Kinship (3)

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

===

[Shimura Danzō's POV]

Uzumaki Naruto had returned safely from Kusa. Han and Rōshi had failed to kill him in Kusa. You would expect them to be more competent given their age, but they weren't. I grunted in annoyance as I dismissed my agent. Alone once again in this dark room, I was left with my thoughts.

Uzumaki Naruto was cautious. Paranoid would be more proper to call him. He trusted no one but himself. You could be his very own mother, but he would still distrust you. At least, that was the impression I got from him. I could never know if he would do that since his mother had long gone.

Uzumaki Naruto could not be defeated head-on. you had to catch him off-guard to kill him. My agents had failed to do it. Han and Rōshi could attest to the boy's competence. A frown marred my face as I put my hand over my bandaged eye. It seemed to be the only way for me to reign in the wild card. However, I would rather not do that. I would be forced to step into the light and had to fight Hiruzen for that.

After all these years…

I was afraid of Hiruzen. My hands trembled as I recalled his might. It was already a distant past, but I still couldn't shake off my inferiority. An annoyed grunt escaped my lips. Such a fragile mind I had. Even after enduring battles that you would only see in nightmares, I still couldn't get over my inferiority complex.

Hiruzen was no longer at his peak. He should be no match for the current me. However, if he teamed up with Uzumaki Naruto, my loss would be assured. Hiruzen and that Jinchūriki were hiding things from me. None of them was on record, so my odds against them were quite unfavorable. After all, information was power.

Clack!

I slammed my cane to the ground in annoyance. It was not cathartic but managed to dispel the mud clogging my mind. Either way, Uzumaki Naruto would have his hands tied given his failure at Kusa. He had proven himself to be unfit for an Anbu agent, so he needed training. I would take over his training and put him under my thumb.

If that didn't work…

"He has to keep an eye open while he sleeps."

I stood up from my throne and stepped into the light. I had to hear his report.

***

[Uzumaki Naruto's POV]

"You did not only fail to secure the intelligence but also revealed your identity to the enemy Shinobi. You are a failure as an agent. You should receive a befitting punishment for your debacle," Danzō grunted.

"Let the Hokage decide that, Old Coot," was my calm response.

"Preposterous!" Danzō exclaimed, banging his cane on the floor.

Tsunade sighed in exasperation as she massaged her forehead. I guessed she would quickly lose her youthful beauty. She looked at me and then turned to the redhead standing timidly beside me. She sighed once again. I had the decency to smile assuringly at her, but she glared at me instead. I thought it would be comforting.

"Explain why your actions wouldn't lead to unwanted consequences," Tsunade said neutrally.

"People's understanding toward Bijū and Jinchūriki are alike. Many Shinobi and civilians alike call us Demons. That fact attests to my claim. The form I used in Kusa was that of a Yonbi. Although it didn't look anything like the real Yonbi, the idiot who saw it wouldn't know. All he saw would be a four-tailed abomination wreaking havoc."

Danzō harrumphed, expressing his disagreement.

"Iwa would not say anything about our involvement and take Kusa's accusation in a stride. They have been at war with Kusa, after all. On top of that, of course, they are ashamed to admit they attempted murder on another village's Jinchūriki and lost horribly."

"And what if they didn't have this shame?" Danzō retorted.

"I would destroy Kusa. Let no one have it," I shrugged. "It is not like it would be our first time destroying a village out of convenience."

Danzō's lone eye and my Sekigan met. The old coot could fool anyone but me. My Sekigan could detect the anomaly on his entire body. His right eye didn't belong to him. The Chakra network's pattern was too different. His right arm also didn't belong to him. It was an entire abomination that the seal he put on it couldn't hide.

"But let's stop assuming the worst-case scenario. Iwa won't make a fuss about the debacle unless they are ready to wage war against Konoha. Given the current political state, I doubt they are eager to fight us. Our propaganda has succeeded in making people believe that we are still the strongest Shinobi Village, after all."

