Naruto: How to Be an Undercover Shinobi

Watching Kagami and Danzō square off, Hiruzen wore a pained expression on his face, though inside he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Bringing Kagami into the upper ranks had easily been one of his smartest moves in recent years.

Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were nothing but spineless yes-men—completely useless. Because of them, he'd had to endure constant pressure from Danzō, who never missed a chance to exploit their old school ties.

But now, with Kagami in the room, things were different. Not only was he reliable backup, but he stirred up the opposing side like a stick in a hornet's nest.

Most importantly, Kagami would say all the things Hiruzen couldn't, without hesitation.

Kagami Uchiha was the perfect teammate—no wonder that sly fox Reiji liked hanging around with him.

The more he thought about it, the more distressed Hiruzen looked on the surface.

"Danzō, Kagami, sit down. You're old classmates—what are you getting all worked up for? Cool it already."

He waved them off, then scanned the room quickly before continuing.

"Here's what I think about partially releasing the Kinjutsu.

They'll remain secured in the archive—nothing will be made public. But we can't just let them collect dust. These techniques need to serve a purpose.

As for myself, well, you all know how swamped I am. I simply don't have time to search the village for children with talent and the Will of Fire.

That's why I need a few reliable young people to help me identify promising candidates.

For now, I've tentatively selected Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.

Any objections?"

The moment he finished, Danzō stood up, putting on a look of solemn concern.

"Hiruzen, I think this is a bit rash. Orochimaru and the others are only eighteen. They haven't experienced war like we have—how can they truly understand the Will of Fire?"

In other words: we fought side-by-side in the war, so I understand the Will of Fire better.

"You're busy, but as Tobirama-sensei's student and a seasoned veteran who's been through the battlefield—I'm not busy. I can take the job!"

Hiruzen shot him a look—Danzō's shamelessness made his face instantly darken.

This old fossil... doesn't he realize how ancient he is? I asked for young people, not some greasy old man!

Hiruzen rolled his eyes hard and snapped back.

"The Will of Fire, old friend! Burn yourself to light up the leaves! You have to give the younger generation a chance!"

"Exactly!" Danzō nodded, completely unfazed.

"I'm preparing to burn myself, aren't I? You have to give me that chance, Hiruzen.

I'll devote every bit of my light and warmth to the village our sensei built!"

Hiruzen was completely choked up.

This... this is what you call playing dumb.

This is what you call willful nonsense.

I'm trying to subtly test everyone's thoughts on my successor, and you jump out with some nonsense about burning yourself?

He took a sharp breath and exhaled a heavy cloud of smoke.

"What about Reiji Sakuhō?"

At once, Danzō sat straight back down, eyes wide with innocence as he looked at Hiruzen.

"It's up to you, no need to ask me—I'm fine with anything!"

Everyone stared at the sudden 180 in stunned silence.

Not that it was entirely their fault. The truth was, Reiji had traumatized Danzō so thoroughly that the man had developed a reflex.

Anything involving Reiji Sakuhō—Danzō would instinctively avoid like the plague.

Back when the Second Hokage Tobirama was still in power, Danzō had already considered getting back at Reiji.

At first, with Tobirama in charge and Danzō lacking influence, there was no chance to act.

Then Tobirama passed, Hiruzen took over, and Danzō got busy clawing for power—just as Reiji was sent on an undercover mission out of the Land of Fire.

At that time, Hiruzen personally oversaw Reiji's missions—Danzō couldn't interfere.

Reiji's sister Rie was also being raised by Mito Uzumaki.

And Danzō knew full well who Mito Uzumaki was—he didn't dare make a move.

Eventually, Reiji returned and beat the hell out of him for no reason at all.

That's when Danzō realized: brute force wouldn't work on Reiji. But what about rumors, underhanded schemes?

Also useless.

First off, hardly anyone even knew Reiji's name. Second, he didn't just return—he came back loaded.

Which meant he could live just fine without relying on Konoha.

And the real kicker?

Before Danzō could smear Reiji's reputation, Reiji ruined his first.

Worse, he even started some ridiculous group and called himself "Dan Shimura," trashing Danzō's name further.

Add in that damn Flying Thunder God Technique...

Danzō was exhausted. Defeated. He just gave up.

And weirdly enough, once he gave up, he realized... this was actually kind of nice!

Not even counting the hundred million ryō at the beginning—just getting Kakuzu, that treasure trove of a man, was a real bonus.

Earth Grudge Fear? What a god-tier jutsu! Extra hearts? Seriously?

The best part? Danzō found out this technique could massively extend his lifespan.

What did that mean?

Fourth Hokage? Whoever wants it can have it. I'll just skip straight to Eighth Hokage, thanks.

Of course, appearances had to be kept. Gotta keep the act going.

In the end, Danzō came to a conclusion so outrageous even he couldn't believe it: lying flat... was insanely satisfying.

I, Danzō Shimura, officially endorse Reiji Sakuhō as our eternal escort.

While Danzō was busy shrinking into himself and playing the innocent old man, Hiruzen pursed his lips and snapped out of it.

"Anyone else besides Danzō have any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Please—if even Danzō caved, who dared to speak up now?

They weren't stupid. It was obvious Hiruzen was paving the way for his own hand-picked successor.

With no objections, Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Then this meeting is adjourned."

He stood up and walked out first.

Watching Hiruzen's back as he left, the others stood up one after another and exited the room with various expressions.

At the very end, Shika Nara stared at the others' retreating backs, deep in thought.

Throughout the meeting, even someone like Uchiha Kagami, who usually had no interest in power, had fought to stake a claim.

Only Shika himself had stayed silent the whole time.

He lived by his brain, after all. Not only was he the Third Hokage's advisor, but he had also served the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

Simply put—as long as there was a Hokage with a functioning mind, the Nara Clan's status was unshakable.

And in this meeting, aside from Hiruzen who emerged with a sweeping victory...

There was one other name that came up over and over again—profiting massively without even being present.

Reiji Sakuhō.