Reborn as Danzō’s Grandson, Must I Offend the Entire Ninja World?

As Fugaku left, the battle was officially declared over.

Hiruzen turned to leave, and the observing shinobi gradually dispersed. Meanwhile, Danzō approached Yami, patted his shoulder, and, unable to contain his joy, let a smile slip.

Though, on his face, it looked a bit unsettling.

"Yami, you did well, but don't get complacent. The cursed Uchiha awakened his Sharingan at this moment… Uchiha Itachi's strength will soon surge. You must continue working hard, or he'll catch up to you."

Yami waved his hand dismissively. "So what if he has the Sharingan? He thinks he can surpass me after losing to me?"

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible. He'll only be chasing my back for the rest of his life."

Danzō's eye twitched.

Where did this arrogant personality of his grandson come from? Shouldn't he be more like himself—reserved, cautious… a scheming old man?

Danzō wanted to warn him about the terror of the Mangekyō Sharingan, but this wasn't the time or place to discuss such things.

Instead, he simply instructed Yami to wait for him at home that evening before hurriedly setting off after Sarutobi Hiruzen.

---

At the Hokage's Office, Danzō didn't bother knocking. He pushed the door open and strode inside.

Hiruzen stood by the window, gazing over the village.

"Drop the act. There's no one else here," Danzō sneered as he took a seat across from the Hokage's desk.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hiruzen replied without even turning around.

"A child of seven… you and I both know what he'll become in the future. With Uchiha Shisui and now Uchiha Itachi—tell me, Hiruzen, is this still our Konoha, or will it become Uchiha's Konoha?"

Hiruzen's eyes darkened, and silence filled the office.

A long, heavy sigh eventually broke the stillness.

"Danzō, the war isn't over yet. We need the Uchiha's strength."

Danzō sneered again.

Hiruzen, you never change. Decades have passed, yet you still cling to the same old tactics.

You want both honor and results.

But that's fine. Your indecisiveness allows Root to grow. And one day, my roots will break through the ground and take over the entire tree.

"Enough about Uchiha," Danzō said. "Let's talk about Yami."

Hiruzen returned to his seat, his expression softening into that of the benevolent Hokage he portrayed before the public.

"Even with Uchiha Itachi's talent, your Yami defeated him effortlessly. His mastery of Fire and Wind Release—impressive."

Hiruzen's keen eyes had caught many details from Yami's battle.

In general, a ninjutsu clash was determined by chakra output and Nature Transformation proficiency.

Judging by the scale of the jutsu used, Yami hadn't expended much chakra. His Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique and Wind Release: Great Breakthrough together barely exceeded the chakra cost of a Great Fireball Technique.

Yet, he had overpowered Itachi's Great Fireball Technique and nearly shattered Fugaku's Earth-Style Wall.

This was purely due to Nature Transformation, the technique's quality was exceptionally high.

What pleased Hiruzen even more was Yami's fighting style.

Combination Ninjutsu—wasn't that his specialty?

Hiruzen possessed no Kekkei Genkai, nor did he wield Yin-Yang Release techniques. Instead, he had mastered all five elemental releases, refining his Nature Transformation to the absolute limit and developing an array of Combination Jutsu.

If the timing had been more appropriate, Hiruzen might have slammed the table, stood up, and declared.

"This kid is just like me!"

Once his desire for talent took root, it became unstoppable.

Hiruzen finally revealed his true intentions.

"Danzō, Yami is an exceptional talent."

"You can't train him properly."

"Let me train him. I guarantee he'll become the backbone of Konoha."

"In your dreams!"

Danzō's expression twisted in anger as he slammed the table.

The loud impact echoed outside the office.

"Yami is my grandson! I will handle his future myself. You don't need to meddle with your false benevolence!"

They had known each other for decades, Danzō understood Hiruzen's ways.

This was brainwashing. If Yami fell for it, he'd turn into one of those Will of Fire fanatics, constantly chanting about Konoha's "bright future."

That was unacceptable.

Hiruzen frowned. "Danzō, your nature is too… dark. A talent like Yami mustn't be ruined by your twisted ideology."

"He is still a child. He needs proper guidance. If he stays with me, I will teach him how to become an excellent shinobi."

Danzō was so infuriated that he cursed outright.

"Excellent shinobi? None of your three disciples have turned out right! One indulges in women, one is a gambler, and the last is addicted to drugs. Two of them have even abandoned Konoha! And you expect me to entrust Yami to you?"

Hiruzen's face turned red.

Lies could be ignored. But the truth?

The truth cut deep.

His three disciples were his greatest failure. And Danzō had struck precisely at his weakest point.

And worse—

Danzō had insulted his intelligence.

For years, Hiruzen had always prided himself on outmaneuvering Danzō with wit.

But today—

The roles were reversed.

"You really won't hand over Yami to me?" Hiruzen asked.

"Hiruzen, I am his grandfather!"

"Danzō, you'll regret this!"

Bang!

Hiruzen stormed out of the office, slamming the door shut.

He didn't realize what had happened until he was halfway down the hallway.

Wait.

This is my office.

Danzō should be the one leaving!

Realizing this, he quickly turned around, pushed the door open, and glared at Danzō.

"Danzō! This is my office. You should be the one leaving!"

Inside, Danzō was trying not to laugh.

For years, he was always the one storming out.

But today—

Hiruzen was the one who lost his temper.

Of course, on the surface, Danzō remained composed, the ever-calculating leader of Root.

Had he laughed now, Hiruzen might have truly snapped.

"You don't need to worry about Yami's future," Danzō said calmly as he finally stood to leave.

Hiruzen sighed heavily.

He envied Danzō.

At least Danzō had a grandson.

Meanwhile, his own son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, had been married for years but still had no children.

Always off on missions with his wife. And as for his youngest son—still single.

No.

This couldn't go on.

"Shinnosuke!" Hiruzen called.

Moments later, an Anbu in a dog-masked uniform entered the office.

Hiruzen locked eyes with him and issued a command in an undeniable tone.

"Starting today, you're on leave. Go home and work on giving me a grandson. Until you do, don't bother returning to Anbu!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke: "???"

(To be continued.)

***

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