Chapter 700 : Our Time has Passed...

[A/N: A few years ago, I never would have imagined writing a fanfic that would have more chapters than Naruto Manga. But, here we are, on our 700th chapter. Thanks for all your love and support guys! Couldn't have done it without you.]

Unlike Shikaku, Hiruzen didn't want to ignore the deaths of those Root ninjas and the destruction of the Root Headquarters. However, Shikaku's logic was on point as usual. Under current circumstances, Konoha didn't have any strength to spare to deal with such a troublesome fellow.

Hiruzen decided, 'A shame, but there is indeed nothing we can do right now. Once I've dealt with Orochimaru and Suna, I will ask Jiraiya to find more information on him. Future actions will depend on the information we get.'

Hiruzen replied, "Alright."

Fujin sighed in relief internally thinking, 'Good. I was worried he'd send me to hunt myself once again…'

Shikaku immediately said, "You'll also need to ensure that Elder Danzo doesn't do anything. Last time, we were lucky that the enemy decided to only target Root. However, we can't be sure next time."

It was Hiruzen's turn to sigh tiredly. He didn't want to deal with Danzo again, especially at a time when he was so busy. Unfortunately, he couldn't say no and agreed. Of course, since Shikaku put him up to such a troublesome task, he'd have to suffer as well.

A glint appeared in his eyes as he looked into Shikaku's eyes. A shiver passed down Shikaku's spine as he realized, 'Crap! He is planning to give me a very troublesome task! I need to leave in a hurry! But what excuse do I use? Right, Shikamaru is in the finals. I have to train him!'

Fujin noticed it as well and became quite intrigued by what Hiruzen would say. Unfortunately for Shikaku, Hiruzen suddenly disappeared from his chair and appeared next to him before he could open his mouth. Hiruzen said, "I'll meet Danzo now. Shikaku, start working on a defensive plan in case Sunagakure and Orochimaru attack us during the Final round and complete it within the next 4 days. I'm counting on you.

Also, consider whether Akuro's actions could invoke any strange reactions from Kumogakure. Fujin, continue doing what you want to. We'll call you once the plans are made. You'll undoubtedly have a huge role to play."

Fujin nodded and replied, "Alright, Grandpa."

He glanced at Shikaku and said, "Good luck, Shikaku-san. The entire village is counting on you."

A tick mark appeared on Shikaku's face as both Fujin and Hiruzen disappeared from the office, leaving him alone. Shikaku cursed, 'These two troublesome fellows. I swear that the old man has become more troublesome since he began interacting more with that brat! I just dealt with the Kumogakure situation and now he has already dumped more work on me.'

Unfortunately, the poor guy had no one to complain to. He could only begin working.

Hiruzen flickered a few times and entered the underground Root Headquarters. When Fujin blew the Root Headquarters, only the underground laboratory was spared. Danzo made his new office inside the laboratory.

Danzo was slightly startled to see Hiruzen suddenly appear in his office but he wasn't too surprised. He looked at Hiruzen and wondered, 'Does he want my help to deal with Orochimaru and Sunagakure?'

For nearly a year, Danzo had been looking for an opportunity to get his authority back. Unfortunately, Konoha was too stable and peaceful. Orochimaru's appearance and Gaara's presence gave him the opening he needed. However, Hiruzen was in no mood to play mind games. He placed a couple of scrolls in front of Danzo and said, "We received some interesting information from Kumogakure."

Danzo frowned. He grabbed the scroll while wondering, 'Kumogakure? Shouldn't he be occupied with Sunagakure?'

Hiruzen looked at Danzo reading the scroll and thought, 'Even though the Root no longer exists, he still has several ways to get information. It's better to talk with him openly than let him make moves in secret and make my job more difficult.'

Danzo read the report without any emotion on his face but was quite surprised to learn that such a strong existence was completely unknown to him. His eyes suddenly widened and he stood up and said with a grim expression, "This attack!"

He immediately looked at Hiruzen and said, "So, this is why you showed up."

Hiruzen nodded and analyzed, 'His reaction was natural. To think that he still didn't know who attacked Root headquarters… You've lost your touch, old friend.'

