Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi

Hinata's whole body trembled. She could feel the heavy killing intent coming from Kusuo. It was the first time this man she loved had been so cold in front of her, yet it made her frown with heartache. She reached out a hand and gently caressed his face, wanting to bring him a trace of comfort with her own warmth.

Little Hanabi, although very smart, was no Itachi Uchiha. She didn't really understand why her sister and brother-in-law were so troubled. She could only follow her sister's lead and press herself into her brother-in-law's embrace.

And so, Kusuo found with a sense of helplessness that both sisters were trying their best to burrow into his arms. One of him was not enough for the two of them.

"Dammit! Who on earth is so malicious as to spread such rumors in the village!"

"Kusuo is such a good kid. He's the future hope of our Konoha, an inheritor of the Will of Fire. Are these people trying to destroy Konoha?"

Asuma and a group of jonin were gathered at the barbecue restaurant. He took a fierce bite of the meat in his hand, his voice filled with anger.

"Getting angry here won't do any good. The key to the problem is what the person behind this wants, and what his reasons are for doing this," Kurenai said, secretly pinching Asuma's arm to signal him to calm down.

"Hmph." As the son of the Third Hokage, Asuma was well aware of the petty squabbles among the higher-ups. Thinking it over, who else could be fanning the flames? He had just experienced the pain of losing his father and hadn't even had time to grieve properly, and now that guy Danzo was stabbing him in the back. It truly disgusted him.

"Kakashi, have you seen Kusuo lately? How is he? Has he been affected by the rumors outside?" Among those present, only Kakashi remained calm. Asuma wanted to ask him about the situation.

"Him?" Kakashi didn't even blink. "What could happen? I've observed my cousin these past few days. He's been swinging his sword and meditating as usual every day. Everything is the same."

Hiss!

Kakashi's calm words made the other jonin sigh in their hearts. This kind of performance was truly unexpected. Anyone who had just performed a great merit only to be slandered in return would find it impossible to remain unmoved. But Kusuo was actually able to train as if nothing had happened. This level of composure truly shocked them.

"Youth requires hot blood! Perhaps this is the difference between a genius and us," Guy said with a wide grin.

Kurenai nudged Asuma with her elbow, then gestured towards Kakashi with her eyes. The meaning was clear. The main party involved hasn't even reacted. Look how calm Kakashi is.

The others understood. They all remembered that Kakashi, once upon a time, had also been a genius.

"I hope Kusuo can get through this smoothly," they prayed, then began to enjoy the barbecue on the table, temporarily putting their troubles aside.

On the other side, in the Root base, Danzo's next move was already in place.

"This afternoon, bring Ibiki Morino to see me."

"Yes!" the Root ninja below immediately responded.

At this moment, Ibiki Morino was quite puzzled. He belonged to the ANBU, and his organization had nothing to do with the Root led by Danzo. So, why was Danzo looking for him? Could it be that the death of the Third Hokage had made this elder want to recruit him?

With heavy doubts, Ibiki entered the Root base alone. Looking at the environment, it was as dark as he had expected, truly fitting for that elder's disposition. Ibiki looked at the Root ninja standing solemnly on both sides of the secret passage and secretly kept his guard up.

"What is so urgent that we must negotiate here?" he suddenly asked the Root member leading the way, but the other party remained silent, not answering.

After being led down a long path, Ibiki finally saw Danzo, who was seated on the main throne in a dark hall.

"Lord Danzo, you were looking for me," he said, kneeling on one knee to greet him. No matter what, he was just the captain of the ANBU's Torture and Interrogation Force, while the other was a village elder. The difference in their status was clear at a glance.

"Mm," Danzo grunted, then signaled for the Root member standing beside him to bring him a scroll.

"The reason I've sought you out this time is naturally for a very important matter. The scroll records our operation this time. It also seals a little token of my sincerity. This is just a deposit; there will naturally be a heavy gift later. After the matter is settled, the position of ANBU Commander... it's not impossible for me to help you up there."

This... Danzo is bribing me.

Realizing this, Ibiki's expression turned grave, and he began to take the situation seriously. He had been in the ANBU for so many years, and in the most ruthless and sinister Torture and Interrogation unit at that. He naturally had some understanding of the village's higher-ups. A cat conspiring with a mouse... how ridiculous.

With curiosity, Ibiki patiently looked at the scroll in his hand. What he saw made his pupils instantly contract.

"You want to move against Hatake Kusuo? The village's hero?!" After reading the entire contents, Ibiki was horrified. He was shocked. Has Danzo gone mad?

