Chapter 15: Namikaze Minato's Request
Over the past couple of days, Danzo had gained a rough understanding of the system's reward mechanics.
According to the information in his mind, the system's rewards did not directly grant strength. Instead, after gaining the recognition of key figures in the story, he could copy their hidden abilities—essentially, their talents—without affecting them in any way.
While this type of reward increased his potential, true growth still required effort, step by step. After all, talent and actual strength were two very different things.
Take Orochimaru, for example. His talent alone wouldn't have made him a legend. It was his relentless pursuit of truth and immortality that pushed him to the pinnacle. In this world of shinobi, where bloodlines became increasingly dominant in the later stages, his research had secured him a place among the greats.
If the original Danzo had obtained a talent like "Absolute Comprehension," it probably wouldn't have been of much use to him. For someone obsessed with power and control, that ability alone wouldn't have meant much.
'So, no shortcuts for me, huh?' Danzo chuckled bitterly but had to admit—this was quite the cheat. Having an advantage like this really did feel good.
After more than ten days of training, his grasp of ninjutsu had deepened considerably. At the same time, he could sense that his soul had become purer, his mental strength stronger.
However, he had also noticed a major weakness—his chakra reserves.
Particularly when it came to high-consumption jutsu like the Giant Rasengan.
Using an internal and external chakra circulation system, he could enhance the destructive power of his techniques. Theoretically, the more chakra he poured into it, the stronger it would become—as long as he had the necessary control.
Danzo tested the limits of his Giant Rasengan, and its power had already reached the level of an A+ rank jutsu, several times stronger than what early-series Naruto had managed. However, unlike Naruto, he couldn't spam it endlessly as if chakra were infinite.
If he pushed himself to the limit, he could maybe unleash five full-power Giant Rasengans before running out of chakra.
The only way forward was to refine his chakra control and improve its quality.
While Danzo focused on strengthening himself in preparation for the coming war, the shinobi world had already become tense.
Jiraiya and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were stationed at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, while Orochimaru led two thousand shinobi to the Grass Country's border as a precautionary measure.
Tensions were high along the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. War could break out at any moment, yet both sides were maintaining a delicate restraint, neither willing to strike first.
The Third Hokage was making a last-ditch effort to negotiate, hoping the Raikage would agree to sit down for peace talks. At the same time, Konoha had sent envoys to Iwagakure, urging them to honor the "Shinobi World Treaty" and withdraw from the Grass Country.
Surprisingly, the notoriously hot-tempered Raikage accepted the Hokage's request for peace talks, easing the tense atmosphere on the front lines.
Just as the entire shinobi world was focused on these negotiations, shocking news came from the Land of Wind.
Led by the Raikage himself, three thousand elite Kumogakure shinobi launched a lightning-fast assault on Sunagakure, which was still leaderless and in disarray.
If not for Rasa's Bloodline Limit, which allowed him to manipulate the land and raise towering walls of sand to block the invasion, Sunagakure might have fallen.
Although they managed to repel the attack, the battle left Sunagakure severely weakened. The village could barely defend itself, let alone stop the Kumogakure forces from pillaging the Land of Wind.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind issued multiple orders demanding Sunagakure put an end to the raids, but it was all in vain.
By the time this news reached Konoha, the higher-ups realized they had been played.
After a hasty discussion, they immediately deployed reinforcements to the Land of Lightning's border, forcing the Raikage to recall his troops.
Danzo attended this high-level meeting as well, but, as always, he remained silent throughout, like a mere decoration.
Yet, deep down, he understood the problem all too well. With Konoha repeatedly displaying weakness in diplomacy, its deterrent power as a dominant force was crumbling. The lurking wolves wouldn't wait much longer before pouncing.
As Danzo stepped out of the Hokage's office, he unexpectedly ran into Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
"Danzo-sama," Minato greeted him respectfully. Kushina, on the other hand, simply huffed, acknowledging his presence with a curt nod.
It was obvious they had been waiting for him.
"What do you need?" Danzo asked, glancing at the two. Judging from their body language, their relationship was progressing rapidly.
"Last time, everything happened so suddenly, and we never got the chance to properly thank you for saving us," Minato said sincerely, his bright smile as warm as always.
"Yeah, thanks for that, old man," Kushina muttered reluctantly, her words clearly the result of Minato nudging her.
Minato gave an apologetic smile, looking a bit embarrassed.
"No need. We're all Konoha shinobi," Danzo replied calmly, ignoring Kushina's rudeness.
Minato hesitated briefly before getting to the real reason they had sought him out.
"Actually, I have a rather bold request... I'd like to learn the jutsu you used last time. Forgive my rudeness." He bowed slightly in apology.
Ever since witnessing the Rasengan in action, Minato felt as if the technique had been made for him. But even Jiraiya had no idea what it was, leaving him with no choice but to track down Danzo.
Today, he had finally managed to corner the ever-elusive Danzo.
"Hmph. That is indeed very rude," Danzo said, fixing Minato with a neutral gaze.
In the shinobi world, prying into another's jutsu was a major taboo.
"Tch. What's the big deal? We'll trade you for it! You know sealing techniques too, don't you? I can teach you two of mine in exchange—" Kushina interjected, crossing her arms defiantly.
Before they came here, the two had already written to Jiraiya and done their homework.
"Kushina…" Minato's tone turned serious as he cut her off. She shrank back slightly, like a child who had just been scolded.
"Danzo-sama, I sincerely apologize. Kushina didn't mean any harm. We're truly sorry for the disrespect—" Minato bowed deeply, already resigning himself to failure.
"It's fine. I'll teach you." Danzo interrupted him mid-sentence.
"...What?" Minato, usually so composed, was momentarily speechless.
Kushina, too, was stunned for a second before her face lit up with excitement.
"Heh, guess you're not as bad as Tsunade says, old man! I won't badmouth you anymore. And don't worry—we won't let you lose out in this trade!"
Danzo ignored her and turned to Minato.
"Tomorrow. Training Ground Three. Don't bring her."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
From behind, he could faintly hear Kushina grumbling in irritation and Minato's patient attempts to calm her down.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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