Hiruzen continued questioning Aoba in detail, including Natsuki's summoning contract with the mountain giant eagle.
However, he didn't dwell too long on that point. His focus remained squarely on Orochimaru. Until they figured out what Orochimaru was planning, Konoha would remain dangerously passive.
Once he'd gathered enough information, Hiruzen dismissed Aoba.
He then sent the ANBU to summon Homura and Koharu for a meeting.
As for Danzo… Hiruzen deliberately chose not to call him.
He suspected that Danzo might still have ties to Orochimaru. Whatever Orochimaru was plotting might very well have Danzo's fingerprints on it.
The Otogakure ninja was handed over to the Interrogation Division, in hopes they could extract more intel.
Homura and Koharu arrived quickly.
But before the meeting began, the door slammed open—Danzo barged in uninvited.
"Hiruzen, you've already disbanded Root. Fine. But now you're holding meetings without inviting me? Do you no longer see me as a Hokage advisor? Or are you planning to abandon Konoha's shadow completely?"
Danzo questioned him sharply, clearly furious.
Hiruzen calmly exhaled smoke, then replied, "You still have secret dealings with Orochimaru, don't you?"
One sentence—and Danzo almost crushed his cane in anger. "Hiruzen, are you accusing me?!"
Hiruzen remained silent, simply staring at Danzo. But the look in his eyes said it all—he wasn't just suspicious; he was convinced, even without evidence, that his old comrade still had private ties to that rogue disciple.
Homura and Koharu understood. It was clear now the meeting was about Orochimaru—no wonder Danzo hadn't been summoned.
Danzo gritted his teeth. "It's been a long time since I last had contact with Orochimaru. That much, I can promise. And I am still a Hokage advisor. I have the right to participate in this meeting!"
"I'm suspending your authority for now," Hiruzen declared. "This concerns Orochimaru. We need to proceed with caution."
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
"I am the Hokage, Danzo!"
Bang! Danzo stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Hiruzen sat quietly for a while, puffing on his pipe. Only then did he speak, voice low and heavy: "Homura, Koharu… It looks like Orochimaru is about to make a move…"
...
Meanwhile, Natsuki had returned to the ninja tools shop—just in time to run into Tenten, who'd already completed her mission and now wore an anxious expression.
"Natsuki, I just heard Birdra's cry—did something happen?"
She looked him over, only relaxing once she confirmed he was unharmed.
Natsuki pulled her inside the store. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. I'll explain everything slowly. Oh right, I brought you a small gift from the capital."
He took out a bunch of little trinkets—mirrors, combs, jewelry, and so on.
Tenten didn't usually go out of her way to dress up, but like any girl, she still enjoyed pretty things. When she wasn't on missions, she liked to wear a few accessories here and there.
"I love it. Thank you, Natsuki."
She smiled sweetly and gave him a quick kiss.
Natsuki felt a wave of bliss—only to suddenly feel a heavy, resentful stare from his soon-to-be father-in-law. He quickly offered an explanation: "Ahem… Otōsan, since our family has business in the capital, I figured you'd already be super familiar with everything there. You probably wouldn't be interested in the little trinkets I brought, right?"
"Hmph! Damn right! Who cares about the junk you brought back!"
Judging by his tone, he was clearly not happy. Did he want a gift too?
Tenten leaned in and whispered with a smile, "He's mad, can't you tell? Whether the gift is good or not doesn't matter—what matters is you forgot to get him one. That's the problem. It's about the gesture, not the item. Dad's just being tsundere. If the son-in-law doesn't bring him a gift, of course he's upset."
Ah… that's what it was!
Natsuki smacked his own forehead. He still had a lot to learn about interpersonal relationships!
Thankfully, Tenten was thoughtful—she secretly took out two of her gifts, picked the ones suited for men, and quietly passed them to Natsuki with a wink.
Natsuki instantly got the hint and walked over to the counter. "Ahem! Otōsan, I was just teasing you. Here's your gift—some little items you can use to decorate your room. Don't be too picky, okay?"
The store owner glanced at them, snorted, and took them. "Your taste in gifts is trash, but I'll accept them… just this once. Next time, pick something better!"
This father-in-law was harder to please than the girlfriend!
Natsuki looked like he was about to cry, while Tenten cheekily stuck out her tongue behind her dad's back.
That night, after dinner, Tenten sneaked into Natsuki's room while her dad wasn't looking. She claimed she needed Natsuki to charge her with some electricity—but really, she just wanted to hear all about his first mission outside the village.
Naturally, the mission itself was boring and done with quickly.
So Natsuki focused instead on the part about Rinya and Megumi dating—and the Otogakure ninja who had followed them.
"Otogakure is a recently established village in the Land of Rice Fields. We don't have any solid intel on it yet. But Aoba-sensei accidentally let it slip—he said the name 'Orochimaru.' So I'm guessing Otogakure was founded by him. Orochimaru is one of the Sannin who defected from Konoha. He's extremely dangerous—and worse, he knows Konoha and the Land of Fire like the back of his hand. If he's really plotting against the village… it could be very bad."
Tenten's brows furrowed deeply.
She had always admired Tsunade and wanted to become a legendary kunoichi like her.
But after learning that Jiraiya was a pervert and even Tsunade was a gambler… she'd already started feeling disillusioned. Now this—one of the Three Legendary Sannin was a traitor planning to attack Konoha?
What the hell was going on?
"Natsuki, the village will be okay, right?" she asked, genuinely worried.
"That's hard to say. But I'll make sure to protect you and Otōsan."
He held her close and added, "Tenten, if you ever encounter Orochimaru, don't hesitate—use your trump card immediately. If you get the chance, summon the giant eagle and fly away. Orochimaru's no joke. You can't handle him yet. Understand?"
Tenten nodded with a grave expression. She didn't want Natsuki to worry.
Still, Natsuki couldn't rest easy.
Orochimaru was far too dangerous.
Just because he knew the plot from the original story didn't mean he could be complacent—especially now that events were diverging from the original. He had to stay alert.
"…Kabuto passed by while I was out shopping. I don't think that was a coincidence. I'm probably on his list. Maybe all of Team Ten's rising stars are under observation."
As this thought crossed his mind, Natsuki summoned three senzu beans with a flick of his will and placed them in Tenten's hand.
(End of Chapter)
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