Chapter 51

"It's not Sasuke or Sakura they care about, they're just tools for those old dogs!"

Kaze's gaze turned cold as he looked at Hiruzen and Danzō.

Danzō ignored Kaze's words.

Instead, while Kaze and Naruto were locked in a stalemate, he had his two guards behind him rescue Sai.

But as soon as the two touched Sai, whose body was almost completely burnt, their hands were burned by the scorching heat.

The Hyūga ninja quickly activated his Byakugan and shook his head with an unpleasant expression towards Danzō.

"Sir, the violent Nine-Tails chakra has completely corrupted Sai's entire body's meridians!"

"We have no way to control this chakra unless..."

The Hyūga ninja didn't finish his sentence, he just glanced at Kaze, whose facial expression kept changing.

Obviously, only Kaze could withdraw the Nine-Tails chakra to save these people's lives.

On the other side, Hiruzen also heard the conclusion given by the Hyūga ninja.

He didn't respond to Kaze's words but urged Naruto in a stern voice.

"Naruto, quickly take back your body. Don't let these innocent ninjas who protect you die because of you!"

"Think about their families and children. They will hold a grudge against you, just like the villagers who were harmed by the Nine-Tails!"

"Wherever leaves dance, fire also burns relentlessly. The Hokage sacrifices himself for the village, not the other way around!"

Hiruzen's persuasive words made Naruto's inner consciousness even more fierce in its struggle.

Originally, Kaze could delay for about six or seven seconds with this Asura chakra.

But now, after only five seconds, his consciousness began to plummet, retracting mostly back into his body.

However, looking at the Anbu on the ground, with little breath and more exhale, he had already achieved his goal.

He no longer resisted and eagerly returned the body to Naruto.

At the same time Kaze retracted into his body, the raging Nine-Tails chakra outside also disappeared completely.

Naruto, who regained control of his body, immediately shouted to Hiruzen.

"I suppressed Kaze. Third Grandpa, please save them!"

Seeing Naruto regain control, Hiruzen also breathed a sigh of relief.

He then waved to the Anbu ninjas waiting on the side.

"Go bring the medical team here for emergency treatment."

"Yes."

Several Anbu figures flashed and quickly left the Hokage's office.

As for Danzō, he had his subordinate perform medical ninjutsu.

When he saw the Nine-Tails chakra disappear, His subordinate quickly used Palm Sage Jutsu on Sai.

But as soon as his healing chakra came close to Sai's body, the chest pain that had been slightly fluctuating stopped.

The pupils in his eyes also lost focus together, becoming dull and lifeless.

Not only Sai, but also the scattered Anbu ninjas lying around him were the same.

After the Nine-Tails chakra disappeared, they one by one met their deaths.

His subordinate, who failed to save them, returned to Danzō's side with a ashamed expression, bowing his head and speaking softly.

"I was too slow and as a result, Sai's injuries were too severe and he died. I request your punishment, sir."

"It's not your fault." Danzō wiped the slightly dried blood from the corner of his mouth.

Then he turned his gaze to Naruto, who was expressing regret and blame, and finally locked his eyes on Hiruzen.

"Sarutobi, you've caused the loss of so many vital forces in the village. Are you satisfied now?"

Not only did they inexplicably lose their base and a large number of subordinates, but they also suffered a beating from Kaze and lost face.

Naturally, all of Danzō's resentment was focused on Sarutobi, whom he saw as the mastermind behind all this.

Therefore, this time he didn't even use names when speaking, directly addressing him by his surname.

"By tomorrow at the latest, I expect to see your allocation of funds. Otherwise, be prepared to face impeachment from both the advisors and daimyo!"

Without waiting for a response, Danzo and the two individuals behind him walked out of the office.

As soon as Danzo and his group left, the medical team, who had been notified by the ANBU, hurriedly arrived.

The treatment process was swift because all the casualties were already deceased.

At this moment, Naruto was consumed by regret and self-blame to the extreme.

Unfortunately, his questioning in his consciousness received no response from Kaze whatsoever.

He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's stern face, lacking the warmth he usually had.

Naruto gritted his teeth and lowered his head sorrowfully.

"Grandfather Third, I'm sorry. I'm willing to take the punishment on behalf of Kaze!"

"I can accept any punishment!"

Hearing Naruto's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's somber expression finally softened a little.

"He is himself, and you are you. There's no need for you to take his punishment, and you shouldn't let him influence you. Uphold your own ninja way."

Naruto's delay in coming out had caused Hiruzen Sarutobi quite a bit of worry.

He was afraid that Naruto had believed Kaze's words and intentionally delayed coming out.

But from Naruto's current actions and expression, it seemed that things weren't as he had feared.

He was still the same foolish kid he had trained before.

Then he continued to ask, "Why did it take you so long to regain control of your body just now? I remember before, you would instantly regain control."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's question was something Naruto had already sensed and speculated about.

"Grandfather Third, it's probably because of the huge power gap between me and Kaze."

"Ever since Kaze gained control of the Nine-Tails chakra in the Land of Waves, I felt that he could also control my body at any time."

"But the initiative is still in my hands. If Kaze doesn't want to return my body, I can resist a little, although I can't completely counter him."

Naruto's relentless efforts to become stronger now had a reason behind them: Kaze's constantly growing control over his body!

Moreover, due to his own insufficient strength, he had also entertained dangerous thoughts of letting Kaze live his life for him.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

"You still can't control even one tail's worth of chakra now?"

Naruto lowered his head in shame. "I can't sense the Nine-Tails' chakra, and Kaze refuses to teach me."

Due to the Five Elements Seal, Naruto currently had no way to use the Nine-Tails' chakra at all.

Was this really the descendant of Minato? What a waste!

Comparing Naruto to Kaze, who was a genius, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but curse inwardly.

At the same time, he made up his mind to send more people to find Jiraiya and have him teach Naruto.

"Don't worry, Naruto. Grandfather will find you another, better teacher to instruct you in using the power of the Nine-Tails."

"For now, keep training hard under Asuma's guidance and build a solid foundation."

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's somewhat conflicted words of comfort, Naruto, who was touched by them, felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"Thank you, Grandpa Hokage. I won't let your expectations down. I will definitely become the Hokage in the future!"

While the grandfather and grandson shared this heartfelt moment outside, Kaze's consciousness turned its gaze toward the system panel.

[Corruption Value +3000]

[Current Corruption Value: 3000]

[Main Personality Trust Dependency Value: 42 (Cannot be dropped: 42)]

***

Advanced Chapters-

Patreon.com/AlmightySkyDxddy