Chapter 21: Leaving the Village, Danzo’s Illustrious Past

Kawaki Aoba was somewhat surprised to be heading out on a mission so soon. After all, with him as a "wounded" party, Shinku Yuhi—their team leader—could not have possibly failed to consider his condition, nor should he have denied him any time to recover.

The only logical conclusion was that Shinku Yuhi had an urgent reason for taking him out of the village, and there was a 99% probability that this reason was related to the Hyuga clan.

Given that this was a long-term mission, it meant that the entire squad was essentially helping him "flee" the village.

It was truly... an awkward situation to be in.

From the moment he had thoroughly burned his bridges with the Hyuga, Aoba had braced himself for the worst. However, the current state of affairs had far exceeded his expectations and was completely different from what he had envisioned.

There were no mindless Hyuga clansmen coming to cause trouble, nor were there any rats in the gutters questioning him about his Byakugan.

Instead, there was only the care Kurenai Yuhi had shown him over the past few days, and the tireless running about of her father, Shinku.

Oh, and let’s not forget the help from that fellow Asuma Sarutobi. Though that blockhead might not even realize what role he played, without his identity as the Hokage’s son, Aoba would never have been able to remain this secure until now.

It seemed he owed a massive debt of gratitude this time.

Even though it felt a bit sentimental, Aoba silently noted this favor.

*Hmm, decided.* When he grew stronger in the future, if he ever encountered Hidan, he would make sure to dismember him and bury the pieces in advance.

Then there was Shinku Yuhi. In the original story, he only appeared in flashbacks; he hadn't died in the Third Shinobi World War, but he hadn't escaped that fateful night of the Nine-Tails' attack either.

Of course, he could not forget his grudge against the Hyuga clan.

There was much to be done and many people to help. Therefore, he had to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

Following Kurenai to the rendezvous point, he found Shinku and Asuma already prepared and waiting.

"Very well, everyone is here. Let’s move out. I will brief you on the details of the mission along the way." Looking at his three disciples, and lingering for a moment on Aoba, Shinku issued the order.

The four-man squad headed straight for the village gates. Along the way, Shinku turned his head to the side, seemingly by chance.

Only Aoba "saw" this subtle gesture. He knew that what Shinku was watching were the Hyuga clan ninjas lurking in the shadows.

And it was exactly as he suspected. Upon discovering the hidden Hyuga, Shinku felt both frustrated and a sliver of relief.

He had not expected the Hyuga to be watching so closely. He had accelerated their departure as much as possible, yet they had been tailed regardless.

Fortunately, he had already accepted the mission. No matter how bold the Hyuga were, they wouldn't dare ambush them on the road while Asuma Sarutobi was still part of their squad.

Back in the village, the Hyuga clan received word the moment the squad stepped outside.

"Taking a mission to leave the village? That is certainly a clever way to handle things." After reading the report, the Second Elder, Hyuga Kashiwa, offered only that cold observation.

However, the Third Elder sitting beside him lacked such composure. "Damn them! Since when has our Hyuga clan fallen to this? A mere Jounin specializing in genjutsu dares to oppose us.

And Hiruzen Sarutobi—what is that junior thinking! Crossing the river and burning the bridge? Don't forget, he still has our Hyuga clansmen in his Anbu."

The Third Elder was incensed. He had every reason to be; the bulk of the Hyuga's recent losses had come from his own branch. Nearly eighty percent of the elite ninjas in his lineage had been wiped out in one stroke.

And of those lost, most had been funneled into that so-called "Anbu training unit" belonging to Danzo Shimura.

Among all the ninja clans in Konoha, the junior Danzo was notorious. His "Root" organization had been established during the Second Shinobi World War.

At its inception, every ninja clan believed it to be a department meant to share power with the Anbu. They had scrambled to send their own clansmen in, hoping to secure a share of the influence.

Yet, who could have guessed that Danzo was such a snake? The very first mission he assigned the elite ninjas sent by the various clans was to infiltrate enemy lines for assassinations.

It was the height of the Second Shinobi World War. The lethality of such a mission was obvious; to say the survival rate was slim would be an understatement.

It was only because those ninjas were the elite of their respective clans that many managed to complete the mission.

Although the losses were heavy, the clans had accepted it as a sacrifice for avenging the Second Hokage, swallowing their pride and understanding the necessity.

But Danzo simply had no humanity. He was a master at crossing the river and burning the bridge, at discarding his tools once the work was done.

While the clan ninjas were risking their lives to complete missions, Danzo was busy branding the rest of their kin within the Root with cursed seals. He didn't even spare the elites who had miraculously returned alive; one by one, they all became his private assets.

How could the ninja clans not be furious at such behavior? But anger was useless. By then, the Second Shinobi World War had largely subsided, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, having led the charge on the front lines, had gained enough prestige that the clans lost their final leverage for negotiation.

Unless they could unite and rally behind a single leader, such a thing was impossible. No one was a fool; whoever stepped out first would surely be the first to die.

And so, the clans suffered a massive loss at Danzo's hands, and the matter was left to fade away.

Since then, the name Danzo Shimura had become loathsome to the high-ranking members of every clan.

Moreover, relying on Hiruzen Sarutobi’s inaction, Danzo's conduct became increasingly brazen. Although his visits to the various clans usually ended in him being rebuffed, through various means, he still managed to coerce many clans into symbolically offering him one or two of their own.

Of course, this only made Danzo even more infamous among the upper echelons of the ninja clans. But did Danzo care?

The only thing he seemed to care about was growing his Root. And, of course, that "dream" of his, which no one else knew about.

Besides, it was rumored that recently, Danzo had plans to start raising ninjas from childhood, and had apparently set his sights on the Konoha Orphanage because of it.