Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi

After the Hokage selection meeting ended, the Daimyo did not linger in the village and quickly departed under the protection of a large number of ninja and samurai. However, the subsequent arrangements had already been put in place. If they could find Jiraiya or Tsunade, either one could be nominated to become Hokage.

But faced with this result, Danzo's face remained grim, and he said nothing. Given his personality, how could he possibly let it go? It was a joke. After going through so much trouble to get his old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi killed, he never thought that his meticulous plan would be ruined by this brat, Hatake Kusuo.

After returning to the underground Root base, Danzo no longer needed to hide his furious emotions. He began to curse loudly, one venomous phrase after another. The other Root ninja all fell silent, not daring to even breathe in the face of his rage.

"Useless! It's all Orochimaru's fault, that useless piece of trash!"

"I provided him with so much help, and in the end, he couldn't even handle a single child! And to think I helped him so much."

His face dark, Danzo rubbed his brow and began to think about his next plan.

Give up the position of Hokage? Giving up is impossible. I, Danzo, will never give up in this lifetime. It's completely out of the question. The position of Hokage can only be mine, and it must be mine.

After scheming for so long, how could he be willing to give up?

'Orochimaru, Hatake Kusuo, the First, the Second, Hatake Sakumo...'

One name after another flashed through his mind. Suddenly, Danzo seemed to remember something.

Hatake Sakumo! The White Fang of Konoha!

Back then, he, Danzo, had used the pressure of public opinion in the village, using rumors and gossip to force the White Fang to commit suicide. Now, couldn't he use the same trick on this brat, Kusuo?

He clapped his hands. Three ninja immediately knelt at the bottom of the stairs. Danzo looked down on them from above, only half of his face visible in the darkness.

"You three, initiate Plan B. Make sure it's done cleanly."

The three-person squad below wore animal masks, their faces expressionless.

"Yes!"

Then, with a Body Flicker, they left the Root base.

...

"You're saying... you want to specially recruit me into the ANBU and make me an ANBU captain?"

In Kusuo's home, Hinata was making tea in the kitchen, while Hanabi was practicing her punches alone in the courtyard. Kakashi sat opposite Kusuo, and the words he spoke almost made the latter spit out his tea.

"Impossible. I don't even want to be Hokage, let alone some ANBU captain," Kusuo said. "Besides, an ANBU captain surely has countless missions every day. I wouldn't have any free time at all."

Seeing Kusuo shaking his head vehemently, Kakashi could only smile bitterly. Most people would consider it an honor to be able to enter the ANBU. But this guy... he had rejected it with a single sentence, completely unconcerned from beginning to end. This was the special assassination tactical squad directly under the Hokage's command. To become a captain within it meant that both his strength and status would rise accordingly.

But on second thought, this cousin of his was someone who could even refuse the Daimyo's nomination for Hokage. His unwillingness to become an ANBU captain wasn't so strange after all.

"This proposal was made by Danzo. The council of elders has already reached a consensus."

Hearing the name "Danzo," Kusuo's eyebrow twitched. He instinctively felt uncomfortable. "That old guy again? Heh, with one foot already in the grave, he still can't sit still. What on earth is he trying to stir up?"

Hearing his cousin call Danzo an "old guy," Kakashi wasn't surprised. To be honest, he himself hated that man. If it weren't for his status, Kakashi would have definitely gone looking for him over his father's matter.

After refusing several more times, Kusuo saw his cousin Kakashi off. For the time being, he wasn't sure what kind of conspiracy Danzo was up to. But as long as Danzo dared to target him, Kusuo wouldn't mind cutting him down with his sword.

"Hinata," he called out to the girl busy in the kitchen. She came over at his call, her large, limpid eyes blinking with confusion. Sensing Kusuo's gaze slowly moving down from her face, Hinata's cheeks instantly turned bright red.

"Getting cuter and cuter," he sighed in admiration. Kusuo pulled the girl into his arms, and a soft whimper escaped her lips. Roughly feeling her size, Kusuo said to himself, "You've grown again!"

"Mmph... mm..." The girl's hands were at a loss, waving about nervously.

In the courtyard, Hanabi successfully climbed to the top of the large tree at her feet. At only seven years old, to be able to control her chakra so precisely, a sense of pride welled up in her. She leaped down, wanting to run into the house and tell her brother-in-law the good news. She skipped all the way to the door but heard a strange sound coming from inside.

When she curiously poked her head in to see what was happening, Hanabi's cute little face immediately flushed red with shame, and she quickly covered her eyes with her hands. Two seconds later, she couldn't resist parting her index and middle fingers, peeking through the gap.

...

In recent days, the streets of Konoha had not been peaceful. After a brief period of calm, a new kind of rumor quickly began to ferment. The center of the rumor was none other than the princess of Konoha's great noble clan, Hinata Hyuga.

