Chapter 7: I’m Going to Be the Hokage’s Dad!

Because Danzō had previously participated in research involving Hashirama's cells, Orochimaru was quite familiar with one particular sample.

He was nearly certain—ninety-nine percent sure—that the sample came from Danzō.

Which made the origin of the other sample very interesting.

Everyone knew that Danzō's father had died on some unknown battlefield even before the Second Shinobi World War, and Danzō himself had no record of ever marrying...

In other words—

The man who died on the battlefield wasn't Danzō's biological father. And now Danzō had supposedly found his real father through his own efforts? That was... highly unlikely.

"This is getting interesting."

Orochimaru took out the report, pulled out a communication scroll, and infused it with chakra. Moments later, a Root shinobi arrived just outside the base.

"It's done."

Orochimaru tossed the item to the shinobi and received no reply.

The Root shinobi vanished from his sight in a flash.

The report was delivered to Danzō with extreme urgency.

Danzō didn't open it right away. Instead, he dismissed everyone and went alone into a secret chamber.

He placed the report on the desk in front of him, pulled over a chair, and sat down. His index finger tapped rhythmically on the tabletop, producing a crisp sound.

The room's only source of light was a freshly lit candle. Its flickering glow danced across Danzō's face, casting shadows that made him look even more menacing.

"Hmph. Since when did I become so hesitant?"

He shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle, stopped tapping, and picked up the report to read it by the dim candlelight.

"So it's true..."

When he saw the line confirming a blood relationship, a weight finally lifted from Danzō's heart.

So he may seem weak, but... possessing the Ice Release kekkei genkai...

With proper cultivation, he truly might fulfill Danzō's long-held ambition.

He activated a hidden mechanism to open the chamber door and stepped back into the Root base.

As he emerged, frowning at the dim surroundings, he barked:

"Gin!"

At his command, Gin appeared before him again.

"Why is the base so dark? Didn't I tell you to install lighting?"

"...That was my oversight," Gin admitted, bowing his head.

"Then get to it. You, go fetch Ryōma."

Danzō's tone eased once he saw Gin accept the blame. He then signaled another Root shinobi to summon Aburame Ryōma.

At the same time, Danzō turned his gaze to Yami standing nearby.

"Yami, from this moment on, resume using your real name—Yamanaka Akira."

At the command, Yamanaka Akira strode forward and knelt before Danzō.

"Yes, Danzō-sama."

"You and Ryōma, wait for me in the chamber. I'll give further orders soon."

With his plan forming in his mind, Danzō issued his commands and walked off.

...

By the time Aburame Ryōma, who had been guarding Takeshi, received the message and rushed back to the base, he happened to run into Gin redecorating the place.

Although curious, Ryōma knew that Root shinobi followed only Danzō-sama's orders. Without questioning further, he made his way directly to the chamber.

At the entrance, Yamanaka Akira stood tall, waiting for him.

They exchanged glances and stepped inside together.

"You're here, Ryōma."

Danzō's tone was noticeably gentler than with others—Ryōma was one of his most trusted subordinates.

"That kid—no, Takeshi—what is he doing now?"

The shift in how Danzō referred to Takeshi didn't escape Ryōma. Coupled with Yami's—now Akira's—recent behavior, a realization dawned on him.

"Takeshi is currently fishing by the river with Hatake Sakumo and his son." Ryōma reported truthfully.

Fishing? A complete waste of time.

The esteemed White Fang of Konoha, playing with children?

Could this be another of Hiruzen's schemes?

Danzō's first thought, as always, went to his old friend.

That guy clearly had ulterior motives.

It seemed time for Danzō to make his position clear.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he laid out his plan:

"Temporarily suspend all assassination operations targeting the village's opposition."

"Understood."

Ryōma didn't question the reason—he obeyed Danzō's command without hesitation.

"Also, suspend all experiments within the Root base—especially the ones involving human testing. Prioritize shutting those down."

After carefully weighing the gains and losses, Danzō reluctantly made the decision to halt the experiments.

"Understood. And Orochimaru—?"

Though Root experiments could be stopped immediately, Orochimaru—despite officially being assigned to Root by Hiruzen—was one of the Legendary Sannin and had Sarutobi Hiruzen backing him. Even Danzō treated him more like a partner than a subordinate.

"Cut off his funding."

Danzō had his own way of controlling Orochimaru.

While he couldn't directly command him, he could halt the financial support.

Right now, Orochimaru's only ongoing human experimentation involved Hashirama's cells—and that experiment had already failed long ago.

Even the lab site was...

As for Danzō's proposed fusion of the Sharingan and Hashirama's cells—that was still just a drafted concept.

In other words, it wasn't too late to completely sever ties with Orochimaru.

"You're abandoning Orochimaru?"

Ryōma quickly grasped Danzō's intent.

Ever since their alliance, Danzō had promised to help Orochimaru become the next Hokage. In return, Orochimaru would grant Danzō more power and influence.

Their cooperation had been going well—until now.

"Takeshi is my son."

Danzō calmly dropped the bombshell, watching Ryōma's expression shift in shock.

So that's it.

Ryōma glanced at Yamanaka Akira, who clearly had known the truth all along.

No wonder his behavior had been so odd.

"You plan to support Takeshi..."

Ryōma's manner of address instantly changed.

"That's right. He has the Ice Release kekkei genkai, and with my backing—Root's backing—if his strength is sufficient, he stands a real chance of seizing that seat."

Danzō narrowed his single eye, already envisioning his son on the Hokage's throne.

If I can't become Hokage...

Then I'll become the Hokage's father!

Rather than support someone like Orochimaru—an outsider, and worse, Hiruzen's disciple—it made far more sense to support his own son!

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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