My Chakra flared as I focused my gaze on Danzō's concealed eye. The old coot was trying hard to conceal the twitching of his face.

"And if they still want to try their luck, I would recreate the history they could never forget."

Danzō might appear astonished outwardly. Tsunade and Hiruzen who was standing beside her seemed to think that he was. I could see and feel his Chakra fluctuation. He was anxious. He was smart enough to understand my gesture. He had to know I knew his secret. The war was on. It should keep him in check. Unless he was ready to make the entire Konoha his enemy, he wouldn't mess with me.

"As you should."

Danzō had made his last remark. He remained quiet afterward, letting the discussion flow between me and Tsunade. At the end of the discussion, Karin was accepted into Konoha as a civilian. Given her importance to Kusa, we couldn't just let her enter the rank of Konoha Shinobi, lest we would make Kusa think she was a spy we had planted there.

On top of that, of course, we wanted to use her exploitation against Kusa. The Uzumaki and Konoha, after all, had close ties. The offense they had done to Karin would become leverage for negotiations ahead. Of course, for it to work, we had to paint Karin as an innocent civilian, incapable of even joining Konoha's Shinobi rank.

Karin would stay with me, which would also make her stay with Tsunade and Shizune. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't immediately take a rest at the Senju compound as the T&I had some questions for her. My assurance of her innocence was not enough. Konoha had to properly make sure she was not a spy.

"You may take a rest, Naruto. I will take care of Karin," Tsunade said at the end of the meeting.

"See you at the compound," I bade Tsunade farewell and patted Karin's head before walking away.

"Oh, your duty in the Anbu will be postponed for a moment. So, expect some missions as a Konoha's Jōnin."

"Aye, aye."

I exited the room and closed the door behind me. My chance to explore the world was limited given the postponement, but it was fine. Fortunately, on our way back, Karin and I managed to find the Uzumaki Shrine that stored the Shinigami Mask. I didn't know which one worked, so I took all of them.

Each of the masks had a seal on it. You would think being a Fūinjutsu master should allow me to understand the seal, but I didn't. I could finally relate to Jiraiya's struggle to understand my seal. I could properly read the seal, but I didn't know what it did. There was a foreign mechanism that my mind failed to comprehend.

"I am dealing with a Shinigami after all…"

That was in my expectation, honestly. Shiki Fujin summoned the Shinigami to kill an opponent. The Jutsu messed with death and a god, concepts that an Earthling like me had never understood. My confusion came from my unfamiliarity with those two aspects. Nevertheless, I was eager to learn it. Who knows I might learn Edo Tensei on my own.

In my haven, the backyard of my house, I laid down all of the Shinigami Masks I had collected from the shrine. There were 27 masks and they looked similar. The only details telling them apart were the horns on the mask. Their shapes and lengths varied.

I created a Kage Bunshin who possessed half of my Chakra and gave him the mask that resembled the Shinigami I saw in the anime the most. If the anime was right, it should do the job, but I didn't want to take any chances. Hence, I took them all.

My Kage Bunshin looked at me unsurely. He wasn't afraid of death. He had died plenty of times. He was afraid that his death might affect me.

"You are playing a stupid game, Kit."

"If I die, I die, Kurama."

"Fuck…"

Ignoring Kurama, I told my clone to proceed. I watched from the back as he put on the mask. His Chakra burst out of his body. It almost dispelled him. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but I guessed my clone must be seeing the Shinigami. The memory I would receive later would be fun. Not a moment after I thought about that, my heart clenched.

A terrifying presence appeared behind me. I instinctively looked back and saw the Shinigami's face. The grin on his face provoked my own to shine. I couldn't trick the Jutsu. It seemed I had to order someone to do it.

Poof!

My clone dispelled and the Shinigami faded away. The grip on my heart was released, leaving me panting. The pain didn't go away. Oh, the pain that my clone shouldn't be able to feel was also transferred to me. What a cursed technique.