"Hey, did you hear? It turns out the princess of the Hyuga clan, Hinata, is actually a spy from another village!"

"And that Hatake Kusuo, he's actually just a running dog in cahoots with another village!"

"No way? How is that possible? How could Hinata be a spy? What motive would she have?"

"Exactly! Kusuo is so strong. He saved our village with his own strength, not only helping to avenge Lord Hokage but also defeating the greatest enemy, Orochimaru. How could he possibly be colluding with another village?"

"Heh, you're so ignorant. Then let me ask you, why was it that when the entire village was being destroyed by giant summoned snakes, only the Hyuga clan's compound had no trace of damage?"

"And if that guy named Kusuo is so strong, why didn't he show up earlier or later, but only appeared after Lord Third was already dead? Besides, a kid in his early teens defeating the S-rank missing-nin Orochimaru? That's just a fantasy!"

"But... someone saw their battle with their own eyes that day! Kusuo cut off Orochimaru's head with one slash!"

"Then why didn't Orochimaru die? Why did he retreat safely instead?"

"This..."

Similar rumors were everywhere. At first, people scoffed at them, not paying them any mind. But later, the rumors became more and more widespread, and the more they spread, the more detailed they became. Gradually, people were surprised to find that it seemed to make sense.

The entire village was destroyed. Why were you, the Hyuga, fine?

Orochimaru could kill Lord Third Hokage, and there was news that he had even assassinated the Kazekage of the Sand Village. How could you, a twelve-year-old boy, possibly be his opponent?

If you could really kill Orochimaru, why didn't you do it on the spot?

All these coincidences and questions piled up together, and Kusuo gradually became the subject of suspicion. His reputation and status also gradually changed from that of a hero to a running dog of another village.

In the Root base, listening to his subordinate's report, Danzo smiled. "Very good. Continue with the plan." The Root ninja acknowledged the order and left. A conspiratorial light glinted in Danzo's exposed eye.

Hatake Kusuo, oh Hatake Kusuo, your Hatake clan was destined to be thoroughly devoured by me. How the White Fang died back then, you won't be able to escape today.

When you find that all the villagers have started to suspect you, if you don't want to become a rat scurrying across the street, then defect! If you defect, it will only further confirm the rumors I have spread. Otherwise, there is only death!

The thought of that perpetually calm face of Kusuo's showing a look of humiliation and anger made Danzo feel a wave of satisfaction. Without realizing it, Kusuo had already become a demon in his heart.

...

"Kusuo, what are we going to do? There are rumors about us everywhere outside," Hinata said worriedly, holding his hand, her pitiful face on the verge of tears.

Kusuo truly hadn't expected Danzo to pull such a move, to set up such a chain of schemes. So that's why he suddenly proposed I become an ANBU captain. It turns out he had already counted on me being unwilling to be constrained and had set a trap for me long ago.

A glint flashed in Kusuo's eyes. Everything was easy to explain. He needed to kill enemies to increase his role-play percentage, and out of a desire to protect his father-in-law's territory, he had specifically targeted the enemies near the Hyuga, so the Hyuga compound was well-preserved. When the Third died, he was busy thrashing the One-Tailed Shukaku. Unfortunately, no Sand ninja would step forward to testify to that. As for the question of whether he could have killed Orochimaru, that was even more ridiculous. Kusuo was certain that even if you tied Orochimaru up and put him in a Konoha prison, you still couldn't kill him. That guy's life-saving techniques were ridiculously numerous.

But it was precisely these many coincidences that had been used by Danzo. The news that he had refused the position of ANBU captain had also been "accidentally" leaked. This made everyone believe the recent rumors even more. Otherwise, why would you dare not accept this position? After all, this was a position that everyone in Konoha yearned for. A normal person would not possibly refuse.

"Heh, when it comes to playing dirty, Danzo really has his ways," Kusuo mused.

Looking at Hinata's lovable, pitiful face, he gently caressed it. "For now, have your father tell the Hyuga clan to be cautious. I'm enough to handle things outside."

Having received Kusuo's guarantee, although Hinata couldn't think of any solution at all, she still nodded obediently.

"Kusuo, have you thought of a good plan?" Hanabi also brought her little face closer, the two sisters staring at him with their large, pure white eyes.

Kusuo pulled them into his arms, one in each, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "To deal with this kind of sinister villain, you have to be like how I dealt with Orochimaru on the battlefield."

Hinata and Hanabi didn't understand his words at all, their faces still filled with confusion.

He continued to explain, "Do you know that there's a classic saying? 'If you can't solve the problem, then solve the person who created the problem.'"

"Stopping the mouths of the people is more difficult than stopping a river. Sometimes, the more fiercely you respond to rumors, the more serious the consequences become. If you leave them alone, these people will eventually figure it out on their own."

"So, I don't plan on paying any attention to the gossip outside. I only plan to make a move—"

"And kill that old bastard Danzo!"

-------

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