Chapter: 17
"Let us begin with today's first agenda, the security details of Uzumaki Kushina, the Jinchuriki of the Nine-tailed fox."
Of course, the first one to question the ANBU Commander's words had to be Danzo, after all, no one else was crazy enough to interrupt him while he was still introducing the first agenda,
"It would seem,"
Began the old mummified bastard in a smug tone,
"that the ANBU has had some very unfortunate accidents while guarding the Jinchūriki from mere nukenins. So forgive me if my words seem a bit too presumptuous,"
His face told them that he was not at all sorry about his words,
"What guarantee is there that an organized assassination from one of the other Great Villages would not be successful."
The ANBU Commander's expression remained stoic, although a flicker of annoyance passed through his eyes when Danzo interrupted him, but it disappeared quickly. He adjusted his posture slightly, probably to mask his annoyance, and faced the old mummy head-on.
"With all due respect, Lord 'Advisor,'"
'Oooh, that hit hard!'
Kaori couldn't help but cackle internally as she saw Danzo's face scrunch up a bit at the word 'Advisor.'
"the security measures surrounding Uzumaki Kushina are one of the highest priority tasks of the ANBU, and unless those attempts were made by someone from our ranks,"
He gave Danzo a pointed look,
"even lord Hokage agrees that the Nukenins were merely lucky. Even then we managed to eliminate them before they could reach within a block of Uzumaki Kushina's residence."
*Humph*
Danzo snorted contemptuously,
"Luck? Even luck is part of a Shinobi's strength! Who's to say that the assassins sent by Kumo or Iwa won't be lucky? What if they are twice as lucky and somehow manage to assassinate the Jinchūriki? We would be helpless to counter the other Nation's tailed beasts and our martial might will become a laughing stock!"
Well, Kaori had to agree he did have a point there. If a Jinchūriki is assassinated, their tailed beast's chakra dissolves into the air, and after some time, gathers again and recreates their body.
Nope, the tailed beast doesn't go on a rampage as long as the seal is still there and the Jinchūriki is still alive. Only when the seal weakens and the Jinchuriki is alive does a tailed beast take over their container's body.
"I understand your concern for the safety of 'Kushina Uzumaki,' but,"
He put a particularly high note on the redhead's name,
"We have already bolstered the guard rotations and implemented enhanced sealing jutsu to mitigate any possible breach in our security. Any more than that would require us to blatantly interfere in her life, and whether a Jinchuriki or not, she's still a Leaf Shinobi!"
'Applause?'
Does she applaud? Or does she not? Maybe there is no applause? Poor Commander, he got no applause for his speech!
The old man's face darkened a bit at the middle-aged man's response, he was clearly not satisfied with just that,
"Commander, it would seem you are underestimating the gravity of the situation,"
The mummy somehow managed to say the line without looking as though he would like nothing more than to throttle the ANBU Commander,
"We cannot afford to rely solely on the assumption that the next attackers won't be so lucky!"
'Well then, don't send any, simple as that!'
"We cannot rely on half-hearted measures! The safety of the village and the balance of power between the five great nations itself is at stake here!"
*BANG*
He seemed genuinely distressed, slamming his hand on the tatami matting and creating a hole about the size of Kaori's head,
'Just how strong is this eye collector?'
She took the opportunity to focus on Danzo, just like the rest of the ANBU members,
'Observe!'
[Name: Shimura Danzo]
[Age: 51]
[Chakra: 639,000(Kage)]
[Physique: 481,000(Elite Jonin)]
[Evaluation: Konoha's Hokage Advisor. Leader of the 'ROOT' Organization. Kage-level Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf village.]
'The old man's strong.'
[Very! My analysis shows that one would need 233 more individuals of your strength to take him down for good. That is, 1 Danzo = 233 Kaori.]
'Will you cut that out already,'
That was one thing that Kaori didn't like about her system, it had the habit of comparing her to stronger individuals and reminding her of her weakness over and over again.
While she was grumbling about her system's sadistic tendencies, Danzo's face was getting darker by the moment,
"Enhanced sealing jutsu may provide temporary protection, but against a determined adversary the will not last very long."
He mused, her voice hollow and skeptical. Leaning forward a bit, he began again,
"Have you considered the possibility that a shinobi skilled in infiltration and assassination,"
'Wait! Weren't those the basic skills of a shinobi?'
"May be able to attack the Uzumaki girl, she may be a formidable shinobi in her own right, but even the strongest of us may fall prey to momentary relapse."
The ANBU Commander chuckled dryly,
"I assure you Lord Advisor, Kushina is still young and we have warned her of a possible attack. It's unlikely that she would be having any 'relapse' anytime soon. Although, it might be appropriate for you to seek advice from an Iryō-nin regarding the physical activity you undertake, considering your age..."
Before the ANBU Commander could complete his sentence, a blast of raw chakra erupted from the old mummy's body as he glared at him. The ANBU Commander was not to be outdone and he too released an equivalent amount of chakra to contest against Danzo in a not-so-silent staredown.
Kaori took the opportunity to check the ANBU Commander as well,
'Observe!'
[Name: Fugen Raido ]
[Age: 31]
[Chakra: 506,190(Kage)]
[Physique: 501,050(Kage)]
[Evaluation: ANBU Commander of the ANBU Black Ops. Barely a Kage-level Shinobi. Expert in the art of assassination and covert operations. Potential Mid-Kage level.]
'So everyone's a Kage these days, huh.'
[Not you though.]
'FUCK OFF!'
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