Chapter 51: Powers and Politics

Hiruzen Sarutobi simply could not imagine who could have infiltrated Danzo's own stronghold in Root and defeated all of his forces in an instant.

He knew Danzo's strength very well.

Though Danzo wasn't quite on his level, he was still strong enough to be a Hokage candidate.

In their youth, he and Danzo had served as elite bodyguards for the Second Hokage, alongside Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Kagami, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Akimichi Torifū.

In other words, the very same Konoha higher-ups now standing in this room.

"The enemy was extremely powerful and managed to infiltrate without triggering Konoha's outer barrier. I suspect they used space-time ninjutsu—that's the only explanation that fits."

Without hesitation, Minato shifted all suspicion onto his own student—Uchiha Obito.

What a great Hokage he had once been.

Now he had learned how to play dirty.

Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.

Minato continued,

"After Danzo disappeared, Root immediately reported it to me. Just to be cautious, I gathered Konoha's high-ranking officials and Uchiha Fugaku. But the moment we arrived, we saw the horrors inside this lab—experiments that clearly took years to complete. Even during my tenure as Hokage, I had heard rumors of Root experimenting with Hashirama's cells. This research started all the way back when the Second Hokage died."

His implication was clear.

Hiruzen could only sigh and stay silent.

The Fourth Hokage was blaming him.

He couldn't deny it—he was too old to handle this anymore.

This was, in reality, a political maneuver.

The message was simple: Hiruzen needed to admit his mistakes and stop clinging to power. It was time for him to retire—for real.

A mistake was a mistake.

Now, it was time for the Konoha higher-ups to hold a meeting.

And Minato's goal in this meeting was simple—maximize his own interests.

Because of Danzo's actions, many high-ranking officials were losing faith in Hiruzen.

After all, Konoha's Will of Fire strictly forbade harming one's comrades.

Bonds and protection were the core ideals of Konoha.

Many of the village's leadership had been indoctrinated with this belief since childhood.

Now, standing in the light, they wanted to judge others by their own moral standards.

This was moral high ground politics.

Minato had three objectives for this meeting:

1. Bring the Uchiha Clan back to the center of the village.

This incident was the perfect opportunity.

If the Uchiha hadn't been pushed to the outskirts, they could have reacted faster in times of crisis.

Resistance was expected, but some benefits had to be secured.

After all, the lab was filled with stolen Sharingan.

The Uchiha were still part of Konoha—suppressing them would only push them toward rebellion.

The Uchiha were Konoha's greatest dojutsu clan—not just an empty title.

If the Uchiha rebelled, Konoha would be crippled.

The village had just finished a war—another major loss would threaten its position as the strongest Hidden Village.

Kumo was growing stronger:

Killer Bee, the perfect Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails.

The Fourth Raikage, A, a brutal powerhouse.

A's speed was second only to Minato himself.

The two had even fought during the war—though neither had been able to secure victory.

2. Ensure that Root remains—under Orochimaru's leadership.

As Orochimaru's former teacher, the Third Hokage wouldn't dare oppose this.

All the blame had already been placed on Danzo.

After all, Danzo was the real mastermind behind all of this.

To most people, Orochimaru might have been a bit cold, but he was still part of Konoha and had even competed for the position of Hokage.

There would be some opposition, but it was a matter of political maneuvering.

The third goal was the ANBU—Konoha's assassination unit and its most elite force, answering only to the Hokage.

Hiruzen probably wouldn't want to give up control.

But Danzo's mess was an opening.

After all, everything Danzo had done happened under Hiruzen's rule.

It was another power struggle.

Politics was such a pain.

Ren Asakura didn't bother getting involved. At the end of the day, politics was just too much trouble.

Besides, this wasn't even his world.

"Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime."

Eventually, he'd have to leave.

He wouldn't interfere with their growth or their battles—unless they were really about to lose.

Minato had to grow on his own if he was ever going to stand on his own.

---

Ren walked through the streets.

Konoha's higher-ups had clearly covered up Danzo's disappearance.

If the public found out, it could cause panic.

Maybe even doubt in the village itself.

Rumors were terrifying things.

Once upon a time, a mighty steel dragon had collapsed because of rumors alone.

And even then, it still had the power to drag the whole world down with it.

"If I go down, everyone goes down with me."

Then, Ren spotted a familiar figure.

A tall man wearing a headband with the kanji "Oil" on it.

Long white hair flowed down to his waist.

Two red lines ran from his eyes all the way to his chin.

He wore a red cloak over a brown outfit, wooden sandals on his feet, and armored guards on his arms.

He sneakily looked left, then right.

Then, he grinned.

And headed off on a very familiar route.

Straight to his "research materials."

Jiraiya.

One of the Three Sannin. A top figure in Konoha. An elite ninja on par with a Kage.

But after all the village's mess, he'd taken off—spying on the Akatsuki instead.

This time, though, he was back.

Hiruzen must have called him for a meeting.

But knowing Jiraiya, he hated that kind of thing.

So instead of showing up, he'd gone straight to his real priority—

Peeping on the women's bathhouse.

Inside, the women had no idea they were being watched.

Ren smirked.

Time for some fun.

"Lu, you watching?"

"Ren, I'm watching."

Lu Mingfei gave him a knowing grin.

Ren scoffed. "Come on, do I look like that kind of guy? What's even the point of peeping?"

Lu Mingfei was at that age—his collection definitely had some questionable films, especially the ones from Tokyo.

"You just don't get it. It's all about the thrill. If you're gonna do it, go all the way!"

For a second, Ren felt like he was seeing a new side of Lu Mingfei.

"You're not planning on wearing women's clothes, are you?"

At this time of day, he was the only one in the chat—skipping class as usual after getting his recommendation.

With just the two of them, Lu Mingfei's true colors finally came out.

That's what friends were like.

When you were with them, you let your guard down.

Even the parts of yourself you usually hid.

Like sharing your "resources."

°°°

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