Had it been a couple of decades ago, Hiruzen had no doubt that Danzo would have turned the entire ninja world upside down to find who the attacker was and give him the most painful death. However, he didn't even know who the attacker was despite having so much time. Of course, Hiruzen restraining Danzo played a big role but even if it didn't, how could Danzo find someone who didn't exist?

Danzo said, "Akuro… Lightning attacks of this scale are tough to achieve. He must have some tool to amplify his attacks like Sensei's blade and probably is the one who attacked Root.

However, something about him feels off… Very off. Who attacks an army for getting disturbed while eating? It feels more like he was fishing for an excuse to battle them."

Hiruzen replied, "Perhaps. Or perhaps he's just that peculiar."

Danzo asked, "Do you mean to say that he might have attacked Root for such a petty reason?"

Hiruzen nodded in agreement. Danzo thought for a bit and said, "No, the situation is quite different. Kumogakure offended him openly, while he attacked the Root ninjas inside the hidden bases. If any Root ninja had irked him, he would have killed them on the spot and I didn't have any missi…"

Danzo's eyes widened as he recalled important information. He muttered, "No, two of my subordinates went missing some time ago and were suspected dead. However, there is still a considerable amount of time between the two events. Unless my ninjas betrayed me, that's impossible."

Hiruzen replied, "Unfortunately, we can't say for sure."

Danzo looked into Hiruzen's eyes and said, "Of course we can. We have to hunt down Akuro and read his memories. Only then can we know what happened that day and bring justice to our martyrs."

To his surprise, Hiruzen plainly asked, "Do you not see the current situation, Danzo?"

Danzo frowned and replied, "Orochimaru and Sunagakure… In that case, focus on them. Give me a few squads of my old Root ninjas and I'll hunt him down."

Hiruzen let out a sigh and replied, "You've stopped seeing what's good for the village, Danzo. Hunting down Akuro will make him target Konoha. And, we can't afford to have such an enemy at such a critical time. Not to mention, we don't even know for sure whether it was him."

Danzo frowned and argued aggressively, "Hiruzen! Don't forg…"

However, Hiruzen cut him off and said, "That's the end of the discussion, Danzo. I'm here to tell you to not do anything foolish. Once the current threat is dealt with, I'll send Jiraiya to dig out more information about him. If he's truly as reckless as he seems, dealing with him won't be too difficult. However…"

Hiruzen paused to put more emphasis on his words. He said, "Until we get more information, you won't make a move."

Hiruzen's tone left little room for discussion. Danzo snorted and sat in his chair while commenting, "You've grown soft, Hiruzen. In the old days, you'd be the first one out to hunt him down for killing our ninjas."

Hiruzen sighed. He disappeared from the room, leaving just his words behind, "Our time has long passed, Danzo. Stop clinging on to the past."

Even though he seemingly backed down, Danzo had no will to follow Hiruzen's orders. Unfortunately for him, Hiruzen increased the surveillance on Root severalfold. The restrictions ensured that neither he nor his few remaining subordinates could set a foot outside the laboratory without Hiruzen knowing about it. Danzo could only do his best to get as much information as he could from Kumogakure so that he wouldn't be completely reliant on Hiruzen for information.

The other villages were the same. Akuro's sudden appearance had made them curious about him and they activated their intelligence network to get as much information about him as they could. At the same time, Akatsuki had begun their search for Akuro.

At such a time, in a secret base inside the Land of Rice, Orochimaru weaved a few hand seals. Suddenly, the person in front of him let out a blood-curdling scream. Soon, his appearance changed as Orochimaru revived Kabuto in his body!

Surprise could be seen on Orochimaru's face as he muttered, "You really are dead..."

Kabuto's long absence had been very surprising for Orochimaru. He waited patiently for nearly 3 weeks and yet hadn't heard anything related to Kabuto. In the end, he finally decided to try the Edo Tensei jutsu to check whether he was dead or if he had betrayed Orochimaru. To his surprise, the Edo Tensei jutsu worked!

[A/N: Latest chapter : The path to surpass rank S! (Never imagined it'd take 700+ chapters to reveal the suspense at the end of chapter 34!)]

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