Ibiki couldn't believe that Danzo was so depraved as to want him to help deal with the great hero who had just saved the entire Village Hidden in the Leaves. The contents of the scroll were for him, as the captain of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Force, to tamper with and fabricate the confessions of the captured Sound and Sand ninja, to publicly declare that Kusuo and Hinata were their accomplices, inside agents planted to destroy Konoha. The number of families and ninja involved was simply shocking, with the current number one noble clan, the Hyuga, bearing the brunt of it.

"He's just a child. I am doing this, naturally, for the stability of the village," Danzo said, disliking the expression on Ibiki's face. He snorted coldly, defending his actions.

For the village... assassinate a hero?

"Heh, I'm afraid all of this is for your own selfish interests, isn't it?" Ibiki sneered, a look of disdain on his face. "I've long heard that the village's council of elders is hopelessly corrupt, only capable of scheming against each other and using all sorts of sinister plots. Now I see it's true."

"Compared to you, the cruelty and bloodiness of our Torture and Interrogation Force is nothing. This kind of underhanded method... I'm afraid I cannot comply. Farewell."

With that, Ibiki flicked his sleeve and prepared to leave.

Just then, a sinister glint flashed in Danzo's eyes. Want to leave? Too late!

"Do you think you can just walk in and out of my Root base as you please? Men!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

With Danzo's command, a large number of ninja suddenly appeared from all directions. They stared menacingly at Ibiki in the center, the gazes leaking through their masks devoid of any emotion, incredibly cold.

"Those who follow me will prosper; those who oppose me will die!"

"Since you will not agree to my request, take him down, dead or alive."

Danzo gave Ibiki one last mocking glance, then gave the faint command and turned to leave. Behind him, the sound of a fierce battle immediately erupted.

...

Hanabi was out shopping on the street with her older sister. It had been a long time since the two sisters had been out for a breath of fresh air since the village had been rebuilt.

"Look! Big Sister, this hair flower is so pretty!" Hanabi suddenly pointed to a small stall on the side of the street with excitement, pulling her sister's hand as she ran over. Crouching down, Hanabi was about to excitedly reach out and try on the hair flower she had her eye on.

The stall owner immediately stopped her. "Go, go! You're not welcome here! The Hyuga clan is nothing but bad news! The village raised you for nothing, you're all a bunch of ungrateful white-eyed wolves!"

Being spoken to like that, Hinata and Hanabi were very hurt. Coupled with the strange, suspicious gazes from the people around them, the two girls lost all interest in shopping and ran all the way back to Kusuo's home with red eyes.

...

The moment they stepped through the door, Kusuo noticed that something was wrong with their faces and immediately asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong? Did someone outside bully you?"

Hinata bit her lip and didn't speak. She looked at Hanabi, who also stubbornly turned her head away.

Seeing this, how could Kusuo not know what had happened? They had definitely been subjected to rumors outside. He could guess all of this without even thinking. Naruto's childhood experience had long since told him that the villagers were a group of people so simple they were foolish. They had no independent thought. And they were so harsh to the son of a hero.

For the first time, Kusuo felt a sense of empathy for Naruto's suffering.

But he was not Naruto, nor was he the White Fang. He didn't give a damn about the village, or about the bullshit "Will of Fire." All he cared about were the people around him. It was just a pity that in this day and age, there were always fools who came looking for death.

Taking a deep breath, Kusuo smiled and said to Hinata and Hanabi, "You two just stay at home. Don't come out no matter what happens. I'm going out to take care of some business."

Hinata had always listened to Kusuo's words. She nodded seriously and then led Hanabi into the inner room. Just as Kusuo was about to walk out the door, Hinata suddenly called out, "Kusuo, this time... please come back safely!"

Hearing Hinata's concerned words, a smile appeared on Kusuo's calm face. Then, he slowly took the sword that was hanging on the corridor wall.

At that moment, his face was as calm as still water, but his eyes were brimming with killing intent.

"Danzo, you old dog. Since you're so determined to die, then I'll send you down to see the Third Hokage."

Carrying his sword, Kusuo walked out the door without looking back. His target was aimed directly at the Konoha Root base.

On the street, the commoners were still bustling about, their laughter filled with hope for the future. It was a pity they didn't remember who had brought them all of this.

Suddenly, a few villagers who were chatting animatedly suddenly fell silent, their trembling fingers pointing at the figure that had just turned the corner.

"H-Hatake... Kusuo!"

-------

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