Chapter 153: A Paper Tiger Trying to Bite? Dream On!

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Takuya shrugged, "It's a jutsu I developed recently, and I used it for the first time in Amegakure. It's strong, no doubt about that, but the downside is the massive chakra drain. If you don't have a large enough chakra pool, there's no point in even trying to learn it."

Was Danzo really thinking he could get his hands on Thunderburst? Heh, good luck with that. With his chakra reserves, he'd be more likely to blow himself up than pull it off.

Danzo's face remained emotionless, his tone flat and cold. "Write down the principles behind this technique. Such a dangerous jutsu should be handed over to the village and sealed in the Scroll of Seals."

I nearly laughed out loud. Oh, right. He wants me to hand over Thunderburst so the village can "seal" it, huh? Yeah, sure, Danzo. As if the village would ever see it. He just wants it for himself.

"Sorry, I refuse. There's no rule in the village that says I have to turn over any jutsu I create."

Danzo, ugly as sin and greedy on top of that. Did he really think I'd just roll over and give him what he wanted? Not a chance.

"You dare defy me?" Danzo's calm facade cracked, his voice tinged with anger. His one visible eye gleamed with menace, and I noticed the Root operatives lurking in the shadows starting to shift, preparing to surround me.

I smirked, not even slightly intimidated. "Refusal isn't the same as defiance, Danzo-sama. Besides, I'm working under Tsunade-sama's command right now. You don't have the authority to order me around."

I leaned in slightly, dropping my voice to a more dangerous tone. "So, instead of barking up the wrong tree, why don't you focus on getting better? Because if you end up bedridden for life, that'd be a real shame for the village."

"Watch your mouth!" Danzo's voice shot up, trembling with rage. He looked like he was about to leap out of bed and strangle me right there.

"Later, old man." I turned and walked out of the room, unbothered by the seething anger radiating from Danzo. The Root operatives still hovered, unsure whether to act.

A few months ago, they might have had a shot. Now? I'd send them all to the afterlife if they even thought about trying.

"Yagami Takuya!" Danzo shouted after me, his voice almost breaking in fury.

But I didn't bother looking back. His high-ranking status didn't scare me, and the war was over. Tsunade was the one calling the shots now, and she outranked him on this front.

If he wanted Thunderburst so badly, why not go ask her for it? Good luck with that. Even if she said yes, he couldn't handle it anyway. That jutsu wasn't made for someone like him.

As I stepped out, I threw one last jab over my shoulder. "No need to scream, Danzo-sama. Yelling's bad for your health. Maybe Tsunade-sama can come by and help you calm down."

I couldn't help but laugh as I walked away. Danzo, threatening me? What a joke.

The Root operatives shifted again, eager for orders, but Danzo didn't give them the signal. Even as angry as he was, he knew better. Trying to take me down right now would be a suicide mission, and with Tsunade backing me, there was no way he could pin anything on me.

Besides, unlike Sakumo Hatake, I wasn't someone he could just ruin with rumors. Anyone who spread lies about me would find me paying them a little visit at night. We'd have a nice chat.

"Lord Danzo?" One of the Root agents dared to ask.

Danzo gritted his teeth but forced himself to calm down. "Stand down!"

I smirked. He was smart enough to know when he had no cards left to play. For now, he was nothing but a paper tiger. He had no real bite, not until we were back in Konoha. Once there, he'd try to set traps for me in the shadows. That's how he operated.

He probably still hadn't forgiven me for taking out his little spies a while back. I knew he'd start piecing it together eventually. Those missing agents? Yeah, that was me. I made sure they wouldn't be reporting back.

As I left the command center, I made a detour to the medical division, where Tsunade was finishing up. She looked up, raising an eyebrow as I entered.

"Finished cooking?"

"Cooking?" I flopped down next to her, pushing her over a bit on the bench. "I just came back from dealing with Danzo. He tried to order me to hand over Thunderburst—said if I didn't, I'd be disobeying orders. Scared the life out of me! Who's got the time to cook after that?"

Tsunade's teacup cracked in her hand, spilling tea onto the floor. Her face darkened.

"I'll deal with Danzo. You don't have to worry about him or anyone else—Danzo, the old man, the elders, all of them. Unless you want to exchange something of equal value, there's no reason for you to give them anything. The village has no rule that says you have to turn over your own jutsu."

"Right." I leaned back, relieved. "Good to know."

She nodded, her expression hardening. "Danzo's a snake, but he can't force you. Let's go grab something to eat, and we'll come back later."

"Sure."

For now, there wasn't much to do except wait. The other medical-nin could handle the patients, and unless something critical came up, Tsunade deserved a break.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen read over the latest intelligence reports. The news of Amegakure's surrender brought him some much-needed relief. With that war over, Konoha could now focus its forces on dealing with Sunagakure.

The Kazekage had launched several attacks across the Fire Country, and Sarutobi's frustration grew with each new report. These guerrilla tactics were wearing down the village's defenses.

He shook his head, turning back to the reports. One scroll, in particular, caught his eye.

"An S-rank lightning jutsu capable of countering Hanzō's attacks?"

Sarutobi frowned, setting the scroll aside.

"Takuya Yagami... this child has grown even stronger than I anticipated."

If it hadn't been for Tsunade's insistence, Sarutobi might never have allowed Takuya to even take the Jonin exams. But now it was clear that Takuya's power far exceeded that of a typical Jonin.

Every time it seemed like they had a grasp on his abilities, he revealed another card up his sleeve. His strength had become a factor that Sarutobi could no longer ignore—especially considering his close ties with both Tsunade and Kushina. If not handled properly, it could become a significant issue for the village.

At least he didn't seem to be aligning himself with the Uchiha clan. That would have made things much more complicated.

Sarutobi sighed and gave his next order. "Announce the peace treaty with Amegakure tomorrow. It'll ease the villagers' concerns."

The war had dragged on, and the people of Konoha were growing weary. Announcing peace would give them something positive to focus on.

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