs.
"What a pity, that brat."
Thinking of manpower, Danzo couldn't help but think of Takemi.
He had also received news and understood Takemi's current feats, which made his eyes red with envy.
But unfortunately, he didn't dare to lay a hand on Sarutobi Hiruzen's people right now.
He knew Obito's Sharingan was a Mangekyo and suspected if Kakashi's Sharingan had changed but he dared not act, only thinking of Obito.
"Especially since this kid is Kakashi's disciple."
Kakashi's betrayal was still vivid in his mind, making his teeth ache with hatred.
If not for Kakashi's backstabbing, Sarutobi Hiruzen might have been dead, and he would have become the Hokage.
"Forget it, I won't think about these things."
After a long while, Danzo sighed softly. He pondered for a moment and finally had an idea.
"It seems I still need to make a move on Orochimaru."
Although constantly betraying his 'teammates' made him seem immoral, he didn't care at all, because he never had such a thing. Orochimaru was the same, lacking in morals.
"But I can't go too far. I'll offer some of Orochimaru's bases to tempt Jiraiya, hoping he won't come back." Danzo muttered to himself.
Then he picked up the scroll in his hand and started reading. He still needed to focus on his work.
After reading for a moment, his single eye suddenly narrowed slightly.
"The Jashinists in the Land of Hot Water are causing problems again, and it's said someone is looking for them—a formidable bounty Ninja, wearing black clothes with red clouds?"
Looking at this information, Danzo recalled seeing Orochimaru wear similar attire before, and an idea immediately formed in his mind.
.....
"Congratulations on becoming a Chunin, Takemi."
"Thank you, but…"
"What is it?"
"Kakashi-sensei, I've disappointed you. I didn't become a Jonin at this age, not even a Special Jonin."
"…"
Walking out of the Hokage building, Kakashi gave Takemi a deadpan stare as he listened to his words.
He now somewhat regretted using the phrase, 'I was already a Jonin at your age,' to provoke him last time.
Kakashi said, "Be content. Although you're very capable, some things can't be rushed. This isn't wartime. You have so much more to learn, and this can also be considered a test of your character."
"Oh."
Takemi nodded. He actually understood some of it, but it was a pity his attempt to exploit a bug failed.
Special Jonin, in some sense, is also a Jonin, and he didn't know if the system would count it.
But alas, he couldn't do anything without the official designation. Fortunately, becoming a Chunin within half a year of graduation, without even needing an exam, was already good.
"I might really become Naruto's proctor in the future!" Takemi muttered to himself.
At this moment, Kakashi suddenly remembered something, and his eye widened.
He asked, "Speaking of which, what was that jutsu last night? What have you been teaching Naruto?"
"That has nothing to do with me!" Takemi quickly denied it. This matter absolutely could not fall on him.
"It was his own idea, but didn't Jiraiya-sama already agree to guide him? The effect was quite good, wasn't it?"
"Using that method…"
Kakashi was speechless.
Finally, he could only roll his eyes and say, "Forget it, go home and rest. Why is your face so pale? I felt something was off with you yesterday."
Takemi said, "It's natural, nothing I can do about it. By the way, Kakashi-sensei, what do you think about me dyeing my hair white?"
"…"
"After all, I'm always on missions with you and Jiraiya-sama, and I'm the only one with black hair. It feels a bit out of place, doesn't it?"
"…"
Kakashi decided to ignore Takemi. He turned his head, lowered his gaze to his adult novel, and walked home.
Last night's commotion had lasted too late, and he was tired too.
Seeing this, Takemi waved at Kakashi, then ran straight home. It wasn't until he jumped in through the window that he realized.
"Huh? Why didn't I use the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Scratching his head, he didn't bother to think further. Instead, he closed the doors and windows, then plopped down on the floor.
"Let's try it first."
He had almost fully comprehended the knowledge of Yin-Yang Release, but he had to admit one thing. Its difficulty was much higher than he had imagined.
"Also, the information Madara gave Obito seems to have problems."
As an 'Ōtsutsuki' with Chakra control as instinctive as breathing, he could find some inconspicuous, seemingly unreasonable parts in the information given by the mission after studying it.
After all, the information provided by the mission came from others, but he could modify it in his own way.
"Fortunately, this isn't useless to me. Separately activating stronger Yin Release or Yang Release is also good. It seems this is also an innate power of the Ōtsutsuki, right?"
Takemi was somewhat curious about how much more was considered 'innate power' of the Ōtsutsuki.
The more this bloodline was developed, the more astonishing it became, and the more he felt how absurd Momoshiki and Urashiki were.
"Perhaps after Momoshiki lost that badly, he started learning Ninja combat techniques?"
This was like taking a beating by a free2play player while being a pay2win.
Even Isshiki, as powerful as he was, must have witnessed the changes in the Ninja World through Jigen's eyes.
"First, I'll start with the relatively related Ice Release, and then I'll properly study that 'Yin-Yang Release.'"
Thinking to himself, he slightly raised his hand. In an instant, wind and water Chakra slowly condensed in his palm.
Under his control, these two forces began to collide, and a cold current slowly condensed in his hand.